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Strategy

INSEAD Insights: March 2024 Research Picks

Lily Fang

Recent findings on the gender gap in start-ups, conspiracy theories, stock price predictions, improving supply chain networks and more.

Operations

How to Boost Health Product Supplies in Developing Regions

Prashant Yadav

Are development banks and philanthropic foundations using the right incentives to encourage global life sciences companies to cater to underserved markets?

Strategy

How to Spot the Next Technology Breakthrough

A. Shipilov, F. Burelli

The three factors that can predict which B2C and B2B technologies are about to take off.

Strategy

Chinese Automakers’ Secret to Scaling Up Electric Vehicles

Chengyi Lin

How China’s electric vehicle sector drove to the front of the pack.

Responsibility

Business Case for Sustainability: The Stakeholder Perspective

Atalay Atasu

If the environment were the new business stakeholder, could we still afford to ignore it?

Operations

To Bundle or Not to Bundle

Guillaume Roels

Bundling isn’t just a pricing tactic. It’s a strategic way of designing product offerings.

Career

What 2023 Taught Us: The Rules Are Always Changing

INSEAD Knowledge

This year's top trending articles explore how we can keep pace with a world in flux.

Leadership & Organisations

OpenAI's Crisis Is Yet Another Wake-Up Call

T. Evgeniou, Y. Lechell, L. Van der Heyden

Effective governance can save AI doomers, accelerationists, altruists and techno-capitalists from themselves.

Entrepreneurship

AI Is Coming for All Our Jobs... Or Is It?

Rachel Eva Lim

How leaders, employees and organisations can better prepare themselves for the impact of AI.

Leadership & Organisations

INSEAD Insights: November 2023 Research Picks

Lily Fang

Recent findings on human morality, publishing cycles, manufacturing in low-income markets, virtual assessments in acute care services and sarcasm.

Operations

How Anti-Discriminatory Measures Can Worsen AI Bias

Anton S. Ovchinnikov

Removing gender-related data from machine-learning models may paradoxically harm women instead of protecting them.

Leadership & Organisations

Making Stress Work for Organisations

F. J. Nitsch, L. V. Wassenhove

Moderate stress boosts performance. But can companies determine “optimal" stress levels for their employees?
1 comment

Operations

Disaster Response: Finding Order in Turmoil

A. Kayyal, I. Parsa, B. Urlu and L. Van Wassenhove

When disaster strikes, governments are faced with difficult, urgent decisions – but preparedness can make a difference.

Operations

Too Many Meetings, Too Little Time (to Work)

Guillaume Roels

What if there was a better way to schedule meetings for team coordination?

Marketing

INSEAD Insights: September 2023 Research Picks

Lily Fang

Recent findings on online marketplace dynamics, new market creation, trust in AI, diversity in corporate boards and consumer choices.

Economics & Finance

Managing Systemic Risks in Tech: Lessons from Finance

F. Candelon, D. Martinez, P. Nathanial, T. Evgeniou, L. Van der Heyden

The financial sector's track record in risk management offers invaluable lessons for the tech industry.

Operations

Why Has the Humanitarian Sector Been Slow to Localise?

L. Frennesson, L. Van Wassenhove

Despite a collective strategic intent to localise, progress has been slower than expected.

Operations

Is Transshipment More Cost-Effective Than Hubs?

Enver Yücesan

Drones, self-driving vehicles and other technologies have made shipping stock between locations a viable alternative to obtaining them from a centralised facility.

Operations

What Businesses Can Learn From Humanitarian Operations

Luk Van Wassenhove

Navigating uncertain and dynamic environments and overcoming resource and information scarcity are nothing new to humanitarian organisations.

Marketing

Customer Engagement in a Circular Economy

W. Ulaga, C. Senn

Embracing circular business models unlocks opportunities for companies to engage with customers, optimise resource utilisation and ensure a sustainable future.

Operations

Navigating Trust and Safety in the World of Generative AI

T. Evgeniou, J. Dunn, A. Hunsberger

The new generation of artificial intelligence can help defend against online harms – if we can effectively manage the risks.

