May 2005
'Europe' Revisited
The European Union's constitutional treaty began life three-and-a-half years ago as an attempt to bring the EU "closer to its citizens." After Sunday's resounding defeat in France, of all places, the treaty may be said to have achieved a kind of ironic vindication. (Subscription required!)Buckley: Europe Kaput
What's going on with the EU?Filed under
| Send this 
Andersen's Enron verdict quashed
The US Supreme Court overturns a guilty verdict against accounting group Arthur Andersen for destroying Enron-related papers.High court overturns Andersen's Enron conviction
The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the conviction of onetime accounting giant Arthur Andersen for destroying Enron Corp.-related documents because of flawed jury instructions.High Court Overturns Andersen Conviction
The Supreme Court reversed the criminal conviction of Arthur Andersen LLP, ruling that jurors used too loose a standard of culpability against the onetime accounting giant, which fell alongside its notorious client, Enron Corp. (Subscription required!)Andersen Conviction Overturned by U.S. Supreme Court (Update4)
31 May 2005 from Bloomberg.com | Read the full story»
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP's conviction for obstructing a government investigation into Enron Corp., dealing a unanimous rebuke to the Bush administration's corporate-fraud crackdown.
How We Would Fight China
Jun 2005 from the Atlantic Online | Read the full story»
The Middle East is just a blip. The American military contest with China in the Pacific will define the twenty-first century. And China will be a more formidable adversary than Russia ever was.
Filed under Strategies
| Send this
IT Professionals: Forget Experience, Get an MBA
26 May 2005 from newswise.com | Read the full story»
Experience in the world of information technology pays off, but having a master's degree in business earns an even fatter paycheck for IT professionals, according to a new study at the University of Michigan business school.
Filed under Talent
| Send this
Rah, Rah! College Branding is Scoring Big
27 May 2005 from Forbes.com | Read the full story»
Emerging Trend: From sweatshirts to stadiums, college brands are big, with licensing revenues totaling $203 million in 2003--an increase of 11.5% over 2002. And recent naming rights deals are drawing in millions for a half dozen universities.
Filed under Branding
| Send this
REPORT FROM CHINA: THE BURGEONING YOUTH MARKET
31 May 2005 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»
Urban Chinese teens download hip-hop tunes to trendy Nokia cell phones, guzzle icy Cokes after shooting hoops in Nike shoes and munch fries at McDonald's after school. Does that mean they're just like young consumers anywhere in the world? (Free subscription required!)
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
The looming pensions crisis
Just this morning your correspondent plucked out a grey hair, a development that worries not just her, but her government. As plummeting birth rates and increasing lifespans rapidly raise the percentage of oldsters in countries around the world, ageing is becoming one of the most crucial policy issues of the 21st century. Those who spent their youth in the 1970s fretting that overpopulation would drive humanity to extinction may now spend their old age worrying whether the world has enough young people to support them. JUST this morning your correspondent plucked out a grey hair, a development that worries not just her, but her government. As plummeting birth rates and increasing lifespans rapidly raise the percentage of oldsters in countries around the world, ageing is becoming one of the most crucial policy issues of the 21st century. Those who spent their youth in the 1970s fretting that overpopulation would drive humanity to extinction may now spend their old age worrying whether the world has enough young people to support them. (Subscription required!)Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Women and Online Retail Sales
Online retail sales in the US will rise by almost 25% this year, according to a new study released by Shop.org and conducted by Forrester Research.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
7 elements of brand valuation
The Interbrand model of brand strength is a useful framework to consider the performance of your own brand. Consider these seven points and you should get a better sense of the strength of your own brand, as well as some ideas on how to move forward.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Georgia Schools to Focus on Personal Finance
School officials in Georgia have decided they're going to try to cut the state's high rate of personal bankruptcy. And they'll be starting with kindergarten students. Emily Kopp of Georgia Public Broadcasting reports that the state's Board of Education is making personal finance a key part of school curriculum. (Audio)Filed under Education
| Send this
World Tour
MTV has mastered a nifty trick: exporting a brand, customized with local flavors, around the world. Inside its global game plan.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Web Search's Future: Anything but Text
New search engines are experimenting with animation and even voice searches.Filed under Technology
| Send this
What's in it for me?
Why volunteering is a rival to speed dating.Filed under Brand You
| Send this
Maps of Cyberspace
The mapping of cyberspace is the mapping of our time, just as much as mapping DNA sequences is the mapping of the human genome.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Is the Check-In Kiosk in the Lobby for Real?
Automated check-in kiosks at hotels are unreliable, but the hotel industry is determined to get the job done right. (Subscription required!)Filed under Service
| Send this
Watch for Roadcasting Rage
An in-car entertainment system is on the way that will allow drivers to tune in song collections from other vehicles as they whiz by. Roadcasting -- 'me-to-me' sharing -- could be perfectly legal. By Daniel Terdiman.Filed under Technology
| Send this
NorthWest Airlines Drops The Free Snacks
Beginning June 9, coach passengers who want anything other than soda will have to pay for it on Northwest Airlines. The airline waved goodbye to free meals in February and now they dropped the free pretzels.Filed under Service
| Send this
Bless Me, Blog, for I've Sinned
Of all the online confessionals, it is the fakeness, the artifice and the performance that make PostSecret worth peeking at. (Subscription required!)Filed under Technology
| Send this
15 Things to Know About Building Winning Brands
Author of Brand Aid: An Easy Reference Guide to Solving Your Toughest Branding Problems and Strengthening Your Market, Brad Vanauken, points out 15 most important things to take care of in building a winning brand.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Wi-Fi Still A Corporate Risk
Business users on the fly could open the enterprise to attacks, experts say.Filed under Technology
| Send this
brand stretching 2.0
Stretching brands beyond their core market is a trend that's been around since the dawn of marketing. Packaged goods were the first to do this, now everyone is playing the game. These days it seems to be easier than ever to push your brand into new categories for a host of reasons.Filed under Branding
| Send this
The payoff for podcasting
WASHINGTON -- Major advertisers like Volvo and General Motors are making noise about, and with, podcasts Volvo paid Weblogs Inc. $60,000 to sponsor the Autoblog.com Web log and podcast for six months, BusinessWeek Online reported. Four months into the deal, the podcast, an audio program that can be downloaded from the Internet, has been retrieved 20,000 times. General Motors has also begun "FastLane radio," featuring one podcast that included a company public relations...Filed under Technology
| Send this
Sweden tops poll of nation brands
25 May 2005 from BBC News | Business | UK Edition | Read the full story»
The UK came second in the international survey about people's perception of nations' governance, business, exports, people, culture and tourism. The US shared fourth place with Germany, in the poll in which 10,000 people were asked to rank 11 nations.
Filed under Branding
| Send this
Silver surfers say net is 'vital'
More than half of over-50s who are online say the web has given them a new lease of life.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
The battle for the blogosphere
Until recently, most providers of blogging software and services were relatively small startup companies, but now big-footed competitors are joining them, changing the dynamics and philosophies of the so-called blogosphere.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
The payoff for podcasting
Major advertisers like Volvo and General Motors are making noise about, and with, podcasts. Volvo paid Weblogs Inc. $60,000 to sponsor the Autoblog.com Web log and podcast for six months, BusinessWeek Online reported. Four months into the deal, the podcast, an audio program that can be downloaded from the Internet, has been retrieved 20,000 times. General Motors has also begun "FastLane radio," featuring one podcast that included a company public relations...Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) is a… get ready for it…. multidisciplinary and cross-national data base of micro data on health, socio-economic status and social and family networks of some 22,000 Continental European individuals over the age of 50.Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
The Future of Free Software Lies in The Past
Free Software Foundation lawyer Eben Moglen wants to wipe out what he calls the 'scourge' of proprietary software.Filed under Technology
| Send this
How to get the job you want
You need to offer unique perspectives and generate innovative biz ideas to bag your dream job.Filed under Talent
| Send this
Carriers Dally on Wi-Fi Phones
Dual-mode phones, which transmit calls over either cellular or wireless broadband networks, could slash per-minute calling costs. But wireless carriers have been reticent to adopt the technology. By Joanna Glasner.Filed under Technology
| Send this
800-CEO-READ and ChangeThis
26 May 2005 from 800-CEO-READ Blog | Read the full story»
We are happy to announce today 800-CEO-READ will be taking on the stewardship of ChangeThis.
Anthropomorphic iPod stand
26 May 2005 from BoingBoing.net | Read the full story»
The iGuy is an anthropomorphic iPod stand that -- as Gizmodo point out -- makes the iPod pretty useless for pocket-borne use.
Filed under Design
| Send this
Health tourism: the next big thing in India
27 May 2005 from The Economic Times | Read the full story»
The potential for medical tourism may be seriously underestimated. While estimates by CII-Mckinsey are for little over $1bn by ’12, the actual opportunity could be far larger.
Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Behavioral Targeting Gains In Favor Among Advertisers
25 May 2005 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»
Behavioral targeting is a database-based online ad targeting system that tracks a consumer's behavior on a Web site to determine his or her interests, then serves ads to that person relevant to that interest. (Free subscription required!)
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
US gives shot in arm to nurses, docs with EB-3
20 May 2005 from The Economic Times | Read the full story»
The Emergency Appropiations Act may have made life tougher for legal and illegal immigrants in the US, but it sure brought good news for nurses and physical therapists. In view of the serious nursing shortage in the US, an additional 50,000 EB-3 green card visas will be issued.
Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
New Wine in An Old Bottle
24 May 2005 from Wonderbranding: Marketing to Women | Read the full story»
Do you think that women really want wine with a lower alcohol content?
A conversation between Michele Miller and Andrea Learned.
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Brands and Branding
26 May 2005 from brandXpress Blog | Read the full story»
With goods and services becoming increasingly commoditized, a strong brand identity is the only way to survive!
Filed under Branding
| Send this
A Keyboard That Lets the Supremely Confident Show Disdain for Qwerty
26 May 2005 from NYT > Technology | Read the full story»
In the programming world, only the strong survive. But what about the smug? A new product, Das Keyboard, seems to have both in mind. It's a regular 104-key keyboard - except that nothing is printed on the keys. (Subscription required!)
