June 2005

Is an Odd Interview Request a Problem or Just a Quirk?

28 JUN 2005 from The Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

You're asked to do something in the hiring process that just seems weird, and makes you uncomfortable. If you express hesitation or flat-out refuse, you risk losing the job. Employers may label you uncooperative or overly sensitive. But if you suppress your discomfort and perform the task, you may be ignoring a red flag telling you this company isn't the place for you.

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Skype's Challenge

30 JUN 2005 from strategy+business | Read the full story»

The most attractive new form of Internet telephony is also the most threatening to corporate security — for now.

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What is the business of business?

30 JUN 2005 from The McKinsey Quarterly | Read the full story»

In this article McKinsey's managing director, Ian Davis, focuses on the increasing importance of social factors in shaping the strategic context of business.

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The Best Product Designs of 2005

4 JUL 2005 from BusinessWeek Online | Read the full story»

Many of the winning entries from this year's competition for Industrial Design Excellence Awards spring from a close observation of the customer.

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italian food giant creates a brand cause and cultural hub

30 JUN 2005 from Influx Insights Weblog | Read the full story»

A few weeks ago, Influx suggested that some brands should build "cultural hubs"; places that act as beacons to connect the community to the brand. Cultural hubs are just one example of brands going beyond the expected to make a connection. Barilla, the Italian food manufacturer, is doing something similar with Academia Barilla; an institution dedicated to the preservation and education of real Italian cuisine. The company has taken on a cause and committed a considerable investment to it.

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What's Behind BoA's Bold Move into China?

Bank of America's recent announcement that it will pay $3 billion to own 9% of state-owned China Construction Bank, China's second-largest commercial bank, has raised a number of questions about the riskiness of such a move. Wharton faculty members and others who follow China say BoA's purchase gives it a foothold in a country with a Wild West business culture -- where the potential for both profitability and missteps exists in equal measure.

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Small Banking in a Big Bank World

A hearty band of entrepreneurs are smelling opportunity in customers' longing to be pampered. (Subscription required!)

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Bard's home town goes wireless

Visitors to Shakespeare's Stratford can now get a wireless guide to the historic town.

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Watch Out, Coke and Pepsi -- Here Comes Wahaha

Wahaha, whose main products are milk drinks, bottled water and mixed congee, is the number one beverage company in China, with revenues of 11.4 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) and profits of 1.35 billion yuan ($162.7 million) in 2004. The company was started in 1987 by Zong Qinghou, its 60-year-old chairman and CEO. In an interview with Wharton marketing professor John Zhang, Zong talks about his first entrepreneurial ventures selling beverages and ice cream, the success of his first major product, "Wahaha nutritional liquid," his joint venture with the French giant Danone Group, and his rapid growth over the past eight years through the establishment of 40 subsidiaries in 16 Chinese provinces. In 1998, Wahaha launched its own brand, "Future Cola," to compete against Coke and Pepsi.

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How to swat a blowfly

Useless managers can cause more problems than they solve. In this fictional case study, two experts in staff relations give their advice on how to cope with the toxic boss. (Subscription required!)

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China's Efforts to Buy Brand Names

The Unocal bid is one of many recent Chinese deals to take over U.S. companies. Often, the Chinese are looking for more than an American company's assets. They want to buy the brand name. Because there is little business competition in China, Chinese companies don't develop recognizable brand names, so they have to buy them. Recent examples include IBM, Maytag, and Huffy. (Audio)

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After Months of Acrimony, an Outbreak of Brotherly Love at Reliance

Last week peace returned to Reliance, India's largest business group with $23 billion in annual revenues, after a settlement was hammered out between Mukesh and Anil Ambani, the two warring brothers at its helm. As part of a deal blessed by their mother, Kokilaben Ambani, Mukesh will control the group's oil, petrochemicals and natural gas businesses, while Anil takes over the telecommunications, power and financial services companies. The settlement enormously relieved millions of Reliance shareholders -- and stocks in India rose to record highs. As the reorganization process gets underway, the Ambani brothers have announced aggressive plans for growth. Experts point out, however, that the Ambani saga offers important lessons on the need for family-owned businesses to set up effective processes for communication, conflict management and resolution.

