A groundbreaking guide to making profitable business decisions Do you wonder why your value initiatives aren't providing the payoff you'd hoped for? Could it be because you've been thinking about value all wrong? According to the authors of this groundbreaking guide, there's a very good chance that you have. Using examples from leading companies worldwide, they explain why every decision a company makes either creates value or detracts from it, and why, if they hope to survive and thrive in today's increasingly competitive global marketplace, company leaders must make value-creation the centrepiece of every business decision. Authors Kaiser and Young have dubbed this approach "e;Blue-Line Management,"e; (BLM), and in this entertaining, highly accessible book, they delineate BLM principles and practices and show you how to implement them in your company. Explains why the failure to properly define and assess value often makes it difficult for the people who manage businesses to effect long-term success Offers guidelines for making the satisfaction of customer needs and wants i.e. value creation the driver of all business activities The authors are respected academics at INSEAD, the world's largest and most respected graduate business school, with campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East

A groundbreaking guide to making profitable businessdecisionsDo you wonder why your value initiatives aren't providing thepayoff you'd hoped for? Could it be because you've been thinkingabout value all wrong? According to the authors of thisgroundbreaking guide, there's a very good chance that you have.Using examples from leading companies worldwide, they explain whyevery decision a company makes either creates value or detractsfrom it, and why, if they hope to survive and thrive in today'sincreasingly competitive global marketplace, company leaders mustmake value-creation the centrepiece of every business decision.Authors Kaiser and Young have dubbed this approach "Blue-LineManagement," (BLM), and in this entertaining, highly accessiblebook, they delineate BLM principles and practices and show you howto implement them in your company.* Explains why the failure to properly define and assess valueoften makes it difficult for the people who manage businesses toeffect long-term success* Offers guidelines for making the satisfaction of customer needsand wants--i.e. value creation--the driver of allbusiness activities* The authors are respected academics at INSEAD, the world'slargest and most respected graduate business school, with campusesin Europe, Asia and the Middle East

Preface ixAcknowledgments xiiiChapter 1 What is Value? 1Chapter 2 The Global Capital Market 23Chapter 3 The Opportunity Cost of Capital 45Chapter 4 The Expected Future Free Cash Flows 71Chapter 5 Blue Line Management 93Chapter 6 Shifting to Blue 115Chapter 7 The Hazard of Growth 135Chapter 8 Creating a Blue Line Culture 159Chapter 9 Trust and Hierarchy in Blue Line Management 195Chapter 10 Value and Decision-Making 219Chapter 11 Getting Net Present Value Right 233Chapter 12 Becoming a Blue Line Manager 269Appendix Blue Line Questions 289Index 297