Bill Holstein is a contributing editor to s+b and author of The Next American Economy: Blueprint for a Real Recovery (Walker & Company, 2011) and Why GM Matters: Inside the Race to Transform an American Icon (Walker & Company, 2009).
All articles by William J. Holstein
The Gorilla of Agile Business InnovationMay 6, 2013 Corning Glass Chief Technology Officer David Morse explains how the company—through speed and customer focus in research, development, and engineering—has built a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
Hyundai’s Capabilities PlayFebruary 26, 2013 The Korean automaker’s explosive growth in the last few years — achieved through better quality, stylish design, and clever marketing — has made it a dynamic player in the U.S. auto industry.
The Multipolar MBAJanuary 21, 2013 To Rakesh Khurana, a Harvard Business School professor known for his histories of management knowledge, business schools are facing a crisis of global irrelevance.
How Coca-Cola Manages 90 Emerging MarketsNovember 7, 2011 The world’s largest beverage company has delegated major decision making to individual markets, but it maintains its global brand strategy through collaborative practices.
Hotbeds of InnovationJanuary 24, 2011 U.S. multinationals are looking to small companies and startups for the next big ideas.
Five Gates to InnovationMarch 1, 2010 Corning Inc.’s process for developing inventive products actually works, a claim that few companies can make.
The Case for Backshoring January 25, 2010 Which manufacturing operations should return to the United States?
A School for Displaced WorkersDecember 15, 2009 With industries contracting and jobless rates among manufacturing workers skyrocketing, community colleges have become the new home of retraining programs.
What a Declining Business Media Means to CEOs September 28, 2009 As cost cutting narrows the field of business journalism, it has become more difficult to put out a corporate story — or take one in.
Does Health Care Have an Electronic Future?August 18, 2009 The Obama administration’s focus on digital patient records to minimize medical errors and improve efficiency has promise, but will face significant obstacles.
Can the U.S. Learn to Love Renewables? June 16, 2009 The CEO of Applied Materials offers a road map for the adoption of solar energy technologies in the United States.
China’s Multinational Quandary May 26, 2009 Lenovo’s ill-fated ambitions reveal the difficulties China faces in developing and managing innovative global corporations.
For Indian Companies, It’s Globalization as UsualMay 5, 2009 Nirmalya Kumar, a professor of marketing at the London Business School, argues in a new book that although the world economic crisis may have taken the bite out of some Indian companies, most will adapt and emerge globally.
Convincing Consumers to Spend AgainApril 7, 2009 In a brutal sales environment, retailers and manufacturers, led by the auto industry, are finding that smarter marketing — not better products — may be the best way to a customer’s heart.
Here Come the Sogo ShoshaMarch 10, 2009 Japan’s little-known trading companies are buying startup technology businesses in the U.S., hoping to catch the next wave of American economic growth.
The Future Is Lithium
February 3, 2009 The advent of environmentally friendly automobiles is jump-starting a global battle over battery technology.
It’s Getting Diverse at the Top
January 6, 2009 To take advantage of market growth in developing countries, U.S. multinationals are turning to non-Americans to head their operations.
China’s Long Road to InnovationNovember 18, 2008 Beijing is mandating an increase in home-grown R&D, but Chinese companies face long odds in meeting international standards of innovation.
The Decline of the Expat ExecutiveJuly 29, 2008 Peter Felix, president of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, discusses the new effort by multinationals to hire local executives in foreign locales.
Sidestepping DisasterJuly 22, 2008 Extending supply chains to low-cost nations may make economic sense, but disruptions from natural catastrophes can drown the gains.
Indian Outsourcers Go GlobalJune 24, 2008 Facing mounting competitive pressure, India’s biggest firms are reshaping themselves as multinationals.
Six Keys to a Winning Manufacturing StrategyMay 28, 2008 How John Deere bucked industrial trends to become an international growth star.
Winning the PR WarsApril 29, 2008 CEOs must learn to manage the media if they want to influence how their stories are told.
The Truth about ExportsApril 15, 2008 The numbers may be rosy, but the U.S. export initiative is still hobbled.
Reining In the Overpaid (and Underperforming) Chief ExecutiveFebruary 19, 2008 Corporate governance expert Nell Minow explains the relationship between outlandish severance packages and the risky financial instruments linked to subprime mortgages.
A Sustainable PositionNovember 28, 2007 The role of the newest member of the C-suite: the chief sustainability officer.
Protecting the Company Jewels in an Unprotected CountryJuly 3, 2007 As governments wrestle over safeguarding intellectual property rights in China with no solution in sight, more and more companies are taking the problem into their own hands.
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