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C-Net Interview with Professor Raphael Amit, Wharton School
"Q: You've quoted (former General Electric CEO) Jack Welch talking about how e- commerce will change the DNA of his company. Now, you're a professor. Give GE a grade. How well have they done in carrying out that changeover?"
"A: I don't need to give GE a grade. I will ask you back and say, you be the judge! As a result of this change in DNA, what percent of the sales are Web-enabled (at GE)? The answer is a very small percent. I always say that I don't want to pass judgment, but let's just look at the results. That was the objective; let's see what was accomplished."
"Q: And that drives home the point I wanted to make--that you need to integrate first. All these external activities that are on the edge of the firm and externally will be that much more profitable if, internally, you are first all squared away."
"A: I'm sure that if you made that pitch to Jack Welch when he was still running GE, he would have bought into that--saying, 'Yeah, I'm 100 percent behind it.'"
"A: Yes, but the lesson there is that you put the cart before the horse. He should have focused first on what his successor is facing, that the internal integration of data and streamlining, and with that accomplished, go outside--as opposed to going outside first and then worrying about the inside. Thinking about connectivity and collaboration before thinking about integration and optimization may be something that (CEOs) will have to think about."
12:15:25 PM Google It! 
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