Purpose – How des Xilinx Corporation, with worldwide headquarters in San Jose and European headquarters in Dublin, stay on Fortune magazine's top‐ten‐best‐companies‐to‐work‐for list and remain the market leader in the programmable logic segment of the semiconductor industry?...

Purpose – A risk to reputation is a threat to the survival of the business, but senior executives seldom focus on it. Design/methodology/approach – The reputational collapses in four cases (Merck, Marsh, Anderson and Monsanto) share a single striking feature: they were not limited to a small...

Purpose – The author points out that the same strategic behaviors that are associated with great success are also associated with failure. That is, the greatest rewards pose the greatest risks. He explains how corporations should manage risk differently at different levels of responsibility...

Purpose – Introduces the cash curve, a tool for monitoring the payback on innovation that has proved helpful in decision‐making, planning, analysis, and communication. The cash curve graphically plots cumulative cash flow over time. Design/methodology/approach – Describes the four “S”...

Purpose – The author offers a perspective on the complex new concepts of Michael Raynor and others on managing strategic risk. Design/methodology/approach – The author explains Raynor's theories of strategic paradox, strategic options, requisite uncertainty and strategic flexibility, all of...

Purpose – Over the last several years, many corporate boards have sought a more substantial role for directors in the strategy‐setting process. The author suggests a proven system for educating board members about company strategy and gaining a more valuable contribution from them....

Purpose – This case aims to chronicle the dismantling of Tenneco – a large, prosperous diversified firm. Because it failed to manage risk, its best assets ultimately had to be sold to allow its survival. Behind its actions of problematic acquisitions and questionable financial policies, are...

Purpose – In the current recession, cost cutting alone will not enable companies to survive the recession and thrive beyond it. Companies need fresh ideas on how to continue their internal corporate venturing activities, but at lower cost and reduced exposure to risk. This paper aims to...

Purpose – The aims of this paper is to show how supply chains can become a lot smarter to deal effectively with risk and meet business objectives. Design/methodology/approach – For this Global Chief Supply Chain Officer Study, IBM group leaders interviewed 400 senior executives from North...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the extent to which organizations were prepared for the economic crisis, the nature of responses, and factors that might explain preparedness and modes of response. Design/methodology/approach – The survey conducted in July 2009 and...