Filed under Technology
| Send this
The Rocket Girls from North Dakota
25 May 2005 from NPR Programs: All Things Considered | Read the full story»
The Team America Rocketry Challenge is a contest organized by the aerospace industry to lure young people -- especially girls -- to a career in space science. (Audio)
Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Computers No Cure for Dumb Docs
26 May 2005 from Wired News: Top Stories | Read the full story»
Medical errors kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, but the long-delayed computerization of hospitals is supposed to make the problem go away. But research published Wednesday suggests that even the best computer systems can't stop hospitals from being killing machines.
Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Break It Down Again
25 May 2005 from The Economic Times | Read the full story»
As agencies of all stripes and sizes go about restructuring and revamping, what's common to them all is a determination to be less about ads and more about brands.
Filed under Branding
| Send this
A Watch That Senses You're Ready to Get Up (and Tells You So)
26 May 2005 from NYT > Technology | Read the full story»
Sleep specialists say it's more difficult to wake up from a period of deep sleep than from a light one. To improve on the traditional alarm clock - which, if it jolts you awake from a deep sleep, could leave you feeling drowsy during the day - an Atlanta company called Innovative Sleep Solutions has designed an alarm wristwatch called the Sleeptracker. (Subscription required!)
Filed under Innovation
| Send this
A step-by-step guide to charisma
24 May 2005 from BBC News | Business | UK Edition | Read the full story»
Scientists claim to have found the secret to that magical quality, charisma, and they say it can be learnt. But before you enroll for classes, don't think it will get you the job of your dreams.
Filed under Brand You
| Send this
When Men Market Razors To Women
24 May 2005 from Learned on Women | Read the full story»
I came across another mention of the Schick Quattro For Women razor in a newsletter today, and I can't help but have an opinion. Is there really that much difference between what men want and what women want in a shave?
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Your Tour Guide's on the Phone
Want to go sightseeing in Boston with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler? All you need is a cell phone, thanks to two startups that are delivering audio tours to visitors' mobile handsets.Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Bahraini bloggers fall foul of government
Three Bahraini bloggers face criminal charges for running a web forum that allows free political debate.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
This book needs more love by Todd S.
I have not seen many talking about Eric Von Hippel's Democratizing Innovation. For all of you who believe that citizens are rising up to take back control, you need to check this out. If you are in business, you need to understand that your customers are probably modifying your products to work better for them. They may have a couple of ideas on how you could do things better or maybe you could give them the tools to do it themselves.China, New Land of Shoppers, Builds Malls on Gigantic Scale
China is embracing America's "shop till you drop" ethos, as a string of giant new malls, one of them the world's largest, opens there. (Subscription required!)For Sale: Fast Company
Our corporate parent publicly hung a "For Sale" sign on the magazine today. Gruner & Jahr USA sold four of its women's service magazines to Meredith and announced that it would seek a buyer for both Fast Company and Inc....Why China Wants to Scoop Up Your Company
The same Chinese firms that have been crippling American manufacturers with cut-rate goods could soon be viewed in an entirely different light: as sugar daddies.Filed under Entrepreneurs
| Send this
When Good Companies Spawn Bad Books, and Vice Versa by Tom Ehrenfeld
So Bill Gates plans to author a new business book. Yawn. If it's anything like his previous dull, sanitized effort, this book will be about as intriguing as the instruction manual to Windows. I've found very few books about Microsoft to have much value, which raises an interesting question. Why do some great companies spur terrible books, while other exemplary ones inspire great titles?Roadcasting (Ross Mayfield)
When I was in NYC last week, a friend praised the serendipitous sociality of Manhattan. It is LA's turn. Roadcasting allows anyone to create their own radio station, broadcasted among cars in an ad-hoc network.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow? Not at These 2 Law Firms
Hell hath no fury like a law firm scorned. (Subscription required!)Filed under Talent
| Send this
Companies Tap Into RSS
Real simple syndication, better known as RSS, is moving from weblogs to the Fortune 500. The technology, designed to let users subscribe to blog newsfeeds, is being co-opted by corporations to keep employees and customers informed...Filed under Technology
| Send this
Nokia Unveils Wi-Fi Internet Device
25 May 2005 from WSJ.com | Read the full story»
Nokia Corp., the world's largest cellphone maker, unveiled its first gizmo that relies on the short-range wireless technology Wi-Fi, rather than mobile-phone networks, to connect to the Web and send email. (Subscription required!)
Filed under Technology
| Send this
A story is never enough
25 May 2005 from Seth Godin - Liar's Blog | Read the full story»
"It tasted like a canned seafood candy bar, so odd and unappealing..." That's part of today's New York Times review of Koi, a new restaurant in Manhattan.
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
These docs are literally on call
24 May 2005 from USAToday | Read the full story»
A group of entrepreneurs is gambling that patients are willing to pay for fast, low-cost medical care — by telephone, with doctors they've never met. The controversial new business, a twist on the decades-old practice of doctors responding to phone calls from their own patients, is aimed at two modern issues: demanding, time-crunched people; and those who lack health insurance.
Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Surviving Micromanagers
25 May 2005 from NPR Programs: Morning Edition | Read the full story»
More than three-quarters of Americans say they are micromanaged in the workplace. Management consultant Harry Chambers, author of My Way or the Highway: The Micromanagement Survival Guide explains the classic characteristics of micromanagers and how best to deal with them. (Audio)
Google's books online under fire
24 May 2005 from BBC News | Business | UK Edition | Read the full story»
A US publishing organisation has accused Google of breaching copyright rules through a plan to put university libraries online.
The Mad Genius from the Bottom of the Sea
June 2005 from wired.com | Read the full story»
Unlimited energy. Fast-growing fruit. Free air-conditioning. John Piña Craven says we can have it all by tapping the icy waters of the deep.
Filed under Innovation
| Send this
What's in a logo?
25 May 2005 from brandXpress Blog | Read the full story»
Logos can be one of the most effective tools for marketing and branding any business, from restaurants to retail shops. They are visually representations of a company, its image and its philosophy. And they make both the first and often most lasting impression on consumers.
Filed under Branding
| Send this
Why bosses blog - and why it's cheesy
24 May 2005 from BBC News | Business | UK Edition | Read the full story»
Just as you know something's not cool any more when your granny starts doing it (like using the word "cool"), isn't the point of blogs that they're meant to be the site of unofficialdom, and so forbidden to executives?
Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Data Is the Lifeblood of Business
24 May 2005 from AlwaysOn Network | Read the full story»
And making sure it's accurate, up to date, and always accessible is the challenge enterprise IT departments face going forward, says marketing guru and Silicon Valley legend Regis McKenna.
Filed under Technology
| Send this
Hackers Holding Computer Files 'Hostage'
24 May 2005 from news.yahoo.com | Read the full story»
Computer users already anxious about viruses and identity theft have new reason to worry: Hackers have found a way to lock up the electronic documents on your computer and then demand $200 over the Internet to get them back.
Filed under Technology
| Send this
Web Site Report: GE 2005 Citizen Report
GE reports on its role as a corporate citizen.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
India's Mobile Market Miracle
For those of us in the early stage technology business, this was anathema! No first mover advantage, no creation of barriers to entry? But Sunil Mittal knows the dynamics of India's telecoms industry. In 15 years, his $10 billion company has grabbed 20 percent of India's booming cellular market. India works differently, he said. India's telecoms market is not about being innovative with technology.Filed under Entrepreneurs
| Send this
New franchise targeted at the 50-plus market
A company in the US (SEI) has created a new franchise to provide financial advice to the 50-plus.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Public worried by online ID theft
People are giving up online shopping and banking because of ID theft concerns.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Personal Branding
Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here's what it takes to be the CEO of Me Inc.Filed under Brand You
| Send this
Personal Branding Re-loaded
In addition to being able to boast these enviable benefits, strong brands have something else in common. They all exhibit the “three C’s” of branding.Filed under Brand You
| Send this
Earth-to-Virtual Earth
MSN Virtual Earth keeps up the competition with Google.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Losers and the American Dream
A new history of "losers" in American business, researched in part at Harvard Business School's Baker Library, explores the tension between the American Dream and those who fail to achieve it.Filed under Excellence
| Send this
Everything Bad's Not Bad
Stephen Johnson's new book, Everything Bad Is Good for You argues that popular culture is making us smarter, not dumber. But does his defense of video games and television miss the point? A review by Suneel Ratan.Death by a Thousand Blogs
The Chinese Communist Party may finally have met its match in bloggers who report on official wrongdoings and write scathing essays. (Subscription required!)Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Leading Ideas: Take Advantage of Others
"Every man I meet is in some way my superior." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American author, minister, & activist Something to consider: Everyone knows something that you don't. Take advantage of that and allow them to teach you.Filed under Brand You
| Send this
Review: All Marketers Are Liars by Todd S.
A review by Wayne Hurlbert.All marketers are liars
Ever wonder who declared granola to be healthy? Do you believe that there's a person named Betty Crocker? What explains an $80,000 SUV? What justifies a $125 pair of sneakers? According to a new book, we buy what we buy because we believe in 'the story'. (Audio)Book Report: According to Kotler: The World's Foremost Authority on Marketing Answers Your Questions
The FAQs of marketing--all 197 of them.What's Cooking? Broadband Over Gas Lines
Broadband-in-a-pipe technology could revolutionize the way we access the Web and receive our TV broadcasts.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Method Designing: The Paradox of Modern Design Education
To this day, method acting remains a highly regarded pedagogical model for training actors. But when did it become an appropriate system for educating designers?Filed under Design
| Send this
Men at Marks
M&S, for so long the iconic British shop, is having a tough time. But while much analysis will focus on its large female custom, its menswear has been holding its own. Why?Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Forth & Towne – not a firm of lawyers but the new Gap brand for older women
It has taken a month for Gap's announcement about its new store chain, targeted at the older women (aged 35+), to filter over to Europe.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
The College Dropout Boom
College dropouts make up one of the largest and fastest-growing groups of young adults in America. Most, like Andy Blevins, come from poor and working-class families. (Subscription required!)Filed under Education
| Send this
Microsoft Moving From Passport to InfoCard
Microsoft releases latest builds of Web services platforms, offering an olive branch on interoperable identity management to partners.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Book Report: It's Not What You Say ... It's What You Do
Following through on follow-through.Skype offers services through affiliates
Skype Technologies aims to generate more business from its Internet telephone service by rewarding partners who agree to promote and sell it.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Lost. And, Often, Found.
