Issue 66, Spring 2012

Cover story

Winning Moves for 12 Industries

by the partners and practices of Booz & Company; introduced by Thomas A. Stewart

Every industry faces its own challenges in 2012’s turbulent economic environment. These capabilities systems could pave the way for business growth in a dozen key sectors: chemicals, industrials, aerospace, technology, automotive, pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, healthcare, telecom, retail, retail banking, wealth & asset management.

In this issue

The Capabilities Premium in M&A, How to Make a Region Innovative, The Thought Leader Interview: Bob Carrigan, and More

Strategy & Leadership
The Capabilities Premium in M&A

by Gerald Adolph, Cesare Mainardi, and J. Neely

A new study of inorganic growth shows that deals made to enhance or leverage the things that companies do well consistently outperform others.
Healthcare
Big Pharma’s Uncertain Future

by Alex Kandybin and Vessela Genova

The business model that drove the major drugmakers’ success isn’t working anymore. The survivors will be those that make smart strategic bets supported by winning capabilities.
Global Perspective
Linda Rottenberg’s High-Impact Endeavor

by Paula Margulies

This social entrepreneur pioneered a new model for mentoring startups in emerging markets. Now she’s replicating it around the world.
Thought Leaders
The Thought Leader Interview: Bob Carrigan

by Art Kleiner

Media pioneer Bob Carrigan, of IDG Communications and the Interactive Advertising Bureau, explains why new media is the most optimistic part of the economy.

Leading Ideas

The Faster New World of Healthcare

by Carl Dumont, Ashish Kaura, and Sundar Subramanian

Regulatory reform and IT advances are accelerating the “clockspeed” in healthcare. To compete, insurers will need to focus on three key areas.
Health Reform by the Numbers

by John Dineen

By using data to target inefficiencies, leading healthcare systems are proving technology’s potential to revolutionize care delivery.
The Innovativeness of Nations

by Rob Norton

INSEAD professor Soumitra Dutta’s Global Innovation Index helps show which nations are on the rise and which are not.
Five Millennial Myths

by Jennifer J. Deal

Forget what you think you know about your Gen Y employees.
A New Way to Gain Customer Insights

by David Meer

How conjoint analysis, a tried-and-true market research tool, can be used to support organic growth.
s+b Trend Watch: Social Media

Essays

How to Make a Region Innovative

by Ernest J. Wilson III

To foster economic growth, innovation clusters need to draw on the power of an interrelated “quad” of sectors: public, private, civil, and academic.
Five Steps toward a Revitalized Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

by Marcus Ehrhardt, Robert Hutchens, and Susan Higgins

Global drug companies are facing disruption. One powerful strategic response is to rethink their manufacturing and operations footprints.

Books in Brief

Disruptive Innovators

by David K. Hurst

A review of The Innovator’s DNA, by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen.
Disruptive Innovation

by David K. Hurst

A review of The Innovator’s Manifesto, by Michael E. Raynor.
The Travails of the U.S. Auto Industry

by David K. Hurst

A review of Once upon a Car, by Bill Vlasic.
The Upside of Management Gurus

by David K. Hurst

A review of Masters of Management, by Adrian Wooldridge.

Recent Research

Measuring the Value of Going Global

by Matt Palmquist

A new way to assess the pluses.

Trending articles

1.Six reasons successful leaders love questions
Asking questions and listening to the questions of others helps leaders make better decisions.
2.Does culture really eat strategy for breakfast?
This chestnut of the business world overlooks the importance of—and the challenge of creating—a clear strategy.
3.Financing the fight against climate change
Episode 12 of the Take on Tomorrow podcast features Alison Rose, CEO of NatWest Group, and Andrew McDowell, Strategy& partner with PwC Luxembourg, discussing ways to fund the low-carbon transition.
4.Aiming AI at society’s toughest challenges
As Chief Science Officer of Alphabet’s innovation arm, David Andre applies AI to moonshot challenges—and sees generative AI as a pivotal new tool in his efforts.
5.Daniel Kahneman: The Thought Leader interview
The Nobel Prize–winning economist parses the roles of emotion, cognition, and perception in the understanding of business risk.

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