Corporate strategy

Bonuses and other forms of incentive compensation are an effective motivator of executives to achieve ever higher earnings per share. The drive to produce short-term results, however, often influences management to forgo investment in capital equipment and R&D that would benefit the corporation several years hence even more than improved earnings next year would. The […]

During the past 25 years an increasing proportion of U.S. companies have seen wisdom in pursuing a strategy of diversification. Between 1950 and 1970, for example, single-business companies comprising the Fortune “500” declined from 30% to 8% of the total. Acquisition has become a standard approach to diversification. In recent years the productivity of capital […]

Three strategies for surviving in a tough environment.

Modern capitalism can be broken down into two major eras. The first, managerial capitalism, began in 1932 and was defined by the then radical notion that...

Now that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain.

In health care, the days of business as usual are over. Around the world, every health care system is struggling with rising costs and uneven quality,...

Ask yourself these three questions before buyers come knocking.

As the company cut costs, its ability to innovate suffered.

Successful companies lose momentum for four main reasons. All are within management’s control if spotted in time.

From restaurants to lead paint, data is making government more efficient.

Thousands of companies every year acquire other companies, or are acquired themselves. This event is usually painful and messy--and statistics show, it...

It's easy for corporate strategists to get bogged down by the vast amount of data available to them. The trick is to separate the wheat from the chaff--and...

Five tips for positioning yourself in international markets.

Big isn't categorically bad, but it should invite public suspicion and scrutiny.

Lessons from one company on how to navigate the ups and downs of going flat.

Companies are increasingly paying for acquisitions with stock rather than cash. But both they and the companies they acquire need to understand just how big a difference that decision can make to the value shareholders will get from a deal.

Akamai Technologies is attracting investors, employees, partners, and customers like a supercharged magnet. The Cambridge, Massachusetts, company is transforming...

How B2B giant Thomson Corporation reinvented itself by embracing a P&G mind-set.

Technology has made it easier, but strategic rules still apply.

Alibaba is not a retailer in the traditional sense. It doesn't source or keep stock, and logistics services are carried out by third-party providers....