McKinsey Quarterly

Motivating people: Getting beyond money

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:34:00 PST

The economic slump offers business leaders a chance to more effectively reward talented employees by emphasizing nonfinancial motivators rather than bonuses. A recent McKinsey survey indicates that executives find some nonmonetary rewards motivate employees better than cash bonuses do. See what they are, then let us know what's working in your organization.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Governance
	Organization
	Surveys

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

The promise of multichannel retailing

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:19:00 PST

In a year of doom and gloom for retailers, the continued emergence of online sales has been a bright spot. Why then do so few companies get true multichannel retailing right?
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Marketing
	Retail & Consumer Goods

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Tackling sociopolitical issues in hard times: McKinsey Global Survey results

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 PST

The financial crisis has increased the public's expectations of businesses' role in society. Most companies have maintained or increased their efforts to address sociopolitical issues, and many have already derived better-than-expected benefits from doing so.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Strategy
	Surveys

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

China's retail revolution: An interview with Wal-Mart's Ed Chan

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:06 PST

Wal-Mart China's CEO outlines the strategy of the world's largest retailer in the world's most populous nation.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Asia-Pacific
	China
	Interviews
	Retail & Consumer Goods
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

A better way to cut costs

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:45:40 PDT

Cutting costs equally across company units may seem fair, but it doesn't make strategic sense. The authors of this article argue that targeting cuts can leave room to build capabilities, too. Read what they have to say and then let us know what's working in your organization.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

Organization

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Leadership through the crisis and after: McKinsey Global Survey results

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:55:00 PDT

A new survey investigates how individual leaders lead and how that has changed in the past year. Respondents say that during the crisis they have seen far more leaders focus on monitoring individual performance—even though they see that as one of the least helpful ways of managing the crisis. Rather, the kinds of leadership behavior that executives say will most help their companies through the current crisis, such as inspiring others and defining expectations and rewards, are the same ones they say will help their companies thrive in the future.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Organization
	Surveys

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Video: McKinsey conversations with global leaders: Paul Polman of Unilever

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:15:49 PDT

Paul Polman took on the role of CEO of Unilever in January 2009, during the eye of the financial storm. After holding high positions at both P&G and Nestlé, Polman’s move to Unilever gives him the rare vantage point of one who has served as an executive at three of the world’s largest fast-moving consumer goods companies. In this video, the latest in our interview series McKinsey conversations with global leaders, Polman reflects on the opportunities and challenges of being a new CEO in volatile times, the importance he places on corporate social responsibility and values-based management, and the future he sees ahead for the consumer goods industry. Adam Bird, a director in McKinsey’s Munich office, conducted this interview in London in September 2009.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Governance
	Interviews
	Retail & Consumer Goods
	Strategy
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Mastering sales force integration in a merger

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:05:00 PDT

Companies can seize the opportunity in mergers by involving employees and customers in the integration process, retaining critical staff, generating momentum by quickly winning key accounts, and serving the right customers in the right way.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Corporate Finance
	Marketing
	Organization

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Consumer electronics gets back to basics

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:20:30 PDT

For years, consumer electronics companies have competed primarily through technology, by cramming ever more features into products in a race to offer consumers the latest and greatest. But most people don’t use advanced—and expensive—new features. An attractive market is emerging for easy-to-use consumer electronics products, with features that reflect user demand, priced 30 to 50 percent lower than standard offerings.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	High Tech
	Marketing
	Retail & Consumer Goods

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Centered leadership through the crisis: McKinsey Survey

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:40:00 PDT

Leaders who master the art of leading from their core are likelier than others to be passionate about their work, effective as leaders, and satisfied with their lives.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

Organization

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Stephen Roach on The Next Asia

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:05:02 PDT

Asia’s next two decades will bring changes even more dramatic than those of the recent past. In this video interview, Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia and author of The Next Asia: Opportunities and Challenges for a New Globalization, discusses prospects for greater consumer participation and closer cooperation among the economies of China, India, Japan and other regional players.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Asia-Pacific
	China
	Economic Studies
	Interviews
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Using the crisis to create better boards

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:15:00 PDT

Boards should view the current crisis as an opportunity to review the way they function. Indeed, any board that expects creative responses and extra performance from its management team must show that it too can raise its game. A healthy self-assessment is a good start and can go a long way toward improving a company's performance.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

Governance

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

The CEO as diplomat: An interview with Richard Haass

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:30:31 PDT

It's often said that government should learn from business, but what should business executives learn from government? In this video interview, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations discusses what corporate managers have in common with cabinet members and describes ways to get multiple stakeholders to collaborate on common goals.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Interviews
	Marketing
	Public Sector
	Strategy
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Bulding private-sector diplomacy: An interview with Richard Edelman

