As we discuss in our recent blog post on HBR Blog Network, the death of over 800 people in the collapse of Rana Plaza, a building with garment factories in Bangladesh, spurred widespread outrage over working conditions in offshore factories. In the search for blame, many commentators point to the absence of building codes, lack of workplace safety rules, and the greed of US corporations.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2013/05/a-business-model-for-bangladesh/
In a recent blog post on Harvard Business Review we discuss one of these frequent situations in which business model innovation is necessary to bring technological innovation to life. In case you missed it, the2012 World Food Prize went to Daniel Hillel, an Israeli scientist who, in his own words, “…helped to develop the principle of shifting from low-frequency, high-volume irrigation to high-frequency, low-volume irrigation”, the system known as drip irrigation.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/11/when-business-models-trump-technology/
Apple gets a lot of stick about manufacturing in China, and the issue came up again recently with the release of the iPhone 5. A recent article on the “Cult of Mac”contrasts Apple to Timbuk2, a US producer of traveler and messenger bags, that proudly locates most of its of its manufacturing in San Francisco, one of the most expensive places on earth.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/10/why-apple-has-to-manufacture-in-china/
After a brief hiatus due to vacations and travel over summer, the Renaissance Innovator blog is back! While I was catching up on the stack of journals which accumulated over summer, a Fortune article about Volkswagen which describes transformation of the company from a local German producer to a global phenomenon with over €160B in sales caught my eye. … Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/09/making-car-manufacturing-sane-business-model-innovation-at-volkswagen/
With increasing specialization, technological complexity, and globalization, firms now buy a long list of products and services from many outside providers. In industries like automobiles, consumer electronics and retail, reliably sourcing a multitude of products from supply chain partners is the key to success.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/05/outclassing-sourcing-champions/
In the minds of both consumers and managers going green is typically thought as being associated with an additional expense. We see this in food stores, for instance, where organic products cost more. Despite this general perception, there exists a simple approach for just about any organization or household to become more sustainable and make more money in the process.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/04/how-to-innovate-for-a-greener-world-and-make-money/
The 2012 edition of the South by Southwest conference (SWSX) wrapped up in Austin last week. Over the last years, this has become one of hottest stops on the startup circuit, earning a reputation as the biggest breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies– notably, both foursquare and twitter catapulted to the big leagues after they presented early versions at SWSX. … Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/03/sxsw-insead-south-by-southwest/
Recent presidential elections in Russia have drawn worldwide attention over the last few months. There was, however, one aspect of elections which did not receive as much coverage in the western press (at least in my opinion). Of course, elections have been held the world over, in pretty much the same way for many decades.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/03/innovating-presidential-elections-what-can-one-learn-from-the-russian-experience/
