Business Services

The company seems to have cornered the market on being innovative -- and profitable. Not least, it has figured out how to make money consistently on the Internet. Google's Vinton Cerf, one of the Internet's creators, explains company strategy and peers into the Net's future.

The recession is perhaps hardest on business-to-business companies; as the consumer economy wheezes, the B2B economy chokes. A few B2Bs -- the ones that really meet their customers’ needs -- will survive. But can they do that without rolling over on price?

Only 22% of business-to-business customers are engaged, and just 13% are fully engaged. The reason? A small percentage of B2B companies focus on engaging customers emotionally. The other companies believe they need only emphasize price, speed, and efficiency.

With net sales of $6 billion in 2007 and with enough might and fame to attract knowledge workers, Stryker is a prominent company worldwide. Yet even this highly successful global business faced major hurdles in hiring talented software developers and engineers in India.

Organizations continually feel pressure to improve efficiency and reduce costs while also meeting the demands of their increasingly time-starved customer base. Customers constantly seek speedier and more convenient access, wherever and whenever they might feel the need. Although technology should be able to directly address the demands of both company and customer, it isn't doing so effectively enough. Here's why.

That's the goal of one of the Net's creators, Vinton Cerf, now a top executive at Google. In this interview, Dr. Cerf talks about how he wants to spread investment in Internet technology. He also speaks candidly about Google's next moves, what he sees as the real threats to the Net, and what's going on with Google in China.

Who better to predict where the Net is heading than one of its creators, Vinton Cerf? In this wide-ranging interview -- the first of two parts -- Dr. Cerf tells how the Internet was born and how it will continue to impact business in the future. He also weighs in on the social implications of his invention.

In an interview, Tom Rath, coauthor of How Full Is Your Bucket?, explains how negativity hurts American business -- and describes the right and wrong ways to recognize employees' good work.

Every year corporations spend millions of dollars attracting, training and retaining their employees, but few can quantify the return on their investment. But SAP Americas may have begun to crack the code. Using a new series of metrics designed by Gallup to identify the sources of turnover, SAP can test the revenue consequences of human capital investment options.

The title "sales representative" is disappearing from business cards. Brokers are "financial advisers." Equipment salespeople are "technical specialists." At the same time, competition is increasing. Product lines are more complicated. Do you need salespeople -- or do you need consultants?