The McKinsey Quarterly Newsletter - November 2001 ,
 The McKinsey Quarterly Newsletter: November 2001 =09
  If you would prefer to view this newsletter as a Web page, point your Web=
 browser to: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/newsletters/2001_11.htm   [IM=
AGE]  Greetings from The McKinsey Quarterly!  This month's Top 5 list focus=
es on strategy, a category in which McKinsey authors grapple with uncertain=
ty, defined by Mr. Webster as "a lack of certitude ranging from a small fal=
ling short of definite knowledge to an almost complete lack of it." The by-=
product is often an inability to make decisions.  Since September 11, uncer=
tainty seems to have gone exponential. In addition to the possibility of fu=
rther terrorist attacks, managers must come to terms with recession in much=
 of the global economy and a host of industry-specific concerns.  Fortunate=
ly, some kinds of uncertainty are both knowable and addressable. Given the =
right tools and frameworks, managers can make strategic decisions even in t=
hese difficult circumstances. To this end, we offer the articles on our str=
ategy page.  See you at the site!  Lang Davison Editor, mckinseyquarterly.c=
om  [IMAGE]  This month at mckinseyquarterly.com   The other side of outsou=
rcing   "Infraservices" is the business of running the businesses nobody el=
se wants. It may not be glamorous, but plenty of money can be made running =
routine operations (think: building maintenance or payroll processing) for =
other companies. In the past few years, providers of infraservices have bee=
n entering the market in increasing numbers. Should your company be in this=
 business?  Building trust on-line   A funny thing happens when you survey =
consumers about on-line privacy. Typically, their biggest concern isn't tha=
t information about them will be captured by marketers but that marketers w=
ill give nothing in return. The authors of this article explore the notion =
of collaborative "value exchanges" as a way for companies to win their cust=
omers' trust.  Internet services: Who's smiling now?   Now that growth in I=
nternet traffic is slowing down, traditional IT players such as AT&T, EDS, =
and IBM have gained the advantage in Internet hosting and content distribut=
ion over their smaller, more specialized competitors. This article examines=
 the way changes in Internet traffic patterns are playing to the strengths =
of the big boys.  Unbundling the unbundled   Companies in the utility busin=
ess used to be hulking and monolithic. Then they got skinnier and more nimb=
le by, for instance, breaking electricity provision into its component part=
s. Now more change is in store as core activities-ownership, management, an=
d service delivery-get unbundled from one another and treated as separate b=
usinesses.  Vaccines where they're needed   Most people in the developing w=
orld go without the vaccines they need largely because the economics of dru=
g development in rich countries don't line up with the economics of health =
care provision in poor ones. Governments and international organizations ca=
n remedy this deplorable situation by assuming some of the risks now borne =
by drugmakers.  Thailand's chance for no-pain gain   This article, outlinin=
g a report from the McKinsey Global Institute, identifies policy reforms th=
at Thailand could make to raise productivity in key industries, without res=
orting to subsidies or additional government spending. These reforms, the a=
uthors argue, should be undertaken with careful consideration of their econ=
omic and social implications.  [IMAGE]  This month's top 5 articles on Stra=
tegy   Making the most of uncertainty  The future of the networked company =
 Strategy under uncertainty  Creative destruction  Creating a knowledge cul=
ture   [IMAGE]  Share the wealth!  If you know colleagues who would be inte=
rested in The McKinsey Quarterly, please forward this e-mail message to the=
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