How have they regained and retained competitive advantage at a time when location is no longer a barrier to transactions, brands alone aren't a proxy for quality, and pricing is increasingly transparent?
Of course, the answers to these weighty questions vary by industry and company. But let's advance an idea that can help just about all executives concentrate their thinking. Whether you know it or not, your company operates as two businesses: a core that sells products and services (as it always has) and what can be called the software layer. This permeable layer comprises the technologies through which customers interact with your company, and vice versa.
