The exponential growth of social media offers organizations the chance to join a conversation with millions of customers around the globe every day. This is why nearly two-thirds of the 2,100 companies participated in a recent survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services said that they are either currently using social media channels or have social media plans in the works.
However, many say social media is still an experiment because they try to understand how to best use the different channels, gauge their effectiveness and integrate social media into their strategy. Despite the vast potential social media brings, many companies seem focused on social media activity primarily as a one-way promotional channel and have yet to capitalize on the ability to not only listen to, but analyze, consumer conversations and turn the information into insights that impact the bottom line.
Clearly, most companies are still searching for the best practices and metrics so they can understand where to invest and target their social media activities and build their own competitive advantage. It will take those new tools and strategies to create what Avinash Kaushik, Google’s Analytics Evangelist, describes as a new reality in harnessing the power of social media.
In February 2011, strategy + business author Rob Norton interviewed Henry Chesbrough, a Professor and the Executive Director of the Program for Open Innovation of the Haas School of Business at the University of California in Berkeley. Chesbrough was the first major academic champion of the open innovation idea – revitalizing a company’s future by tearing down the walls between R&D organization and outside companies and innovators.
Least developed countries (LDCs) are considered to be the “poorest and weakest segment” within the international community. In 2008, 48 countries classified as LDC’s. Although a number of these countries have made reasonable economic and social progress during the past decades, some critical changes remain that constitute major barriers to sustainable private investment and thus broader development.
The PUM Netherlands senior experts marked its 30,000th volunteer mission on June 11, 2011. This mission was conducted by Piet Sluimer, a retired bakery expert. He gave free consultancy advice to TATA Boulangeries, a bread factory in Sikasso, Mali.
When Steve Jobs takes the stage during one of his rare but much-watched public appearances, he’s doing more than merely introducing a new product or delivering a keynote speech. Through his carefully staged-managed appearances, Jobs uses narrative and dramatic techniques to help reinforce his identity as a charismatic leader and to frame the Apple story in his terms, according to authors Abz Sharma and David Grant.
Emerging economies like China, India, Brazil and other emerging markets are expected to contribute about 45 percent of global GDP growth in the coming decade. This figure, according to McKinsey authors Yuval Atsmon, Ari Kertesz and Ireena Vittal, create a real sense of urgency among many multinationals that aren’t currently tapping growth opportunities with sufficient speed or scale into these markets.
Last June 6 and 7, Alfons van Duijvenbode and his partner Klaas de Boer conducted the first of three series of Corporate Social Responsibility training in Cebu, Philippines which was attended by a total of 44 participants coming from different export sectors. This training is organized by the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) in cooperation with Philexport Cebu and SEQUA gGmbH of Germany.
Over the last decade, the reduce, reuse and recycle parts have shown signs of catching on, as per capita waste generation has declined to 4.5 pounds per day, and the volume going into U.S. landfills is now less on a per capita basis than it was 50 years ago. Even Europe has made more progress.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Africa
Companies engaged in health care and insurance services are very successful in Africa. This also applies to the export of used machinery and transport equipment to setting up of communication satellites and information technologies.
Foreign direct investment in Africa has risen by 87% in the last eight years, from 338 news projects in 2003 to 633 in 2010. Further significant growth is expected to reach around US$ 150 mrd in 2015, coming from the inflows of foreign direct investments.
The survey shows it takes adventurous entrepreneurs to be successful. It also shows that resource extraction is still seen as a key investment sector in Africa. Other sectors like tourism, consumer products, construction and telecommunications are also attractive investment with potential high growths.