The McKinsey Quarterly articles from September 1998

The McKinsey Quarterly archives from September 1998

The Last Mile to the Internet
September 22, 1998... Has broadband finally arrived? Cable companies have the lead, but RBOC technology may have better economics What now for the narrowband winners? Internet access is big business. It commands more than double the revenues of the flashier...

Who Will Connect You?
September 22, 1998... The bottleneck in local networks is opening up That puts 90 percent of service revenues up for grabs What consumers get will depend an where they are Access networks - the lines that link individual customers to telephone operators' larger...

Breadth of a Salesman
September 22, 1998... Salesforces will need to create value, not just communicate it But even in the same industry different customers see value very differently Matching selling strategy to customer type Suppose a corporate Rip Van Winkle who fell asleep on...

Why Is Labor Productivity in the United Kingdom So Low?
September 22, 1998... There's not enough competition The major culprit is product market regulation Can social objectives be achieved at lower cost? In the mid-nineteenth century, the United Kingdom I boasted the highest economic output per capita of any...

First National Toyota
September 22, 1998... Over the past decade, US banks have improved their productivity by about 1 percent a year. They have done so mainly through short sharp shocks: one-off initiatives focused on cutting costs and reducing headcount [ILLUSTRATION FOR EXHIBIT 1...

Restructuring South Korea's Chaebol
September 22, 1998... The chaebol played a pivotal role in the country's past economic success But they are also partly responsible for its current plight Family owners must now focus on value, not growth, and invite foreign investors onto the board South...

Have Hypermarkets Had Their Day?
September 22, 1998... For many customers, they have lost their appeal But structural advantages still exist Here's a plan for revival, then growth European hypermarket owners have a hypermarket-sized problem: how to restore vitality to their flagging...

What's in the Cards? the Future of the US Payment Card System
September 22, 1998... The future of the US payment card system Credit cards are arguably the most successful retail financial product introduced this century. Just 40 years after their creation, they are ubiquitous among consumers, indispensable for retailers, and...

Electronic Bill Payment and Presentment: The Options for Banks Are Becoming Clear
September 22, 1998... The options for banks are becoming clear After several years of growing investment in online banking, banks are now faced with an important decision: what to do about electronic bill payment and presentment (EBPP) - and when. EBPP enables...