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When Failure Looks Like Success
Zolli, Andrew; Healy, Ann MarieArticle HBS-F1104Z-EService and Operations ManagementEfforts to bring clean water to Bangladesh by installing tube wells appeared to be a huge success, but over time they led to epic failures: widespread arsenic poisoning, a rise in crime and prostitution, a projected increase in diarrheal diseases as villagers resume using groundwater. Due to the highly graphical nature of the Vision Statement, we offer this reprint in color, PDF format only. We recommend printing it out in color to maximize its ...Starting at €8.20
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How to Deal with Customer Shakedowns
Wirtz, JochenArticle HBS-F1104B-EService and Operations ManagementIt's one of the most basic aphorisms of business: The customer is always right. But when companies, especially large ones, try to rectify a service failure, they may run into opportunistic customers who try to take advantage of the situation. Treating customers justly can allow companies to settle grievances without giving in to over-the-top demands, the author finds. He argues that companies should do three things to resolve complaints without b...Starting at €8.20
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The Hidden Risk in Cutting Retail Payroll
Ton, ZeynepArticle HBS-F0803E-EService and Operations ManagementWhen retailers' sales slip, the biggest opportunity to boost profits comes from improving execution. To do that, research shows, managers may actually need to increase staff.Starting at €8.20
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Fledgling Firms Offer Hope on Health Costs
Adler-Milstein, Julia; Jha, Ashish , M.D.Article HBS-F0803H-EService and Operations ManagementRegional health information organizations-RHIOs--are springing up in the United States to meet a vital need: to connect the nation's disparate patient-health information systems. If RHIOs can find a viable business model, they stand to improve the quality and decrease the cost of U.S. health care dramatically.Starting at €8.20
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Avoid Hazardous Design Flaws
Bapuji, Hari; Beamish, Paul W.Article HBS-F0803F-EService and Operations ManagementThe vast majority of product safety recalls are due not to problems with Chinese manufacturing processes but to highly preventable design mistakes that Western companies keep making over and over again.Starting at €8.20
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The Power of Small Wins
Amabile, Teresa M.; Kramer, Steven J.Article HBS-R1105C-EService and Operations ManagementWhat is the best way to motivate employees to do creative work? Help them take a step forward every day. In an analysis of knowledge workers' diaries, the authors found that nothing contributed more to a positive inner work life (the mix of emotions, motivations, and perceptions that is critical to performance) than making progress in meaningful work. If a person is motivated and happy at the end of the workday, it's a good bet that he or she ach...Starting at €8.20
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The Next Revolution in Productivity
Merrifield, Ric; Calhoun, Jack; Stevens, DennisArticle HBS-R0806D-EService and Operations ManagementThis article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading. If your company embraced the reengineering revolution and is now hitting a wall, look beyond business processes to the new frontier of efficiency: the activities that make up those processes. Advances in IT - especially a relatively recent one called service-orient...Starting at €8.20
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Customer Loyalty Isn't Enough. Grow Your Share of Wallet
Keiningham, Timothy L.; Aksoy, Lerzan; Buoye, Alexander; Cooil, BruceArticle HBS-F1110A-EService and Operations ManagementTraditional metrics like satisfaction and Net Promoter scores correlate poorly with what matters most: share of wallet. Managers need to think about how they rank versus their competitors and apply a new formula, the Wallet Allocation Rule, to predict and improve their share of wallet.Starting at €8.20
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How to Make Onshoring Work
Pande, AdityaArticle HBS-F1103C-EService and Operations ManagementIn recent years IT professionals have been onshoring service work to low-cost American or European cities. But this can be problematic because of labor shortages, rising wages, and other pitfalls. Companies should take three steps to ensure the success of their IT onshoring: They must choose the location wisely, making sure they're the first company to move in and that the location has the talent they need; they should onshore only work that is r...Starting at €8.20
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Back to the City
Wieckowski, AniaArticle HBS-F1005B-EService and Operations ManagementThere's a major cultural and demographic shift away from suburban sprawl. Businesses need to understand it and plan for it.Starting at €8.20