Long-term sustained management of a strategic alliance is turning out to be the dominant challenge of effective IT outsourcing. From a relatively unusual entrepreneurial activity, IT outsourcing has recently exploded across the global corporate landscape.1 Xerox, Delta Airlines, AMP Insurance (Australia), British Aerospace, and the Inland Revenue Service are the latest of these mega-alliances. Several [...]

How can companies combat the overconfidence and tunnel vision common to so much decision making? By first identifying basic trends and uncertainties and then using them to construct a variety of future scenarios. The author shows how two major companies got a richer picture of the possible future through scenarios — and dramatically improved their strategic planning.

On the derivatives trading floor at J.P. Morgan in New York, there is a new information system called Kapital. The trading environment supported by this system is a demanding one: the traders who use it are at the cutting edge of creativity in the financial markets. In addition to trading a wide variety of instruments, [...]

Critics describe the Japanese distribution system in such unflattering terms as mysterious, archaic, outmoded, old-fashioned, inefficient, and one of the most complicated jigsaw puzzles ever contrived.1 Industrialists and trade negotiators argue that the complex channels represent a major nontariff barrier to entry in Japan and are a key contributor to the U.S. trade deficit.2 Distribution, [...]

Electronic markets may soon affect the evolution of the national information infrastructure (NII), or in formation superhighway, as well as the emerging global infrastructure. As the NII is connected to consumers’ homes, market activity will rapidly expand. When this happens (most likely over a ten-year period), significant changes in the economics of marketing channels, patterns [...]

With the decline of some well-established firms, the diminishing competitive power of many companies in a burgeoning world market, and the need for organizational renewal and transformation, interest in organizational learning has grown. Senior managers in many organizations are convinced of the importance of improving learning in their organizations. This growth in awareness has raised [...]

In recent years, changes in the business environment have made it harder for firms to maintain long-term sales growth and profitability levels. Global competition has increased dramatically. A larger selection of products and services is available to the same set of buyers, with little growth in overall markets. Thus satisfied customers are important to companies [...]

During the past several decades, managers have expended great effort to stay abreast of the latest information technologies (IT). Despite this, managers still do not have the accurate, timely, and useful data they need to be effective. Data failures are embarrassing and costly. Recent published examples include lawsuits filed to protect consumers from incorrect credit [...]