Dot-com chiefs focus on profits not parties

Massive marketing budgets and wild launch parties are just <I>sooo</I> last year...

By Pia Heikkila, 26 July 2001 00:01

NEWS The creative, nurturing dot-com culture prevalent in many internet start-ups is dying out and being replaced by more traditional business attitudes. According to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers published today, European dot-com chiefs said their companies are now focusing on building towards long-term profitability and good customer service levels, rather than on recruitment, brand-building and pan-European expansion, which was the case in 2000. Last year, CEOs placed a heavier emphasis on creativity and flexibility as the key qualities for dot-com managers, ignoring factors like a proven business track record. In a statement, Nick Drewett, director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "There used to be a tendency among some dot-coms to see themselves as a different breed and subject to a different set of business rules. "But there is a fundamental change in the attitudes of the CEOs running European dot-coms who are now prioritising areas such as cost-cutting, profitability and acquiring and retaining customers, above creativity and risk-taking." PricewaterhouseCoopers interviewed over 400 dot-com executives.

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