The Value Factor: How Global Leaders Use Information for Growth and Competitive Advantage (Bloomberg) [Hardcover]

Mark Hurd (Author), Lars Nyberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004 | Series: Bloomberg (Book 44)

What is the only thing a company has that its competitors do not have? What can a company invest in that its competitors cannot replicate?  Information. It’s the new competitive edge. Capitalizing on the information a company owns about its customers, suppliers, and partners is now the value proposition for sustainable long-term growth.

Authors Hurd and Nyberg go inside companies to see the value proposition in practice. Combining case studies and analysts’ insights with common sense and surprisingly simple ideas for growth, The Value Factor shows how companies transform information into a competitive asset. Hurd and Nyberg have access to some of the top companies in every industry and from around the world. In this book, they share their unique perspective on what the innovators are doing to get ahead and stay ahead in today’s tough business environment and how top companies are meeting challenges and turning them into growth opportunities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fresh perspective on some of the most important, common sense factors that have enabled companies to better leverage data. -- Randy Mott, Senior Vice President and CIO, Dell

A must read for busy executives looking for every advantage for their firm. -- Michael Treacy, author of Double-Digit Growth and The Discipline of Market Leaders

Better read it if you plan to do any business in the 21st century. -- Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, authors of The One to One Future

It's the only way to see the road ahead while doing business at the speed of light. -- Dipak C. Jain, Dean, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Review

“In The Value Factor, Mark Hurd and Lars Nyberg bring us a fresh perspective on some of the most important, commonsense factors that have enabled companies to better leverage data for competitive advantage and business success.”
—Randy Mott
Senior Vice President and CIO, Dell

“It’s called ‘The Information Age’ for a reason. Information, even more than capital assets, products, or brands, will be the best source of sustainable competitive advantage. In this book, Nyberg and Hurd have succeeded in outlining a vision and a plan for putting that information to work in ways that drop directly to the bottom line. Better read it if you plan to do any business in the 21st century.”
—Don Peppers and Martha Rogers
Founders, Peppers & Rogers Group

“Congratulations to authors Hurd and Nyberg who show us how leaders maximize excellence by maximizing the value of information with every decision. It’s the only way to see the road ahead while doing business at the speed of light.”
—Dipak C. Jain
Dean, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

“The Value Factor is every executive’s competitive edge. It provides unique perspectives from top global businesses. Implementing these strategic tools and insights will position your company to obtain boundless growth and profitability.”
—Bill Milnes
President and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Bloomberg Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576601579
• ISBN-13: 978-1576601570
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,153,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 'Value Factor' is Information, May 14, 2004

By 

Teresa Smith (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Value Factor: How Global Leaders Use Information for Growth and Competitive Advantage (Bloomberg) (Hardcover)

Hurd and Nyberg call on their vast industry knowledge to provide corporate leaders with real-world examples from top companies around the globe where information gathering steers profitable business decisions.

This quick read (only 132 pages) provided me with the confidence I need to drive practices within my organization to get and maintain good information for decision-making purposes.

I was pleased to see leaders at Hurd and Nyberg's level, who really understand the value of a unified corporate vision based on levelheaded information management, are willing to share their insight.

This is a must-read for anyone making key business decisions!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Examples of Adding Value with Better Information, May 24, 2004

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Value Factor: How Global Leaders Use Information for Growth and Competitive Advantage (Bloomberg) (Hardcover)

For many years, hardware and software vendors have preached the benefits of unifying databases for major companies. In recent years, there has been a strong move to open up those unified databases for more and more people in the company so that better and timelier business decisions can be made. Such an effort can cost a large company hundreds of millions and be an even larger cost in percentage of assets for smaller companies. Before deciding to move ahead, what can a leader expect to gain? What must the leader do, once deciding to go ahead, in order to be sure that the gain is achieved? Those are the helpful subjects of The Value Factor.

I was very pleased to see that this book emphasized the business process of making such a change . . . rather than simply touting the potential benefits. You cannot spend potential benefits, after all.

Within the book, there were lots of examples to show what kind and size of benefits can be achieved . . . and how they are achieved. I found the airline examples to be especially telling in creating fast flexibility to respond within hours to marketplace shifts. The financial services examples were also compelling, as I was reminded of how often such organizations treat us differently depending on what product of service is involved. Seeing these examples, it was also clear how much it helps streamline decision-making if everyone is looking at the same facts in the same way . . . reflecting the total situation.

The book is very brief, which will be welcome to time-weary executives. It would be an excellent choice for a three hour plane flight.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the seemingly endless repetition of the need to break down independent "silos" of operations that do not cooperate with one another and have different data sets.

A good related book is E-Business Intelligence by Bernard Liautaud of Business Objects.

See what needs to be done . . . and empower those close to the problem to get on with it!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, May 19, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Value Factor: How Global Leaders Use Information for Growth and Competitive Advantage (Bloomberg) (Hardcover)

This book is like a clear lamp knifing through the fog of business, saying that what really matters is developing one clear unified concept of your business, declaring who you are and what you do. The key to achieving this "unified truth" is information. Most companies stack information in silos represented by business units, so one part of the company doesn't know what the other parts are doing. Authors Mark Hurd and Lars Nyberg of the NCR global information technology firm make a cogent case that the key to overcoming this shortcoming is to take information out of scattered departments and develop centralized storage facilities for its collection, processing and retrieval. Armed with this base, this "unified truth," employees can become more customer-centric. One caveat, however, is that single view companies face the danger of tunnel vision. Sometimes companies need internal, competing views to be sure they consider the correct perspective. Although this book is an NCR public relations effort, it sets out a key point: if your firm isn't making information its top priority, you're could be falling behind the curve. We highly recommend this book to leaders and future leaders.