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Bezos: Google is No Threat

The Churchill Club held its "Annual Dinner with Jeff Bezos," one of the club's most popular events. This year, Mr. Bezos was interviewed by Josh Quittner, Editor of Business 2.0. During his interview of Amazon's CEO, Mr. Quittner asked about the online giant's perceived nemesis, Google. Part Four of nine.

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Web Content by and for the Masses

The abundance of user-generated Internet content - which includes online games, desktop video and citizen journalism sites - is reshaping the debate over file sharing.

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Cell Phones vs. Credit Cards: The Battle Begins

Wireless service providers might soon compete head to head with credit and debit card companies in facilitating payments.

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Internet advertising to grow 7.6% in 2005

MarketingVox quotes TNS Media Intelligence report in AdAge, which forecasts 7.6% growth of Internet advertising for 2005.

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Gates warns against reliance on outsourcing

Companies should not outsource their core business functions and staff, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates told a group of Japan's top businessmen in a speech in Tokyo on Wednesday.

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A Landline? No Thanks

According to new research from Arbitron, the number of people who use cell phones either exclusively or primarily is growing rapidly.

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Google to Earth

Google launched a new mapping product that lets users do virtual flyovers, then find local businesses. Google Earth is a free downloadable tool for viewing streaming, 3-D views of streetscapes and landscapes.

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Kelly Services Study Finds 'Free Agent' Workers More Satisfied, Less Stressed Than Traditionally Employed Counterparts

22 JUN 2005 from PR Newswire.com | Read the full story»

A recent study of American workers points to a developing trend in which traditional employment -- defined as being directly employed by a company or firm -- appears to be increasingly sharing the workplace spotlight with the flexibility, personal convenience and personal satisfaction offered by "free agent" and entrepreneurial lifestyles.

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finding shelter from wal-mart

28 JUN 2005 from Influx Insights Weblog | Read the full story»

The world of electronics retail is getting more competitive with the increasing power of the internet and discount chains like Wal-Mart. For a small player, like East-Coast based Tweeter, survival depends on its ability to take a risk and carve out a niche for itself.

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Blogs, Buzz & Brand Strength

21 JUN 2005 from The Basement | Read the full story»

So what can blogs reveal about brand strength?

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Book Report: The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth

Not necessarily irrefutable, but certainly common sense.

Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge

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Hispanic word of mouth

Hispanics are 40% more likely than non-Hispanics to tell a friend to avoid a store where they are treated rudely.

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Asian and American Leadership Styles: How Are They Unique?

Business leadership is at the core of Asian economic development, says HBS professor D. Quinn Mills. As he explained recently in Kuala Lumpur, the American and Asian leadership styles, while very different, also share important similarities.

Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge

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Bloggers Fighting Government Regulations

Bloggers who built their Internet followings with anti-establishment prose are now lobbying the establishment to protect their livelihoods from federal regulations....

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Book Report: The Next Global Stage: Challenges and Opportunities in Our Borderless World

An ex-McKinsey senior partner sizes up Asia and the world.

Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge

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Are You Ready for the Chinese Revolt? Part 3

While technology execs and venture investors from all over the globe rush into the arms of the mighty Chinese dragon, AlwaysOn reflects on seven sins that just might start a revolution. [Part 3 includes sins 5, 6 & 7]

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People Power: How to Measure It

Companies own their capital assets, but (obviously) not their employees. Yet people-powered business is more important every day. In this Harvard Business Review excerpt, two Boston Consulting Group experts outline a way to measure true performance.

Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge

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For the Cellphone-Weary, Some Unexpected Support

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Book Report: Market-Driven Thinking: Achieving Contextual Intelligence

Forget that focus group; aim for "contextual intelligence."

Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge

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Play It, Google

Video search adds playback; can pay-per-view be far behind?