With gadgets proliferating, more business travelers are losing them in hotels, restaurants and taxis. But help is on the way. (Subscription required!)Filed under Brand You
| Send this
The world's least likely internet nerd?
When adventurer Duane DeFreitas isn't avoiding rattlesnakes, he's probably instant messaging. Welcome to the internet, jungle-style.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Foundations of a Winning Business Plan
The winner of the 2005 Business Plan Contest at Harvard Business School used personal experience for inspiration. Now she's taking her idea for a better bra to the venture community.Filed under Entrepreneurs
| Send this
Which companies are reaching out to older workers?
Age bias is about as common as coffee in the workplace, but there are signs that may be changing as a small but growing number of companies seeks to attract older workers.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Musicians Market Brands to Sell Their Latest Music
Well-known bands and singers are teaming with major advertisers for promotions that seek to sell brand-name products as well as CD's or downloads. (Subscription required!)Filed under Marketing
| Send this
What Could Bring Globalization Down?
Do you think the forces of globalization are here to stay? Harvard professor Niall Ferguson says nothing is for certain. Consider what happened to the "first age of globalization" in 1914--and then look around at the world today.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
TEQUILA BRAND PLACED IN BROADWAY'S 'SWEET CHARITY'
23 May 2005 from adage.com | Read the full story»
As part of a product placement campaign in Broadway's Sweet Charity, playwright Neil Simon approved a script change to promote Gran Centenario tequila, according to the deal makers. Jose Cuervo's tequila has been woven into the script, the stage sets and the advertising and promotion for 'Sweet Charity.' (Free subscription required!)
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Doctors Slowly Going Digital With Records
23 May 2005 from nynewsday.com | Read the full story»
Connie Grimstad doesn't need to call her doctor's office when she has a question about the slew of medications she takes daily -- the 57-year-old homemaker simply delves into her medical records from her home computer. As the medical industry moves slowly to replace its paper files with electronic versions, people like Grimstad are light years ahead of most doctors.
Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Major obstacle to electronic health records: 55.5% name funding
Associated Press discusses the reasons for electronic health records adoption. 61.3% of institutions consider input from internal departments, while 37.2% go out and ask for input from other practitioners and institutions and 25.8% listen to the patients' opinions.Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
A Mall Hopes You'll Try Products in Person but Buy Them Online
A new shopping complex in Ohio is trying to combine the convenience of online stores and catalogs with the mall experience. (Subscription required!)Filed under Technology
| Send this
A Digital Makeover for the Multiplex
The nation's theaters are finally about to go digital, and that's going to change their business.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Average blogger household income is $57,900
According to Forrester Research, bloggers tend to be affluent (average household income: $57,900), influential with peers, and broadband-connected. 25% of all bloggers are ages 18-24 - this group is 9 times more likely to have their own blogs. More on this story at www.ITfacts.bizFiled under Blogging
| Send this
Advertisers Want Something Different
The advertising business is undergoing an upheaval, forcing marketers to try desperately to stay ahead of technological innovations. (Subscription required!)Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Target marketing via RFID to debut in Seattle
Some cafes and retail stores in Seattle this week will begin individually marketing products and services to bypassers in Seattle using RFID (radio frequency identification) technology.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Are Bloggers Setting the Agenda? It Depends on the Scandal
Bloggers can exert a tremendous amount of influence on setting an agenda for public discussion, but a new study showed that they are not necessarily the kingmakers that pundits sometimes say they are. (Subscription required!)Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Joys of RoadWired and Zip-Linq
David Pescovitz: I recently decided to put my mobile gear bag on a diet. My messenger bag had become so heavy with gear, tangled with wires, and jammed with assorted random cases filled with stuff I "needed" that I almost didn't want to bother carrying anything at all. Finally, I took some advice from Cory and tried out a few items from RoadWired and Zip-Linq.Filed under Brand You
| Send this
Another twist in blogging's fate
Corporate blogs have become something of a norm. Sun has a host of internal bloggers, and IBM last week set out guidelines for its employees to blog by, just to name two of many. But what I believe is a first emerged today: a Microsoft employee blogging for a media publisher.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out, Start the Computer Revolution
A new book says that the social idealists and acid freaks of the 1960's made computers accessible and friendly. (Subscription required!)Come One, Come All: The Rise of Podcasting
A new sensation is piggy-backing on the phenomenon that is the iPod: podcasting. The personalized audio recordings, which can be heard on any digital music player, have given an outlet to marginalized experts and frustrated DJs alike. And media critic Jeff Jarvis says that's the beauty of podcasting. (Audio)Filed under Technology
| Send this
Starbucks Real Estate Learnings
Like McDonald's, Starbucks is a concept driven as much by real estate as it is by coffee and the coffee experience. These days Starbucks opens at least three new locations a day somewhere in the world. It has taken a lot of real estate to open up 9,000+ Starbucks locations and it will take even more real estate to reach their stated goal of 30,000 global locations.
Internet-phone companies ordered to provide 911 service
Federal regulators on Thursday ordered phone companies that offer Internet-calling plans to provide reliable access to 911 emergency services within four months.Half Of Humanity To Go Urban
More than half of all humans will soon be living in cities, according to a prediction by the United Nations.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Ever Get the Feeling...
A poll of US companies by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute finds that monitoring of employees' online activities is common.Filed under Talent
| Send this
Salesforce.com's bet pays off
As a company that launched its business on a risky-but-bold strategy -- give the web-based service away initially for an entire year -- Salesforce.com continues to reap the benefits of that big bet.
Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Google launches personalized homepage
Google today announced the first major change to its famously understated homepage since its launch. Visitors to the site can now choose to personalize their Google page to create a Web portal uniting many of Google's different services. The traditional Google homepage is still available, now called Google Classic, and users can toggle between a personalized view and the classic search pane.'Contagious Media' Contest Targets You
A virtual race begins tonight on the Internet. It's a race among Web designers to see who can send out the most contagious e-mail. "Contagious media" are all those little amateur videos, singing computer animations and e-mail hoaxes that your friends send you. The contagious media showdown follows a conference in New York about the science of goofy stuff on the Web. (Audio)Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Holes in the Blogosphere?
Sure, blogs are overblown as a cultural force. But that doesn't mean marketers can ignore the hype.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
H-P trying something new
So where does H-P go from here? It's trying to reestablish itself as the market leader in the big storage area networks and continues to promote its printers in what has turned into a razor blade business with the printers being the razors and the ink being the blades. All this may be beside the point as H-P (HPQ) may be reinventing itself as a phone maker to compete with the likes of Motorola (MOT) , Nokia (NOK) , Samsung and Sony-Ericsson.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Is a Salaryman Without a Suit Like Sushi Without the Rice?
Japanese businessmen are being asked to help the nation save energy by shedding their jackets and ties in summer. (Subscription required!)Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Rotating electrical outlet for big plugs
360electrical makes electrical outlets that swivel in your wall to accommodate bulky plugs and transformers -- if your plug blocks the other outlet, just rotate it until it doesn't.
Link
Filed under Design
| Send this
Newsprint Going Web & Cell TV
There are definite signals about the importance the traditional press is placing re. the emergence of Web and Cell TV. The New York Times has appointed Vivian Schiller, the general manager of the Discovery Times Channel, to the new position of senior vice president for television and video. The Financial Times made a similar move this week - and at a Digital Media Conference held by Reuters that PSFK attended yesterday, Reuters' Azhar Rafee spoke about the evolution of digital content into TV for broadband and the phone. It appears that the media want their news available: 'Any time, anywhere' - and in any format you wish.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Pregnant Teen Takes Graduation by Storm
The St. Jude Educational Institute in Montgomery, Ala., banned one senior from taking part in her graduation because she is pregnant -- but she took part anyway. Alysha Cosby called out her own name and walked across the stage to receive her diploma. The Catholic school had allowed the father of the baby to take part in commencement. The Montgomery Advertiser reports that while some at the graduation didn't appreciate Alysha asserting herself, many of her classmates cheered. (Audio)The Amazing Rise of the Do-It-Yourself Economy
30 May 2005 from Fortune.com | Read the full story»
"Before, only the rich had access to tools and so only the rich were professionals, and the rest were amateurs," says Noah Glass, the co-founder of Odeo, which offers a free service for making, hosting, and distributing podcasts. "But now, as the creation tools have become easier to use and more freely distributed through open source, through the Internet, through awareness, more people have more access to more tools, so the whole amateur-professional dichotomy is dissolving."
Filed under Entrepreneurs
| Send this
Going Home With the Customers
23 May 2005 from Newsweek at msnbc.msn.com | Read the full story»
Procter & Gamble hasn't just tweaked its packaging. It's rethought how you use what's inside... One of Lafley's first acts was to appoint Claudia Kotchka, a 27-year P&G veteran, as the company's first vice president for design innovation and strategy. And one of Kotchka's first acts was to embed top designers in brand teams to help rethink not just the superficials—graphics, packaging, product design—but, more importantly, how consumers experience products.
Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Governor to veto Wal-Mart health bill
18 May 2005 from baltimoresun.com | Read the full story»
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. plans to veto a bill tomorrow that would force Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to pay more for its employees' health care, saying jobs could be at risk if the legislation becomes law.
Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Freeing Your Inner Think Tank
May 2005 from inc.com | Read the full story»
It can happen at any moment: A bolt of innovation strikes, the competitive landscape of your industry suddenly shifts, and your entire business teeters on the edge of irrelevance. If you're in antiques, video stores, books, or used cars, you've long since been eBayed, Netflixed, or Amazoned. Accounting firms compete with TurboTax and car customizers tangle with computer-generated vinyl-graphics suppliers. If you're late in seeing the high-tech hit coming, of course, you're done for. On the other hand, you can really clean up if you're the one unleashing the innovation.
Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Loosen the reins, says Google CEO
Want to encourage new ideas at your company? Let the engineers run wild. That was the advice Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt had for attendees of the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in San Francisco Wednesday.Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Google Factory Tour
Google are webcasting a 'Factory Tour' today at 10am pacific time.Winners Never Cheat: Lessons for Today's Business Leaders
In 1970, Jon M. Huntsman started a small entrepreneurial firm with his brother. By 2000, Huntsman Corp. had grown to become the largest privately held petrochemical and plastics business in the world. Today, Huntsman is a billionaire philanthropist who recently donated $225 million to establish the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. He has also contributed millions to help rebuild the country of Armenia, and supported organizations that feed the poor, house the homeless and protect victims of domestic violence. In his new book, Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned as Children (But May Have Forgotten) (Wharton School Publishing), Huntsman offers a "moral compass" for business leaders and others to live by that is based on his own experiences.Filed under Leadership
| Send this
Big Blue Grids Cleveland
IBM is using grid computing to help the city get the most out of its resources.Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Who's Your Gatekeeper? (John Winsor)
Yesterday, I had a brand experience that rocked my world.Filed under Excellence
| Send this
Ready or Not, China Gets Blogged
Investors in China don't really know what a blog is or whether it can make money, but that's not stopping Edwyn Chan from trying to become the country's blogfather. Commentary by Adam L. Penenberg.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
A New Way to Pay With Plastic
Wave goodbye to your money. For the past year, credit-card companies have been urging merchants to embrace a new payment method that allows consumers to use their cards without swiping them through a machine. Now, that technology is headed for consumers' wallets. (Subscription required!)Filed under Technology
| Send this
what teen means today
18 May 2005 from influx.bssp.com | Read the full story»
Coolhunters, is a German exhibition that explores the phenomenon of teenage culture. The show's basic premise is that more than anything, teens today desire fame and fortune. Entry into today's teen culture demands that they obtain all the trappings of fashion and technology.
Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Reading Design
Last night, Fast Company held an event at Moma to recognize the winners of this year's Masters of Design. At the event, I picked up a copy of Jane Fulton Suri's book Thoughtless Acts?Filed under Design
| Send this
Yahoo! launch tipped to take VoIP mainstream
Yahoo! launched a high-powered version of its popular instant messenger service that will enable people to make free worldwide voice calls through their computers. (Subscription required!)Evaluate your brand
Brands are the most valuable assets that many companies have, representing a substantial portion of a consumer company’s overall market value or equity. Also, because it is becoming increasingly more difficult to sustain competitive product or technological advantages, it is likely that brands will continue to grow in importance and significance.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Tag Team: Tracking the Patterns of Supermarket Shoppers
To the untrained eye, the presentation looks like little more than a child's randomly drawn zigzag pattern. But to Wharton marketing professor Peter S. Fader, those seemingly random lines represent a new dataset showing the paths taken by individual shoppers in an actual grocery store. The data -- charted for the first time by radio frequency identification (RFID) tags located on consumers' shopping carts -- has the potential to change the way retailers in general think about customers and their shopping patterns. Fader, Wharton marketing professor Eric T. Bradlow and doctoral candidate Jeffrey S. Larson analyze this data in a new research paper entitled "An Exploratory Look at Supermarket Shopping Paths."Filed under Technology
| Send this
I Blog, I Said: Writing Amid the Rabble
Blogs have gained currency as a buzzword among the tech-savvy. But for commentator Catherine Seipp, a Web diary isn't just a fad: It's a compulsion. The adoption of the medium by celebrities made her wonder why anyone else does it. (Audio)Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Netflix Takes Over Wal-Mart DVD Rentals
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is turning over its online DVD rental business to Netflix Inc., signaling that the world's largest retailer couldn't beat the Internet upstart at its own game....Law of Causality (Jennifer Rice)
Too many companies (and individuals) are focused on the effect, not the cause. Their objectives are to be "the leading provider of xyz service" or to "generate x million by 2006"... or "to change customer behavior." But really effective companies simply focus on being more attractive than the alternatives. Change always starts with yourself.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Tyke's Trike Becomes a Bike
Learning to ride a bicycle can be a painful rite of passage. But a new tricycle that morphs into a two-wheeler as it gains speed may make things easier. By Abby Christopher.Filed under Design
| Send this
Enjoyment = Flow = Innovation
19 May 2005 from metacool.typepad.com | Read the full story»
Next time your hear someone couching innovation in terms of complex processes, jargon, and esoteric management theories, challenge them with this simple question: how do you plan to enable people here to enjoy their work?
Filed under Talent
| Send this
Trusting the U.S.
Host David Brown talks to global business guru and professor Prabhu Guptara about what the rest of the world thinks of American business practices. (Audio)Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Retirement Programs Face an "Aging-Population Tsunami"
Against the backdrop of rising concerns over both public and private pension systems in the U.S., industry experts convened at a recent Wharton conference to debate ways in which retirement programs can be better managed. Participants discussed such topics as the problems facing Social Security, the solvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., and the consequences of an increase in defined contribution plans like 401(k)s along with a corresponding decline in defined benefit plans. The conference was titled "The Evolution of Risk and Reward Sharing in Retirement."Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Study: Red Is the Color of Olympic Victory
New research that examined data from the 2004 Olympics in Athens concludes that athletes who wear red seem to win more often. Is it just be a statistical fluke? (Audio)Etymology Whiz
File under: Delightful random email from a Fast Company reader, but I just received the following: Could you provide a source for the claim that the phrase "Think Outside the Box" originiated as a management tactic/catchphrase? Googling for the origin...Filed under Brand You
| Send this
The Wi-Fi Debate: Should Cities Be in the Business of Broadband?
The city of Philadelphia's grand experiment to blanket its 135 square miles with wireless high-speed Internet access is being closely watched by municipalities across the U.S. that are pursuing similar initiatives. While Philadelphia's project, which edged closer to reality with an announcement on April 7, is more than a year away from completion, it has sparked an intense debate over such questions as: Are broadband services better handled by the public or private sector? Can a wireless broadband network, commonly known as Wi-Fi, be used to help more low-income people gain online access? Should Internet access be viewed as city infrastructure, like telephone poles or city streets?Filed under Technology
| Send this
The Future Is Disorder
In discussing the current epochal scale of change in virtually every dimension of civilization, in his play Arcadia Tom Stoppard’s character Valentine first delivered the words, “The future is disorder.” before a public audience in April 1993. A dozen years later that future has arrived – at least in the business world.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Bluewater hoodie ban brings on crowds
The number of visitors to the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent has leapt in the week since its owners banned youths wearing hooded tops or baseball caps. (Subscription required!)Microsoft reveals more details on 'Office 12'
Microsoft is beginning to release more details of the next generation of its productivity software, code-named Office 12, emphasizing tools for greater collaboration, information discovery, and content management.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Give Your DVD Player the Finger
An RFID-powered copy-protection scheme is in the works that would require a fingerprint scan or password just to screen a DVD in your home. It's one of the most restrictive anti-piracy plans to date. By Katie Dean.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Managing Brands in Global Markets: One Size Doesn't Fit All
Theodore "Ted" Levitt of Harvard Business School set the marketing world abuzz in 1983 with a bold prediction: Globalization had arrived, and before long global companies would be selling products and services in the same way everywhere on earth. More than 20 years later, however, Levitt's prediction has not come to pass, according to Wharton marketing professors George S. Day and David J. Reibstein, who note that only a handful of truly global brands exist today despite the increased globalization of markets. Day and Reibstein, who address this issue in a book entitled "The INSEAD-Wharton Alliance on Globalizing: Strategies for Building Successful Global Businesses," suggest that adapting brands to local conditions can often be the best approach.Filed under Branding
| Send this
The Five Ps of Activist Marketing
17 May 2005 from clickz.com | Read the full story»
Why are activists such great marketers? We "real" marketers have billions of dollars. They have pennies. Yet activists always seem to get the sky-high return on investment (ROI) when trying to get a message across.
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Thirty - Eight Ways to Win an Argument
18 May 2005 from searchlores.org | Read the full story»
2. Use different meanings of your opponent's words to refute his argument.
Example: Person A says, "You do not understand the mysteries of Kant's philosophy."
Person B replies, "Of, if it's mysteries you're talking about, I'll have nothing to do with them."
Filed under Brand You
| Send this
The New Instant Companies
Cheap design tools. Offshore factories. Free buzz marketing. How today's startups are going from idea to $30 million hit -- overnight. (Subscription required!)Filed under Excellence
| Send this
Time Warner reportedly mulls spinning off AOL
Time Warner Chairman Dick Parsons says the company might consider spinning off its America Online unit, according to a published report.Trends in future marketing
Someday in the not-so-distant future, branding as we know it will be thought of as so 20th century. With societal, cultural and technological changes occurring at increasingly accelerated rates, keeping your eye on the horizon of future trends in branding gives your company the advantage.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Commentary: Gender Statistics
The Federal government has collected four decades worth of key statistics on gender in the workplace. But they're not ready to release that information. Commentator Kathleen Kennedy Townsend asks why. (Audio)Filed under Trend$
| Send this
A Gas Pump for 300 Million Phones
In the world's largest market for mobile devices, a clever startup is solving China's personal energy shortage. (Subscription required!)Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Bubble House in France for sale
This rare Bubble House in southwest France, inspired by Finnish architect Antti Lovag is on the market for $3 million.
Link
Filed under Design
| Send this
52% of men and 31% of women are aware of RFID.
According to BIGresearch and Artafact LLC, RFID awareness is much higher among men (52%) than women (31%). RFID aware men and women understand the technology and can accurately describe it to others.Filed under Technology
| Send this
A Wagner I enjoy listening to
John Wagner is blogging up a storm on the brokenness of old-school agency systems in his series of "Changing Values" posts. From today's piece on billing models: "The traditional method of counting hours and multiplying by hourly rates is archaic...Filed under Strategies
| Send this
VOIP in Public-Safety Showdown
Federal regulators are expected to unveil new rules this week that would force internet telephone providers to support costly 911 emergency service. Is the industry in trouble? By Michael Grebb.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Lessons From a Retail Rebel
Urban Outfitters is one of the best-performing clothing chains around. Why? Because it refuses to act like one. (Subscription required!)Filed under Branding
| Send this
More than 50% of companies do not have a written security policy
A CompTIA study on IT security found that over 50% of businesses do not have written security policies. Most of the companies, 66%, do not plan to hire security personnel within the current year, but 27% will need some security training. 89% believe that major security breaches have been reduced as a result of IT security training and certification. More on this at www.ITfacts.bizFiled under Strategies
| Send this
Global misfits
In China, multinational companies are scrambling to hire Chinese nationals who've studied overseas or worked in foreign offices. Beijing Bureau Chief Jocelyn Ford reports globalization is forcing foreign companies to adopt both the good -- and bad -- of American business practices. (Audio)Filed under Strategies
| Send this
The Size-atron
Google and a government lab helped Intellifit deliver retail ecstasy: Clothes that fit. (Subscription required!)Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Google releases enterprise desktop search tool
Google plans to make available on Wednesday a desktop search tool tailored for the workplace, about eight months after it introduced a similar tool for consumers.What Happened to the Bandwidth Glut?
