Let me begin by answering the question in the title. Splunk (http://www.splunk.com/company) describes itself as a company founded to “make machine data accessible, usable and valuable to everyone.” With machine data they mean not just any data on a computer, but rather the data generated by machines rather than humans; by accessible they mean that they are making programs to analyze data that would normally be in an unstructured form, so not in a database.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/05/what-kind-of-company-is-splunk/
One of the most recent news stories on Apple features a picture of CEO Tim Cook addressing an audience dressed in a dark shirt. It made me look twice because I initially thought he was wearing the same kind of turtleneck sweater made famous by Steve Jobs (and designed by Issey Miyake).… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/02/dark-shirts-and-symbolic-management/
The news last week included two stories that present dilemmas for the companies involved, and are good illustrations of how the boundaries of organizations are becoming difficult to draw in the modern economy. First Foxconn: In two perhaps unrelated actions, this Taiwanese firm that makes iPads in China is undergoing labor condition inspections by Fair Labor Association at the behest of Apple, and it has increased its base salaries of workers.… Read more
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.insead.edu/2012/02/foxconn-avestin-and-organizational-boundaries/
