Aggressive goals can dramatically improve a company’s performance. But unachievable goals can do more harm than good. Here’s how to stretch without breaking. Source: McKinsey In search of a better stretch target

Businesses with different financial profiles can tax managers and put performance at risk. When divesting isn’t an option, here’s how to manage the conflicts. Source: McKinsey Should assessing financial similarity be part of your corporate portfolio strategy?

Do disaster-hit regions benefit when corporations pitch in on relief, or do the companies get in the way? Experts from Wharton and The George Washington University explain where they can help. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton Mastering Disaster: How Companies Can Help in Rescue and Recovery

According to some, value investing is on life support, if not dead. Wharton experts say that depends on how one measures value. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton Is Value Investing Really in the Doldrums?

The appointment of Jerome H. Powell as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve may lead to less strict regulations on banks, but on other issues he will likely follow the path set by predecessor Janet Yellen. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton How New Fed Chair Jerome Powell Will Shape U.S. Monetary Policy

Email marketing is an essential component of every business. But it’s even more important for your ecommerce website. Why? It’s one of the best ways to communicate with your customers. As an ecommerce business, you don’t have the luxury of seeing your customers face to face like you would if you were a brick-and-mortar company. Read more about How to Write Ecommerce Emails That Don’t Annoy the Crap out of Your Readers[…]

Digital and analytics provide four distinct opportunities for organizations to achieve productivity breakthroughs. Source: McKinsey Ops 4.0: Turning digital analytics into 20 percent higher productivity

A second wave of automation in banking will increase capacity and free employees to focus on higher-value projects. To capture the opportunity, banks must take a strategic, rather than tactical, approach. Source: McKinsey The transformative power of automation in banking

New Wharton research finds that smartphone use actually provides some emotional benefits for stressed-out adults, and that in turn has implications for marketers trying to reach an on-the-go audience. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton The Smartphone as Security Blanket: What It Means for Marketers

Details on the big tax reform proposal remain sketchy. What seems clear: As proposed, the tax cuts do not pay for themselves and will spike up the deficit. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton Is There a Tax Cut in Your Future?