In a world of Web 2.0, the impact of creating truly "remarkable" customer experiences is magnified exponentially. By exceeding your customers' service expectations, you get them to remark about it...and no longer to just their neighbors or their office mates, but across the globe via social networks of like-minded individuals. The customer now has more power, more influence over your success—over the very definition of your brand—than ever before. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, "There are no facts, only interpretations."

The challenges of implementing a customer-centric focus can be daunting, even though the theoretical benefits include increased profits and improved ROI. Associate Professor of Business Administration Rajkumar Venkatesan teaches Marketing and Marketing Analytics at Darden. His research focuses on designing marketing strategies that maximize customer profitability, understanding the pricing strategies of online retailers, and developing models for forecasting sales of new products. Together with V. Kumar, the ING Chair Professor and Executive Director, ING Center for Financial Services, School of Business, University of Connecticut and Werner Reinartz, Professor of Marketing and Director of the IFH Center for Retail Research, University of Cologne, Germany, Professor Venkatesan most recent research explores in-depth the Performance Implications of Adopting a Customer Focused Sales Campaign.

The study shows that the promise of a customer focus, at least in customer-facing activities such as sales calls, can be realized. To request a copy of the full research report, please email us Darden_ExEd@darden.virginia.edu

In their 2008 annual survey of executive education programs, the Financial Times ranked Darden Executive Education in the top ten in multiple categories and #2 globally for open-enrollment programs.

For the fifth consecutive year in the Open segment, past participants have ranked Darden’s faculty number one. For the sixth year in a row, Darden received a number-one ranking in Course Design. Other top rankings for Darden’s Executive Education Program include #2 in Teaching Materials and #3 in several categories—Preparation, Aims Achieved, Food and Accommodations, and Facilities.

We encourage you to review the Financial Times Executive Education special report 2008. 

As a follow-up to the survey results, David Newkirk, CEO of Darden Executive Education was one of the featured experts in the "Ask the Experts" Q & A column in the Financial Times. The session explored the questions surrounding established versus emerging executive education programs, and the most popular course offerings, among others.

OPEN-ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS

Creating Value for Customers—NEW!
October 26-31, 2008

As the definition of success has shifted—from strict metrics of performance to more strategic management of the complete customer experience—many companies have struggled with the complexities of customer value creation. In Darden's new program, Creating Value for Customers, participants will investigate methods to achieve customer-focused decision making, including harnessing the power of cross-functional teams, and ways to increase customer value by working with your overall supply chain.

Leading Innovation:
Thinking Like America's Most Inventive Genius—NEW ! 
November 2-5, 2008

Darden Executive Education is excited to announce the launch of the new program Leading Innovation: Thinking Like America’s Most Inventive Genius, based in part on the latest book Innovate Like Edison by Batten Fellow Michael Gelb. In an effort to provide a timely, relevant resource for modern organizations facing aggressive change in workforce demographics, new technologies, and global competition, we are excited to add this most compelling leadership program to our Leadership and Change series. Coupled with lessons from Level Three Leadership by Darden Professor Jim Clawson, this new open-enrollment program will provide tangible resources for incorporating contemporary best practices into everyday activities to maximize potential.

Participants in this program will learn to lead innovation at varying levels—studying the planning and implementation processes, through to execution and evaluation—and will return to the workplace with a plan for developing the most core competence—innovation.

CUSTOM PROGRAMS

Darden works in partnership with many of our custom program partners to create components which focus on handling the transformational change of building customer-centric organizations.

Likewise, our intensely collaborative process in developing a custom program partnership puts Darden Executive Education among the leaders in customer centric organizations. Dedication to, and involvement in, research, consulting, needs assesment, and knowledge of a broad range of business issues allows Darden to deliver tightly integrated customized programs that will drive and support your firm's strategies.

For example, Business Week recently reported on one such program at Westinghouse in which Darden professor Jeanne M. Liedtka helped leaders overcome risk-aversion to achieve greater levels of innovation—a clearly identified new strategy at Westinghouse.

To learn more about our custom programs and explore both the process and the potential of developing a partnership for executive development, we invite you to complete our Custom Inquiry Form.