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Remarkable & Disposable Shoes

Made from recycled newsprint, these remarkable and disposable slippers are eco-friendly and cost less than 50 cents each. Since winning a bronze prize from the Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), Satish Gokahle, the designer of the Solemates, has received interest from manufactures wanting to bring these shoes to market.

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Web Site Report: Upcoming.org

A guide to conferences, written by you and me.

Via Harvard Business School Working Knowledge

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His 100 Day Plan by Todd S.

Bren at Slacker Manager talks about how You're In Charge -- Now What? inspired him to develop a 100 Day Plan for a position he was interviewing for. The part cool is he shared his plan with each of the people he was interviewing with.

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The new face of the digital hospital

27 JUN 2005 from HealthLeaders.com | Read the full story»

Baptist South's $8 million information technology package includes clinical documentation, a picture archiving and communication system, medication tracking, and order entry. So far, the system is humming. Paper charts are nowhere to be seen. Within a month of opening, some 70 percent of all orders were being placed electronically through the core clinical information system from Kansas City, Mo.-based Cerner Corp. Not only that, physicians were using the technologies without grousing.

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is consumer power a calculated myth?

27 JUN 2005 from Influx Insights Weblog | Read the full story»

Marketers are very fond of pressing the empowerment button; creating communication that leads the consumer to believe that they are empowered to use product X to take control of their life. They lock them into the dream. While certain aspects of this maybe increasingly true in this technological age, it's clear that when it comes to dealing with companies over service fees and service in general, one group clearly has the upper hand. Companies are selling consumer empowerment, but only on their terms. The old idea that the "customer is king" has fallen by the wayside.

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The Newspaper of the Future

The Lawrence Journal-World and its parent company have turned a dot on the map in Kansas into an online metropolis. (Subscription required!)

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Reporters Eye Blogs

A new study shows that while journalists may not see blogs as highly credible, they read them.

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Love the Web? Love Your Privacy? You Can't Have Both.

Our headlong love affair with the Internet has clearly progressed from starry-eyed digital passion to a murkier, more tangled dependence. We can't live without it, and we're finding it ever harder to live with it. (Subscription required!)

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The Reviews Are In. And Yours Isn't Pretty.

How to challenge a negative evaluation? Stay calm, but don't stay silent. (Subscription required!)

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Recruiting physicians from Generation X

27 JUN 2005 from HealthLeaders.com | Read the full story»

Physicians from Generation X-commonly defined as those born between 1965 and 1980-are using different criteria for choosing their employers than their workaholic baby boomer predecessors. Gone are the days when young doctors put dollars and prestige on top of the list. Newly minted Generation X physicians are more likely to put lifestyle issues ahead of all others in their search for that first job. As the priorities and interests of young physicians have evolved, so have the recruiting strategies of medical groups and hospitals. To succeed in hiring such doctors-who are in high demand because of the inadequate supply of physicians- employers need to "romance" candidates while being candid about expectations and pay.

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Microsoft extends RSS support

23 JUN 2005 from Infoworld | Read the full story»

Microsoft on Friday will announce it plans to deepen its support of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Web publishing standard, which is commonly used by bloggers and news organizations. Specifically the company is proposing an extension to RSS that will provide support for ordered lists of information.

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When Advertising Becomes Information--that's gold.

23 JUN 2005 from Businessweek Online: Brand New Day | Read the full story»

Imagine! I could vote via my remote control every month, in my perfect media/advertising world, to receive ads that month in the categories of home improvement, men's fashion, imported cars, local gutter installers, retirement planning, mutual funds. That's the stuff that's relevant to me.

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Are You Ready for the Chinese Revolt? Part 2

23 JUN 2005 from Always On Network | Read the full story»

While technology execs and venture investors from all over the globe rush into the arms of the mighty Chinese dragon, AlwaysOn reflects on seven sins that just might start a revolution. [Part 2 includes sins 3 & 4]

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Is Branding Dying?

23 JUN 2005 from Brand On: The Branding Blog | Read the full story»

Chicago Tribune columnist Charles Madigan argues the modern era of the brand may be coming to an end. Will price comparison engines and the Internet, along with increasing product parity, be the deathknell? Read on and decide for yourself.