Streaming music and video and VoIP calling are some of the factors driving demand for bandwidth.Filed under Technology
| Send this
influx interview-jody turner- color and trend forecaster
We are currently in a co-creation culture meaning the lifestyle need of the consumer strongly influences design outcomes.Filed under Design
| Send this
BBC building TV download store
The British Broadcasting Corp. is preparing to test what one of its executives said "could just be the iTunes for the broadcast industry." Ashley Highfield, the Beeb's director of new media and technology, says the broadcaster plans to offer 5,000 paying customers TV and radio programs on demand for download, according to Reuters.Stormy Weather
AccuWeather pioneered the business of forecasting, and for years its outlook was sunny -- until the Weather Channel appeared on the horizon. Here's how AccuWeather lost its lead and what it's doing to win it back. (Subscription required!)Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Secret Wall Tattoos
Catch this. People going from hotel room to hotel room, taking down the 'art' on the wall, putting their own art underneath and then replacing the original 'art'. According to City Rag, it's creating an army of people peaking behind stuff on the walls of their hotel rooms. Maybe unsurprisingly, a touring rock star is one of the key artists behind this movement.Filed under WOW! Projects
| Send this
Five Common Misconceptions About Buzz Marketing
17 May 2005 from MarketingProfs.com | Read the full story»
Here are five common misconceptions about buzz marketing—and what you can do to address them.
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
When Employees Have Equity Attitude
When employees own a stake, the attitude of a company changes--and so does its bottom line. So says the new book, Equity: Why Employee Ownership Is Good for Business. Via Harvard Business School Working KnowledgeValet Parking, Comfy Seats, Nice Meal (This Is Flying?)
There is a small but growing exodus of business travelers from the world of commercial flight and all its irritations. (Subscription required!)Filed under Service
| Send this
Go 'Free'
The emergence of the 'free' over the past few years has become accepted as a retail and marketing norm. Free ring-tones, mp3's, movies, RSS feeds, news etc. - usually the dessert of an already successful technological advancement and an appetiser to tempt people into buying more of the same... However, the discussions around the decline of 'print news' due to online availability has not reflected the rise of the free paper phenomenom, whose content is now gaining praise.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Confronting the Reality of Web Services
Web services have made huge strides, but two hurdles remain, one technical, the other organizational, says HBS professor Andrew P. McAfee. "It is in fact getting easier to integrate applications, but it's never going to be easy."Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
Filed under Technology
| Send this
easy group goes somewhere virgin hasn't been yet
There are many parallels between the Virgin and Easy Groups. Two British companies inspired by Japanese corporate brand structures and the desire to impress consumers by offering alternatives to the status-quo.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Booting Up and Tuning In
A new study by NPD Group examines the ways US consumers are listening to music, and finds that their habits are changing.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Web-based Self-Publishing Explodes
Bob Young, co-founder of red Hat, has had a nose for business all his life. So when I found out he is involved in a self-publishing venture, called Lulu.com, I became intrigued.HR and branding
In the war for talent, HR professionals are not being equipped with one of the most important weapons in the recruitment armoury – employer branding.Filed under Talent
| Send this
Think Global: Bio-prospecting
You're gonna hear a lot about the G-word this week, thanks to a public radio series called "Think Global"--looking at globalization and its effects. Here at Marketplace, we're focusing on one particular trend--how America tries to export its way of doing business. Many U-S firms want international companies to follow their lead, in everything from corporate ethics to office culture. But the transfer of ideas isn't always easy, even where there's lots of money at stake. For example--an ambitious effort by U-S biotech companies in Mexico didn't take into account how people there think about medicine--and money. Reporter Mary Stucky explains.Women Outnumber Men Among College Graduates
The gender gap in higher education overall is widening in favor of women. Colleges are handing out 200,000 more degrees to women than to men this graduation season -- even as the debate over attracting women to the sciences continues.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Eggheads Invent Tele-Petting
Researchers in Singapore develop a system for remotely petting chickens over the internet. But they're no birdbrains. The system may lead to all kinds of nifty haptic interfaces. By Lakshmi Sandhana.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Next Via the Internet: Tailored TV To Suit Every Taste
Watching TV will be getting easier or harder -- depending on whether you like to tune into your favorite NBC or HBO series, or prefer near-infinite choice.Filed under Service
| Send this
Beausage
I'd like to tell you about a new aesthetic term called "beausage". It sounds French but it's not; instead it's a synthetic combination of the words beauty and usage, and describes the beauty that comes with using something.Filed under Design
| Send this
High Court Favors Online Wine Sales
E-commerce scores in justices' ruling.Podcasts hit the airwaves
Viacom's low-powered AM radio station in San Francisco began airing podcasts Monday morning. According to the schedule posted online, the first show was a 6-minute segment by Dave Winer, a software developer who is widely credited with developing the technology which led to thousands of amateurs producing audio programs for play on portable media devices.Audi's New Viral Campaign is Catchy
Audi has finally confessed to me what they have been up to with an oddball marketing campaign that didn't look like an ad campaign when I first stumbled on it. Called the Art of the Heist, the campaign began with...Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Book Report: Winning
The maestro of GE's comeback tells how you, too, can win.Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
Tor Torches Online Tracking
A sophisticated anonymizer service developed by the Navy lets users surf the net, chat and send instant messages anonymously. Now the public is taking hold of it. By Kim Zetter.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Drug Industry Is Said to Work On an Ad Code
The chief lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry said that drug companies were trying to develop a voluntary code of conduct for the advertising of prescription medicines.(Subscription required!)Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Nonprofit Networking: The New Way to Grow
How can a nonprofit increase its social impact? Many would say it needs to grow big to be strong. Instead, says HBS professor Jane Wei-Skillern, the answer could be in the power of strategic networks.Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
Filed under Strategies
| Send this
First steps in branding
Over at Entrepreneur.com there is a short introductory tutorial on branding and how to start-up the branding process: Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the questions below.Filed under Branding
| Send this
The Loh Down: Clueless managers
Today Limited Brands--the folks that own stores like Victoria's Secret and Express--said its profits plummeted 76 percent. The company admits its recent marketing campaign targeting older and more sophisticated shoppers backfired. None of this comes as a surprise says Marketplace commentator Sandra Tsing Loh. In this edition of the Loh Down, she says marketers need to get a clue.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
New Explorer Gets Tabs
Microsoft to join Firefox and Opera in offering the popular feature.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Is GM listening yet?
In the first four months of 2005, it was bad news for General Motors: U.S. sales fell 4.9 percent, and market share dropped 1.7 points, to 25.6 percent. To respond, GM says it will increase advertising spending 10% in 2005. That's $280 million more on top of the $2.8 billion (yes, billion) that GM spent last year on advertising.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Book Report: In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World
Design matters.Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
Language Makes Difference to Cancer Patients
Commentator Debra Jarvis is a chaplain for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Recently, she met a dying patient who did not want to sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, because it seemed like giving up. She told him that some hospitals call them ANDs - Allow Natural Death - and he was more comfortable with that language.Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Blogging@IBM
16 May 2005 from ibm.com | Read the full story»
As has been reported on a variety of blogs around the net, IBM today is publishing an announcement on its Intranet site encouraging all 320,000+ employees world wide to consider engaging actively in the practice of "blogging"... So with IBMers blogging both inside and outside our Intranet environment, recognizing full well that it was time to formalize their support for what many of us had been doing for quite some time, the corporate communications and legal teams worked collaboratively with the IBM Blogging Community to draft the Corporate Blogging Guidelines copied below. The core principles -- written by IBM bloggers over a period of ten days using an internal wiki -- are designed to guide IBMers as they figure out what they're going to blog about so they don't end up like certain notable ex-employees of certain notable other companies.
Filed under Blogging
| Send this
WHAT AMERICAN CONSUMERS DO ON THE WEEKEND
16 May 2005 from adage.com | Read the full story»
Want to know how your consumers are feeling after the weekend? Well, if you’re tracking young adults, bear in mind that they’re exhausted on Monday mornings and depressed to be back at work. But if you’re targeting 50-somethings, they’re likely to be more receptive: On Mondays, they’re re-energized and ready to get back to business. (Free subscription required!)
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Building Your Belief in Yourself
12 May 2005 from joshkaufman.net | Read the full story»
Curt Rosengren came across this great little article on self-esteem from UT Austin, and posts a good summary of the key ideas... This list overlaps a lot with the key points in Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden. Branden considers genuine, honest-to-goodness self-esteem a key value of human life, and considers how it can be built and maintained.
Filed under Brand You
| Send this
If an Airline Fails, Who Would Care?
Who would miss United Airlines if it just went under? (Subscription required!)AOL Introduces Free Web Mail Service
America Online is offering free Internet e-mail service with 2GB of storage in a bid to compete with Yahoo, Microsoft and Google. New York Times technology columnist David Pogue discusses AOL's service and how it compares to the competition.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Cars safe from computer viruses
When you think about it, most cars today use computer chips in one way or another. The BBC has a report of tests done to see if your car can "catch a computer virus".Filed under Technology
| Send this
First Aid for Health Care
A few radical inventors could wreck America's dysfunctional medical system. By Bruce Sterling from Wired magazine.Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Blogging, as in Slogging
Blogging is no longer for amateurs or the faint of heart. Blogging - if it's done well - has evolved into an all-consuming art. (Subscription required!)Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Legislatures Grapple with 'Conscience Laws'
State legislatures and Congress are considering various "conscience laws." They would give health professionals the right to refuse to provide services that violate their moral or religious views. The list of objectionable treatments has expanded far beyond abortion.Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Nike Changes Strategy on Women's Apparel
Nike wants to find new ways to capture the women's sports market, acknowledging that women want to wear athletic clothing outside the gym. (Subscription required!)Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Golden rules of military blogging
Jean-Paul Borda, blogging from Afghanistan, has posted his "golden rules of milblogging." As always with this type of advice, it's actually more like "How to blog like me" than a set of eternal rules, although "Don't tell readers about military plans" probably holds pretty well across all types of milbloggers. And much of it transposes nicely for us civbloggers.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
A Battle Over Programming at National Public Radio
Executives at NPR are increasingly at odds with Bush appointees at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, who are considering monitoring NPR's coverage for bias. (Subscription required!)Hey Google, Map This!
