Category Archive: European Competitiveness
A healthy capital system is an important ingredient for European competitiveness. Indeed, investors look for stability and predictability, which leads to the necessary flow of capital into our markets. Besides the key role government plays in creating confidence, there are three main actors in the capital system: “owners” who supply financial resources, managers who apply their expertise to build attractive returns on the owners’ investments, and boards of directors that oversee the process. … Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2013/05/improving-european-board-effectiveness-insights-from-participants-the-insead-international-directors-programme/
By Quentin Philippe & Karel Cool[i]
“I think it’s simply irresponsible to declare that we don’t need [shale gas] and we don’t want [shale gas] here in Europe”. Kurt Bock, CEO of BASF[ii]
“Je suis un peu déçu que les autorités politiques européennes ne prennent pas la mesure de ce problème”.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2013/03/europes-shale-gas-competitiveness-challenge-and-consequences-for-the-petrochemical-sector/
In recent years we have seen a remarkable growth in funds that call themselves Socially Responsible Investments (SRI). In order to qualify as a SRI some funds work with an exclusion list: for example, they exclude companies that make guns, tobacco or cluster bombs. … Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2013/02/socially-responsible-investments-alpha-on-earth-or-alpha-in-heaven/
In a recent post on Harvard Business Review bloggers network, we discuss the extreme focus business model of Germany’s famed Mittlestand:
Quick test: name one company that does one thing and does it very well. The companies that occupy the limelight are typically diversified giants that achieve growth through constant expansion into new markets and the introduction of additional product lines (just think P&G, GE, and Microsoft).… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2013/02/extreme-focus-and-the-success-of-germanys-mittelstand/
In a recent blog post on the Harvard Business Review bloggers network, we discuss the sustainability of the advantage that come from innovating the business model.
With the Winter holiday shopping season, fashion apparel retailer Zara has been the focus of media attention — the New York Times recently profiled the innovative fast fashion business model pioneered by Zara, while Elizabeth Cline’s book on the costs of fast fashion has climbed up the sales charts.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/12/business-model-innovation-the-gift-that-keeps-giving/
The following is a reply to the INSEAD Knowledge News Alert “Women on Boards: No Quotas…Yet” from INSEAD Finance Professor Theo Vermaelen, who is expressing his personal viewpoint. … Read more
In the middle of the economic crisis one would expect that Eurocrats would find something more constructive to do with their time than imposing absurd laws such as requiring women to make up at least 40% of listed European companies’ boards.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/11/gender-quotas-for-boards-how-to-destroy-european-competitiveness/
Michelin has done it all. It was the innovator of the radial tire, which the world is still driving on today; Michelin’s tires are very frequently voted the best tires by authoritative consumer surveys around the world; its Bidendum man brings smiles to young and old and is one of the best known brands around the world; Michelin was the single supplier of tires to the Space Shuttle during the entire life of the space program; and Chefs in restaurants around the world aspire to get a star from the same Michelin company. … Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/11/the-competitiveness-challenge-of-european-manufacturers-the-case-of-michelin/
When we discuss about European competitiveness, there is often gloom and doom thinking about European non-competitiveness. We believe that such thinking conveys an over-pessimistic picture of Europe’s competences in many aspects of business. In this short text, we want to focus on European managerial competence and to underscore that there are executives in Europe who are exceptionally good at managing both the hard and the soft aspects of management to achieve competitive advantage.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/10/how-a-scandinavian-firm-can-teach-the-world-on-how-to-use-social-media-inside-their-organizations/
