Journal of Business Strategy articles from November 1997

Journal of Business Strategy archives from November 1997

Countdown to the Euro. (implications of single European currency in January 1999 for US companies)
November 1, 1997... In little more than a year - on January 1, 1999 - as many as 11 European nations will adopt a new currency, called the euro. That switch will find many American companies unprepared for the upheaval - and opportunity - that lies ahead. Although...

Competitive intelligence can be a bad investment.
November 1, 1997... My management-fad detector started ringing recently when the Wall Street Journal reported that the business demand for competitive intelligence specialists is rising fast, with average salaries up 21% in the past two years. Some companies are...

Lessons from high-tech companies. (perpetual adaptation to ensure business survival)
November 1, 1997... Much of the strategic literature over the past 10 years has urged companies to build their futures on a foundation of core capabilities. But leading high-technology companies have either ignored the advice or never paid attention to it in the...

Gibson greets a new day. (remaking of Gibson Greetings Inc)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... The nation's oldest greeting card company remakes itself with a slew of new products sold in entirely new venues. What do you do when you're a distant third in a mature, declining industry? When your competitors have a majority of the...

The organization man, dead at 76. (interview with Christopher A. Bartlett, co-author of 'The Individualized Corporation: A Fundamentally New Approach to Management')(includes excerpts)(Interview)
November 1, 1997... A new management philosophy, based on the importance of creativity and individual initiative, is replacing the familiar model that sees the individual as a cog in the corporate machine. Downsizing, reengineering, total quality management,...

Tearing down the walls. (redesign of office space to encourage teamwork)
November 1, 1997... Companies are redesigning their office space to encourage teamwork and break down hierarchies. But Is the open office plan a cultural revolution or just more cost cutting? Some of John Lewis' counterparts at other companies no doubt questioned...

Everything wired must converge. (convergence of information systems)
November 1, 1997... The fusion of disparate information systems is creating new clarity for companies, their suppliers, and their customers. When Federal Express Corp. developed and distributed package-tracking software for its customers during the 1980s, it just...

Reforging the supply chain. (strategic alliances between industrial suppliers and their customers)
November 1, 1997... Vendors are taking on ever greater roles in managing their customers' inventory. And when they do, they and their customers benefit. Anyone looking for evidence of the tighter bonds between vendors and the companies they supply need only look...

The futures of American business. (1998 forecasts for US companies)
November 1, 1997... Four different scenarios of the world a decade from now provide insight into how companies can prepare for an uncertain future. Editor's Note: Mark Twain wrote, "For the majority of us, the past is a regret, the future an experiment." As its...

Rapid refocusing saves Spyglass - for now. (restructuring of software developer)
November 1, 1997... By all outward appearances, things were looking up for Internet visionary Spyglass Inc. at the end of last year. The software developer had seen its 11th straight profitable quarter, and its freshly minted stock was soaring to a high of more than...

Change change change. (books about change management)
November 1, 1997... "An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come," noted Victor Hugo. Change is definitely one of those unstoppable concepts. Certainly, no strategist reading this has sidestepped the need to manage or direct some kind...