Inventive web developers are taking Google's online map service to a new level, layering in house sales and apartment rentals, real-time traffic stats and Flickr photo tags. By Daniel Terdiman.Filed under Innovation
| Send this
CNN Will Add Free Video to Its Web Site
CNN.com plans to enhance and reorganize its Web offerings, adding free features that it hopes will attract both viewers and ad dollars. (Subscription required!)Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Super Water Kills Bugs Dead
A new miracle liquid proves deadly to viruses, bacteria and fungi, but harmless to humans and animals. It might even wipe out antibiotic-resistant superbugs -- and you can drink it. By Skip Kaltenheuser.Filed under Innovation
| Send this
In Cities Facing Budget Deficits, Cellphone Becomes a Taxpayer
Faced with tight budgets and insufficient tax revenues, many municipalities are stocking their coffers by taxing cellular phone service. (Subscription required!)Online Learning Helps Rural Communities
The tiny town of Branson, Colo., has about 100 residents. But its elementary school has nearly 1,000 students -- most enrolled online. A look at how online education has made a difference in some rural communities. Member station KRCC's Stephen Raher reports.Filed under Education
| Send this
Life at the Top in America Isn't Just Better, It's Longer
Architect, utility worker, maid: three New Yorkers with little in common faced a single, common threat. But in the months that followed their heart attacks, their experiences diverged. (Subscription required!)Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
A Really Big Idea
Burger King's CEO has turned around the chain with a radical notion: give people what they want.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Bit Torrent + RSS = Next Big Thing
Ntro provides some fascinating insight in his latest post on his site about how Web TV will develop. By combining RSS with BitTorrent we'll have sort of mini-Tivos on our PC -- able to select the content we want at a micro level. He says:With Bittorrent and RSS, one can easily create an internet-based periodical broadcast of huge files with almost zero distribution cost. With MythTV and Torrentocracy, one can create a set-top box such as a Tivo or VCR that consumes such a broadcast. This concept is a few years old, but it’s finally picking up steam. See Broadcatching. It’s possible to replace (or complement) your satellite receiver and DVD player with a cheap PC running MythTV, and still stay up to date on Desperate Housewives. Most popular TV programs are available via BitTorrent within hours (sometimes minutes) of their debut. That’s not revolutionary–-Tivo has provided that ability (sans BitTorrent) for years. What makes this device (I’ll call it a Media Station) truly revolutionary is this: Not only will this Media Station be able to download scheduled network programs, it will be able to download multimedia content from any feed to which you decide to subscribe.PSFK wonders if...Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Microsoft plans pay service for home PC users
Microsoft is preparing a new subscription service for home computer users that could hint at a significant long-term shift in the way it charges users of the Windows operating system.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Fortune 500 Capabilities at Your Dentist's Office
Last September, Tony Perkins talked with Claudia Fan Munce, the Managing Director of IBM's Venture Capital Group. Given IBM's position as a service behemoth, AlwaysOn had to know what the company predicts for the future of the "software as a service" model.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Steve Jobs Buys a Washing Machine
Apple's CEO is famously obsessed with design. Find out what he went through to buy the perfect laundry aid in this excerpt from a new unauthorized biography, iCon.Filed under Design
| Send this
Daily Drucker - May 12th by Todd S.
The Manufacturing Paradox How do you get far more output with far fewer workers?Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Preference, not awareness (Jennifer Rice)
Something caught my eye when I read the interview with Tom Asacker at Jacobsmedia.com. Tom says:Just because I have knowledge of something doesn't mean that I desire it. Branding is all about creating something that is truly desirable. Something that people will go out of their way for, pay a premium for, and tell their friends about.
Filed under Branding
| Send this
Mature Bloggers
At long last the marketing world has woken up to the power of blogging. Gallup conducted a poll with CNN and USA Today and found that nine of 10 adults over 65 had never read one.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Perfect attendance: Not just for school anymore
Companies are trying to crack down on chronic absenteeism with a time-tested formula of carrots and sticks. From the Work and Family Desk, Sandy Hausman reports.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
NASA's silent speech system
David Pescovitz: In my latest article for TheFeature, I look at the latest developments in NASA's subvocal speech system. (Previous related posts here and here.)Filed under Technology
| Send this
Podcasters getting religion, downloading sermons
Weekly church sermons that can be downloaded from the Internet and played on portable audio players have become the Podcasts most in demand, according to analysis of search results at Lycos.com.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Need a brothel? Ask Google
I saw this wonderful headline in The Register and had to check it out for myself. Sure enough, when I took an area of Cornwall, asked for my local brothels, up comes the answer.Filed under Technology
| Send this
No Stopping The "Beast"
Milwaukee's Best has a snowball's chance of divorcing itself from the "Beast" moniker bestowed on it by generations of cheap beer drinkers, namely impoverished college students. A new re-branding effort from Miller Brewing Co. will thrust MB commercials into the fore, the first such effort for the "subpremium" brew in 10 years.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Google buys Dodgeball text-message networking service
Google continued extending its reach beyond the PC this week by acquiring social networking service Dodgeball.com, according to a note posted Wednesday on Dodgeball.com's Web site. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and representatives of Dodgeball.com and Google did not immediately return messages seeking comment.Would You Want to Study
Business leaders who want to reform schools should educate themselves.Filed under Leadership
| Send this
"Concierge" doctor has care on call
Dr. James Benoist was tired of pushing patients through. The internist was carrying 5,000 patients, usually seeing 35 or so a day, for just a few minutes at a time. Today, he has only 200 patient files. He sees just five to seven patients a day, spending 45 minutes or so with each. Benoist, whose Englewood practice is called Higher Care, is part of a growing trend toward "concierge" medicine.
Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
The $200 PC
A major technology announcement today from India. The government's teaming with a company called Encore to sell a new computer. The price tag: $200. These units are probably not coming soon to a Wal-Mart near you. And they don't do Windows. But as Miranda Kennedy reports from New Delhi, it may be just what millions of people have been waiting for.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Business Book Smarts by John Moore
Action item. Impactful. Value add. Synergistic. Stakeholder. Admit it. You've used at least one of those business ambiguous words at work in the past week. It's not your fault. So say the authors of WHY BUSINESS PEOPLE SPEAK LIKE IDIOTS (Free Press, 2005).The Seven Deadly Agency Types
...One of the topics that’s been stewing in my mind in the last few months is the question of why so many PR agencies are just so horribly bad.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Office Sunshine
The size and design of modern (office) buildings means that the natural light which everyone craves is far away. Veronica Garcia Hansen, a PhD student from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, has a solution: “light pipe technology” which uses sunlight for the illumination of high or middle-rise deep plan buildings.Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Immigrant healthcare
For years now, hospitals in border states have complained about the high cost of treating illegal immigrants. Now Washington's offering some relief. The Feds will put up $250 million dollars for the next four years. The money's supposed to help reimburse doctors and hospitals providing emergency treatment to undocumented aliens. But, as Helen Palmer reports from the Health Desk at WGBH, that's not nearly enough to cover actual costs.Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
Playing to your base
Even if you are not a country music star, there's lots to learn from this terrific case study on how to harness the power of loyal customers by channeling evangelistic fervor into useful activities to grow the overall customer base and increase demand for products.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Yahoo unveils online music service
Yahoo, the internet media company, is taking aim at the online music market with a low-priced service that allows consumers to "rent" rather than buy digital tracks. (Subscription required!)The Digital Identity Big Bang
Are you on the internet? What a question, you say, I'm reading this on-line! Where are you on the internet? We know where Amazon is on the internet (at amazon.com), where on the internet the Fedex package is that you are expecting (at fedex.com, type in the package number), and even where this article is that you are reading right now (just look at your browser's address bar). But where are you?Filed under Technology
| Send this
Graph-paper in PDF form
Free on incompetech.com, printable PDFs of graph paper in a variety of styles: "Metric, Multi-Width, Asymmetric, Dots, Iso-Dots, Hexagonal, Hex Dot, and Celtic Knot."Filed under Brand You
| Send this
Airborne Tech Check
More and more airlines are offering in-flight wireless Internet services, but do travelers care?Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Mississippi education
Former Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale has made an offer to his native Mississippi, one that might sound almost too good to pass up. Barksdale's promising to endow $50 million dollars in grants for Mississippi students...on one condition. The legislature has to fully fund the state's public schools. Mississippi currently ranks 49th in per pupil spending.Filed under Education
| Send this
Why corporate blogging works.
The other day somebody asked me to explain why corporate blogging works. Sure, we know it's the hot new thing and people are paying attention to it (including big media)... but why?
Filed under Blogging
| Send this
BUILD YOU OWN NIKE SHOE -- ABOVE TIMES SQUARE
In its customary way of going for ever bigger and more different promotions, Nike has purchased a build-your-own-shoe media placement on the 27-story-high Reuters sign on the Reuters Building in Times Square.
