Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Olympus Cover-up: Beware of Unstable Power
Last week we were treated to the spectacle of Olympus Corp. having its first stockholder’s meeting after CEO Michael Woodford lost his job after alerting the firm’s board of directors of possible accounting irregularities.
Entrepreneurship
It’s time to diversify diversity
Diversity matters—in teams and companies. In fact, recent research at McKinsey mirrors other studies of top management diversity around the world. McKinsey found that U.K., French, German, and U.S. companies ranking in the top quartile of executive-board diversity, as measured by gender and international differences, delivered returns on equity at least 50 percent higher and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margins 14 percent higher than those in the bottom quartile. Not bad results, but they could be even better.
Entrepreneurship
Instagram for $1 Billion: What is it Really Worth?
Facebook has just acquired the maker of the iPhone application Instagram, which lets users do simple photo editing and sharing with friends, including social-network functions such as “like” and comments.
Entrepreneurship
How to Innovate for a Greener World (and Make Money)
In the minds of both consumers and managers going green is typically thought as being associated with an additional expense. We see this in food stores, for instance, where organic products cost more. Despite this general perception, there exists a simple approach for just about any organization or household to become more sustainable and make more money in the process.
Entrepreneurship
Find a Job Using Disruptive Innovation
Disruptive innovators ask the right questions, observe the world like anthropologists, network for novel ideas, and experiment to make things work. (For a more detailed look at these skills, see The Innovator’s DNA).
Entrepreneurship
The Band AKB48 and Organizational Capabilities
If you do not live in Asia, you may not know the band AKB48 very well, but chances are that you will hear about them soon. They are a Japanese all-girl pop music band (if the name applies) that have something between 90 and 100-plus members depending on what level of affiliation you count.
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Entrepreneurship
Generating New Business Opportunities
Over the last 2 weeks, I have been teaching a newly developed INSEAD MBA course on Identifying New Business Opportunities (INBO). The class is structured as a hands on experiential workshop that combines three novel approaches to Innovation/Entrepreneurship: Business Model Innovation, Idea Tournaments and Lean Startups/Discovery Driven Planning.
Entrepreneurship
Nokia and Apple: What’s market power got to do with it?
As Charlie’s previous post highlights, the flip of market dominance between Nokia and Apple has indeed been a powerful illustration of the unprecedented dynamism of modern markets. We tend to learn a lot from such outlier events. Why did a successful organization like Nokia lose its ability to innovate? Why did they miss the market new trends? How could Apple, a complete outsider to the mobile industry, capture such a dominant position?
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Entrepreneurship
Why is Foxconn’s Alliance with Sharp a Problem for Sony and Apple?
Foxconn and Sharp just announced an alliance that involves a purchase of Sharp shares by Foxconn, sales of LCD screens from Sharp to Foxconn, and Foxconn access to Sharp LCD technology.
Entrepreneurship
Bang Bang Films: Creating a commercial revolution in India
Move over, Bollywood. One startup advertising agency is out to hire your directors…
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Entrepreneurship
Why innovators don't always win
Experience shows that good ideas and early success aren’t enough. What does it take to stay on top?
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Responsibility
Entrepreneurship awards and grants: are they worth the chall
Grants are a vital part of early capital-raising for many social enterprises. But can the distraction in competing for these awards affect the development of the business?
Entrepreneurship
When the startup is YOU
Being an entrepreneur isn’t all about creating something new. Sometimes the hard work is inside: fine-tuning yourself for the journey within.
Entrepreneurship
Don't make it; buy it!
There’s more than one way to become an entrepreneur: instead of starting your own company, you can go out and buy one.
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Entrepreneurship
Tesla and Toyota: The Unlikely Partners
Tesla Motors, the specialized maker of all-electrical vehicles, now has three vehicles in its lineup. They completed their initial public offering of stocks in 2010, and say that the subsidized loan they got from the US Department of Energy loan was helpful but not necessary for their commercial success. They seem to be having a very good year, and to have hit on the right concept by selling all-electrical vehicles in the luxury niche rather than the mass-market niche that many other auto makers have favored.