June 2008
Investment in capital projects is rising. First-rate contracting will help companies to get a significant leg up on their rivals.
Abstract
February 2008
Opportunities to invest in public infrastructure will increase during
the next few years, but so will competition for deals.
Abstract
November 2007
An effort to determine the value of specific kinds of customer inquiries shows how companies should decide which channels are best for dealing with each of them.
Abstract
November 2007
As the country merges into the world economy, best practice in China will become best practice globally, products developed in China will become global products, and industrial processes developed in China will become global processes.
Abstract
November 2007
A carefully constructed change agent program is essential to any successful operational transformation.
Abstract
November 2007
A noted quality expert discusses how the underlying principles of quality improvement still hold true.
Abstract
September 2007
For pharmaceutical and medical-product companies, adopting world-class manufacturing processes can create a competitive advantage by reducing regulatory risk and production costs.
Abstract
August 2007
Many nonmanufacturing sectors are rapidly adopting lean techniques. Soon they will no longer be a differentiating factor in themselves; the important thing will be how well you implement them.
Abstract
July 2007
Real-time information can help companies manage “invisible” employees.
Abstract
June 2007
Merrill Lynch has combined operations with IT in a single unit. Diane Schueneman, the head of the company’s Global Infrastructure Solutions, explains how she is changing both to focus on the customer.
Abstract
June 2007
Automakers and dealers should learn to collaborate more. Both parties would benefit.
Abstract
May 2007
To make application development and maintenance more productive, IT managers are getting lean.
Abstract
May 2007
To go on growing, these institutions must raise their productivity by streamlining the back office.
Abstract
April 2007
In a buoyant economy, the next recession seems far off. But managers who prepare during good times can improve their companies' chances to endure—or thrive in—the eventual downturn.
Abstract
February 2007
Services operations are variable, and measuring their performance is complex. But a company can raise their productivity by managing demand, assigning tasks by the cost of resources, and increasing labor's efficiency.
Abstract
December 2006
Banks and brokerages frequently can reduce operating costs by adopting one or two performance improvement measures. Bigger rewards await those that can conceptualize a broader redesign.
Abstract
December 2006
Bob Lane details the steps his company took to engage the whole organization in an operational and cultural transformation.
Abstract
December 2006
Cross-border mergers and acquisitions are more likely to succeed at banks that have a robust and flexible
operating model.
Abstract
November 2006
All save desks are not created equal: the best help companies to cut their churn rates, become more profitable, and even
develop new products.
Abstract
November 2006
Regression analysis can help companies pinpoint the number of agents they need to increase profits.
Abstract
October 2006
Bill Haag and Wu Yu explain the lessons of a lean transformation at the Chinese factory of a manufacturer based in Cleveland.
Abstract
July 2006
A new methodology for measuring the performance of remote providers shows that while clients are mostly satisfied, there is significant room for improvement.
Abstract
June 2006
It's no longer enough just to be in China. Companies—domestic and foreign—that make goods there are now feeling the same efficiency pressures that beset companies elsewhere.
Abstract
June 2006
Governments at all levels must deliver more for less. The principles of lean manufacturing offer surprisingly apt solutions.
Abstract
May 2006
Romi Malhotra shares insights on recruitment, retention, and developing talent.
Abstract
May 2006
Many companies can turn their inbound call centers into powerful engines for growth.
Abstract
April 2006
Borrowing key principles from lean manufacturing can help the finance function to eliminate waste.
Abstract
March 2006
Call centers, making targeted improvements involving more cost-effective technologies, are finally saving money and improving revenues with IT.
Abstract
February 2006
Services are more difficult to measure and monitor than manufacturing processes are, but executives can rein in variance and boost productivity—if they implement rigorous metrics.
Abstract
February 2006
It's official: a company's economic success rests on the quality of its managers.
Abstract
May 2005
To sustain improvements, companies must have an integrated perspective.
Abstract
February 2004
Value players will probably challenge your company. How will you respond?
