What’s In Your Business Network?
Business networks have come a long way since the first EDI messages were sent via telex before being converted into computer data.
Today, electronic documents are exchanged securely over the Internet, and many networks have built-in business rules that bring intelligence to the network. This is the advantage of the next generation business network, and driver of the networked economy.
Consider the transformational impact of these networks on invoice processing. With an EDI network, you could exchange electronic invoices, but there was…
Experience Is Overrated In B2B Entrepreneurship
Like many people in and around technology, from time to time I come across a problem in my daily life that I feel could be solved by technology.
If you ask Paul Graham, that’s the perfect way to start a company:
“The way to get startup ideas is not to try to think of startup ideas. It’s to look for problems, preferably problems you have yourself.”
I love this premise: I’m an expert when it comes to my own problems, therefore I’m the best person to solve them. I…
What’s In Your Supply Chain?
A Supply Chain Problem Is No Laughing Matter
The big story over here in the UK is the fact that horse DNA has been found in many “beef” products such as hamburger meat and ready-meals. For the equine-loving Brits this has come as a bit of a shock, and endless horse jokes and puns have been flying around Twitter, and the House of Commons.
My favourite, “The Prime Minister is rightly shocked by the revelations that many food products contain 100% horse,” an opposition MP began….
Why Portland May Be America’s Greenest City [Infographic]
What Makes Portland the Greenest City?
Portland’s earnest focus on embracing nature and eating local has made it the subject of countless parodies on IFC’s hit show “Portlandia,” but there’s no denying the city has earned its reputation as perhaps the the greenest city in America. From recycling to carpooling to LEED-certified buildings, Portland’s efforts should make other cities hang their heads in shame.
Oregon’s largest city uses 20 percent more renewable energy than the national average; it was one of the first cities to ban plastic bags. Check out our infographic on how Portland makes it seem so easy being green.
From X-Ray Glasses To Smart Pills, Here’s How Technology Can Keep You Healthy
Technology has the potential to enhance our health and even help us live longer.
There’s a slew of apps out there aiming to revitalize the health care industry, like ZocDoc for helping find doctors and making appointments, and Runkeeper for tracking your fitness.
But more importantly, there have been major breakthroughs in cancer treatment, health information collection, and medicine all thanks to technology.
Prosthetic limbs that can feel
Robotics engineer Steve Buerger shows off some prosthetic components ( Sandia National Laboratories/Randy…
Who Isn’t Focusing On Innovation?
As this graphic shows, most companies are taking a proactive approach to promoting innovation in everything they do. Just one-fifth (20%) of c-suite respondents to our recent survey say they are dedicating no time at all to the promotion of innovation, and are instead focusing on core business activities only.
However, the overall approach to innovation appears to be heavily influenced by the geographical reach of the company, and by whether or not it operates in the private sector. Global firms and multi-nationals are showing a preference for a…
Supplier Design Win 101: Strategies For Building Repeat Business
With Tesla Motors on track to produce 20,000 cars per year in 2013, up from 328 in the last quarter of 2012, the Tesla supplier list is suddenly a great place to be.
So what does that have to do with you?
Scoring the Supplier Design Win
The endgame for every supplier to direct manufacturers is scoring a “design win,” which includes your component as part of the spec for the product being made. Design wins typically happen six to 12 months before the…
Top Ten Business Innovation Posts of the Week [April 1, 2013]
On the Business Innovation site, we deliver the top blogs, news and featured content on business innovation for professionals looking to grow and gain a competitive business advantage. We cover hot topics and thought leadership on mobile applications, cloud computing, big data, real-time analytics and the top challenges facing executives and leaders in sales & marketing, finance, human resources and much, much more.
Each week, we curate and publish the top ten articles from across our content categories. We hope you find these articles valuable, informative, and interesting.
Monday Metric: Quantifying R&D Best Practices
This week’s analysis focuses on quantifying the impact of R&D best practices, defined by success in the marketplace.
Creating and unlocking value in an organization starts with knowing precisely where things stand, and where the opportunities for improvement lie. To help, SAP’s Performance Benchmarking group publishes a short analysis each Monday, highlighting hot industry topics and high-impact strategies.
KEY QUESTION: HOW MUCH CAN R&D best practices improve performance?
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Innovation is critical to success, but not all companies experience the…
Simple But Not Easy
The solution to most complex problems that you could ever encounter are almost always simple, but not easy!
You want to increase your profits; solution is to grow your sales and reduce your costs, together. Simple, but not easy.
You want to increase your sales; keep your existing customers happy so they buy more from you and keep adding more customers to the system. Simple, but not easy.
