You have more information at hand about your business environment than ever before. But
are you using it to "out-think" your rivals? If not, you may be missing out on a
potent competitive tool. In "Competing on Analytics: The New Science of
Winning," Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris argue that the frontier for using
data to make decisions has shifted dramatically. Certain high-performing
enterprises are now building their competitive strategies around data-driven insights that
in turn generate impressive business results. Their secret weapon? Analytics:
sophisticated quantitative and statistical analysis and predictive modeling. Exemplars of
analytics are using new tools to identify their most profitable customers and offer them
the right price; accelerate product innovation; optimize supply chains; and identify the
true drivers of financial performance. A wealth of examples - from organizations as
diverse as Amazon, Barclay's, Capital One, Harrah's, Procter & Gamble, Wachovia, and
the Boston Red Sox - illuminate how to leverage the power of analytics.
Contents
Foreword by Gary Loveman
Acknowledgments
Part One The Nature of Analytical Competition
1 The Nature of Analytical Competition
Using Analytics to Build a Distinctive Capability
2 What Makes an Analytical Competitor?
Defining the Common Key Attributes of Such Companies
3 Analytics and Business Performance
Transforming the Ability to Compete on Analytics into a Lasting Competitive
Advantage
4 Competing on Analytics with Internal Processes
Financial, Manufacturing, R&D, and Human Resource Applications
5 Competing on Analytics with External Processes
Customer and Supplier Applications
Part Two Building an Analytical Capability
6 A Road Map to Enhanced Analytical Capabilities
Progressing Through the Five Stages of Development
7 Managing Analytical People
Cultivating the Scarce Ingredient That Makes Analytics Work
8 The Architecture of Business Intelligence
Aligning a Robust Technical Environment with Business Strategies
9 The Future of Analytical Competition
Approaches Driven by Technology,Human Factors, and Business Strategy
Notes
Index
About the Authors
Hardcover, 218 pages