Renowned strategist, consultant, and author Stalk delivers his analysis of the issues that business organizations will face in the near future and what employers should be doing now to get ready for those changes.
If you're like most people, you bet your career and company on innovation--because you must. Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation offers you a new way to think about and manage innovation that will dramatically improve the odds of success.Authors James Andrew and Harold Sirkin, senior partners in The Boston Consulting Group, describe an approach to managing innovation based on the concept of a cash curve--which tracks investment against time. They ask the questions you need to ask: How much should you invest in a new product or service? How fast should you push it to market? How quickly can you get to optimal value? How much additional investment should you pour into sustaining and building the product or service?Payback offers you practical and economically sound advice on when to pursue cash flow indirectly by first pursuing other benefits, such as brand and knowledge. It also shows you how to reshape the cash curve by using different business models--integrator, orchestrator, and licenser--each of which balances risk and reward differently.The authors then present a short list of decisions and activities that you must make--not delegate--to achieve a high return on innovation. You won't find facile answers in Payback --but you will find valuable insights and practical guidance for mastering one of the most challenging and critical business activities: innovation.
Word of mouth is an amazingly powerful force — but how does it really work?. Businesses have become obsessed with stimulating word-of- mouth to counteract the declining effectiveness of advertising. But it’s easier said than done. As the founder of BzzAgent, a community of more than 400,000 people who volunteer to talk to friends and acquaintances about products they genuinely love, Dave Balter is a successful practitioner, not a theorist. And he’s figured out how to measure and harness word-of-mouth without corrupting it. In Grapevine, Balter shows why honest feedback – about books, restaurants, gadgets, or anything else – is more believable than any paid endorser. And he answers some of the most elusive questions in marketing, such as what makes word-of-mouth very different from “buzz” and “viral marketing.”
In today's economic climate, companies are reassessing strategies to attract customers, particularly women, who account for 64% of household spending and $12 trillion annually. Ignoring this demographic poses significant risks. This timely book draws on a groundbreaking study by The Boston Consulting Group, which surveyed 12,000 women across 21 countries, uncovering their deepest desires, frustrations, and aspirations. The authors highlight the growth and influence of this "invisible market," emphasizing that addressing women's needs is crucial for revitalizing the economy. The book provides actionable strategies for businesses to expand their global reach by innovatively catering to women’s concerns. Key insights include that 47% of respondents identified time constraints as their biggest challenge, while 48% cited managing household finances. Conflicts with partners often revolve around money (19%), chores (15%), and work schedules (12%). Additionally, 68% of women feel they are above their ideal body weight, and only 25% consider themselves very attractive. Notably, 44% report rarely feeling powerful. While primarily aimed at business professionals, the book also appeals to a broader audience, offering insights into consumer behavior and its reflection on human psychology and desires, akin to Paco Underhill's work.
This text presents an examination of the economic countertrend whereby middle income consumers have made the art of bargain hunting into a major business opportunity.