Filed under Service
| Send this
The Zen of Management Maintenance: Leadership Starts with Self-Discovery
Are you successful or a "success fool"? According to HBS alum and leadership expert Jagdish Parikh, the most effective leaders realize they must first learn the skill of leading themselves.Filed under Leadership
| Send this
Monobrands Mixing It Up
Two years ago designer Ria Browne was hired by hotelier Andre Balazs to create a chic hotel shop for his Sunset Beach on Shelter Island. The store, called Sunday, received lots of acclaim for it's well-edited, high-low mix of goods (Eres bikinis and Allegra Hicks caftans along with resort-store staples like sunscreen) Browne decided to capitalize further on her knack for stocking a shop just so, and founded a "merchandise consulting firm" called Tiny Park.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Expedia in China
Expedia does not offer a Chinese Web site, yet. It does have the next best thing though, a majority share of eLong, a Chinese-based travel Web site. Here is an interesting article about the brewing battle for dominance...Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Hold or Fold? Sizing Up Business Risk
According to Eileen C. Shapiro and HBS professor Howard H. Stevenson, three key elements help you size up an option: your satisfaction to date, predictions about likely results, and future intentions. A book excerpt from Make Your Own Luck.Starbucks & libraries
McDonald's is lovin' it. The fast food giant said today its sales jumped 2.8% last month. Part of the reason--the new stronger coffee Mickey D's is dishing up for breakfast. Specialty coffee has also been a big draw for bookstore chains like Borders and Barnes & Noble. That's helped siphon business away from many libraries. But now some libraries on the outskirts of Chicago are taking a page out of that playbook. Borzou Daragahi reports.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Book Report: Democratizing Innovation
Helping your customers create your next products.The Tom Sawyer Trick Online
A rash of Web businesses are figuring out how to get customers to do all the work and like it.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Passionate & Profitable
I just finished reading Lior Arussy’s latest biz book, PASSIONATE & PROFITABLE. It’s an HBR article on steroids going deep into how companies can better develop passionate and profitable relationships with customers.
The New Power Generation
Mainstream America is starting to pull the plug and rely on homegrown solar energy. Call it the dawn of the 'hygrid' age. By Daniel H. Pink from Wired magazine.Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Book Report: Nobodies to Somebodies: How 100 Great Careers Got Their Start
Passion, drive, and can-do spirit: One hundred achievers tell how they launched their careers.Women Using Newspapers to Line Canary Cage
As Mary Winter points out, "Eighty percent of people in newspaper stories are men. Seventy percent of photo subjects are men. In other words, newspapers devote only 20 percent to 30 percent of their space to women."Filed under Trend$
| Send this
MFA vs MBA
Business schools will be launching their graduates into the real world over the next few weeks. Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan speaks at Wharton's commencement this Sunday. Pepsico's president will do the honors at Columbia Business School next Wednesday. General Electric's CEO Jeff Immelt shares his thoughts with the graduating class at the Harvard Business School in June. These stars are all at the top of their game. But commentator Dan Pink says an MBA won't necessarily get you there.Filed under Talent
| Send this
What Westerners Don't Know About Keiretsu
Many U.S. executives believe that the keiretsu system is inefficient and inflexible. So what do Toyota and Honda understand that you don't? An excerpt from Harvard Business Review.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Leading Ideas: The Problem with Communication
"The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred." -- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish playwright and essayist. Last week I visited with a client who was fuming about mistake a staff member had made. She claimed the staff member didn't listen to her directions. I asked her how she was so sure it wasn't her fault for not communicating them clearly? She cracked a smile and said, "just trust me it wasn't."Filed under Leadership
| Send this
GE to unveil green initiative
Jeffrey Immelt, chairman and chief executive of General Electric, will unveil a plan to invest in and develop technology that seeks to reduce the environmental impact of industrial development. (Subscription required!)Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Brands trying to make low-interest categories, interesting
In the command and control world, where static consumers could be bombarded with messages, every brand had its fair shot. The consumers were captive and found it hard to avoid the ads. In the new world, where consumers have more control, there is no longer an even playing field; the high interest categories have the advantage, as people want to seek them out.Filed under Branding
| Send this
iPod vending machine in Atlanta airport
"Here's a photo of a vending machine selling iPods that I spotted in concourse A of Atlanta airport earlier this week."Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Your Internet Search Results, in the Round
Grokker software, which displays a Web search as a series of categories on a circular map, will now run as a Java plug-in for browsers. (Subscription required!)Filed under Innovation
| Send this
Designing the Future: No Waste or Pollution
In a new interview series, NEWSWEEK talks to a leading ecological architect whose goal is nothing less than eliminating waste and pollution.Filed under Design
| Send this
How We Got Here
The following is Part I of an AO excerpt from Andy Kessler's next book, How We Got Here. The book covers the history of Silicon Valley and Wall Street, from the industrial revolution to computers, communications, money, gold and stock markets. It is the book Andy wishes someone had handed him on his first day as a freshman engineering student at Cornell or on the day he started on Wall Street.Barbie with a USB sticking out of her neck
This is the bestest Barbie doll mod ever: a doll with a USB keychain drive in her chest, with a pop-off head that reveals the USB prongs sticking out of her neck.Filed under Design
| Send this
Some Ideas for Advertising's Future
At an advertising industry conference, an executive proposed a radical overhaul of advertising rates so that "good advertising would cost less and bad advertising would cost more." (Subscription required!)Filed under Marketing
| Send this
How to build a smart company
One vital element for developing an entrepreneurial process is a set of systems that reinforce the focus and accountability of the performance units.
Filed under Entrepreneurs
| Send this
Going Local: Farmers Trading Cards
At Henrietta's Table in Cambridge, Massachusetts, your check comes with a trading card of one of the farmers they buy from.
Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Are customers letting your marketing in or shutting it out?
Yankelovich, a consumer market research firm, announced results of its 2005 Marketing Receptivity Survey, and it isn't pretty for advertising.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Space Needle to be converted to WiFi antenna
Three ISPs have teamed up to mount a Wi-Max (citywide WiFi) antenna on top of Seattle's white-elephant Space Needle, a fading futuristic building that is to be put to a cutting-edge futuristic use.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Your Identity, Open to All
ZabaSearch is a new search engine for finding the unlisted numbers of celebrities, as well as their addresses and satellite pictures of their homes. Trouble is, you're in there too. Is ZabaSearch an invasion of privacy? Xeni Jardin quizzes the site's founders.Microsoft seeks 20 bloggers
The world's largest software company is following the tire tracks of Vespa U.S.A. Microsoft wants to hire Web loggers to promote its next big thing, the release of the Longhorn operating system.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Bar Code Art
Scott Blake is a Bar Code artist, creating beautiful images and potraits from the ubiquitious bar code.Filed under Design
| Send this
Warnings Galore That Madison Avenue Needs to Be Nimble About Changing
Madison Avenue was warned that it risked being marginalized by technological and demographic changes that are transforming the ways products are sold. (Subscription required!)Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Getting Louder: Chinese Design on the March
When someone suggested that I might I like to attend the opening of the “Get it Louder” exhibition in Shenzhen, in southern China, I had no real idea what I was signing up for.Filed under Design
| Send this
Why the World Is Flat
The playing field is being leveled, says globalization guru Thomas Friedman -- from Shanghai to Silicon Valley, from al-Qaida to Wal-Mart. By Daniel H. Pink from Wired magazine.The VoIP Shift
Small businesses are migrating to VoIP, swayed by its lower cost and the ease of having phone service integrated into the network.Filed under Technology
| Send this
The Blog Boom: BlogShares Offer Market-minded Popularity Meter
Serving as a bridge between the dorky world of fantasy stock trading and the even dorkier world of blogging, BlogShares (www.blogshares.com) offers participants the opportunity to "invest" $500 of virtual cash in the blog of their choice and watch their fortunes rise and fall. BlogShares are similar to stocks and are categorized into industries as narrow as "Curling" (which contains only 2 blogs) and as broad as "Religion" (over 3,000). Valuations fluctuate with the number of incoming links, with hefty rewards for those who can get in on the ground floor of an up-and-coming blog.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Flexible Branding (Jennifer Rice)
Halley has a great post on managing bloggers who are writing about your company.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Want My Job? Test Your Ethics!
This is the advice Google CEO Eric Schmidt has for anyone who envisions running a company.Filed under Leadership
| Send this
Eight Great Business Plans, But Only One Is the Winner ...
As anyone involved in the healthcare field can tell you, their industry is in dire need of an overhaul. Five of the eight teams in the finals of the 2005 Wharton Business Plan Competition are trying to do their part, with business plans that would, among other things, help in the treatment of critical wounds, prevent drug abuse and test for serious illnesses such as breast cancer. The three remaining teams have focused their efforts on information technology, with proposals to prevent Internet fraud, improve college fundraising and enhance "mission-critical" computing. Which plans won the top prizes? Read on.Filed under Healthcare
| Send this
For the new marketing players
John Fox has written a visual encyclopedia of marketing that's unlike any other marketing book I've seen.Feds plan to gather names birthdates of air travelers
From Thomas Frank in today's USA Today: The federal government plans to begin collecting the full names and birth dates of air travelers this summer in its latest effort to screen passengers for possible links to terrorism.Judging a Book by Its Contents
Amazon.com's Statistically Improbable Phrases aren't just a parlor game that condenses a book to its very essence. They're also a way to move curious readers through the retailer's vast catalog. By Ryan Singel.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Way Beyond Books
In February, Amazon.com's founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, sat down for an interview with Josh Quittner of Business 2.0. The meeting was part of the Churchill Club's annual "Dinner with Jeff Bezos." At this year's event, Mr. Quittner asked Mr. Bezos about his ambitions for his company—will Amazon.com someday sell everything? Part Three of nine.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Leadership by the Numbers? It's One Part of Todd Thomson's Management Strategy at Citigroup
At a time when the accounting scandals of Enron, WorldCom and other corporations are still fresh in people's minds, it's interesting to note that Todd S. Thomson, chairman and CEO of Citigroup Inc.'s Global Wealth Management division, describes the role of CFO as "the conscience of a company." Thomson, who was Citigroup's CFO and chief strategist before taking on his current position, spoke with Wharton's Michael Useem, director of the school's Center for Leadership and Change Management. During the interview, Thomson discussed the importance of focusing on facts, motivating employees, and treating shareholders as customers, among other topics. Thomson will be a keynote speaker at the Ninth Annual Wharton Leadership Conference in Philadelphia on June 9.Filed under Leadership
| Send this
Turning Tinseltown On Its Ear
The big Hollywood studios don't make most of their money at the ticket window. The big ka-ching is at the DVD rental counter. And those home video revenues keep climbing. Up ten percent last year alone, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. Revenues from movies shown on TV went up ten percent as well. Theatrical revenues, however, slipped a percent. Numbers like these are forcing studios to rethink how they package the movie experience. But none has gone quite as far as a small, private entertainment company. It's hooked up with Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh. Marketplace's Tess Vigeland tells us they intend to turn Tinseltown on its ear.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Jeepers Creepers, Bionic Peepers
An electronic retina returns limited vision to six blind patients. Commercial systems are not far behind. By Cyrus Farivar.Filed under Technology
| Send this
A Collective Obsession with TV Transforms TiVo from Idea to Reality
According to TiVo CFO David Courtney, TiVo was born like most technology start-ups: As a very big idea -- to revolutionize the way we watch and experience TV -- with very few resources.Filed under Entrepreneurs
| Send this
Amazon's Liquor Aisle
Amazon.com's adding a liquor aisle. The online retailer already expanded from books and electronics, by partnering with the likes of Toys-R-Us and Target. Now it's toasting a new deal with Wine.com. Curt Nickisch reports.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Dream teams thrive on mix of old and new blood
When the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series title since 1918 last year, the team had some new blood, including key players Curt Schilling, Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz, to mix with the old and help the team achieve the pinnacle of baseball success. In a paper to be published April 29 in the journal Science, Northwestern University researchers turned to a different type of team -- creative teams in the arts and sciences -- to determine a team's recipe for success. They discovered that the composition of a great team is the same whether you are working on Broadway or in economics.
