Marketing in a downturn: time to push the panic button?

In a crisis, consumers generally start to rein in their spending and save more - just in case. But how should companies then market their goods and services in a downturn? In a new working paper by INSEAD professors 'Paddy' V. Padmanabhan and Pushan Dutt called 'When to push the panic button?', the authors drill down on the impact of economic crises on consumer behaviour in different categories of products and services in developing, as well as developed countries.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/contents/MarketingInDownturn090217.cfm?vid=186

Seeing eye to eye in business negotiations

With expressions like 'out of sight, out of mind', one would make a natural assumption that there’s a lot to be gained from direct face-to-face communication.

However, according to Roderick Swaab, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, being able to see others and making eye contact may not always be the best thing in any scenario, including high stakes business negotiations.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/eyecontactinbusinessnegotiations090217.cfm?vid=183

How to recapitalise banks: inspiration from Belgium

The current approach to solving the banking crisis is to put more government money into banks, says INSEAD professor Theo Vermaelen. The problem with this approach is that it creates fear of government meddling in the operational and financial decisions of the banking sector. Banks can only survive if they are run by managers and boards who sincerely believe their goal is to maximise shareholder value.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/Howtorecapitalisebanks090213.cfm

Porsche also makes great cars, remember?

The global automobile industry is in a shambles, with a share in Ford Motor Company selling for less than a Starbucks latte, and GM and Chrysler fighting for their survival. INSEAD professor Randel Carlock says that somewhere in all this chaos the Porsche family has managed to create two highly-profitable automobile firms that are the world leaders in designing, manufacturing and marketing cars.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/contents/PorscheMakesCars090217.cfm

Coming full circle - the rise of the dragon

Has the global economy come full circle - starting with the West and making its way to the East?

That appears to be one of the main themes of new book called 'Business Journey' to the East which is already on the bestseller list in Singapore.

Written by INSEAD entrepreneur-in-residence Fred Combe and Professor Wee Chow-Hou of Nanyang Business School in Singapore, the book proposes that indeed, the wind of change is blowing through Asia.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/RiseofDragon090217.cfm?vid=182

Navigating the downturn: Outgoing Lenovo CEO Bill Amelio

The economic crisis is forcing businesses everywhere to make hard decisions - what’s important is remaining agile and keeping an eye on the future, said Bill Amelio, shortly before stepping down as CEO of the Lenovo Group.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/BillAmelioonLenovo090128.cfm?vid=180

Social entrepreneurship: how one creative company is helping workers in China to develop their skills

Hua Dan, a non-profit organisation based in China, is taking a novel approach to helping workers hone their skills. Founded by Briton Caroline Watson, Hua Dan aims to harness the arts to improve people's lives in emerging countries.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/HuaDan090217.cfm?vid=184

Where Grameen Bank meets eBay in an African marketplace (and everyone wins)

While share prices have been falling and banks have been offering measly interest rates, MYC4 investors have been earning an average gross interest rate of 12.9 per cent a year from investments made from the comfort of their home. Too good to be true? According to Mads Kjaer, CEO of the online marketplace MYC4, "investors set the interest rate themselves and bid for it, and many hard-core investors realise even much higher yields."

http://knowledge.insead.edu/WhereGrameenBankmeetse-Bay090213.cfm

Empowering the young in an ageing society

In 2004, Selene Biffi, had an enterprising idea to empower young people like herself. At 22, finishing her studies in Milan, she yearned to do something positive for the world, something aimed at real social change rather than blindly scrambling for solid footing on the nearest career ladder. However, she felt frustrated, unskilled, and even a bit of a pariah for the nature of her deepest aspiration.

http://knowledge.insead.edu/EmpoweringYoung090217.cfm