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Podcast: Women's word of mouth; Wanna be a business book author?

23 JUN 2005 from Church of the Customer | Read the full story»

In today's podcast, we talk with Andrea Learned, co-author of Don't Think Pink, about word of mouth and women. Tune in for Andrea's advice on how to market to women who influence your male customers. We'll also share our top 10 things we believe you need to know if you want to be a business book author. (Audio)

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Update: Iran seen tightening control of Internet

23 JUN 2005 from Infoworld | Read the full story»

Iranian authorities have tightened their control of the country's Internet connections, imposing stricter filtering of access to Web content over the last year, according to a study published Tuesday by The OpenNet Initiative.

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Why does the moon look so big now?

24 JUN 2005 from BBC News | Magazine | UK Edition | Read the full story»

For the past few nights the moon has appeared larger than many people have seen it for almost 20 years. It is the world's largest optical illusion, and one of its most enduring mysteries.

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20% of US venture capitalists want to invest in China, 18% - in India

22 JUN 2005 from Always On Network | Read the full story»

Deloitte & Touche and the National Venture Capital Association say US will remain the most attractive country for venture investments over the next 5 years.

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After the Fall

21 JUN 2005 from APM's Marketplace | Read the full story»

Corporate scandals of the past few years have built some strong associations in our minds: WorldCom/Bernie Ebbers, Tyco/Dennis Koslowski, Adelphia/John Rigas. Executives are shuffled off, sometimes to jail; Kai Ryssdal asks Fortune Magazine's Adam Lashinsky what happens to the companies left behind. (Audio)

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GE to Reorganize Into Six Units

23 JUN 2005 from AP Top Business News | Read the full story»

General Electric Co. said Thursday it will reorganize the company's 11 businesses into six industry-focused groups, and has named three new vice chairmen. The company will be realigned into GE Infrastructure; GE Industrial; GE Commercial Financial Services; NBC Universal; GE Healthcare and GE Consumer Finance.

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Should cities be ISPs?

14 JUN 2005 from CNET News.com | Read the full story»

When Philadelphia's city government decided to sell wireless access to downtown residents last year, a furious political fight in the state capital erupted. Verizon stridently opposed the plan, liberal advocacy groups just as emphatically endorsed it, and politicians in Harrisburg ended up approving a compromise bill that effectively let the city of brotherly love do what it wanted. Now this politechnical dispute is bubbling up from states to Washington, D.C., where lobbyists are pressuring Congress to resolve the question of whether governments or private companies do a better job as Internet service providers.

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EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING: New Consumer Research

14 JUN 2005 from Jack Morton | Read the full story»

Live event marketing experiences where consumers interact with products, brands or "brand ambassadors" face-to-face are among the most effective ways to influence coveted consumer audiences, according to results of an extensive new survey by Jack Morton Worldwide. Comprising an online survey of 2,574 consumers, ages 13-65, in the top 25 US markets, the results confirm that this increasingly important marketing medium resonates strongly across demographic and product categories, with especially high influence among key groups such as women, young people and Hispanics.

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How To Blog Without A Blog

22 JUN 2005 from IF | Read the full story»

You just can't get away from it: the press, the magazines, your peers telling you, that you should set up a blog. Whether it's for your business or for your professional or personal reputation, everyone thinks setting up a blog is the way forward. (Subscription required!)

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Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index

23 JUN 2005 from GMI Poll | Read the full story»

The Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index is the first analytical ranking of the world's nation brands. Each quarter, the Index, led by nation brands expert Simon Anholt, polls consumers from the GMI worldwide five million-strong market research panel on their perceptions of the cultural, political, commercial and human assets, investment potential and tourist appeal of several countries. This adds up to a clear measurement of national brand power, and a unique barometer of global opinion.

