Center for Customer-Based Execution & Strategy

MISSION

The center enables research scholars to develop cutting-edge, peer-reviewed research practices and insights related to customer-based strategy. Its mission is to share these research-driven insights with both for-profit and non-profit organizations, aiming to enhance customer value, employee engagement, and shareholder returns.

Ultimately, the center seeks to re-imagine strategy planning and execution in organizations. In this process, the center can examine, inform, and improve traditional strategy planning that often lacks a customer focus and shows little or no correlation with financial performance.

McNair entrance side shot

About the Center

We are home to exceptional young scholars in strategy, marketing, organizational behavior, finance, and operations. The Center for Customer-Based Execution & Strategy leverages strong connections in key industries—such as energy, healthcare, education, and technology—to benefit the community. Our goal is to unite diverse business disciplines to improve strategy, customer value, employee engagement, and overall performance.

Center Affiliates

Upcoming Events

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Past Events

  • Customer-Focused Leadership: Serving Students, Families, and Educators

    April 10, 2025
    Website | Photos

    Hosted by The Center for Customer-Based Execution and Strategy and Leadership Partners, and led by Dr. Vikas Mittal, this day-long masterclass is tailored for superintendents and senior K-12 leaders.

    • Discover why legacy strategy planning falls short and how it can be enhanced using a science-based approach to refocus and prioritize resources for measurable impact.
    • Discover the power of customer focus as a strategy planning framework that benefits students, families, and teachers.
    • Learn the satisfaction-performance-chain (SPC), a proven, research-validated model linking school leadership actions to family engagement, student retention, and academic outcomes.
    • Discover how districts can use these principles to drive stronger outcomes, while simplifying execution and reducing costs.

    Why should superintendents and K12 leaders attend?  

    • Enrollment & Funding Are at Risk – Public schools have lost over 2 million students in recent years. Learn how a customer-focused strategy can increase retention, community trust, and financial stability.
    • Data-Driven, Not Guesswork – This research analyzed 10,664 K-12 parents and 150 superintendents to uncover the real factors that drive student retention and academic success.
    • Stop Initiative Overload, Start Strategic Focus – 67% of district employees believe their schools suffer from too many unfocused initiatives. Learn how to streamline efforts and prioritize what truly moves the needle.
    • The Secret of High-Performing Districts – The most successful districts focus on family engagement, academic rigor, and strategic leadership. Discover how to implement these insights in your own district.
    • Rice Business Benefit – Hear directly from Rice Business Faculty on how leading districts are shifting their strategy to improve enrollment, increase outcomes, and preserve funding. Dr. Mittal is one of the premier marketing professors in the nation.


    Breakfast and Masterclass: “Net Promoter Score: Fact and Fiction in Strategy Planning”

    January 14, 2025
    Website | Photos

    At a recent masterclass at the Ion, Professor Vikas Mittal challenged the common belief that Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the best way to measure customer loyalty. Hosted by Rice Business Executive Education and sponsored by C-CUBES, the session explored why NPS can be misleading and introduced better alternatives, like the Customer Value Index (CVI) and the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). These tools offer a clearer picture of what drives customer satisfaction and business success, helping companies make smarter, more effective decisions.
     

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Center Affiliates