New research finds that the longer a CEO is in office, the stronger the company-employee relationship becomes--but after a time, the company-customer relationship weakens because of changes in how CEOs learn over the course of their tenure.
When you're in a foreign culture, you actually do adopt the ideas and behaviors of that culture. In fact, even brief exposure to a symbol of a foreign culture can shift your thinking.
3-D printing, also known as additive printing, is ushering in a new era--of flexible, just-in-time, customized manufacturing. And as it revolutionizes manufacturing, it will tip the East-West balance, so that China is no longer the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
"In a time when so many institutions of the industrial economy . . . are challenged by a connected world," the author writes, "the industry is the proper unit of analysis." By way of example, he describes how an unusual group of thinkers met in Madrid to reconceive how innovative medicines might be made available despite the "patent cliff" in pharmaceuticals.
A visual depiction of the minute-by-minute computer use of two workers--one who is relatively focused and stays on task, one who switches between activities constantly. The lesson: Sticking to one thing at a time means you'll get much more done.
Bent Mikkelsen is executive director of economic development for Denmark's second largest region, MidJutland (Central Denmark Region).. As the case opens, he is contemplating comments he has read suggesting that one of the main programs within his entrepreneurship responsibilities, the Growth House program, may not be working as well as he and others had hoped. This is the core program in his entrepreneurship development responsibilities, and a flagship program developed for the regions by the federal Danish Business Authority. The case describes Denmark's entrepreneurship and innovation policies, as well as its accomplishments, at least in terms of achieving top rankings in entrepreneurship policies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union. Whereas more high-growth venture activity has evolved in Copenhagen, no one in Denmark claims that this is sufficient, and serious doubt that this success can be replicated in the other four regions, including MidJutland. Should every region be a locus of high-growth entrepreneurship, when talented entrepreneurs are moving to Copenhagen for its concentration of resources? Despite the fact that historically, numerous global ventures have emerged from the Central Denmark region, it appears that these older-generation entrepreneurs are not very involved in stimulating entrepreneurship among the current generation. Mikkelsen must decide if and how to tap into the expertise of the successful global Danish firms in entrepreneurial development in the region, increase the rate and effectiveness of angel investing in new ventures, and position the Growth House program better so as to accelerate private sector investment. He also wonders if the existing social and economic development programs are actually deterring risk-taking, and whether it might be time for regional authorities to stop playing such an active role.
The public primarily encounters the corporate communications function during a crisis. General rules are a good starting place for dealing with a crisis and handy to know, but a historical perspective is a critical supplement. Understanding the kind of crisis your organization faces or is attempting to avoid-indeed, managing a crisis successfully to the extent possible-involves precedents encompassing connections among corporate identity and culture, brand, reputation, business model, and business type, as well as the changing nature of media and crises themselves.
Nate Katz at Yokun Ridge Capital Management is evaluating an investment in Assured Guaranty, a municipal bond insurance company that is trading at a discount to book value.
The Carlyle Group IPO case explores the circumstances leading up to the firm's IPO in May 2012. Over the past 25 years, Carlyle had grown from a fledgling private equity firm to one of the world's largest and most diversified investment firms. Carlyle had prepared extensively for the roadshow; management anticipated some tough questions. Students are asked to evaluate the extent to which Carlyle is undervalued relative to its peers. The case provides information on how to evaluate the earnings received by the public shareholders and outlines several alternative approaches to value PPEs.
Marks and Spencer (M&S) had first ventured into international markets 70 years ago. By 2012, M&S had 337 stores in 41 countries. Although M&S saw itself as a U.K. retailer that exported its products, the company had been attempting to reduce its dependency on the U.K. economic cycle. Its goal was to increase international sales from £800 million to £1.0 billion by 2013/14. By 2020, M&S wanted to be an international, multi-channel retailer. When the company entered the Chinese market in 2008, it faced many difficulties. It had failed to conduct proper market research to understand the Chinese consumer, which had led to many issues. The company had neglected to address the cultural gaps between the United Kingdom and China. It had also taken an approach of standardizing its products, instead of adapting products to the new market. Students must consider the marketing mix policies of product, price, placement and promotion to recommend changes to M&S's entry into China.
The U.S. presidential primary elections represent an especially challenging decision context. The four candidates in the 2012 Florida Republican primary, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, all have strengths and weakness in the eyes of a Republican primary voter. In this case, these qualities are illustrated by the candidates' statements and their reported actions during the campaign. The Republican primary voter must use the information given to decide which candidate to support. Furthermore, in a typical business or political decision, a person chooses on the basis of his or her personal preference. In a primary election, however, voters are advised to take into account the candidate they think can win the later presidential election, which greatly complicates the decision-making process.
The U.S. presidential primary elections represent an especially challenging decision context. The four candidates in the 2012 Florida Republican primary, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, all have strengths and weakness in the eyes of a Republican primary voter. In this case, these qualities are illustrated by the candidates’ statements and their reported actions during the campaign. The Republican primary voter must use the information given to decide which candidate to support. Furthermore, in a typical business or political decision, a person chooses on the basis of his or her personal preference. In a primary election, however, voters are advised to take into account the candidate they think can win the later presidential election, which greatly complicates the decision-making process.
Marks and Spencer (M&S) had first ventured into international markets 70 years ago. By 2012, M&S had 337 stores in 41 countries. Although M&S saw itself as a U.K. retailer that exported its products, the company had been attempting to reduce its dependency on the U.K. economic cycle. Its goal was to increase international sales from £800 million to £1.0 billion by 2013/14. By 2020, M&S wanted to be an international, multi-channel retailer. <br><br>When the company entered the Chinese market in 2008, it faced many difficulties. It had failed to conduct proper market research to understand the Chinese consumer, which had led to many issues. The company had neglected to address the cultural gaps between the United Kingdom and China. It had also taken an approach of standardizing its products, instead of adapting products to the new market. Students must consider the marketing mix policies of product, price, placement and promotion to recommend changes to M&S’s entry into China.
A media planner at a specialized media buying firm was in the process of planning the spring 2012 television campaign for a customer with a recognizable brand name. The campaign budget of $7 million was to be spent on seven weeks of advertising during the first 20 weeks of the year. Each week of advertising involved a carefully selected series of advertisements on network and local television, and each week of advertising cost $1 million. Which seven of the 20 weeks should the planner choose? Is the $7 million budget the correct amount?