Consumer Goods & Retails
Strategic supplier development 2011
How can firms establish supplier networks with a real competitive edge? In his thesis, Sebastian Durst says how
Suppliers make decisive contributions to rendering their customers' cost structures competitive, to their capabilities for innovation and their operational performance. In many industries, the share of value created by suppliers is above 50%. For most companies, in short, a sound and effective supplier network is paramount for success.
What can companies do to establish a supplier network that provides a real competitive edge? Which options are most promising? Which parameters do they need to keep in mind?
In his recent PhD thesis, Sebastian Durst from our Operations Strategy CC has thoroughly analyzed these questions. Based on a large-scale empirical study he shows how and under which circumstances companies should develop their suppliers strategically.
Parameters like the degree of supplier dependency, for instance, have a positive effect on how successful a company is in developing its supplier base in a strategic way. Sebastian is also able to show that only a few options of strategic supplier development have proven successful in practice.
Roland_Berger_Increasing the value of portfolio companies20090310
Sustainable sourcing and SCM 2010
Sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive. For the overwhelming majority of respondents (83%) interviewed by Roland Berger and BME, "economic calculations" are the main driver of their sustainability efforts.
After that comes customer requirements (78%) and the company's corporate philosophy (77%). For Schwientek, these results show "how rigorously sustainability is being implemented in purchasing, even today." The study revealed some regional differences in how mature the sustainability activities are: Western Europe is in the lead, followed by North America.
In Western Europe, 44% of suppliers are mature or very mature in terms of sustainability, in North America 32%. In contrast, South America, Central/Eastern Europe and Asia are currently in an early development phase.
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Supply Chain Management
Organizing Supply chains is the high art of management. Not to mention a strategic competitive advantage. This is the somewhat unexpected result of an exclusive study by Roland Berger, the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, ETH Zurich and Stanford University in California: Supply Chain Management, the former cost killer is becoming a profit driver.
Best-practice companies that rigorously segment their supply chains and align them with product features are outperforming their rivals. The return on assets (ROA) at these companies is twice that of firms that pay no attention to the supply chain fit – a method devised by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants to align supply chains perfectly with a company's business model.
Roland_Berger_Supply_Chain_Management20101008
Brands and Buzz: understanding how to reach today's Chinese consumer 2010
Following our Consumer Report 2009, we have intensified our cooperation this year with CIC, China's leading "Internet Word of Mouth" (IWOM) research firm, to bring you timely trends and insights to help you successfully tackle the Chinese consumer landscape.
The Internet is one channel that can't be ignored within China's vast and growing community of Internet users and e-commerce is taking off in China. Proportionally, Chinese consumers rely on the Internet in making purchase decisions much more than their counterparts in the West. Online information and interaction hubs such as blogs, microblogs and BBS are treasure mines of information on consumer preferences and trends as well as channels for companies to reach out to and build rapport with consumers.
Our market knowledge paired with CIC's first-hand research demonstrates vividly the power of the Internet on Chinese consumer behavior and how it can build up or, conversely, damage brands. Through a deep look into the online habits and preferences of Chinese consumers, we offer insights on how to actively participate and capitalize on valuable opportunities in the online realm.
We have also analyzed the Chinese consumer population with our unique Roland Berger branding tool, the RB profiler, and developed clusters defined by consumers' values and personalities.
We offer you an in-depth look at what makes each type of consumer tick so that you can tailor your messages, define your road-to-market strategy and take actions to drive the most impact.
The race to keep up with developments of the Chinese consumer is a complex one.
We hope that this report and its insights will assist you in seeing both the big picture and the way forward in addressing China's consumers effectively.
Roland_Berger_Brands_and_Buzz_Reach_Chinese_Consumers20100723
Customer-centric retailing – A new growth perspective for retail 2010
Customer-centric retailing (CCR) is the key to mastering the retail challenge.
CCR is a new retail approach that aims to help retailers understand their customers better, identify the right target segments for their business and address these segments more effectively. It improves their customer focus and offers new insights into customer behavior. Essentially, it puts the customer back at the heart of organizational strategy, underpinning all market-related activities. This requires a new dimension in customer understanding.
CCR offers this new dimension. Specifically, it capitalizes on the potential of loyalty card transaction data, using this data to derive customer segments based on actual purchase behavior rather than just socio-demographic characteristics. It is the key to achieving a comprehensive understanding of customers' purchase behavior and needs.
CCR is more than just a tool for category optimization, however: it is a holistic management approach. To fully leverage its potential, retailers must apply CCR on all levels of the organization and in all functions, backing it up with a systematic change process. A number of major retailers such as Metro, Tesco and Carrefour have already done this and achieved a successful transition to a truly customer-centered organization.
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Corporate Responsibility - still a hot topic(April 2009)
Please see the below link
Roland_Berger_Corporate_responsibility20090807
ChinesE Consumer REPORT 2009(June 2009)
Please see the below link
http://www.rolandberger.com/media/pdf/Roland_Berger_think_act_Issue06_20090625.pdf
Price champions - Growth-based pricing strategies to create value for retail and industry (Apr 2008)
Please see the below link.
http://www.rolandberger.com/expertise/functional_issues/price_and_offer_management/2008-03-01-rbsc-pub-Price_champions.html
Moment of truth (Jan 2008)
Please see the below link.
Roland_Berger_Moment_of_truth_Excerpt_20060901.pdf (PDF, 2059 KB)
Strategic brand management - the latest trends and insights for CEE and Austria (Jan 2008)
Please see the below link.
Roland_Berger_Strategic_brand_management_20080130.pdf (PDF, 3213 KB)
Will transport logistics in Russia pose a challenge for FMCG sector development? (May 2007)
Please see the below link.
Roland_Berger_Transport_logistics_in_Russia_20070501.pdf (PDF, 727 KB)
