The McKinsey Quarterly

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APRIL 2009

R&D in the downturn: McKinsey Global Survey Results

Despite the economic downturn, many companies are reluctant to cut R&D activities, viewing them as a source of competitive advantage. Companies that gain the greatest benefit from R&D are actually expanding their programs.
MARCH 2009

Building a flexible supply chain for uncertain times

The “bullwhip effect” means that distortions in data cascade through a company’s suppliers. Businesses must remain flexible to protect themselves.
FEBRUARY 2009

Upgrading R&D in a downturn

Cutting research costs across the board in a recession isn’t smart. Companies should use R&D as an opportunity to make themselves more competitive.
DECEMBER 2008

Freeing up cash from operations

As the economy slows, companies should avoid the impulse to batten down their operations indiscriminately. Taking short-term steps and a balanced view of operations can keep cash flows healthy.

APRIL 2009

Maximizing efficiency in pharma operations

By matching the productivity of top drugmakers, average ones could enjoy labor and unit-cost savings worth five to six percentage points of earnings before interest and taxes.
SEPTEMBER 2007

Improving quality in pharma manufacturing

For pharmaceutical and medical-product companies, adopting world-class manufacturing processes can create a competitive advantage by reducing regulatory risk and production costs.

SEPTEMBER 2008

Time to rethink offshoring?

Changing economic conditions may have undermined some of the benefits of offshoring. For managers of global supply chains, this could be the time to reevaluate.
JULY 2008

Managing capital projects: Lessons from Asia

Some Asian companies are better at executing capital projects than are rivals elsewhere. What lessons can others learn from them?

Includes:
JUNE 2008

Managing capital projects for competitive advantage

Investment in capital projects is rising. First-rate contracting will help companies to get a significant leg up on their rivals.
NOVEMBER 2007

Inventing the 21st-century purchasing organization

To get the most out of the purchasing function, top-performing companies redefine its role and ensure that its goals align with corporate strategy.
NOVEMBER 2007

Anticipating customer queries in call centers

An effort to determine the value of specific kinds of customer inquiries shows how companies should decide which channels are best for dealing with each of them.
NOVEMBER 2007

Building an effective change agent team

A carefully constructed change agent program is essential to any successful operational transformation.

Interactive video

As the country merges into the world economy, best practice in China will become best practice globally, products developed in China will become global products, and industrial processes developed in China will become global processes. This article includes a video interview with Jimmy Hexter, co-author of Operation China, discussing opportunities in manufacturing and sourcing.

NOVEMBER 2007

Bringing best practice to China

Includes:

JULY 2008

From internal service provider to strategic partner: An interview with the head of Global Business Services at P&G

Filippo Passerini is bringing the back office into the boardroom.
MAY 2008

Integrating purchasing in M&A: An interview with Lenovo’s chief procurement officer

The chief purchasing officer of Lenovo explains how he helped to create the operational basis for its continuing evolution from a Chinese powerhouse into a global one.
NOVEMBER 2007

Managing for quality: An interview with Armand V. Feigenbaum

A noted quality expert discusses how the underlying principles of quality improvement still hold true.

OCTOBER 2009

Risk: Seeing around the corners

Risk-assessment processes typically expose only the most direct threats facing a company and neglect indirect ones that can have an equal or greater impact.
SEPTEMBER 2009

Taming demand variability in back-office services

Managers in many back-office processing environments can make them more flexible and remove waste by organizing transactions or activities according to their variability.
SEPTEMBER 2009

How to optimize knowledge sharing in a factory network

Designing a manufacturing network entails devising and managing flows of innovation and know-how—not just determining what to produce and where—and organizing the resulting logistics flows.
AUGUST 2009

When citizens are your customers

Optimization techniques using noncontroversial metrics such as customer satisfaction can help government agencies improve their service levels.
JULY 2009

Squeezing more ideas from product teardowns

Some companies are using product teardowns to dismantle silo culture in product development.

Includes:
JULY 2009

When to divest support services

Some companies can reduce the cost of support services, improve their quality, and raise cash to invest elsewhere. Here’s how to tell if your company is one of them.
APRIL 2009

Reducing risk in your manufacturing footprint

Flexibility within and among locations can help companies respond to changing conditions.
FEBRUARY 2009

Management practices that drive supply chain success

The results of in-depth interviews with operations executives represent major implications for companies in high tech, manufacturing and assembly, packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, and retailing.
NOVEMBER 2008

From lean to lasting: Making operational improvements stick

By focusing on the “soft” side of lean and Six Sigma initiatives, leading global companies gain substantial, scalable, and sustainable advantages.