A central problem in business is financial risk allocation. When a person or a company assumes an excessive amount of risk for a potential gain it often has a negative impact on shareholder value. While calculating and pricing risk is difficult under any circumstances, it is particularly challenging in times of heightened financial volatility when […]
A continuing challenge in business is trying to figure out what will happen in the future. While forecasting is challenging under any circumstances, it is particularly difficult in times of heightened degrees of uncertainty when markets may act in ways that differ significantly from what has been seen in the past. In this Part 2 […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the world. A key question that policy makers, business owners and new entrepreneurs are now facing is whether the world will revert back to “normal” or will there be a “new normal” that is fundamentally different than what we were used to before. To encourage analysis […]
A key focus for many businesses is progressing towards goals. In many companies, however, a significant barrier to reaching objectives is that standard performance metrics often do not clearly point the way forward. Confusion about what performance metrics mean, differences in organizational roles and gaps between metrics and day-to-day tasks all combine to make metrics […]
One way to think of business is as a series of problems and a great deal of business activity involves looking for solutions to those problems. From the perspective of Zen Buddhism, however, the light of understanding is found not in the narrow corner of answers but rather in the open spaces of questions. This […]
Despite the innate attractiveness and benefits of simplicity, stripping way excess can be a very difficult goal in practice. This article explores the power of simplicity and considers why many things tend to become more rather than less complex over time. This tendency has important ramifications for nearly everything in our lives, including our ability […]
Solving problems in many cases requires a significant change of perspective. Drawing inspiration from the x, y and z axes of the Cartesian coordinate system, which provide an infinite number of ways of conceptualizing points in space, this article discusses three problem solving perspectives that can be useful in reconceptualizing challenges and identifying solutions: vertical […]
The attraction of symmetry has long had a powerful impact on what we see and what we wish to see in the world and in the heavens, affecting everything from the sciences to mathematics to the arts. Despite its allure, attempts to impose symmetry on inherently asymmetrical realities can severely distort truth and create significant […]
Rhythm and momentum are important components of business success and failure. Starting from the comments of the famous Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto on rhythm, this article explores the dynamic of direction in business and sets forth practical steps that companies can take to strengthen and maintain business momentum. Musashi Miyamoto and the Concept of Rhythm […]
When valuing corporations there is a tendency to heavily weight present performance on the ground that the past is decreasingly applicable and the future is increasingly uncertain. Yet as demonstrated by the Lindy Effect there is a good argument that longevity should be taken into consideration as an important value component. A 50 Year Swordsmanship […]