OVER the past decades, we have seen how different business functions took center stage in the Philippines, one after another.

In the beginning, Manufacturing was king when efficiency was a major competitive advantage. Then Marketing took over, as you don't have to produce what you sell as long as you take care of your brands. Then technology began to change faster than businesses could cope, and Information Technology reigned. Many businesses could not afford technology until they realized that they could not afford to be without it.