Abstract
November 2003
For manufacturers, service plans can be a valuable second string, but only if they are properly designed and priced.
Abstract
November 2003
In other process-, labor-, and capital-intensive industries, superb operators win. Why should airlines be different?
Abstract
November 2003
To drive productivity, high-tech executives should focus not just on technological innovation but also on business process innovation.
Abstract
August 2003
Generating great performance requires a more dynamic approach to building and adapting a company’s capabilities than merely squeezing its operations.
Abstract
August 2003
While a multinational company’s scale is important for capturing overhead cost savings, standardizing tasks among offices can be even more valuable.
Abstract
August 2003
Most customers are satisfied with the reliability of their electric service. So why are power distributors still making huge infrastructure investments?
Abstract
May 2003
One key to improving the performance of retail chains is finding a better way to disseminate more appropriate best practices.
Abstract
December 2002
World-class banks manage their back-office and IT activities as a portfolio of individual operations, each demanding a unique solution.
Abstract
December 2002
Even dysfunctional CRM systems may be well positioned for future success. The trick is to step back and think about your real goals.
Abstract
December 2002
Executives no longer have to rely on rules of thumb to manage geographically dispersed service networks. A new set of tools provides solutions for individual markets.
Abstract
November 2002
Managing change is the responsibility of everyone in the corporation—from senior managers on down.
Abstract
November 2002
Effective management has long been thought to make companies more efficient. Here’s proof.
Abstract
August 2002
For a lucrative new source of revenues, profits, and market information, manufacturers need look no further than their own repair shops.
Abstract
June 2002
Cutting-edge companies are swapping their tightly coupled processes for loosely coupled ones—making themselves not only more flexible but also more profitable.
Abstract
November 2001
Poor labor productivity may turn UK manufacturing companies into easy targets for foreign buyers. Modern management techniques could be the answer.
Abstract
May 2001
The makers of the New Beetle and the Walkman have a lot to teach the builders of oil rigs and chemicals plants.
Abstract
May 2000
Implementing enterprise resource-planning systems can be intensely painful, and once you have them up and running they may seem to interfere with the speed and nimbleness required for electronic business. Are they a waste? No, but the real benefits aren’t always obvious.
Abstract
November 1998
Raising banks' productivity will take more than one-time cost cuts.
Abstract
February 1998
Research indicates the greatest potential for IT lies in product development and sales. Moving from laggard to star will take two to three years. Seven highly effective habits.
Abstract
May 1997
The concept is simple: help 20 to 30 customers serve their customers better. Most of the improvement potential is not in sales (or pricing) but in logistics and technology. By focusing on innovation and growth, a company can change its self-image and ability to attract talent.
Abstract
May 1997
An interview with Laurent Beaudoin, chairman and CEO, Bombardier Inc.
Abstract
November 1996
How do companies pull away from the pack once their performance already matches best practice? The answer to superior performance may lie within existing technologies.
Abstract
August 1996
Many companies have embraced Continuous Improvement as a means of ensuring that a product or process is performing satisfactorily. Yet many also fail to reap its benefits because the quality measurements they still employ are too crude.
Abstract
August 1996
Reasons for success in the machinery industry are changing with astounding speed. What now differentiates the leaders from the laggards is their relationships with their customers and their suppliers.
Abstract
February 1996
More and more, this process distinguishes winners. The challenge is to link material, information, and monetary flows. Building “microcosms” with an action perspective may be the answer.
Abstract
August 1995
PC and fashion producers face the same key challenge: balancing the cost of lost sales and obsolescence. Milanese fashion houses and Silicon Valley have made remarkable improvements.
Abstract
February 1995
By assessing the relative costs and risks of making or buying, companies can leverage their skills and resources for increased profitability.
Abstract
February 1995
When does a technology’s ability to differentiate demand in-house production? The big opportunities: outsourcing entire systems, design-to-cost, sole-sourcing.
Abstract
February 1994
An empirical study of the automotive supplier industry in Europe and Japan uncovers wide differences in management practice—and in results.
Abstract