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Compliments to the chef

23 JUN 2005 from BBC News | Magazine | UK Edition | Read the full story»

Gordon Ramsay didn't get three Michelin stars just by swearing at his staff. What's so successful about his management style? He's famous for his four-letter outbursts and taking a tough approach to managing staff. But for all his profanities, Gordon Ramsay seems to bring out the best in those who work for him. He is not without his critics, but despite his reputation for hot-headedness he has held on to 80% of his staff for the past 10 years.

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why china?

23 JUN 2005 from Influx Insights Weblog | Read the full story»

China has secured its spot in the global marketplace, and the world is taking notice. Everyone is talking about China, but we thought it was worth uncovering why - the answer is scale. What's particularly astonishing is China's potential is not even close to being tapped yet, with low penetration rates indicating that China's dominance will only continue to grow. Here are some statistics that help to explain why China is on everyone's radar these days.

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Romney eyes penalties for those lacking insurance

21 JUN 2005 from The Boston Globe | Read the full story»

Massachusetts residents who choose not to obtain health insurance would face tax penalties and even the garnishing of their wages under a proposal unveiled by Gov. Mitt Romney. Romney's plan would require all residents in Massachusetts to have some form of health insurance or agree to pay their medical bills out of their own pockets.

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Supernova 2005 Blogcast

21 JUN 2005 from CNET News.com | Read the full story»

The Supernova conference is being held June 20-22, 2005, in San Francisco. CNET News.com...will offer blogcast coverage of the conference... David Weinberger--popular industry analyst, writer and blogger--will interview panel moderators as well as session attendees.
David Weinberger: "We caught Jonathan Schwartz, president of Sun Microsystems, immediately after his talk at Supernova. He says that we're moving from the Information Age to the Participation Age. Since the Net has been participatory - at least when it comes to content - from the beginning, I try to find out what exactly marks the beginning of the new age. We also talk about whether business leaders really have to blog."

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Enterprise, Awaken To The Trends

19 JUN 2005 from internetnews.com | Read the full story»

Enterprises would be wise to learn from consumers' rapid adoption of networked smartphones and the role of blogs in their businesses, according to Sun Microsystems' blogger-in-chief.

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The Biker Next Door: She's No Punk Rebel

19 JUN 2005 from NYT > Business | Read the full story»

For a growing number of women and men in their 30's and 40's, motorcycling is continuing to break away from its anti-establishment roots. (Subscription required!)

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Schmidt says Google Wallet won't Compete with PayPal

22 JUN 2005 from Threadwatch.org | Read the full story»

In an interview with AP, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said "We do not intend to offer a person-to-person, stored-value payments system". He didn't say much, (hey, what did you expect, this is Google...) but did add "The payment services we are working on are a natural evolution of Google's existing online products and advertising programs which today connect millions of consumers and advertisers"...

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The CEO's Secret Handbook

21 JUN 2005 from Business 2.0 | Read the full story»

Imagine a lifetime's worth of executive wisdom, boiled down to a handy pocket-size guide. Corporate leaders swear by it -- but it's not for sale. Lucky for you, we've excerpted the best parts.(Subscription required!)

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Opportunities in the Tail

21 JUN 2005 from Fast Company Now | Read the full story»

If you haven't yet heard - or used - the phrase 'the long tail,' you're not buzzword compliant for 2005. Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired Magazine, coined the phrase in an article that appeared last fall in that magazine. He's now writing a book on the long tail phenomenon, and along the way, posting to a Weblog.

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China Cos. Show Appetite for Brand Names

22 JUN 2005 from AP Top Business News | Read the full story»

China is moving into the merger-and-acquisition major leagues, as its star corporations shop for American household names like Unocal, Maytag and IBM, hoping that global ambitions will mean bigger profits.

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Goethe on personality

21 JUN 2005 from acleareye.com | Read the full story»

"Personality is everything in art and poetry."
And now that we've officially transitioned to the "feelings economy" (at least in the U.S.), personality is everything in business as well.
[A peek into CD Baby's customer service.]