Operations

The Road Ahead for XR Technology in Business Education

INSEAD Knowledge

How business schools can navigate the challenges and maximise the impact of immersive learning using VR.

Responsibility

Business Not as Usual: Companies Stepping Up in Crisis

B. Urlu, E. G. Gülserliler, L. Van Wassenhove

In times of humanitarian disasters, the private sector must step up. Businesses can hardly be functional when society comes to a halt.
1 comment

Operations

Scaling Innovation in Genetics and Precision Medicine

Rachel Eva Lim

How biotech start-ups can identify and solidify their customer base, scale their operations and unlock the full potential of precision medicine.

Operations

Planning Matters: Coordination in Humanitarian Relief

I. Parsa, L. Van Wassenhove

In disaster response, humanitarian operations take place under high levels of stress and time pressure. There is no room for bureaucracy and ambiguity.

Operations

Can Companies Thrive in Permanent Beta?

Luk Van Wassenhove

When digital service providers come under pressure to put new and innovative services in the market fast, how does it affect the way companies measure service performance?

Operations

Humanitarian Versus For-Profit Operations: When Lines Blur

L. Van Wassenhove, I. Parsa, K. Aral

What are the repercussions when humanitarian organisations adopt a commercial structure?

Operations

How Large Mergers Can Benefit Smaller Players

Xabier Barriola

Joint ventures between dominant incumbents can create opportunities for smaller firms to enter the market and capture market share.

Operations

Circularity in Practice: Case of a Zero-Waste Island

A. Atasu, I. Gill

Implementing sustainable solutions has everything to do with influencing behaviour, as shown in the Just Go Zero project on the Greek island of Tilos.

Entrepreneurship

Local Innovation as a Driver of Global Development

Prashant Yadav

To achieve critical development goals, we need to champion local, innovative solutions to social problems.

Operations

Nonstop Flights Can Foster Global Firm Innovation

D. Bahar, P. Choudhury, D. Y. Kim, W. W. Koo

Nonstop flights can be a vital facilitator of innovation between international companies and their subsidiaries.

Operations

Twitter's Remarkable Mission in a Divided World

T. Evgeniou, L. Van der Heyden

Good governance is key to ensure that exceptional people, organisations and countries realise their full potential.

Operations

How Biotech Firms Can Improve Cross-Functional Collaboration

O. Schiltz, R. Lehman

Optimising the R&D-to-commercialisation handover process is crucial for the survival of young biotech companies.

Operations

Stakeholder Perspectives on Right-to-Repair Laws

E. Gulserliler, A. Atasu, L. Van Wassenhove

Laws to protect consumers and the environment could be a game-changer for businesses and prompt change in business models.

Operations

Do Unconventional Offices Promote Creativity?

M. Sosa, S. Lee

It is widely assumed that unconventionally-designed offices stimulate creativity. But that isn’t always the case – sometimes they may even impede innovation.
1 comment

Operations

Should Companies Allow Returns of Customised Goods?

Anton S. Ovchinnikov

Allowing customers to return customised products can be a win-win for both consumers and business.
2 comments

Operations

The Coming of Age of Humanitarian Logistics

Luk Van Wassenhove

We are closer than ever to a holistic supply chain management approach now that the humanitarian sector has recognised the importance of logistics.

Operations

Better Human-AI Collaboration May Depend on Workflow Design

P. Puranam, R. Mehra

Improving how humans work with algorithms could simply be a matter of redesigning workflow.

Operations

Making Sense of Attribution in Online Advertising

Antoine Desir

While online advertising has grown rapidly, methods to justify marketing spend on digital platforms have yet to catch up.
1 comment

Operations

Empowering Public Health Leaders in Africa

L. Van Wassenhove, P. Lalvani

A unique programme to foster leadership and supply chain skills through public-private capacity-building efforts.

Responsibility

Building Momentum in the Energy Transition: Key Insights from Davos and Beyond

Atalay Atasu

If the nascent energy transformation is to take off, business and government must work together to promote circular systems.

