I’ve just returned from a long trip to Mario’s deli. You see, Mario and his team haven’t yet perfected the fastest, simplest way to serve their long queue of lunchtime customers. And, rather than focus on their inefficiencies, they’re now putting their efforts into expanding their lunchtime menu and opening a new wine bar. Surely that’s a recipe for disaster – isn’t it?   Walk before you run  In the words of business consultant and […]

I’ve just arrived at my desk. It’s only 8.00am, yet already I’ve seen several TV adverts and heard half a dozen radio commercials. I’ve had an inbox full of special offers, picked two flyers up off my doormat, and have received an SMS from a local restaurant. I can’t tell you what most of them say though. You see, like the average Joe, I’m exposed to thousands of marketing messages every single day – and […]

Dear SAP, I want to give my business every advantage it can possibly get. Unfortunately, my CFO won’t give me a blank check to do it with. So in addition to sophistication, I’m looking for practicality. Does this option even exist?

A recent survey I read by Circle Research shows that only 7% of global SMEs have an ambition related to ‘societal improvement’. They’d much rather achieve growth, satisfy their customers, and improve their business processes. But that doesn’t surprise me. After all, improving society is much more of a “soft” ambition. It can’t deliver real value in the same way as business growth or process improvement do. Or can it?