Filed under Talent
| Send this
Accenture Report Shows How Investing in Human Capital Increases Corporate Productivity and Revenue Growth
A new book by Montgomery Research andAccenture (NYSE: ACN) on the value of human capital management explores the links between human performance and business performance, including how investing in human capital processes can increase productivity and revenue growth.Filed under Talent
| Send this
New Technology Is the Big Challenge for Madison Avenue's Executives
Advertising poo-bahs are gathering for an annual conference in Bermuda, where they will discuss how technology is challenging their ability to deliver commercials to consumers. (Subscription required!)Filed under Marketing
| Send this
House Considers 'Real ID Act'
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote as early as Wednesday on new measures that could make it harder to get a driver's license. The bill, known as the "Real ID Act," requires states to demand up to six forms of identification for license applicants.Bandwidth Advance Hints at Future Beyond Wi-Fi
A new wireless technology called ultrawideband, or UWB, should untangle the wires of home video, audio, Internet and game gadgets. (Subscription required!)Filed under Technology
| Send this
Trimming Business Travel Costs
Businesses are trying a variety of methods to reduce travel expenses, including the use of online booking.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Dome Improvement
Pop quiz: What's behind the surprising rise in IQ? (Hint: Stop reading the great authors and start playing Grand Theft Auto.) By Steven Johnson from Wired magazine.Filed under Talent
| Send this
In Airline Shift, More Nonstop Flights Make Schedule
Passengers, rejoice. The big airlines are starting to cave in to their low-fare competitors by adding direct flights. (Subscription required!)Levi's 501 Films Make Ads Worth Watching
Internet films aren't new as branded content. But Levi's 501 films-- 90-second commercials really--themed, "Uncomplicate," shows that broadband could well be the savior of advertising as a truly creative medium.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Can't Wal-Mart, a Retail Behemoth, Pay More?
With most of Wal-Mart's workers earning less than $19,000 a year, several groups have teamed up to prod Wal-Mart into paying its employees higher wages. (Subscription required!)Filed under Talent
| Send this
Flexibility Key to Retaining Women
In the workplace, employers need to take into account women who take a temporary "off-ramp" from their careers. Here is how to keep them connected to your company. An excerpt from Harvard Business Review.Filed under Talent
| Send this
Socially responsible branding revisited: Ben and Jerry's and The Body Shop
Two of the early 1990s icon brands for social responsibility, were The Body Shop and Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Now, over 15 years later, both these companies are still around and to a certain degree, thriving.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Skills Shortage Reignites Training Programs
Manufacturers are beefing up their training programs as they face a critical shortage of skilled workers in certain sectors. (Subscription required!)Filed under Talent
| Send this
Microsoft Cuts Call Times
Microsoft has created a Web services software platform to make call center operations run more efficiently and cost effectively for service providers.Filed under Service
| Send this
BzzAgent and Creative Commons - a cultural chasm (Kevin Marks)
The more time I spend looking at BzzAgent, the more I see that its superficial flaws conceal it's deep flaws.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Book Report: Built For Growth: Expanding Your Business around the Corner or Across the Globe
Retail advice from a Starbucks ex-V.P.Apple = Fractal Brand
Alex Pang of IFTF tells this charming tale of brand fractalness.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Paying to Avoid Standby
PAYING TO AVOID STANDBY For $25, domestic passengers of Northwest Airlines who hold a nonrefundable ticket and wish to change their itinerary can get a same-day confirmed seat on an earlier or later flight. This avoids the uncertainty of the standby list, the carrier said yesterday. (Subscription required!)Mark Ecko On Branding
In an article by the Associated Press, Mark Ecko, provides some stimulating thought on the development of trends outside NYC and LA.Filed under Branding
| Send this
Four VCs on Evaluating Opportunities
Four venture capitalists explain to Harvard Business School professor Mike Roberts and senior research associate Lauren Barley how they evaluate potential investments.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Human Computers
We're about to step back into a time before PDA's and laptops, to an age when the word 'computer' meant something entirely different.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Greg Brenneman, the endearing CEO
The other week we mentioned the indifference shown by Ken Ferree, CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in a NY Times Sunday Magazine profile. Compare Ken's indifference with the endearing comments from Burger King’s CEO, Greg Brenneman.Filed under Leadership
| Send this
Finding New Sources of Strategic Advantage
Now is a good time to take a fresh look at your sources of capability building, according to the new book The Only Sustainable Edge. Book excerpt plus Q&A with coauthors John Hagel III and John Seely Brown.Leading Ideas: You're staring at your blind spots
"I don't know who discovered water, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a fish." -- Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) Media critic & writer. Something to consider: Just like a fish can't see the water it's swimming in, you can't see the world immediately in front of you. It takes someone with a different perspective to point it out. These people can see opportunities that you can't see.Filed under Leadership
| Send this
Sirius getting into podcasting programs
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. announced Monday it will launch a daily four-hour show featuring podcasts, or amateur programming of digital audio files distributed over the Internet.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
Getting Them To Give a Damn by Eric Chester
No single topic elicits a greater outpouring of painful stories among business leaders that when discussing today's emerging workforce. The new breed of 16-to-24-year-old "kidployees" who serve as the primary interface between your products and your customers, are driving you whacko. Jack Covert and his team at 800ceoead feel your frustration and want to put the book in your hands that can de-whackify you.Filed under Talent
| Send this
Book Report: The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century
A book from Australia about linking competitiveness with sustainability.Mass migration to VoIP is coming within a decade, report says
The international telecommunications industry has seemed to be on the verge of adopting VoIP in a big way for years. Research company In-Stat on Monday produced a report that says the ramp up to mass migration will happen within a decade.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
The Pacifier Isn't for the Client
As more women hold high-profile jobs that require travel, they are finding ways to bring their children on business trips. (Subscription required!)Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Web Site Report: The Knowledge Economy: Is the United States Losing its Competitive Edge?
How industry and the academy see it.Think Belligerent
Steve Jobs will do anything to protect his secrets -- so he's suing Apple's biggest fans. Tom McNichol from Wired magazine looks inside the Mac daddy's battle with the rumor blogs.Filed under Blogging
| Send this
44% of US 18-34 year-olds get their daily news online
44% of US 18-34 year-olds get their news from web portals on a daily basis, while 37% use local TV newscasts, according to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Newspapers win just 19% of young readers on a daily basis, while newspaper web sites have 14%.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Lawyers Find Work Outsourced
Many in need of legal advice find they can't afford the high fees. Indian lawyers hope to offer a cheaper solution. Host Jennifer Ludden talks about the latest in outsourcing with Puneet Mohey, a Detroit resident and the president of Lexadigm, a business that provides Indian lawyers to American companies.Best Buy designs evangelism into new stores
Last year, Best Buy began smartly firing 20% of its least profitable customers. Now it's innovating in a new way: Launching three concept stores: Studio D, Escape, and eq-life.Filed under Strategies
| Send this
Ad Execs Want to Track Every Move
Marketers devise tracking technology to monitor each advertisement you're exposed to, and how the ads affect your spending. Welcome to Project Apollo. Joanna Glasner reports from Ad:Tech in San Francisco.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Meet the Jetsons? Not Yet
The New York Stock Exchange's plan to embrace electronic trading is another example of how the pace of technological change is not nearly as fast as it's made out to be. (Subscription required!)Filed under Technology
| Send this
Seeking the Gay Travel Market
Gay travelers are more likely than heterosexuals to book travel online, according to a new Harris Interactive study.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
Women and Travel Packages
Nothing against husbands, boyfriends or significant others – women like to travel together in groups. They enjoy being out of their normal routine, learning about new things and places, among supportive, inspiring women (either friends or soon-to-be-friends). It really is a woman’s way.Filed under Trend$
| Send this
Again, good marketing takes guts
A few months ago we were talking about Scoble's observation to the effect that any marketing website without a RSS feed should be flushed down the toilet. He's right, and here's why: synthetic fables created by ad firms simply can't compete with honest, soulful stories told direct to you and me from another human being.Filed under Marketing
| Send this
A Web Site Maps Home Searches
A new web site is changing how people house hunt on the Internet. (Subscription required!)Filed under Technology
| Send this
Cell TV Update : Shawshank & DMB
A deal between Nokia, Granada Ventures and Rok Player will allow the first full-length movie to be available for a mobile phone, Revolution Magazine reports.Filed under Technology
| Send this
Verizon Wireless Cuts NYC Wi-Fi
Verizon Wireless is pulling the plug on its free wireless Internet access service that uses New York City phone booths as "hotspots" for its DSL subscribers.Change or Die
From Fast Company: "All leadership comes down to this: changing people's behavior. Why is that so damn hard? Science offers some surprising new answers -- and ways to do better."Filed under Leadership
| Send this
A House Call for Your Car
Car dealers and car makers know that most customers don't like to bring their vehicles in to dealer shops for service. But what if dealer service technicians could make house calls? (Subscription required!)