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More homes less
On 18, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
Americans, especially baby boomers, aren’t changing residences as often, our houses are bigger and more expensive than ever, yet we are away from home more than ever. Why? With fewer children in the home, we’re becoming a nation of empty nesters. Higher incomes mean we’re traveling more. More Americans have second homes they visit on weekends and holidays. Empty nesters, second home owners and two-earner households also eat out more often. So despite the proliferation of incredibly lavish kitchens, fewer Americans are even at home during mealtimes. What does this mean for the future marketing of goods and services? American Demographics magazine suggests that consumers will spend more money on services and less on certain …
Strategies for Start-Up Success
On 18, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
A study of more than 450 startups over three decades found that raising the most capital has no direct correlation to a company’s success, and that over-funding actually allows companies to follow a flawed strategy for too long, the report points out. Simply put, less is more when it comes to capital raised. The study also found that the technical team is the most important factor in a startup’s success (and not the management team), and that a seven-year horizon to a successful “exit” (departure by the venture capitalists) is likely to be the norm, as opposed to the more accelerated timeframe typical of the ‘90s. Darwin Magazine 1 Oct 2003
FCC says landline numbers can transfer to cell phones
On 17, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
Telephone customers in large U.S. metropolitan markets will be able to transfer their home phone numbers to their cell phones, allowing them to drop their landline service altogether without having to get a new number. The new rules issued by the Federal Communications Commission will also allow some wireless customers to keep their numbers if they switch over to landline phones. “This give consumers much sought-after flexibility and if provides further competitive stimulus to telephone industry competition,” says FCC Commissioner Michael Copps. As many as 7 million people use their cell phones exclusively, and another 19 million are likely to drop their landline service for cellular once the rules go into effect. AP 11 Nov …
Sharing 101
On 16, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
In an era when businesses put a high price on knowledge, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some workers are “knowledge-hoarders”—steadfastly resisting all efforts to cooperate in enterprise-wide knowledge management programs. The reaction is predictable, considering the past several years’ repeated rounds of layoffs, which have prompted workers to hoard information, take individual credit for team accomplishments, and engage in “cover your derriere” behavior in an effort to become “indispensable.” What’s a manager to do? Start with yourself—many employees take their cue from management attitudes, so it’s important to share information, award credit where credit is due, and display collaborative, group-centered behavior. In order to create an atmosphere where sharing is valued, you can …
Find the solution, then the problem
On 16, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
Identifying a problem isn’t always the first step in the innovation process. Sometimes the solution comes first, say Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres, authors of “Why Not? How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small.” After all, no one thought to themselves, “Kids really need a scooter that spins more easily.” Instead, the developers of the Razor Scooter observed, “Polycarbonate wheels have revolutionized roller skates and rolling luggage. What other products could be similarly improved?” Adapting ideas that worked in one context, along with a creative tweak or twist, can lead to solutions for heretofore unnoticed problems. The solution needs to be well translated to fit the context and institutions of the …
The practice of theory leads to success
On 16, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
The business consulting industry has been engaged in a game of best-practices bingo, says management iconoclast Clayton Christensen, who notes that “many of the widely accepted principles of good management are only situationally appropriate,” and probably won’t work in your particular circumstances. In fact, what’s needed for making the right strategic decisions isn’t a long reverie with the past but “good theory” that delves into the “underlying causal mechanism behind the success” and identifies the circumstances in which a solution works and doesn’t work. “The whole enterprise of teaching managers is steeped in the ethic of data-driven analytical support. The problem is, the data is only available about the past. So the way we’ve taught …
Alone again, naturally
On 16, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
American Demographics magazine says that, according to the latest U.S. census, there are now more people living alone in single-person households than there are traditional families of a husband, a wife and one child. As of the year 2000 there were approximately 27.2 million single-person households versus about 16.6 million three-person family households. Apparently a large number of these singles, no matter their age, have these two things in common: financial success and the willingness to spend to satisfy their desires. The bottom line: “If the prevailing ethic of 50 years ago prized settling down, starting and raising a family, today’s America puts individualism on a pedestal in a way it never has before. In …
Innovation: No longer an option
On 16, Nov 2003 | In Uncategorized | By Marcia K
Now it’s a requirement, says a top SAP executive. “It’s no longer a question of ‘Can I innovate in order to become best in class’. Now it’s a question of ‘Can I innovate in order to survive,’” SAP executive Claus Heinrich told a recent Forrester Research Executive Strategy Forum. Stressing the importance of innovation and embracing new technologies, Heinrich told the assembled CIOs and IT managers that the future of enterprise software is all about enabling adaptive business processes. The executive cited the real-time nature of business today, and how business events can be measured immediately, without having to wait until a nightly batch process is complete. “The velocity and complexity of information have increased …