Operations

Making Humanitarian Operations More Sustainable

Luk Van Wassenhove

Do good intentions always lead to good outcomes? Experience shows that the lack of coordinated response can lead to future humanitarian and sustainability challenges.

Operations

Mind the Inventory Risk: Price Paradox Under Competition

A. Ovchinnikov, H. Pun, G. Raz

In competitive environments, operational innovation could well be the answer to inventory risk.

Operations

Are Our Supply Chains Ready for the Next Global Health Crisis?

Prashant Yadav

We need resilient healthcare supply chains to prepare for the next global health emergency. Here’s how to do it.

Operations

Unfinished Business: Co-Creating Solutions With Beneficiaries

Atalay Atasu

Under severe budget constraints, how can NPOs manage the trade-offs between offering variety versus serving more beneficiaries?

Operations

Designing a Circular Business Strategy That Works

Luk Van Wassenhove

To avoid costly mistakes due to overly optimistic assumptions, a good understanding of the market and the product is needed.

Operations

Putting Covid-19 Testing to the Test

Prashant Yadav

The pandemic has underscored the chronically poor testing capacity and calls for diagnostics strategies at the national level.

Operations

Want to Help Ukrainian Refugees? Don't Send Random Stuff

Luk Van Wassenhove

An open letter urging well-intentioned donors to think twice before inadvertently doing more harm than good.
5 comments

Operations

‘Tech for Good’ Needs a ‘Good Tech’ Approach

T. Evgeniou, L. Van der Heyden

Responsible practices using tested processes must be the focus when creating new technology.

Leadership & Organisations

AI: A World of New Opportunity and Risk

T. Evgeniou, K. Firth-Butterfield, A. Sarkar, C. Zimmerman

A new toolkit for C-suite execs on how to responsibly adopt artificial intelligence.
1 comment

Operations

Using the Global Goals as a Systemic Approach to Relief

M. Besiou, A. Pedraza-Martinez, L. Van Wassenhove

With the UN SDGs as a guide, how can non-profits and NGOs do their work while considering long-term impact?

Operations

Boosting Vaccine Production Needs the Right Degree of Flexibility

P. Yadav, A. Désir

The unequal access to Covid-19 vaccines stems from production shortfalls. Building more flexibility into manufacturing processes can help – here’s how.

Operations

Improving Women’s Access to Mobile Family Planning Services

Luk Van Wassenhove

Cash-strapped NGOs could reach more clients in rural areas – at no extra cost – by basing their visit frequency on data instead of habits.

Operations

How to Create a Safe (and Open) Online Space

F. Candelon, L. de Franssu, T. Evgeniou

Regulatory and business challenges must be met for an internet that is both safe and allows for freedom of expression.

Operations

When the Problem Isn’t the Problem

L. Van Wassenhove, P. Yadav

Private healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries may not have all medical supplies in stock, but collaboration mitigates individual clinic level shortages. Policy design should not ignore this.

Operations

Why Targeted Lockdowns Could Be Better for Everyone

D. F. Ciocan, D. Iancu, S. Zoumpoulis

Covid lockdowns may be with us for a long time to come, but they could be made sharper, less painful and possibly even more effective.

Operations

How Online Product Reviews Affect Market Share

H. Cho, M. Sosa, S. Hasija

To find out how user-generated content affects your bottom line, you need a fine-tuned strategy for data analysis.
4 comments

Operations

How a Second Opinion Could Help Curb the Opioid Crisis

Michael Freeman

Altering management decisions early in the process can have a significant impact on long-term opioid use.

Operations

Putting People at the Centre of Operations

Guillaume Roels

The field of operations management has deep roots in developing effective processes for people. How can we encourage further growth in this area?

Operations

Overcoming Barriers to Supply Chain Agility

A. Gumaledar, S. Hasija, P. Padmanabhan

A careful look at how some firms responded to the Covid-19 crisis reveals a new, more effective supply chain frontier.