(Harvard Business Review, 30 April 2012) In Brief: Product developers should not borrow too heavily from manufacturing practices, these writers say. While manufacturers have one specific target they are trying to meet, product developers must deal with uncertainty from obstacles, new technology, or new markets. They must be open to changing plans and following the [...]
Read more(The Next Web, 24 January 2012) In Brief: This article details the framework for one technology company’s product development process from design to launch, including the creation of an isolated team within the company that resembles a start-up. Our View: Many companies find that over-relying on rigorous stage-gate review processes hinders creativity and leads to [...]
Read moreThe Evolution of Today’s CFO In the last decade we have seen CFOs undergo several distinct stages of role evolution, and we have organized our research initiatives around their biggest challenges. Sarbanes-Oxley forced CFOs deep into compliance and assurance activities, with Controllers and CPAs finding themselves ideally qualified for the role. The ensuing efforts to [...]
Read more(The Wall Street Journal, 21 December 2011) In Brief: Given the growth challenges of the weak economy, one M&A expert predicts more companies will spin off dissimilar or underperforming units in 2012. The spin-offs in 2011 had not only grown in number but also in size ($115.8 billion, which is up from $53.8 billion in [...]
Read more(Strategy + Business, 23 November 2011) In Brief: A recent study has found that managers at financially constrained firms tend to make more prudent and profitable investments than their counterparts at firms with freer access to financing. Our View: Strategists are tasked with focusing their firm’s resources on the best opportunities. Whether it’s a portfolio [...]
Read more(Director of Finance Online, 13 September 2011) In Brief: UK company directors are increasingly relying on their finance teams to develop strategic growth plans while maintaining tight controls on costs. According to a recent report, 70% of UK finance directors claim that their businesses are growing, while 79% of those whose businesses are not growing [...]
Read moreMany firms are actually quite good at improving performance on projects of small scope within traditional organizational boundaries. But, while most have the appetite to improve their process excellence (PE), many firms struggle to sustain improvements when these are exported across large business processes, such as order fulfillment and new product introduction. Operations Leadership Exchange [...]
Read more(Finance Director Europe, 12 May 2011) In Brief: Shell’s finance function recently went through a restructuring effort, driven by the need to cut costs and improve process management, which resulted in “improved performance, lower costs, and higher-quality, dedicated finance process management,” explains Tim Morrison, EVP Finance of Royal Dutch Shell’s downstream. The overhaul included centralizing [...]
Read moreAs senior managers focus more and more on growth investments, our clients in the Finance Leadership Exchange (finance teams at midsize companies) are having to shift their focus and the support they provide. Capital investment requires (or at least should require) long-term planning and in-depth analysis; just the sort of work progressive finance teams are [...]
Read more(TheStar.com, 10 March 2011) In Brief: Human Genome Sciences will launch its first blockbuster drug in more than a decade after its lead drug Benlysta, a new medicine for lupus, was approved by U.S. authorities. Benlysta is the first treatment for the auto-immune disease in over 50 years and has the potential to bring in [...]
Read more
