Spring 2005 - Technological Leadership Institute - University of ...

“He brings unique expertise to the
position,” says Massoud Amin, CDTL
director and Harold W. Sweatt Chair
in Technological Leadership. “His capabilities
and knowledge are both deep
and impressively wide, encompassing
strategic management as well as related
areas in business and the natural
environment, safety and quality,
business regulation and deregulation,
and electric utilities and the energy
sector.”
His background fits well with CDTL
and also is “in harmony with the needs
of our broader society as well as the
needs of business, management, and
technology in Minnesota and globally,”
says Amin.
Marcus’ most recent pioneering work
includes his study of companies that
keep their returns high over the years.
“These companies succeed in narrow
niches, with little or no competition,”
he says. “They find their place and
protect it.”
For example, in the crowded ice
cream industry, Dreyer’s Grand Ice
Cream Inc. consistently does well
because, in addition to selling ice
cream, it dominates the distribution
system by owning a fleet of delivery
trucks that make up the nation’s largest
direct store delivery network. Marcus
will share his findings in a book he is
writing: Big Winners and Big Losers:
Four Secrets of Long-Term Business
Success.
But MS-MOT students don’t need to
wait for the book; they already understand
the strategy behind these winners
because Marcus shares such cuttingedge
thoughts with them. It’s one way
that Marcus helps arm his students with
knowledge that they can apply to their
organizations.
“You can tell that he really loves the
material, and you become curious and
enthusiastic about it, too” says current
MS-MOT student Tim Varecka, senior
software engineer at Alliant Techsystems,
Inc. Varecka appreciated the
e-mails that Marcus sent to students
with links to stories that related to class
topics. “It connected everything to the
real world.”
Varecka learned how to analyze
external forces and changes, how to
form strategies to sustain competitive
advantage, and how to develop scenarios
and plans to react to those possible
scenarios. They were valuable lessons.
“I realized while developing our
scenarios for class that companies do
not just have to react to the scenarios
but also can develop plans that
influence whether a scenario comes
about or not,” says Varecka.
Marcus stresses scenario planning as
a key element of developing successful
strategies.
“It is really a tool for management
as important as anything else,” says
Marcus. “It allows companies to analyze
the environment and to determine
ways to cope with changes, including
adjusting its strategy for better positioning
in the long run.”
Marcus also takes a unique approach
in the case studies that he uses in the
MS-MOT classes. He asks students to
compare the choices of two competitors
on key strategic management issues.
The case studies include a look at the
positioning of Best Buy versus Circuit
City, the internal environment of Dell
versus Gateway, and the innovation
process of Monsanto versus DuPont,
among other cases. Marcus is compiling
the cases for a book to be released
soon, Winning Moves: A Casebook.
As the author or editor of eight
previous books, Marcus draws from
diverse career experiences. He
conducted energy and technology
studies for Battelle and studied the
safety of nuclear energy and power
plants after the Three Mile Island
incident in the 1980s. When he came to
the University of Minnesota, he helped
facilitate environmental public policy
and also consulted with companies on
deregulation and other environmental
issues.
Alfred Marcus
“Marcus’ capabilities and knowledge are both deep
and impressively wide, encompassing strategic
management as well as related areas in business
and the natural environment, safety and quality,
business regulation and deregulation, and electric
utilities and the energy sector.”
Most recently, he is focusing on
economics, technology, and energy. He
is just beginning a research project on
the commercialization of automotive
hybrid technology. He also is looking
forward to his ongoing involvement
with CDTL, especially because of his
recent chair appointment.
“I feel that I have a vested interest
in the organization as a whole,” says
Marcus. “I want to help take care of the
students and make sure the program
works well.”
The appointment of Marcus to the
Spencer Chair helps strengthen the
center’s connections to Carlson School
of Management and reinforces the interdisciplinary
approach to the center’s
focus on technological leadership and
management, says Amin. Marcus also
brings other important qualities to the
position.
“He is kind and has a great sense of
humor,” says Amin. “He is an outstanding
colleague in so many ways.”
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