The Rise of the Customer Centric Firm

Peter Fader (Wharton) debunks the myths surrounding customer centricity, urging managers to recontextualize the role of CRM as part of a wider customer-centric strategy. Julián Villanueva (IESE) explains how to design and implement a customer equity dashboard that will serve to pinpoint exactly where the company is gaining and losing value. A. Parasuraman (University of Miami) revisits the original SERVQUAL framework, showing how tried-and-tested assessment tools can give your firm's service efforts much-needed direction and focus in light of the growing role of technology in service delivery. Tarun Khanna and Krishna Palepu (Harvard) clear up the confusion over whether a market is or isn't emerging, helping managers to leverage emerging opportunities in all their guises. Josep Tàpies and Lucía Ceja (IESE) list the practical things that companies can do to sow the seeds of psychological ownership -- strong emotional ties that cause workers to identify closely with their business. Carlos Añaños, Managing Director of AJE Group, credits hard work and a low-cost strategy for the Latin American beverage maker's international expansion. Three executives discuss the strategic and operational implications of the European electronics and home appliance giant, Media Markt, delving back into the Web. And jazz trombonist and music teacher, Chris Washburne, talks about how executives can inject some improv into their organizations.