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Issue Archive

Issue 1- Fall 2001
Click here to download the Issue 1 in PDF format.

Articles

Complex Times, Simple Rules
Quentin Prideaux
All organizations need rules; the challenge is to write the right kind. By drawing on Complexity Theory we can write efficient rules that can solve complex problems.

The Promising Startup Within - A Guide to Internal Corporate Venturing
Harry L. Davis and Russ W. Rosenzweig
The authors present a new approach for large companies struggling with how to be more innovative.

Innovation Where It Counts
Dennis N. Aust
Innovation alone isn't enough. For maximum benefit, innovation strategy must be integrated within the firm's larger business strategy.

The Metrics of Innovation
Amy Wong
To systematically leverage innovation as a source of competitive advantage, innovation must become an integral part of an organization's strategy and activities.

Beyond 2001: Investing in Internet and Early Stage Technology Companies
Christopher S. Rollyson
By understanding converging trends it is possible to mitigate investment risk and enjoy solid returns.

Interview - A New Era of Growth for the U.S. Economy
Charles G. Callard
The Virtual Strategist conducts a wide-ranging interview with Charles G. Callard, founder and president of Callard Asset Management.

Commentary

The Human Strategist: Leapfrogging into
the Global Future
Elaine Baran
Helping to create the leapfrog solutions that will enable all of the world's people to benefit is the responsibility of the human strategist.

Tutorial

Overview - Six Sigma: Creating a Competitive Advantage
Aline Young
Learn more about this highly disciplined process that helps companies focus on developing and delivering near-perfect products and services.

Issue 2 - Spring 2002
Click here to download the Issue 2 in PDF format.

Articles

Enron/Andersen: Slamming Into the
Political Reality Wall
Evan Dudik
Could your company be about to slam into an industry political wall by focusing too closely on your strategic micro-environment?

No Parsifal at Enron
Daniel Carroll
The lessons of Enron - entertainment only or real learning?

Making Brilliant Decisions
Russ W. Rosenzweig
Times are turbulent and there are some predictable barriers to making brilliant decisions in such environments. Learn a few of these stumbling blocks and some proposed tools for overcoming them.

Fire in the Corporate Belly
Tom FitzGerald
Reversing The Corporate Aging Process. It is the spirit of the company which must catch fire - and it can be touched and changed and ignited.

Commentary

The Human Strategist: Lift Off to a Dream
Elaine Baran
The human strategist takes the longer view and affects the future in unexpected ways. We instill in the next generation the belief that anything is possible; we provide the platform to lift off to a dream.

Tutorial

The Brand: Your Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Les Stern
Learn how to develop, implement and measure a branding strategy that will increase the value of your organization.

 

Issue 3 - July 2002

Articles

Why Didn’t I Think Of That? Seven Symptoms of Incremental Thinking and How to Treat Them
Andrew J. Razeghi
The inability to understand what an organization does well versus what it does well is a major stumbling block to growth. Here's how to address the problem.

It's About Time
Dennis N. Aust
In the relentless pursuit of their own operational efficiencies, many companies have created a strategic opening for competitors who assign a higher value to their customers' time.

Growth and Performance Management
Amy Wong
Strategic growth metrics must focus not just on the results of growth, but on initiatives that drive growth.

Driving Growth through Strategic Account Management - Using the Tools of Business Strategy to Sell and Maintain Complex Accounts
James W. Wilson
Leveraging the tools of business strategists to sell and manage complex accounts.

Commentary

The Human Strategist: I'll Have the Usual
Elaine Baran
Strategists should consider the enhancement of human interaction a critical determinant of technology and business strategies.

Tutorial

Earning a Positive ROI on Your CRM Initiative
Les Stern
Some simple facts about what CRM is (and isn't), why many CRM initiatives don't work, and how to make your CRM initiative successful.

Issue 4 - November 2002

Click here to download Issue 4 in PDF format.

