Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 1, 2013

For the past several years we have watched with increasing dismay at the increasing chasm between information technology (IT) groups and their business counterparts. Further, the pace of technological change and the demands to do more with the data grow exponentially and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Information Technology 8

Information Technology Technology Cost Center Constraint 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Lines of business are now getting their own official technology budgets for non-standard software products. CEOs remain reluctant to invite CIOs to the executive table, insisting that IT is a cost center, not the innovation incubator it could be. Shadow IT has been freshly-labeled "departmental IT.".

Supply Chain 15

Supply Chain CIO Budgeting Project 15

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 6, 2016

As marketing continues to shift and improve, we’ve come to rely on IT to provide expertise on current technology and, perhaps more importantly, to provide a road map that shows where technology will lead, where integration is critical, and how to make the best use of increasingly sophisticated tools.

Marketing 8

Marketing Banking Technology System 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 13, 2013

Running an IT department is hard enough under any circumstances, but imagine doing it at one of the world''s preeminent technology companies. Your customers aren''t haplessly trying to set up their voicemail; they''re experts in technology and expect it to work. An edited version of our conversation is below.

CIO 8

CIO How To Technology Directory 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Who at your company will be put in charge of turning buildings operations from a cost center to a revenue center? And of course, few such managers have a background in information technology. Information & technology' These examples are not hypothetical capabilities; these are now real options for companies.

Energy 8

Energy Resources Information Technology Cost Center 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 12, 2011

It helps students see that Kodak did not understand or invest in the digital technologies that were to sweep away its business, a failure usually attributed to incumbent executive myopia. IT was viewed as noncore, a cost to be outsourced like janitorial services and security. So it had no voice.

CIO 11

CIO Outsourcing Cost Center Film 11

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

Without the breathing room to invest in new equipment and technologies, smaller manufacturers may be up to 40% less productive than large companies—a gap so sizable that it drags down the entire sector’s performance. manufacturers do source from domestic suppliers, they tend to regard them purely as a cost center.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain McKinsey Incentives Bottom-up 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 17, 2015

This year, the Department of Energy, through its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, found that more than one hundred information and communication technology companies that consume an estimated 1.5% 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 8, 2017

The health care system in the United States, with its technological prowess and massive infrastructure, often serves as a reference point for rapidly developing economies around the world while they build their own medical systems. One major reason for the rapid cost inflation in health care is burgeoning hospital construction.

Health Care 8

Health Care Tourism Pharmaceuticals Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Who at your company will be put in charge of turning buildings operations from a cost center to a revenue center? And of course, few such managers have a background in information technology. These examples are not hypothetical capabilities; these are now real options for companies. New Sources of Revenue.

Energy 8

Energy Resources Cost Center Budgeting 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Companies looking to exploit the branding potential unlocked by core digital technologies need to make the shift in their engagement with customers — from purchase to usage. Usage brands, by contrast, elevate customer service and loyalty from resource-starved cost-centers to key drivers of growth and profitability.

Brand 8

Brand Succession B2B Advertising 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

Over the last decade, most companies’ digital agendas have focused largely on technology — moving to cloud-based software, modernizing IT infrastructures, adding digital channels, and digitizing business processes. The reason for these new roles is that we’re entering a new era of digital transformation.

CEO 8

CEO Marketing Span of Control Sports 8

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

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). Having the necessary protections is one thing, but implementing them in such a way that people want to use your product even more is also important to business leaders.

Team 8

Team P&L Engineering Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

On the other hand, they are set up as cost centers and service bureaus, mandated to meet the needs of all their constituents as rapidly as possible under the ceiling of their budget. The most important capabilities systems do not fall neatly into groupings designed many decades ago.

Development 8

Development Supply Chain Incentives Outsourcing 8

HR Digest

JANUARY 5, 2022

Bosch firmly believes that research is not an end in itself – a never-ending race to develop new technologies – but rather something that makes a tangible contribution to improving the quality of people’s lives. That belief is reflected in the words “Invented for life,” which is not only our claim but our strategic imperative.

Human Resources 52

Human Resources Education Resources Innovation 52

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.”

Ulrich 137

Ulrich Metrics Report Storytelling 137

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 18, 2012

Keeping the apparel theme, um, running, check out Nike's new shoe with FlyKnit technology. Announcements on waste may not be exciting, but they demonstrate how companies can turn a cost center into a source of profit. Remanufacturing has been around a long time, but closing loops is getting more popular every year.

Supply Chain 11

Supply Chain Constraint P&L Energy 11