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A Hearing Aid for Cell Phones

22 JUN 2005 from Business 2.0 | Read the full story»

"Can you hear me now?" isn't just a slogan; it's an annoyingly familiar refrain for cell-phone users. Palo Alto startup Sound ID wants to silence that question by outfitting wireless headsets with software used to help the hearing impaired.

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Visa Troubles

21 JUN 2005 from Dynamist Blog | Read the full story»

Steve Forbes has tough words for the Bush administration's post-9/11 visa policies, which are hurting business (the Forbes concern) and alienating otherwise pro-American foreigners.

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Six Distinct Profiles Found in Modern Workforce

22 JUN 2005 from PR Newswire | Read the full story»

Radical changes in workers' attitudes have substantially altered conventional concepts of the American worker, according to a year-long analysis of the American workforce. A collaboration of top workforce consultants today announced their conclusions from a massive survey of 7,718 U.S. workers in every industry about the current and future profile of the American workforce, identifying six distinct categories of workers whose differences derive more from attitudes toward work and life circumstances than age, gender, race or ethnicity.

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A.M.A. to Study Effect of Marketing Drugs to Consumers

22 JUN 2005 from NYT > Business | Read the full story»

The American Medical Association will study whether consumer drug advertising leads to unnecessary prescriptions, potentially harming patients.(Subscription required!)

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wikis not ready for media prime-time

21 JUN 2005 from Influx Insights Weblog | Read the full story»

Consumer-created media content is not going away.

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Your minicab has landed

22 JUN 2005 from BBC News | Magazine | UK Edition | Read the full story»

It sounds like a scene from the Jetsons or Buck Rogers but five-seater flying taxis are being touted as the next big thing in aviation - and there's already a "cab rank" near you.

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Where the Stars Design the Cars

22 JUN 2005 from Business 2.0 | Read the full story»

Rapper Xzibit, host of MTV's hit car-customization show Pimp My Ride, has a side project: pimping rides for Cadillac. Having noticed that celebrity endorsements and rap-song references are driving sales, the company is hosting focus groups made up of high-profile actors, athletes, and musicians.

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Wi-Fi used for location services

20 JUN 2005 from CNET News.com | Read the full story»

A Boston, Mass.-based start-up says it has developed software that uses Wi-Fi signals to pinpoint locations better than satellite-based global positioning systems can.

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The Evolution of the Starbucks Logo

22 JUN 2005 from Brand Autopsy | Read the full story»

Lifting words directly from Howard Schultz’s POUR YOUR HEART INTO IT, here’s a more complete evolution of the Starbucks logo.

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Web Site Report: Blog Pulse

20 JUN 2005 from Harvard Business School Working Knowledge | Read the full story»

There are many sites, such as daypop.com and blogdex.net, that can tell you what subjects are hot in the blogging world. And that's invaluable information if you've just released a new product and want to see what the world—or at least the part of the world that is online—is saying about it. What we particularly like about BlogPulse, which is produced by Intelliseek, is its ability to graphically pinpoint blog news to specific time periods.

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Paper's 'wikitorial' trial halted

21 JUN 2005 from BBC News | Technology | UK Edition | Read the full story»

US newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, has temporarily ended its short-lived trial which gave readers the chance to edit its editorials on its website. The online version of the paper started its "wikitorial" experiment last week. It was meant to give readers a "voice". It was suspended after it was bombarded with inappropriate material. But the paper said it might try the idea again.

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Brand as a system

21 JUN 2005 from brandXpress Blog | Read the full story»

When asked to define the word "brand" most people answer confidently that a brand is a name or a logo. Brands are marks that have little circled R's next to them, most people believe. It doesn't help that even professionals offering brand-related services often reduce brands to their most superficial features. But a brand is a system. Its five components are inextricably tied and interdependent.

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Quality Time

20 JUN 2005 from Fast Company Now | Read the full story»

The results of the Microsoft Office Personal Productivity Challenge are in -- and they're not pretty.

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HR's New Mandate: Be a Strategic Player

20 JUN 2005 from Harvard Business School Working Knowledge | Read the full story»

We know what HR does, but what does it deliver? In this excerpt from the new book The HR Value Proposition, two experts contend that the HR function is poised for powerful strategic advantage.

