Publications

We develop insights that work for our clients. Our approach and recommendations are highly customized and lead to practical actions. Read some of our experts’ perspectives on important issues—for our clients and their industries.

The renaissance in mergers and acquisitions: What to do with all that cash?
March 13, 2013 | Mergers & Acquisitions | Bain Brief
Abundant capital, strong balance sheets, low interest rates and eight great macro trends will combine to make M&A essential for profitable growth this decade.
Key talent that social enterprises can use from profit firms
February 28, 2013 | Social and Public Sector | Business Daily Africa
Social enterprises that focus on wooing corporate talent must also be committed to their own efforts to achieve scale.
How utilities should evaluate upstream and downstream integration
February 20, 2013 | Utilities and Alternative Energy | Bain Brief
Having seen few benefits from the breakup of generation, transmission and retail service, many utility executives now wonder if expanding back into these markets might offer lower transaction costs, better hedging or other advantages. Bain’s analysis suggests that, while integration offers
Making biomass part of your energy mix
February 15, 2013 | Industrial Goods & Services | RenewableEnergyWorld.com
The unique advantages of biomass to reach governmental energy objectives yield an opportunity for utilities to create value for their shareholders. Securing a reliable and cheap supply of feedstock sufficiently early is the critical requirement for utilities to win.
How to woo talent from the for-profit world
February 15, 2013 | Social and Public Sector | HBR.org
For ambitious young professionals, the abilities they develop fairly quickly at a social enterprise are the sorts of listening, communications, problem-solving, and relationship skills that take years to acquire by climbing the corporate ladder.
Why we behave—and decide—the way we do
February 13, 2013 | Organization | Bain Brief
As human beings, we are prisoners of emotions, habits and biases. But if you're aware of the traps, you are far less likely to be snared by them—and your decisions and actions will be that much better.
As UK customers embrace mobile banking, will the branch disappear?
February 11, 2013 | Financial Services | Bain industry brief
Digital banking reduces branch visits, setting the stage for major branch redesign—and thereby for serving a mass market efficiently.
The renaissance in mergers and acquisitions: The surprising lessons of the 2000s
January 16, 2013 | Mergers & Acquisitions | Bain Brief
Looking back at the first decade of this century, it is clear that many companies succeeded in delivering superior shareholder returns using M&A as a weapon for competitive advantage. Executives had to be smart about it, and they had to be committed. But for those with a repeatable model, the
Making star teams out of star players
January 16, 2013 | Organization | Harvard Business Review
Why do companies so rarely bring together a team of star players to tackle a big challenge? The easy answer—indeed, the conventional wisdom—is that all-star teams just don’t work. We think it’s time to reconsider that assumption.
Is complexity killing your sales model?
January 16, 2013 | Customer Strategy & Marketing | Bain Brief
The sales models for many large companies have become more complex and less efficient, putting pressure on profit margins. Achieving growth targets profitably requires a repeatable, high-return model for selling solutions.