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Boards Should Take Responsibility for Cybersecurity. Here’s How to Do It

Harvard Business Review

Without strong support from executive management and the board, companies are unlikely to develop strong cybersecurity practices. Directors should make sure that OpEx and CapEx are aligned with risk reduction priorities and projects; security is not done for security’s sake. It’s done for the business.

CAPEX 8
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Don’t Play with Dead Snakes, and Other Management Advice

Harvard Business Review

During a long and illustrious career that is far from over (you can read all about one of his most recent ventures — building the most direct fiber-optic connection between Chicago and New York – in Chapter One of Michael Lewis’s new book ), Barksdale has become a big believer in the value of the folksy aphorism as management tool.

Advice 8
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Business Resilience Comes from Working with Nature

Harvard Business Review

They can help us manage rainwater and wastewater. The report includes case studies for Dow, which also utilized a constructed wetland at one of its facilities, reducing capex expense by a factor of 10. Most obviously, we get all our food, minerals, and metals from the ground, and forests provide wood and oxygen.

CAPEX 10
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Big Data Doesn't Work if You Ignore the Small Things that Matter

Harvard Business Review

A scorecard that links financials with learning initiatives and other operations would serve as a cross-check for managers. Let's say, for example, that you're seeing a pattern of strong store sales for a group of products that were previously perceived as unrelated.

CAPEX 15
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IT Cannot Be Only the CIO's Responsibility

Harvard Business Review

IT is not something that can be managed from a box on the organizational chart. It may make costs more predictable and shift investments from CapEx to OpEx. IT management Information & technology' Unfortunately, this is not the view in most C-suites. They never have! It may even lead to access to leading-edge technologies.

CIO 8
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Only Half of Companies Actually Use the Competitive Intelligence They Collect

Harvard Business Review

We recently conducted a survey of CI managers and analysts who’ve been through our training program to see how much their findings influenced major company decisions, and why. We found that 55% of our respondents said that their input on major management decisions made enough difference to improve the decision.

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Is Your Company Actually Set Up to Support Your Strategy?

Harvard Business Review

An “operating model” — how a company organizes and manages its resources to achieve its strategic ambitions — is the bridge between strategy and execution. Are you focusing opex and capex on these priorities in order to build competitively differentiated capabilities? None of these are easy questions.