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:30:23 PDT

In this video interview, public-relations expert Richard Edelman discusses the “private-sector diplomacy” necessary to help companies rebuild trust in the wake of the financial crisis. Edelman describes ways that companies can successfully engage consumers in a realm of two-way communication and mutual social responsibility.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Interviews
	Marketing
	Public Sector
	Strategy
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

How innovators are changing IT offshoring

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:00:00 PDT

Despite the global downturn, the IT offshoring and outsourcing industry has continued to grow, though at a slower pace. The recession’s main effect has been heightened competition among the hundreds of IT service providers that handle a variety of tasks for global corporations. Now, a small group of winners is emerging from the fray, threatening to erode the offshore franchise of major suppliers in countries such as India, the Philippines, and Russia.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	India
	Business Technology
	Operations

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Risk: Seeing around the corners

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:45:31 PDT

Risk-assessment processes typically expose only the most direct threats facing a company and neglect indirect ones that can have an equal or greater impact.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Corporate Finance
	Operations
	Risk
	Strategy

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Enduring Ideas: Portfolio of initiatives

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:30:25 PDT

In this interactive presentation, McKinsey director Lowell Bryan talks about the origins of the portfolio-of-initiatives framework. Developed to address the need for strategy in a more fluid, less predictable environment, this approach treats strategies as actions that require continual monitoring and evaluation.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Interactive
	Audio
	Strategy

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

What shape will the wireless Web take?

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:00:07 PDT

The era of the nomadic Web is upon us. But questions still remain as to how a wireless world will actually play out. Will the mobile Web resemble, more or less, the current wired version—in terms of performance, accessing content, and pricing models—or will it produce new and unexpected hybrids? In this article, the author raises questions that provide some guideposts for thinking about the next evolution of the Internet should the wires indeed be cut.

This article is a Conversation Starter. Read what the author has to say, then let us know what you think.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	High Tech
	Business Technology

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

An Indian approach to global M&A: An interview with the CFO of Tata Steel

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:25:00 PDT

Koushik Chatterjee discusses the Indian multinational’s approach to outbound M&A—and its response to the global financial crisis.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Asia-Pacific
	Corporate Finance
	Energy, Resources, Materials
	India

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

A CEO's guide to reenergizing the senior team

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:30:44 PDT

In today's tough and fast-changing environment, CEOs must help their top leaders to work through fear and denial and to learn new rules.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Governance
	Organization

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Think regionally, act locally: Four steps to reaching the Asian consumer

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:00:00 PDT

Asia’s emerging economies are leading the world out of recession, and the region’s consumers are taking the baton from their overextended counterparts in developed countries. Are the largest global consumer enterprises ready for this momentous shift? McKinsey’s experience suggests that even the most sophisticated multinationals must change significantly if they are to realize Asia’s growth potential.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Asia-Pacific
	China
	Marketing
	Retail & Consumer Goods

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

How managers should approach a fragile economy

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:46:12 PDT

The financial markets, pundits, and policy makers think the global economy is out of the woods, but executives aren’t so sure. Our research suggests that the executives are right—and that to cope, companies must adopt some new approaches to management.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Economic Studies
	Interactive
	Strategy

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Global capital markets: Entering a new era

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:45:44 PDT

A new report by the McKinsey Global Institute highlights the impact of the global financial crisis on global capital flows.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Economic Studies
	Interactive
	Strategy

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

The new financial power brokers: Crisis update

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:45:56 PDT

The financial crisis of 2008 altered the fortunes of four large groups of investors—oil exporters, Asian sovereign investors, hedge funds, and private-equity firms—described in a 2007 report from the McKinsey Global Institute as “the new power brokers.” Now, new research by MGI suggests that their paths have diverged: petrodollar and Asian sovereign investors are more influential than ever, while the rapid growth of hedge funds and private-equity firms has halted abruptly.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Corporate Finance
	Economic Studies
	Financial Services

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Taming demand variability in back-office services

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:16:00 PDT

Managers in many back-office processing environments can make them more flexible and remove waste by organizing transactions or activities according to their variability.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Financial Services
	Operations

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

How Russia could be more productive

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:00:00 PDT

The global economic slowdown hit Russia hard. Boosting productivity can help the country get back on its feet. A photo essay looks at challenges in five key sectors.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Economic Studies
	Europe
	Interactive

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Interview: the US's national intelligence officer for warning

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:55:20 PDT

Kenneth Knight shares lessons from a career spent analyzing and preparing for the unknown.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Interviews
	Public Sector
	Strategy
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Survey results: The crisis--one year on