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podtainment

20 JUN 2005 from Influx Insights Weblog | Read the full story»

Cafe Direct is the UK's largest fair trade hot drinks (coffee, tea, chocolate) company. To promote their brand and the issue of fair trade, Cafe Direct is promoting a very unusual concert; a concert that's the complete antithesis of Live8.

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Continuing Fitness Launches First Complete Line of Equipment Designed for Mature Adults

21 JUN 2005 from PR Newswire | Read the full story»

By the year 2030, the number of mature adults in the U.S. is expected to double from 35 million to 70 million. And although countless studies have confirmed that exercise is the key to living a longer, healthier life, few of the country's fitness leaders offer equipment that meets the unique physical needs of seniors. That has finally changed.

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Dark Blogs and Voices in the Wilderness

20 JUN 2005 from internetnews.com | Read the full story»

Business would love to harness the buzz potential of blogging. But the biggest benefits may be found behind the firewall, according to experts at Supernova, an emerging technology conference co-sponsored by the Wharton School of Business.

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Death in Bath

21 JUN 2005 from BBC News | Magazine | UK Edition | Read the full story»

Fellow practitioners had travelled from many parts of the globe to meet in Bath where, as part of the seventh Great Obituary Writers' Conference, we would talk about our art.

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Creating a Positive Professional Image

20 JUN 2005 from Harvard Business School Working Knowledge | Read the full story»

In today’s diverse workplace, your actions and motives are constantly under scrutiny. Time to manage your own professional image before others do it for you. An interview with professor Laura Morgan Roberts.

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Beach Reading?

20 JUN 2005 from Fast Company Now | Read the full story»

Columnist Robert Trigaux's list is decidedly more heavy on the traditional business books, but there are some interesting outliers. Here are some of the more intriguing oddities...

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The Art of Creating Passionate Consumers: Howard Schultz

Spring/Summer 2005 from KNOW Magazine | Read the full story»

The legendary leader of Starbucks sets down his recipe for building and leveraging a rich relationship with consumers.

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Google Plans Online-Payment Service

20 JUN 2005 from WSJ.com | Read the full story»

Google Inc. this year plans to offer an electronic-payment service that could help the Internet-search company diversify its revenue and may put it in competition with eBay Inc.'s PayPal unit, according to people familiar with the matter. (Subscription required!)

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MasterCard: 40M Credit Card Accounts Exposed

20 JUN 2005 from internetnews.com | Read the full story»

In what is considered one of the largest security breaches, MasterCard International said information on more than 40 million credit cards lay exposed at credit card processor CardSystems Solutions.

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Ethnic Groups Online

20 JUN 2005 from eMarketer | Read the full story»

A new study of media use by members of various ethnic groups in the US finds heavy usage of targeted Web sites—and surprisingly low Internet usage by some groups, Hispanics in particular.

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Steve Case's New Act: You've Got Revolution!

19 JUN 2005 from NYT > Business | Read the full story»

Mr. Case, 46, started Revolution, a private holding company, in April, two years after quitting as chairman of AOL Time Warner (now simply Time Warner). With at least $500 million of his own money committed to this venture, he is determined to shake up a lucrative sliver of the health care industry by buying and building companies that help people take care of themselves. (Subscription required!)

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imagining the future of television

17 JUN 2005 from Influx Insights Weblog | Read the full story»

The news the Internet's leading players are bringing more TV like content onto their sites suggests the start of the inevitable fusion of the two mediums. The Internet will increasingly take on more television like qualities and visa versa.

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Are You Ready for the Chinese Revolt? Part 1

19 JUN 2005 from Always On Network | Read the full story»

While technology execs and venture investors from all over the globe rush into the arms of the mighty Chinese dragon, AlwaysOn reflects on seven sins that just might start a revolution.

