Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Slowly but surely, as the little database grew bigger and bigger, the manager would wedge the cost into her operating budget. It's just that they're often busy doing what they've always done, maintaining operational systems while reacting to the demands of an increasingly tech-savvy user community.

Supply Chain 15

Supply Chain CIO Budgeting Project 15

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 17, 2015

In a recent, high-profile example, HP announced in July that it will power all of its Texas data centers with wind energy for 12 years while lowering its operating costs. Here’s why now is the time right to invest in renewable energy sources for the internet: Renewable energy can help reduce a cost center.

Energy 8

Energy Globalization Hedge Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

manufacturers do source from domestic suppliers, they tend to regard them purely as a cost center. Past work by McKinsey found that inefficiencies in manufacturer-supplier interactions add up to roughly 5% of development, tooling, and product costs in the auto industry. Even when large U.S. But the future trajectory of U.S.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain McKinsey Incentives Bottom-up 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 22, 2017

Given that the service department is a cost center in most companies, service leaders have long relied on AHT as a critical lever for keeping staffing levels, and therefore costs, in check. AHT has been around for almost as long as the telephone itself. AHT is now used only as a forecasting and planning metric.”

Metrics 10

Metrics Video Cost Cost Center 10

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

One of the most popular misconceptions about security is that it’s destined to be a cost center and it survives on executive generosity (or paranoia). Detecting and removing these kinds of malware helps maintain the integrity of advertising on Facebook, a business-critical operation. Driving Financial Goals.

Team 8

Team P&L Engineering Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 2, 2011

Yet most organizations still operate much as they did in the industrial age. Talent, purpose, culture and creating meaning is the peopley work mostly viewed by the performance folks as "cost centers," or departments that exist only to manage legal risk.

Hamel 16

Hamel Customer Loyalty Creativity Cost Center 16

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

You’ll often find customer relationship management within marketing, budgeting within finance, supply-chain management within operations, outsourcing within procurement, training within HR, and new product development within R&D. Some of the first business functionaries were railroad telegraph operators who managed schedules.

Development 8

Development Supply Chain Incentives Outsourcing 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

These efforts have enabled operational efficiencies, cost reductions, and greater agility, preparing companies for the next phase of digital transformation: driving growth. This is a break from the traditional paths of finance, sales, and operations to the top spot. Over: CMOs take over new responsibilities.

CEO 8

CEO Marketing Span of Control Sports 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 1, 2013

From where we sit, both sides have legitimate beefs: IT complains that, despite the increasing penetration of technology into every nook and cranny of the business , it doesn’t have a seat at the table and no one understands how difficult their jobs are given the constraints under which they operate.

Information Technology 8

Information Technology Technology Cost Center Constraint 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 26, 2013

Rather than serving as an adjunct to the core business, or merely a cost center, IT is becoming intrinsic to the very products and services that every company offers. Why is this? Mainly because, as Marc Andreessen puts it, " software is eating the world." As software eats the world, information is eating the enterprise.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Competitive Advantage Information Technology How To 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 25, 2013

Bush took over American Express’s far-flung service operations in 2005. He was suddenly responsible for many thousands of call-center employees. Jim Bush had a different idea, which I have now come to call “Leading by Letting Go.” I’ve mentioned him before in my blog posts , but I haven’t really told the whole remarkable story.

Call Center 9

Call Center Attrition Learning-by-Doing Cost Center 9

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 9, 2011

We call these people Cost Center Consumers, and they come in two flavors. Divas: These are high maintenance consumers who drive costs up after purchase. They tie up your call centers, incur costly returns, and generate other costs that occur below the gross margin line, which is harder to see.

P&L 15

P&L Supply Chain Retail Price 15

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 13, 2013

That also includes the major line of business systems that power the back office and related functions of the company, as well as the front line support and operations elements for all of that. One of the things I''d learned working for a number of CIOs was that IT is most commonly viewed as the largest cost center in the enterprise.

CIO 8

CIO How To Technology Directory 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

The seven full time employees form a nucleus, or core group to handle program management, operations, and communications. Typically an in-house cost center, service is usually viewed as a necessary evil and constantly targeted for "efficiency." These experts are highly briefed on the purpose and goals of the SU organization.

Participative 15

Participative Decentralization Globalization Cost Center 15

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 16, 2015

If you were operating based on rational self-interest one could argue that you would buy as many tickets as possible. Similarly, the role of the dealmaker is to find a way to drive the “cost” of the deal down to as close to zero as possible — so the decision maker can’t possibly refuse to buy that ticket.

P&L 8

P&L Due Diligence CIO COO 8

LDRLB

NOVEMBER 12, 2012

HR is an enigmatic profession, as the authors write, “the sad reality is—even in today’s enlightened age of recognizing the value of people to the business—too many top executives still view HR as a non-strategic cost center instead of a core, profit-contributing function.” Measuring the people side of the business is tough.

Ulrich 137

Ulrich Metrics Report Storytelling 137

HR Digest

JANUARY 5, 2022

This will help continue to dispel the perception that HR is a cost center or soft skill-based function and demonstrate how data-driven HR can directly impact the bottom line. . It’s important for CHROs to leverage data analytics to illustrate positive and negative shifts in sales and EBIT contribution.

Human Resources 52

Human Resources Education Resources Innovation 52

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 18, 2012

It was by no means a hiccup-free year on sustainability issues for Walmart, with deep concerns about corruption in its Mexican operations. Announcements on waste may not be exciting, but they demonstrate how companies can turn a cost center into a source of profit. But the subtle change in buyer incentives is a big deal.

Supply Chain 10

Supply Chain Constraint P&L Energy 10