The McKinsey Quarterly

McKinsey Quarterly is the business journal of McKinsey & Company.

Register now for immediate access to hundreds
of articles.
First time here? Read our Quarterly Basics.

Functions

	Business Technology Application Management Infrastructure Operations Organization Outsourcing & Offshoring Strategy Corporate Finance Capital Management M&A Performance Valuation Economic Studies Country Reports Productivity & Performance Governance Boards Compensation Leadership Marketing Branding Digital Marketing Management Pricing Sales & Distribution Sectors & Regions Strategy Operations Outsourcing Performance Product Development Purchasing Supply Chain & Logistics Organization Change Management Postmerger Strategic Organization Talent Risk Banking Risk Corporate Risk Strategy Alliances Globalization Growth Innovation Strategic Thinking Strategy in Practice

Industries

	Automotive Strategy & Analysis Energy, Resources, Materials Chemicals Electric Power Environment Oil & Gas Steel Strategy & Analysis Financial Services Banking Insurance Investment Management Personal Financial Services Securities Food & Agriculture Packaged Foods Strategy & Analysis Health Care Hospitals Pharmaceuticals Strategy & Analysis High Tech Hardware Software Strategy & Analysis Media & Entertainment Publishing Radio & TV Strategy & Analysis Nonprofit Performance Philanthropy Public Sector Economic Policy Education Government Regulation Management Retail & Consumer Goods Sectors & Regions Strategy & Analysis Telecommunications Broadband Equipment & Services Strategy & Analysis Transportation Sectors Strategy & Analysis

Regions

	Africa Americas Asia-Pacific China Europe India Middle East

Big Ideas

	Business in Society Climate Change Emerging Markets Growth & Innovation Managing in the New Normal Productivity Talent Women & Leadership

Multimedia

	Audio Interactive Video

Voices

	By Invitation Interviews Surveys

FEBRUARY 2010

Planning for your next CEO

It’s high time for boards to get succession planning right.

FEBRUARY 2010

How inflation can destroy shareholder value

If inflation rises again, companies will have to do more than just match it to keep up—they’ll have to beat it.

Includes:
JANUARY 2010

US energy savings: Opportunities and challenges

There is great potential to reduce energy consumption and minimize its total cost by using existing technologies—and without changing the everyday habits of consumers.
JANUARY 2010

The five attributes of enduring family businesses

The keys to long-term success are professional management and keeping the family committed to and capable of carrying on as the owner.

JANUARY 2010

An early warning system for asset bubbles

New research from the McKinsey Global Institute shows that the right tools could have identified the recent global credit bubble years before the crisis broke.
JANUARY 2010

Data to dollars: Supporting top management with next-generation executive information systems

Chief information officers have a chance to expand their influence as the mediators between business requirements and IT capabilities.
JANUARY 2010

Building a sustainable Ford Motor Company: An interview with Bill Ford

The carmaker’s executive chairman talks about its prospects, technological change in the industry, and manufacturing in America.
JANUARY 2010

Hidden in plain sight: The hunt for banking capital

The search begins at home.
JANUARY 2010

The path to successful new products

Businesses with the best product-development track records stand apart from their less-successful peers in three crucial ways.
DECEMBER 2009

The future of capitalism: Building a sustainable energy future

In a collaboration between Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and McKinsey, a panel of experts and CEOs from leading energy companies debate the critical scientific, resource, and policy issues challenging energy sustainability today.

Includes:
DECEMBER 2009

Making game theory work for managers

A new model, rejecting solutions optimal only for a single precisely defined future, generates answers representing the best compromise between risks and opportunities in all likely futures.

JANUARY 2010

The new value at stake in regulation

Escalating value at risk from government regulation clearly has a place on the agendas of most CEOs.
JANUARY 2010

Why don’t back-office efficiency drives stick?

A granular look at back-office operations shows why across-the-board cuts make no sense.
JANUARY 2010

The looming deleveraging challenge

Several major economies are likely to face imminent deleveraging. If history is any guide, it will be a lengthy and painful process.

Includes:

FEBRUARY 2010

Risk roundup 2010

Top risk forecasters highlight their picks for this year’s economic and political hot spots.

JANUARY 2010

How helping women helps business

Companies whose social investments focus on women in developing economies help not only the recipients but also themselves.
JANUARY 2010

Using knowledge brokering to improve business processes

New applications of open-innovation principles allow progressive companies to enhance not only their products but also their core internal business processes.

Includes:

In Oil & Gas

FEBRUARY 2010

CO2 abatement: Exploring options for oil and natural gas companies
FEBRUARY 2010

This is the time to deliver on upstream operational excellence

In Health Care

JANUARY 2010

What does it take to make integrated care work?
JANUARY 2010

Engaging consumers to manage health care demand
JANUARY 2010

A hospital-wide strategy for fixing emergency-department overcrowding

DECEMBER 2009
Making the most of corporate social responsibility
For companies that see CSR as an opportunity to strengthen the business, the big challenge is execution. Smart partnering can provide a practical way forward.

More from the authors
After reviewing readers’ comments on their original article, the authors weigh in with additional insights. Read their new essay.

Buy the Q3 issue on government and business at Amazon.com

To use the video player, please install the Adobe Flash Player plugin version 9 or greater.

JANUARY 2010

A strong foundation for M&A in 2010

When adjusted for market capitalization, M&A activity among corporations was stable in 2009—and fundamentals point to continued strength in 2010.
NOVEMBER 2009

Are you still the best owner of your assets?

As companies rethink their portfolios for the post-crisis world, they should ask themselves if they are still the best owners of their assets.

Includes:
JANUARY 2010

M&A teams: When small is beautiful

Large M&A departments aren’t essential for making successful acquisitions.

Includes:
JANUARY 2010

A lighter touch for postmerger integration

Some Asian companies take a different approach to M&A outside their borders.