July–August 1999

New technologies can be dazzling. But do they represent the future of retailing? Have the fundamentals really changed?

The Internet promises to give marketing the same boost in productivity that new operational strategies have given to manufacturing.

By pooling the resources of the poor and by sharing information, religious and financial institutions can work together to change inner-city economies.

Managers should make environmental investments for the same reason they make other investments: because they expect them to deliver positive returns or to reduce risks.

When business conditions change, the most successful companies are often the slowest to adapt. To avoid being left behind, executives must understand the true sources of corporate inertia.

The key is knowing what your top price is—and having the discipline to stick to it.

Brands are not just names slapped on products by the marketing department; they embody the value those products have for your customers. That may be more true for high-tech products than it is for soap.

If you need help transforming your organization’s wildest dreams into reality, introduce a new managerial device that’s as simple as it is effective.

When companies cause emotional pain through nasty bosses, layoffs, and change, a certain breed of “healing” manager steps in to keep the gears moving. They are toxic handlers—unsung corporate heroes who save the day, but often pay a high price.

In many countries, diversified business groups substitute for the institutions that support effective markets in capital, labor, and goods and services. Their capacity for doing this must be strengthened through restructuring, not destroyed through dismantling.

Network groups for black and Hispanic employees had been an unqualified success. Now a Christian group was forming—and Bill Thompson didn’t know what to think about it.

Hitting the hiring bull’s-eye is one of an executive’s most important—and most difficult—responsibilities. Ten common mistakes can get in the way, but a pointed and systematic approach can virtually guarantee success.