Idea posted: August 2014

Institutions: University of St. Gallen   

Traditional closed business models still dominate in today’s business world, but more and more companies are looking at the opportunities created through open collaboration and exchange with business model partners.…

Idea posted: August 2014

Institutions: York University Schulich School of Business   

What is the basis for a company’s competitive advantage? Traditionally, this question elicits one of two answers: 1) Industry structure. Finding the product-market space within a particular industry that is…

Idea posted: July 2014

Institutions: Harvard Business School    Boston College Carroll School of Management   

The most basic business is product-based, involving the manufacturing, assembling and/or delivery of a product. A different type of business, once rare but becoming more and more common, is platform-based,…

Idea posted: July 2014

Institutions: Kellogg School of Management    City University London Cass Business School   

Supply chain management has become increasingly sophisticated over recent decades with improved financial performance as a result. Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing; sole-source suppliers; outsourcing to low-cost locations; common parts; and centralized…

Idea posted: June 2014

Institutions: Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business    INSEAD   

The decisions of C-suites and boards are influenced by the previous experiences of their members. In uncertain situations, organizations gain legitimacy — and reduce the costs of experimentation — by copying others.…

Idea posted: June 2014

Institutions: Boston Consulting Group    HEC Paris   

Family-controlled companies are associated with tradition and continuity, but that doesn’t mean they’re ‘behind the curve’. A recent study suggests that when it comes to sustainable performance, they can beat…

Idea posted: June 2014

Institutions: SKEMA Business School    INSEAD   

Buying companies in other countries poses significant challenges, requiring close co-ordination and careful integration and creating what’s been referred to in management literature as the ‘liability of foreignness’. But the…

Idea posted: June 2014

Institutions: ESSEC Business School    Vienna University of Economics and Business    Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University   

Technology acceptance research tells us that user evaluations (i.e. beliefs, perceptions and attitudes) strongly influence rates of adoption and diffusion. The problem for companies that develop and sell new technologies…

Idea posted: May 2014

Institutions: Henley Business School   

How would you describe the impact of your organization’s reputation on overall business performance? Trust may play a big part in building that reputation, but how closely are trust and…