Strategy

They're all the result of bureaucracy.

The CEO wants to increase collaboration and cut costs with an open-plan work space, but the knowledge workers say they need their walls, their doors, and their privacy.

As a recent article in the Wall Street Journal noted, a spate of companies in the high technology/high-end services space has rediscovered the joys of vertical integration — you all remember (or at least those of you of a certain age remember) the excited discovery of “M” form organizations and the power of giving product […]

What do the Burroughs Corporation, Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc., and the Union Camp Corporation have in common? Although none of them enjoys a dominant market share, all three earn quite respectable returns on their equity, have healthy profit margins, and continue to maintain strong sales growth year after year. In this article, the […]

It was supposed to be an amicable "merger of equals," an example of European togetherness, a synergistic deal that would create the world's second-largest...

Researchers found that more often than not the answer is yes. Here's why.

They engage decision makers' emotions.

The key is knowing what your top price is—and having the discipline to stick to it.

With the first African World Cup now going full blast, South Africans are more excited than I’ve ever seen them. And the corporate gamesmanship here is almost as interesting as the matches being played out in magnificent stadiums around the country. The brand competition began the moment I arrived in Johannesburg from the UK. As […]

It's about your process, not your people.

Avoid being a one-hit wonder.

Fluke hits are not a reliable business model.

Intellectual property comprises an ever-increasing fraction of corporate wealth, but what's the good of that if an ever-increasing fraction of the property...

Companies are using big data for pricing, maintenance, and more.

What assumptions can you prove wrong today?

"Business as usual" won't solve the world's major social problems.

The company turned reputational risk into opportunity.

A few years ago, I was at a conference listening to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings talk about how he runs his company on the theory that consumers will trade the quality of an experience for the convenience of getting it. The comment instantly triggered a whole puzzle to auto-assemble in my head. In two decades […]

How appropriate that this inaugural post in the Research blog focuses on the deleterious effect digital platforms are having on publishing. Seems as good...

The story of Royal Bank of Canada.