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RSS Nation

17 JUN 2005 from Business 2.0 | Read the full story»

RSS, or real simple syndication, is a way to subscribe to a website's regularly updated content without actually visiting that site. It allows you to look at headlines and stories from as many blogs or news sites as you like, all in one place. As simple as this sounds (indeed, because of its simplicity), it is going to change the way you consume information on the Web.

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Indian physicians turn entrepreneurs

20 JUN 2005 from The Economic Times | Read the full story»

As American medicine becomes more "managed" and doctors complain they can hardly make ends meet, young Indian physicians in the US are choosing entrepreneurship that gives them more freedom and could if successful, bring in greater profits.

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Using Your Cellphone Anywhere in the World

19 JUN 2005 from NYT > Technology | Read the full story»

With newer phones that support international standards, it's now easier and cheaper to stay in touch with cellphones when traveling overseas. (Subscription required!)

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Free enterprise

The temptation to buy buy buy is hard to resist, be it a new outfit, gadget or item of furniture. Now guilty shoppers keen to offload a no-longer-needed purchase have a radical new option... simply giving it away.

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The State of eGov Sites

new reports indicate that despite the launch of the Presidential eGovernment Initiatives in 2000, government Web sites are not yet capturing the public's attention.

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What the Long Tail isn't

13 JUN 2005 from The Long Tail | Read the full story»

It's time to draw the line. Long Tails are found everywhere, but not, you know, actually everywhere. There are many distortions of the term, but the most common one is to use it as a newly-positive synonym for "fringe". Invoking the Long Tail is not a magic wand to explain away the apparent lack of demand for what you've got. The Long Tail is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for poor-selling product. Or weak sectors. Or bad ideas.

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Branding game is not an easy one to win

16 JUN 2005 from SeattlePI.com | Read the full story»

Here are four local illustrations of the notion that the traditional elements used to establish and reinforce a brand no longer work. Microsoft, Costco, Amazon.com and Starbucks have achieved national, even international prominence, without benefit of a catchy slogan, a universally identifiable symbol or an anthropomorphic spokesanimal, to build awareness in consumers' minds.

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Pension reforms 'spark job fears'

One in five firms will cut jobs if they are forced to pay into pensions for their employees, an industry body says.

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Viral Marketing: On Demand Advertising?

Bruce DeBoer from Synthesis provides an overview of viral marketing.

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Venture capital networks

Despite advances in communications, many knowledge-based industries — including the venture capital market — are still characterized by local patterns of exchange. In what circumstances do venture capitalists make investments that transcend regional and industry boundaries?

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Offshoring in eye of beholder

A new study finds that only 1 percent of services jobs in developed countries are expected to be shipped offshore by 2008, but the numbers aren't so negligible in technology.

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Women 'at heart of financial planning'

A third of British women are financially independent, and almost a quarter earn at least as much as their partner, new research shows.

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Globalization: It's Not Just Wages

Globalization is often viewed as moving jobs to low-wage countries, but some companies are attracted to first-rate centers of production in various countries. (Subscription required!)

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Fast-Food Deal a Big Win for Small Migrants' Group

This spring, a small farm workers' group won a surprising victory against the world's second-largest fast-food company. The parent company of Taco Bell agreed to pay tomato pickers in Immokalee, Fla., higher wages and -- perhaps more significantly -- to lead a push for more protections for migrant workers. (Audio)

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Microsoft catches them young in India

Microsoft has opened an IT academy in the southern Indian state of Karnataka where it will provide IT training for school teachers from across the state, it announced Friday.

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'Teleporting' over the internet

Computer scientists in the US develop a system which would allow people to "teleport."

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Innovation: Throwing Design Rules Out The Window

Sometimes rules should be thrown out the window. Often the most valuable lesson in art and design schools is ignored. For a visual communicator to grow and improve, you must be prepared to throw everything you just learned out the window. Expect the unexpected.

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Reason to win

A high-flying panel of angel investors talk about the entrepreneur profile they like best.

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Talking at 35,000 Feet

Cell phones on airplanes: the technology is ready, but the regulators aren't. Two services, one from Ericsson and the other from Connexion by Boeing, should be ready for in