Teaching Note —InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
Porter, M. E., and Kramer, M. (2011), “The big idea: Creating shared value,” HarvardBusinessReview,
January 1, 2011.
2. http://www.economist.com/node/21528583. The Carpet-Tile Philosopher. September 10, 2011. A
post-mortem tribute to Ray Anderson published in The Economist.
3. http://interfaceraise.com/whats-happening/multimedia/ (7:24). CBC“TheHour”Interview.Ray
Anderson discusses Interface, Inc.’s journey to sustainability.
4. http://interfaceraise.com/ (1:13). Introduction to InterfaceRAISE. Mr. Hartzfeld discusses
InterfaceRAISE’s breadth of sustainability consulting industry experience.
5. http://interfaceraise.com/whats-happening/multimedia/ (21:11). TEDxAtlanta-Restorative
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bEAgmGSc7A (5:18). Keep It Green. Mr. Hartzfeld discusses
7. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ray_anderson_on_the_business_logic_of_sustainability.
html (15:52). TED Talk: The Business Logic of Sustainability. Mr. Anderson describes how achieving
8. http://interfaceraise.com/whats-happening/multimedia/ (Three segments: 9:31, 9:38, 9:27).
History of Interface. A detailed compilation of Interface Inc.’s history featuring commentary by Ray
9. http://interfaceraise.com/whats-happening/multimedia/ (Part 1 – 8:04). 15thAnniversaryofClimb
10. http://audiovideo.economist.com/?fr_story=78791c2aa053f826049bfb4e2d333187854c2b7c&rf
=bm (10:54). Mark Kramer on Shared Value. Mark Kramer discusses the controversy surrounding
his article with Michael Porter, entitled, “The Big Idea: Creating Shared Value.” He argues that
working for the greater good benefits the bottom line, contrary to the perceived rift between
business and society.
Teaching Note — InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
EXHIBIT TN-1 Applying Porter’s Five Forces Model to InterfaceRAISE
Factors
Leading to…
Threat of
New Entrants
Power of
Suppliers
Interfirm
Rivalry
Power of
Buyers
Threat of
Substitutes
cases.
Low threat Major consulting firms
have strong brand equity.
Main supply
needed is talent
and specialized
Low exit
barriers—just
need to complete
Brand loyalty
may be higher
if there is an
Few other options besides
hiring in-house (which is
costly).
Teaching Note —InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
Boutiques
Price Sensitivity
Breadth of Services Offered
InterfaceRAISE
Blu Skye
McKinsey
A.T. Kearney
EXHIBIT TN-2 Applying a Strategic Group Model to Analyze InterfaceRAISE’s
Position in the Sustainability Consulting Industry
Teaching Note — InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
EXHIBIT TN-3 Using the VRIO Framework to Analyze Interface’s Resources and Capabilities
Interface’s Resources and Capabilities
… are they?
Valuable
V
Rare
R
Costly to
Imitate
I
Organized to
capture value
O
Teaching Note —InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
EXHIBIT TN-4 Using a SWOT Analysis to Determine Interface’s
Potential Success in Sustainability Consulting
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
Increasing political and consumer
pressure on companies towards
sustainability
THREATS
Small size
Technological breakthroughs that reduce
corporate reliance on consultants
Teaching Note — InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
of McGraw-Hill Education.
Value Creation
InterfaceRAISE McKinsey Boutique
EXHIBIT TN-5 A Depiction of How Interface Can Raise More Value
by Increasing Clients’ Willingness to Pay
Teaching Note —InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
Existing New
MARKET
CORE COMPETENCE
Existing New
Building new core
competencies to
protect and extend
current market position
Building new core
competencies to create
and compete in markets
of the future
Leverage core
competencies to
improve current market
position
Redeploying and
recombining core
competencies to
compete in markets of
the future
EXHIBIT TN-6 Applying the Core Competence-Market Matrix to Plan a Growth Strategy
Teaching Note — InterfaceRAISE: Raising the Bar in Sustainability Consulting
Endnotes
1. “Management consulting services,” Encyclopedia of American Industries. Online Edition. Gale, 2010.