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| View this issue online http://knowledge.insead.edu/contents/aug07news.htm | August 2007 |
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Innovation: Using externally-oriented or 'X' teams can prove a winning strategy Good teams can often fail when it comes to innovation. That’s the message from a new book by INSEAD Assistant Professor Henrik Bresman and MIT Professor Deborah Ancona. The reason such teams fail is not because of a lack of talent or they can’t work together, but because they don’t take into account external stakeholders and conditions. |
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The Money Illusion Consumers are commonly subject to what economists call ‘the money illusion’, whereby a consumer’s perception of the value of money is influenced by the nominal value of the currency. In other words, it’s psychologically easier for an American consumer to buy a widget for one dollar in the US than it is for that same consumer to purchase the same widget while on a trip in Vietnam for 16,000 Vietnamese dong, the equivalent of one US dollar. INSEAD professors Klaus Wertenbroch and Amitava Chattopadhyay have taken a fresh look at this classic economic conundrum in a recent article published in the Journal of Consumer Research. |
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CEO view: Tony Fernandes of AirAsia Within the space of five years, Asian budget carrier AirAsia has grown quickly, helping to shake up the airline business in the region. With its fleet of Boeing 737-300 aircraft and Airbus A320s, the no-frills airline currently flies to more than 45 destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, China, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Knowledge spoke to the airline's Group CEO Tony Fernandes about his business ventures and strategy after a recent Bloomberg Forum in Kuala Lumpur. |
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Reining in the biggest game in town Private equity firms have taken a hit from the recent subprime mortgage crisis, but they've also come in for scrutiny as politicians have focused on the mega-profits these investment firms have been making. “I think both in the UK and the US, there will be some tax legislation proposed which is designed to increase the taxes on PE activity,” says Joe Rice, one of the founders of Clayton, Dubilier and Rice (CD&R), which manages equity capital in excess of US$10 billion. |
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Healthcare2020: Combating malaria in the developing world – the funding challenges ahead Despite many medical advances, malaria still affects 40 per cent of the world’s population, especially countries with the lowest incomes. Although increased funding has come in from private sources such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, those most in need are still not getting the help they require. |
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