A recent BusinessWeek survey of more than 300 C-level executives surfaced the following stunning revelations on today's corporate growth:
- Only 10 percent believe they effectively quantify marketing activity.
- Only 20 percent believe their companies are agile.
- Only 41 percent believe they understand what drives profit!
These findings are a perfect indicator of what can go wrong when companies don't balance cost with profit-enhancing initiatives - particularly in an era of accelerated change. A correction is now in order with equal focus on both the bottom and top line.
This new "Smart Growth" strategy sounds simple, but there are multiple interpretations of how to best optimize it. And, of course, there are numerous challenges to confront, including accountability issues, improper alignment and the lack of financial transparency.
Join our panel of key executives as they discuss their diverse opinions on effective Smart Growth, plus their current path, future visions and obstacles already overcome.
Moderated by Chris Rogers. Panel members include Michael Flatow, Jay T. Dittmann, Richard Flaks and Jeff Kish.
About Panel discussion
Chris Rogers
Research Director
BusinessWeek Research Services
Chris Rogers is the Research Director of BusinessWeek Research Services and is responsible for all primary research activities related to the BusinessWeek franchise. In the past seven years since appointed to this position, Rogers has spearheaded several new research initiatives such as the development of the BusinessWeek Market Advisory Board, an online research panel made up of senior business executives and the execution of C-level tracking studies that cover technology trends in business.
Prior to his current position at BusinessWeek, Rogers served as Senior Account Manager for the NPD Group, a full service market research firm that specializes in high-tech market research. Chris also spent a total of seven years with CMP Media, where he helped develop marketing strategies for a variety of technology publications.
Michael Flatow
CEO
Dan River Inc.
Michael Flatow is the CEO of Dan River Inc. - a leading home textile company. Prior to his appointment at Dan River Inc., Flatow was also Executive Vice President and General Manager of Hanes brands' $4 billion apparel business. Thus, with more than 20 years of general management experience, he has the in-depth knowledge of brand and category building necessary to succeed in this ever-changing business environment. Flatow's education includes a BA in psychology from Queens College of the City University of New York and a master's degree in business policy from Columbia University.
Jay T. Dittmann
Vice President of Marketing Strategy
Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Jay T. Dittmann is Vice President of Marketing Strategy for Hallmark Cards, Inc. He is responsible for building the portfolio of strategic outputs that help guide the development of high impact, high-ROI marketing communications across key internal and external partners. He also oversees the maintenance and development of the various systems technically-oriented capabilities and assets supporting these strategies, such as the consumer database. Dittmann was a past President of the Executive Board of the Conference Board Council on Marketing Research and has published articles on leveraging retail information. He holds an MBA and a PhD in industrial engineering from the University of Missouri.
Richard Flaks
Senior Vice President of Planning, Allocation and IT
The Children's Place
Richard Flaks has been Senior Vice President, Planning, Allocation and Information Technology since November 2004 after joining The Children's Place in March 2003 as Vice President of Planning and Allocation.
Prior to joining The Children's Place, Flaks was with the Victoria's Secret stores division of Limited Brands, Inc., most recently serving as Vice President, Planning and Allocation. He also served as the Vice President of Planning and Allocation for the men's, kids and home departments of the Burdines division of Federated Department Stores, Inc. from 1997 to 2001. Prior to that, Flaks held various positions with Today's Man, Inc. and Woolworths, South Africa.
Jeff Kish
CIO
Stage Stores
Jeff Kish joined Stage Stores in May of 1999. Since then, Kish has applied his expertise in strategic planning and executive leadership to provide information systems, technology and corporate governance solutions that realize Stage Stores' corporate business strategy. Areas of implementation include: merchandising, supply chain and distribution, customer relationship and service, data warehousing and decision support, loss prevention and technical infrastructure. Kish is a graduate of Vassar College.