You want to reduce your costs; reduce and eliminate all activities that do not contribute to either acquire or service a customer….
Commerce Collaboration: Turn On The Power – Pt 1
Over the past year, we’ve seen some world-class power outages. Last summer, an estimated 600 million people were affected by a power outage in India.
And in early February, the world watched as a power outage in the New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Super Dome left millions of television viewers around the world in the dark for over thirty minutes of the Super Bowl.
These news events grabbed the attention of so many because of the personal drama as well as the cost to those impacted….
The Gap Between Social Media And Business Impact: 6 Stages Of Social Business Transformation
The Evolution of Social Business
Social media is becoming a lot like email for business; every company uses it. In an Altimeter Group survey of 700 executives and social strategists fielded in late 2012, we found that 100 percent of participating enterprise organizations run to varying extents an active social media strategy. Unlike email, however, organizations haven’t mastered how to effectively communicate through the likes of Facebook or the tweets of Twitter.
Over the last several years, businesses have increased the…
On The Future Of Education [Video]
Preparing our kids for the future
Below is an exciting conversation between Fred Dust (Partner, IDEO), Michael Karnjanaprakorn (Co-Founder and CEO, Skillshare); Tim Marshall (Provost and Chief Academic Officer, The New School) and Andrew Yang, Founder and CEO, Venture for America.
These are some of the pioneers who are exploring new ways to prepare our kids for their future (what else does education do?)
IDEO Break + Make Education Video
My thoughts on the future of education
Though, I agree with most of the things…
E-Commerce: Prepping For The Iron Man Competition
So in my last blog, “It’s 2013…How fit is your organization?”, I challenged businesses on whether they have the essential tools necessary to run a lean and healthy e-savvy business. Did you check off all the items on the e-business fitness chart to see if your organization is on the right track to a winning e-commerce strategy?
If you did and your company passed with flying colors, that’s great as that’s…
March Madness: John Wooden Inspired Success In Basketball, Business and Life
For basketball fans, the name John Wooden conjures up images of pure legend. The coach of a dynastic UCLA team, he won 10 national championships, including 7 in a row (1967-1973). He had an almost unbelievable winning streak of 88 straight games.
In his own basketball career, Wooden was a 3-time all-state player in Indiana with a state championship. He was the first ever 3-time all-American college basketball player and won his own national championship in 1932 at Purdue. And he is the first…
7 Cities Using Smart Technologies In Unusual Ways
Smart Technologies in City Life
New smart technologies like big data, sensors, mobile, smart grids are changing the way cities operate.
Cities want to help you find parking spaces, avoid traffic jams, get instant help when emergencies happen.
Some cities are really leading the charge with super cool projects that show just how wonderful city life can be.
Rio de Janeiro watches all in real time
Image: IBM
Rio built the “Rio Operations Center” to monitor events in the city in real time. The center was initially created to monitor the weather, so city officials could react faster to floods.
But…
Facebook: The Great Party Ends at 12
If you are reading this, I’d say the odds are pretty good that you’ve seen “The Social Network,” the 2010 blockbuster movie that gave its viewers a hollywoodesque insight to the early days at Facebook.
By chance you have been living under a rock, you don’t like movies or you just haven’t seen it, I recommend it. (Don’t worry, this isn’t a movie review)
For the rest of you I ask…
Remember the scene where Mark Zuckerberg first meets Sean Parker in New York?
During their dinner Eduardo Saverin attempts to settle an…
Supply Chain Innovation: Follow The Lead Climber
My daughter is into rock climbing. So I spend my Saturday mornings watching her scramble up terrifyingly acute slopes with the sound of carabiners snapping to attention as she ascends ever greater heights.
In climbing, there is the concept of the “lead” who determines the optimal route, tests the footholds, inserts the clippy-things (I’m no expert), takes most of the risk, and guides the team behind her. “Reach a little over to your left, there’s a good hold just above you.”…
Champion Golf Pro Dottie Pepper Redefines What It Takes To Win
As the winner of two major championships and 17 LPGA Tour events, American golfer Dottie Pepper knows a thing or two about what it takes to win. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1988, and her 19-under-par finish in the 1999 Nabisco Dinah Shores victory still stands as the lowest score in relation to par in a major championship.
My golf league, the…
Despite Supply Chain Challenges The Show Must Go On
Supply Chain Network: One Employee’s Solution
Supplier relationship managers have a thing or two to envy about Bob – The Employee. This story unfolded a few weeks ago about an employee identified only as Bob, who had outsourced his own IT job to a firm in China.
He reportedly spent his work hours watching cat videos or browsing Reddit and eBay while his Chinese counterpart churned the code behind the screens.
To top it all, Bob received exceptional…
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