Business development by definition often involves transformation and transformation very frequently requires overcoming different types of obstacles. Common strategies for facing obstacles, including knocking them down or trying to avoid them, often turn out not to be cost-effective or, worse, counterproductive. Given this, one useful tool that we can use to confront obstacles is the […]
Algorithms are very powerful search tools: they have the ability to almost instantaneously sift through massive numbers of data points and order that information into a form that can help answer questions and decide courses of action. Despite their many positive uses, algorithms can generate self-supporting conclusions which, over time, can progressively narrow search outcomes […]
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 […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has done tremendous damage to the driving force of the global economy: consumption. As it will likely take a significant amount of time for consumption levels to recover, it will be necessary to complement traditional economic stimulus methods with other approaches to generate enough economic activity to protect the large amount of […]
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 […]
When is the right time for a company to search for capital? Many companies only look for capital when they are facing major financial challenges, a search that often does not end in success. To increase the chances of obtaining funding on attractive terms, a better strategy is to view capital raising as a continuous […]
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 […]
