|
Until now, the relationship between a company
and its customers and suppliers has consisted of arms-length
haggling over the price of a part or service. Today, reveals
alliance expert Jordan D. Lewis, customers and suppliers
are actually embracing each other -- sharing data, design
work, and even research and development. The result, Lewis
finds, has been a dramatic improvement in each firm's costs,
quality, cycle times, and customer satisfaction -- without
added expense. Building on his groundbreaking work,
Partnerships for Profit, Lewis shows managers how
to maximize the potential of these new customer-supplier
alliances -- described by the Wall Street Journal
as a "revolution" -- by drawing upon his hands-on
experience and research with best-practice firms worldwide
such as Motorola, Chrysler, and Marks & Spencer.
Although more and more firms now recognize
the importance of customer-supplier alliances, few actually
know how to make them work. Using interviews with employees
ranging from top executives to purchasing and sales people,
Lewis takes the reader inside these leading-edge companies
and their top suppliers to show precisely how the "connected"
corporation can double its competitive resources
by forging customer-supplier relationships for greater financial-strength,
higher market share, more value, and increased operating
flexibility.
Lewis provides the tools managers need to
structure and manage effective and successful alliances.
He discusses all of the initial questions on how to get
started -- when to use alliances, how to choose the best
partners, and how to set clear objectives targeted on high
performance. Specific techniques are presented to foster
joint creativity -- from building inter-firm teams to systems-based
thinking -- as well as methods for monitoring alliance performance
and progress. Lewis also shows ways to develop the foundation
of cooperation, negotiation, and trust between partners
which is so crucial in achieving optimum competitive advantage.
By capitalizing on the new customer-supplier
alliances, any firm can increase its competitiveness regardless
of industry, company size, or whether its focus is on goods
or services. Lewis provides managers of all types with the
framework they need to avoid the pitfalls and enjoy the
full benefits of the connected corporation.
Jordan D. Lewis, an international consultant,
author, and lecturer, advises many of the world's leading
firms and is a well-known expert on strategic alliances.
A Fellow of the World Economic Forum, he has been profiled
by CNN, "Business Day," Wall Street Journal,
Financial Times, and Japan Times. He lives
in Washington, D.C.
|
