The Gold standard: September 2019
In this monthly post, I highlight some of the best thought-leadership articles and reports that cross my desk. I’ll note why they rise to the top of the pile and are worth reading (or skimming), even if they focus on functions or industries outside your areas of interest.
Among the criteria I use to make the selections are freshness and provocativeness of insights and timeliness, analytical rigor, depth of prescriptions, and overall readability.
Innovation for
sustainability:
Solving the plastics and
packaging challenge
PA Consulting
Tracking the trends 2019:
The top 10 issues
transforming the future
of mining
Deloitte
“
Insurtechs on the rise”
Bain
Securing software as a
service”
McKinsey
“
Paying for value in
health care
BCG
Featured articles
Innovation for sustainability:
Solving the plastics and packaging challenge
PA Consulting
“
Tracking the trends 2019: The top 10 issues transforming the future
of mining
Deloitte
“
Insurtechs on the rise”
Bain
“
Securing software as a service”
McKinsey
Paying for value in health care
BCG
Plastic is a hot topic. Many professional services firms are weighing in with ideas about how to reduce the use of plastic
in commerce. What distinguishes this report is its depth and, in particular, the excellent case studies. It is 50 pages,
but the way it is broken up into chunks makes it an easy reading experience
(if you like this sort of thing).
Read the report
Innovation for sustainability: Solving the plastics and packaging challenge
PA Consulting
This comprehensive annual report on
the global mining industry makes clear the authors’ expertise in the field. The report covers major trends in the sector, from the application of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to the opportunities presented by electric cars and batteries. I’m guessing time-strapped mining executives could read this tome and skip all the other content that might come
their way. One question is, how do you
say something new at this level of depth every year?
Read the report
Tracking the trends 2019:
The top 10 issues transforming the future
of mining
Deloitte
Professional services firms love their surveys. Let’s be honest: many of them offer little that’s new and seem to have been published simply to justify their expense. This article, based on a survey of insurtechs around the world, is one of the exceptions. The findings, and discussion around them, are interesting and no doubt useful for incumbent insurers. Prescriptions for incumbents drawn from the findings are once-over-lightly, but the rest of the article scores highly on all criteria.
Read the article
Insurtechs on the rise”
Bain
“
Cybersecurity is on the mind of every executive. This sophisticated survey-based article does a great job addressing security issues regarding software as a service. Consulting firms usually shy away from criticism of potential clients but the authors let the survey findings speak for themselves, and things don’t come out
so well for software vendors. The concluding section offers some interesting suggestions for vendors, which might encourage them to call the authors.
Read the article
Securing software as
a service”
McKinsey
“
For several years BCG has closely followed the topic of value-based payments in healthcare. This report, based on a study of 30 value-based initiatives from around the world, demonstrates the firm’s impressive grasp of the subject. It wins on all accounts: timeliness, depth and freshness of research, prescriptions. The piece is also quite readable—not a small accomplishment on a topic as complex as this one.
Read the report
Paying for value in health care
BCG
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