Business Issue Papers

Reinventing Banking Financial crisis are nothing new. We offer seven possible avenues to rebuild the current banking industry. [READ ARTICLE] Finding Solutions to Buried Problems Improving retail by adapting strategies from other industries. [READ ARTICLE] Fixing the Software Portfoilio All businesses that use software know that the licensing process can be complex and time consuming. And while independent software vendors do their best to simplify the process, it is almost never enough. [READ ARTICLE]

Bankruptcy the Right Way As the U.S. automotive crisis continues to unfold, many automotive suppliers teeter on the brink of bankruptcy, leaving creditors and shareholders at risk. [READ ARTICLE]

Offshoring in a Fluid World Over a few tumultuous weeks last fall, the economic outlook for every major corporation across the world changed. The Indian outsourcing sector, a bastion of growth for years, was no different. [READ ARTICLE]

"Green" Winners As companies cut costs to get through the current global economic slowdown, there is often a temptation to abandon recent forays into sustainability. [READ ARTICLE]

Controlling Complexity in the Chemical Industry Companies that take control of their complexity can release hidden earnings potential, in some cases increasing margins by 2 to 5 percent. [READ ARTICLE]

Corporate Affairs When situations arise, every management team has to ask: What are our positions on these topics? Who is going to communicate our positions? What communications vehicles should be deployed? [READ ARTICLE]

Aligning a Misaligned Supply Chain Companies that gain a deeper understanding of their suppliers’ capabilities and their own needs can dramatically strengthen their business and gain a competitive advantage. [READ ARTICLE]

Winning the Customer Service Battle Understanding crucial customer touch points, and the most important expectations of your customers at those points, are the first steps in establishing high quality, effective customer service. [READ ARTICLE]

Innovation without R&D In services, the foundation of successful innovation is a more flexible and iterative approach in which people contribute knowledge based on their capabilities and reputations. [READ ARTICLE]

Prepare to Gybe Like helming a sailboat, global companies must be ready to act quickly and in a coordinated manner when a change in direction is necessary in their advertising and creative strategies. [READ ARTICLE]

Chemical Customer Connectivity As the European chemical industry begins to struggle through difficult economic times, it is more important than ever to focus on long-term growth and activities such as innovation. [READ ARTICLE]

The Crash of 2008 Perspectives on what lies ahead and what you can do to position your business. [READ ARTICLE]

Customer Energy The empowered consumer is no longer a vague concept, but a reality that is changing the face of commerce. [READ ARTICLE]

"Low Price" Doesn't Lead to High Profits For consumer electronics manufacturers, success depends on wrapping leading-edge products in a premium brand strategy. [READ ARTICLE]

Managing Mobile Costs: Operational Excellence in the Mobile Communications Industry A three-phased, integrated cost management approach can identify a 15 to 20 percent efficiency gap in operational costs. [READ MORE]

The Art of the Alliance How companies can reap the benefits of alliances to create enduring and mutually beneficial joint partnerships. [READ ARTICLE]

Renewable Energy Markets By examining the renewable energy boom against the background of other recent technology booms, an evaluation of whether a transition to a bust-cycle is occurring or long-term growth in renewable energy should be expected. [READ ARTICLE]

Build Your Own Acquisition Factory At the right time and with careful strategic alignment, an acquisition factory, an industrial-process approach to mergers and acquisitions, produces profitable growth and value generation faster and with less risk than other strategies, resulting in industry leadership. [READ ARTICLE]

Innovation Management: Strategies for Success and Leadership Companies that have mastered innovation have gone beyond R&D to ensure that innovation is an integral part of their organizations. [READ ARTICLE]

Restoring Cost Transparency The consumer packaged goods industry must learn to embrace and conquer mass differentiation of its brands. [READ ARTICLE]

Due Diligence: Think Operational Many firms are conducting operational due diligence to complement strategic due diligence, and are doing so as part of their standard merger assessment. [READ ARTICLE]

Supply Chain Globalization By implementing supply chain globalization strategies—particularly those designed to meet the unique needs and demands of global consumers—companies are discovering new ways to grow and prosper. [READ ARTICLE]

From Data to Business Intelligence Capturing data and generating reports have taken on a life of their own as executives become inundated with information. [READ ARTICLE]

Healthcare Out of Balance: How Global Forces Will Reshape the Health of Nations Global forces are reshaping the healthcare industry, and many long-established social contracts between governments and citizens are being challenged in the process. As many deeply held beliefs begin to waiver, it's time to revisit the role of the state in healthcare. [READ ARTICLE]

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective IT Governance The most successful companies are those that have matured beyond linking IT strategy and the business, and have established an integrated operating environment. [READ ARTICLE]

More Than Just Lip Service A midsized GCC bank with worldclass customer service could increase yearly profits by $50 million to $150 million. [READ ARTICLE]

The Indian and Chinese Auto Component Markets To keep up with the phenomenal growth in the Indian and Chinese markets, domestic production has taken off. [READ ARTICLE]

Gauging Mobile Performance A.T. Kearney has identified the most powerful cost and performance trends in the mobile industry. [READ ARTICLE]