Product innovation in a solutions business: Leveraging on corporate consulting

• “We offer customer solutions, not just products” is a common formulation in mission statements of many organizations today. The growing interest in a customer solutions strategy is based on the increasing service content in many organizations’ offerings (Normann, 2001); increased business complexity, privatization, and outsourcing (Davies et al., 2001); and means of moving the business focus from the products to the customers (Hax & Wilde, 1999; Vandermerwe, 2000). In the business-to-business segment, the customer-centric logic of a solutions business is often represented in a stand-alone consulting business. Based on Good (1985), we use the term corporate consulting to designate this type of consulting unit. IBM is often cited as an illustration of a firm that has successfully transformed itself from a provider of hardware-based products to more software-based services (see, e.g., Normann, 2001; Vandermerwe, 2000). The “new” IBM is built around the service organization IBM Global Services, a corporate consultancy in part, which accounts for approximately 40% of IBM's total revenues. More important, the services provided, such as business consulting, information technology (IT) consulting, and outsourcing, are seen as a central mechanism for leveraging the technological capabilities of the parent organization.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Publikations- och innehållstyp

kap (ämneskategori)

ref (ämneskategori)