The McKinsey Quarterly

2009

• July 2009 

  McKinsey conversations with global leaders: John Chambers of Cisco

  The CEO and chairman of Cisco Systems explores approaches to decentralized management and leadership and also offers perspective on the future of Web technology and the opportunity that an economic downturn provides for strategically minded companies.

  Includes:

2008

• December 2008 

  Building better links in high-tech supply chains

  As high-tech supply chains increase in complexity, they become harder to manage. Collaboration between OEMs, suppliers, and retailers is the answer.

• December 2008 

  Rethinking high-tech distribution

  Distributors may hold the key to high-tech sales growth in many markets.

• November 2008 

  Data centers: How to cut carbon emissions and costs

  The demand for data center capacity worldwide has led to a sharp rise in IT costs and a steady increase in carbon emissions. A new efficiency metric provides companies with a clear yardstick for measuring progress.

• May 2008 

  Integrating purchasing in M&A: An interview with Lenovo’s chief procurement officer

  The chief purchasing officer of Lenovo explains how he helped to create the operational basis for its continuing evolution from a Chinese powerhouse into a global one.

2006

• September 2006 

  China’s high-tech market: A race to the middle

  Multinational high-tech companies in China are losing out to their local counterparts. Here’s how they can regain market share.

• September 2006 

  Winning the battle for the Chinese consumer electronics market

  A wave of consolidation is changing the way both foreign and Chinese consumer electronics players compete in China.

2005

• June 2005 

  Building stronger IT vendor relationships

  Low costs aren't everything—particularly for critical systems.

2004

• July 2004 

  Getting contract manufacturers back on track

  Electronics OEMs have wrung many concessions from their manufacturing contractors. A more equitable relationship would be of longer-lasting benefit to both parties.

• February 2004 

  The answer to video piracy

  Must video walk the same plank that music did?

2003

• December 2003 

  Cracking China's chip market

  The country’s semiconductor market represents a lucrative opportunity for foreign companies, but to exploit it they must adapt to the needs and expectations of Chinese customers.

• May 2003 

  More bang for the IT buck

  IT procurement must be a capability, not a mere exercise in cutting deals.

2002

• May 2002 

  Chinese chips

  China could soon become a major force in semiconductors—by taking a road of its own.

• February 2002 

  Chips off a new block

  Semiconductors based on plastics rather than silicon pose a strategic challenge to incumbents.

• February 2002 

  Computers: Why the party's over

  Higher sales of more powerful computers propelled the industry’s success in the late 1990s. But the tide may have turned for the worse—at least for computer manufacturers.

2001

• August 2001 

  A computer Legend in the making

  Liu Chuanzhi, the chairman of Legend Holdings (2001), tells how his company became China’s—and Asia’s—leading manufacturer of PCs.

• August 2001 

  PCs vs. TVs

  Companies are rightly investing now to deliver consumer broadband applications as the technology’s penetration grows. But current expectations about the industry’s development aren’t a good enough guide to the future.

2000

• February 2000 

  Store it!

  Who will organize the corporate data closet? The answer depends on whether, how, and when standards emerge.

1998

• May 1998 

  The key to success in electronics: Shifting the balance between profit and growth

  The authors test the theory that stock markets reward electronics companies that make rapid share gains early in a market’s life, profits in more mature markets, and a mix of both in the interim. The initial findings have striking implications for companies that seek sustained leadership.

1997

• November 1997 

  Consumer IT: To play or not to play?

  Competition is cut-throat, margins are poor, and companies that assemble PCs tend only to break even, but the consumer IT market as a whole is profitable. The lesson is that high-profile branding, marketing knowhow, and superior technology do not guarantee success. What matters is where companies choose to compete, and how.

• February 1997 

  The (new) battle for the US PC market

  Asian companies’ share of the US consumer PC market has soared to 28 percent from 5 percent a year ago. But market share does not necessarily bring profitability.