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:45:25 PDT

A year after the global economic system nearly collapsed, many companies are finally finding ways to increase profits under the new economic conditions. But almost as many expect profits to continue falling, and executives also indicate that their broader economic hopes remain fragile. Many expect more government involvement in economies and industries over the long term.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Economic Studies
	Strategy
	Surveys

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

How to optimize knowledge sharing in a factory network

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:50:41 PDT

Designing a manufacturing network entails devising and managing flows of innovation and know-how—not just determining what to produce and where—and organizing the resulting logistics flows.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	By Invitation
	Operations
	Strategy

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Evaluating the potential of solar technologies

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:20:49 PDT

Solar power is poised to grow into a reliable alternative energy source, promising lower carbon emissions and decreased dependence on fossil fuels. What technologies are currently jostling for leadership in the market? This interactive offers a snapshot of the leading contenders in solar technology and evaluates the advantages and long-term economic potential of each—as well as the likely challenges ahead.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Climate Change
	Energy, Resources, Materials
	High Tech

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Rethinking the model for offshoring services

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:30:20 PDT

BPO providers can mitigate unnecessary risks by operating from more locations and providing a greater variety of services within centers.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Asia-Pacific
	Business Technology

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Business and Web 2.0: An interactive feature

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:55:00 PDT

A new multimedia tool lets you explore and compare three years of data from McKinsey’s Web 2.0 survey results. You can track the performance of each technology through the years or customize the view to compare particular technologies side by side. The interactive feature provides a moving snapshot of important trends in businesses’ Web 2.0 adoption.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	High Tech
	Interactive
	Surveys

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

How companies are benefitting from Web 2.0: McKinsey Global Survey Results

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:55:00 PDT

Over the past three years, McKinsey has tracked the rising adoption of Web 2.0 technologies. This year’s survey reveals the extent to which businesses’ investments in the Web are paying off—69 percent of respondents report measurable benefits, from more effective marketing to higher revenues. Our survey results highlight the range of Web 2.0 benefits and uses and examine the common characteristics shared by companies harnessing these technologies successfully. An accompanying audio interview with McKinsey consultant Michael Chui goes inside the research to summarize and analysis this year’s key findings.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	High Tech
	Surveys

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Japan's luxury shoppers move on

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:42:00 PDT

Japan sits on one of the largest luxury markets in the world—worth $15 billion to $20 billion—second only to the United States. Yet, the Japanese consumer’s seemingly insatiable appetite for luxury goods has declined. Indeed, the current crisis has not only reduced the discretionary spending of consumers but also accelerated fundamental shifts in their attitudes and behavior. And while these changes are likely not temporary, the market will remain very large and attractive. Luxury players must adjust their strategies if they hope to succeed in such an environment.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Asia-Pacific
	Economic Studies
	Retail & Consumer Goods

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

IT architecture: Cutting costs and complexity

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:35:45 PDT

A joint effort by IT and business leaders can help companies not only to save money but also to prepare for the return of growth.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

Business Technology

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

A consumer paradigm for China

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:35:35 PDT

A more consumer-centric economy would allocate capital and resources more efficiently, generate more jobs, and spread the benefits of growth more equitably. It would also even grow more rapidly.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	China
	Economic Studies
	Public Sector

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Unlocking the power of Chinese consumers: An interview with Stephen Roach

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:17:09 PDT

In its rush to join the global economy, China stoked exports and government-led investment but neglected to build social and economic institutions needed to encourage consumers at home. Stephen Roach, Morgan Stanley Asia's chairman, says its time for the world's fastest-growing economy to find a 'back-up plan.'
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	China
	Economic Studies
	Interviews
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

China's consumption challenge

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:16:31 PDT

Why do Chinese consumers spend so little relative to counterparts in other nations? What can be done to change that? Is boosting private consumption in China’s national interest? How would that contribute to global growth? In this interview, four distinguished members of the McKinsey China Council of Business Economists explore these questions.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	China
	Economic Studies
	Interviews
	Video

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

When citizens are your customers

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:30:00 PDT

Government agencies that interact directly with large numbers of citizens often find that demand for its services overwhelms the limited resources available to provide them. Such was the problem facing a US federal agency seeking to make its call centers and paper-processing facilities more efficient. By linking daily work to uncontroversial metrics—such as customer satisfaction ratings—this public-sector organization was able to improve its service levels and save money while honoring its universal-service obligation to treat all citizens equally.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Operations
	Public Sector

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>

Leaders in the crisis: McKinsey Global Survey Results

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:50:35 PDT

Most executives are coping relatively well with the demands and effects of the economic crisis, but people problems loom on the horizon.
Read more on the McKinsey Quarterly >
Topics:

	Organization
	Surveys

Update your Quarterly feed preferences]]>