One of the basics to be successful in competition is to give the customer what he or she wants. Since this aspect is a basic it is very likely that your competitor will do the same. So what’s next? The answer is a little bit more complex and needs to stress factors like learning, training […]

I am back from my recent business trip to Istanbul. There is a saying in German which translated has the meaning of traveling would be equal to education. In this particular case I had to learn that companies still have a confusing understanding how to manage their customers. We have to keep in mind that […]

In this post I will describe the first steps and approaches of (small to medium size) German retail banks when organizing their strategic planning process. Some of these aspects are valid for all types of small to medium size companies; at least they offer the option to compare your strategic planning process with the banks’ […]

In this post I would like to discuss some aspects of innovation. In doing so I will start with a definition; after this I will present some aspects that organizations should consider when focus on innovation.

Term. The term innovation puts an emphasis on the first time business application of discoveries (business application here means invention, […]

DVD business is one the biggest profit makers in Hollywood. Taking this issue into consideration it easy to see why movie makers of the big media companies (e.g. Time Warner, News Corp., and NBC Universal) can be very happy now. The long term “format war” between blu-ray and HD DVD has come to an end. […]

In a competitive and dynamic environment it is crucial to stay ahead of your competitors. To achieve this position your organization has to focus on certain aspects like innovation, quality leadership and branding to create some kind of advantage. If your competitive advantage is established primarily on technology and innovation, patents seem to be an […]

As we know from several studies and own observations strategic planning can be a very hard business. In the literature a large number of ideas are available; some of them are very helpful. Others might be appropriate for a specific industry or even a specific organization. Sometimes it can be helpful to look beyond one’s […]

This post will focus on options and ideas to improve strategic planning, again. A couple of days ago I have presented the first post “Ideas for overcoming analysis barriers” in this informal series – for improving strategic planning in your organization - in our strategy blog. But before starting with this new post I think […]

Strategic planning is linked with a variety of problems and barriers. Some of them are related to sequence and tools of the planning process. Other problems and barriers exist since strategic planning takes place in the context of the firm’s culture; in some circumstances this culture can break the planning process. Therefore I would like […]

Now that we have discussed the strategies of a downsized workforce to cope with the resulting higher workload, it is time to address business leaders and their consultants.
Your company is threatened by falling profits or even losses. Your shareholders, your creditors, all analysts and the whole market expect you to do something. Of course, you […]