Articles

Five Barriers to Executing Your 2003 Plan...
and Proven Methods to Overcome Them
Bob Zagotta
Planning is much more than simply a means to generate plans and budgets. It is a process that builds clarity and alignment, and positions the organization for  effective execution.

Should You Really Hire the "Best Person for the Job?
Evan M. Dudik
When it comes to hiring members of your top management team, the conventional wisdom is as dangerous to your company's future as the left-over landmines in Vietnam or Kosovo.

Two Perspectives on Andersen:

Don’t Blame Joe Berardino For Arthur Andersen
Bela Barner
How could a firm with such a sterling reputation fall so quickly? It is easy to point a finger at Joe Berardino, but the real roots of Andersen's demise date back twenty years or more.

A Crisis of Core Values
Bob Lapin
How four core principles of Quality Management can prevent future debacles like Andersen.

In Brief

Sweating the Price
Tim Smith
Applying tiered pricing frameworks in a B2B setting.

Bundled Prices, Products and Revenue
Tim Smith
What are the conditions where bundling  strategies can generate incremental revenue growth?

Commentary

The Human Strategist: Dancing on the Edge of the Possible
Elaine Baran
Strategists who explore the possible are essential to helping companies recognize and plan for the probable.

Book Review

High-Impact Consulting
Dennis N. Aust
Is effective consulting really a matter of following Nike's advice to "Just do it?"

Issue 5 - April 2003

Click here to download the Issue 5 in PDF format.

Articles

Building A Powerful Financial Services Brand
Anshul Kaushesh
Building a strong financial services brand is more than "marketing art."  It's a business science.  It requires commitment, a carefully crafted positioning strategy, and well-designed communication programs.

 
Organizational Diagnostic "Molecular" Model
Robin Cook
Designed to be an effective diagnostic tool, the "molecular model" captures the key elements that make up Innovative Organizations, uncovers their interactions, and shows how they influence each other.

The Rise of The Intelligent Enterprise
Kemal A. Delic - Umeshwar Dayal
Mother Nature knows best -- How engineered organizations of the future will resemble natural-born systems.

Commentary

A New Capitalist Manifesto? Re-Imagining Business in the 21st Century
J. Jeffrey Spahn
The current crisis in business create an opportunity for Corporate America to define a more integral and profitable reason for existence.  Doing so will enable business leaders to restore public trust, and build a foundation for enduring success. 

The Human Strategist: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Elaine Baran
We, as companies and individuals, define ourselves by stories.  Exploring these stories provides new insights for strategy and opens up fresh ways of interacting.
 

Tutorial

The PDA Revolution Is Here: Are You Ready?
Ashish Kothari
The PDA revolution isn't just an IT phenomenon.  It affects every aspect of your business.  Here's a guide to the major opportunities and issues.

Issue 6 - Summer 2004

Click here to download the Issue 6 in PDF format.

From the Editors

The Virtual Strategist, Revisited
Ashish Kothari and Laraine Spector

Business Briefs

iTunes - When the Recording Industry Sang the Blues, Apple Sang a Different Tune
Greg Wall

Fueling Historical Losses - How Rising Fuel Costs Have Exposed Strategic Flaws in the Airline Industry
Carl Vause

On the Hot Burner

Stock Options and Restricted Stock: Microsoft's Missed Opportunity
Dennis N. Aust

Strategy

Stuck on the Past - A Primer on Value Migration & How to Avoid It
Laraine Spector

Technology

Did Somebody Say GIS?  
The Latest Frontier in Data Analysis and Decision-Making
Ashish Kothari

World View

The Third Try is the Charm
After 10 years in the economic shadows following the collapse of its stock market, Japan’s economy is once again showing signs of promise
David Morris

HR/Change Management

The First Step toward Corporate Renewal: Simplify the Politics!
Tom FitzGerald

Books in Review

The New Face of War: How War Will Be Fought in the 21st Century
Amy Wong

First Person

Consulting and Entrepreneurship - First Person Interview with Dan Kuntzman