Tag Archives: innovation

Two New Articles – Profitability Without Pain, and Supply Chain Finance

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Jonathan Byrnes

In the past few weeks, Sloan Management Review published an article about my new book, and I wrote the lead article in CSCMP Supply Chain Quarterly. Here are links: “Increasing Profits, Sans Pain” – interview by Martha Mangelsdorf, Sloan Management … read on →

Posted in Operating for Profit Tagged finance, innovation, profitability, supply chain

The Power of Constant Strategic Innovation

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Jonathan Byrnes

Strategic innovation is the lifeblood of business growth and lasting profitability. It enables you to push the envelope of customer value creation, positioning your company as the strategic partner of choice. It also allows you to price higher, grow faster, … read on →

Posted in Thinking for Profit Tagged customer, innovation, investment, strategy

The Missing Element in Large-scale Change

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Jonathan Byrnes

Large-scale change. Most managers view it as the ultimate management challenge. I remember when I wrote my Harvard Business School Working Knowledge column, “The Challenges of Paradigmatic Change.” The column went out on the Web on a Monday morning, and … read on →

Posted in Leading for Profit Tagged change, innovation, leadership, management, strategy

How Did Microsoft Become Microsoft?

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Jonathan Byrnes

First, a little quiz. Which company invented these cornerstones of the personal computer revolution: First personal computer First high-speed computer network First laser printer First graphical user interface (mouse, pull-down menus, etc.)? (The answer is three paragraphs down.) A few … read on →

Posted in Thinking for Profit Tagged entrepreneurship, IBM, innovation, leadership, Microsoft, product development, software, strategy

If I Ran My Customer… Part 2

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Jonathan Byrnes

Profits are your reward for meeting customer needs. The questions on the table are: Which customers? And which needs? In my last post, I discussed the first question, which customers? Today, I’ll focus on the second question, which needs? The … read on →

Posted in Selling for Profit Tagged innovation, product development, profits, sales, strategy

If I Ran My Customer… Part 1

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Jonathan Byrnes

Profits are your reward for meeting customer needs. Sounds obvious, right? But here are two critical questions: Which customers? And which needs? The answers will have a huge impact on your profitability and business success. Today’s post will focus on … read on →

Posted in Selling for Profit Tagged innovation, product development, profits, sales, strategy

What are Bad Profits?

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Jonathan Byrnes

Yesterday, I had a lengthy conversation with the Vice President of Finance of a major company. He was immersed in the capital budgeting process, and wanted to discuss ways to evaluate investment proposals. Our conversation started with a discussion of … read on →

Posted in Thinking for Profit Tagged finance, innovation, investments, strategy