Tag Archive for 'Ideas'

China’s Most Innovative Companies

Published on March 4, 2010 in Emerging Markets. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

China has achieved a spectacularly high rate of economic growth over a sustained period for more than two decades. Nevertheless, today China faces the challenge of making the transition from sustained to sustainable growth from social, economical, ecological and envionmental points of view. Here’s a list of Chinese companies that are in the forefront of innovation not only in China but also far beyond.

Since 2009, innovation has been identified as a main engine for this new growth model, and the Chinese government has launched a national strategy to build an innovation-driven economy and society by 2020. Will China be able to succeed in making this challenging transition? What will it require in terms of policy and institutional changes? How will China’s emergence as a future innovation economy affect the world economy, as well as the global systems for knowledge production, dissemenation and use? [Source (PDF)]

News Browsing by Network Analysis

Published on February 28, 2010 in Real-Time Web and Social Media. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Intuitively, we all know that big news topics relate to other big news topics–when you read about Google, you’re likely also reading about Microsoft. This new tool from Slate makes those connections a bit more concrete.

News Dots automatically scans all of the articles from major publications, and then tags them using Calais, an automated tagging engine created by Thompson Reuters. When two stories share a tag, it records the results:

The hope, of course, is that as the tool develops, “social networks” will develop in clusters, the same way that Facebook friends tend to cluster around college acquaintance.

The interface is currently hideous. But you wonder if something like this isn’t the future of news browsing. Can you imagine what happens when tagging technology gets truly semantic–when stories can be linked not just with keywords, but ideas? [Source: Flowing Data]

Top Innovative Companies for 2010

Published on February 19, 2010 in International Business. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Even in these tough times, surprising and extraordinary efforts are under way in businesses across the globe. From politics to technology, energy, and transportation; from marketing to retail, health care, and design, each company on the Fast Company list illustrates the power and potential of innovative ideas and creative execution.

The top spot is taken by Facebook which has around 200 million active users to date. Most notable in the top five and new on the ranking is Huawei, the Chinese Telecom equipment manufacturer. You can find the complete list here.

The Next Energy Innovators

Published on July 18, 2009 in Greentech and High Tech & Media. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

EnergyInnovationBusinessWeek and GreenBiz.com have assembled a list of 25 intriguing energy startups, including young companies that tap geothermal heat, turn waste into biodiesel, and more. Read here.

An overview of the 25 most promising US based energy tech companies can be found here. Furthermore, this week’s edition of The Economist features also an article on energy: “The future of the energy industry“.

Rebuilding The World One Lego At A Time

Published on June 18, 2009 in Ranting and Raving. 0 Comments Tags: .

lego_rebuild_worldWhether you like it or not its interesting for sure. John Lennon used music. Martin Luther King, Jr. used moving oratory. German artist Jan Vormann, uses Lego blocks. As part of his Dispatchwork project to restore distressed architecture, Vormann imaginatively utilizes colorful Lego blocks to fill in cracks and fissures. Read more here.

After-party shoes

Published on June 18, 2009 in Ranting and Raving. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

led-dance_floor

Last year I already blogged here about the sneaker vending machine. Two companies in England have taken the concept of the shoes vending machine and found a niche market targeting female clubgoers with after part-shoes. After you have danced the night away on your heals you can get a pair of portable flats before you’re heading home. Read more here.

Restructuring Toolkit

Published on May 30, 2009 in Global Strategy and International Business. 0 Comments Tags: , .

restructuringtoolkitThe impact of the recession calls for a decisive approach to operational change. Companies must identify operational improvements to reduce variable costs, generate cash, and generally strengthen the balance sheet – and understand the strategic initiatives necessary to make change happen.

Booz & Company composed a “Restructuring Toolkit” in which you can select ideas structured along operational and strategic initiatives.

Game-Changing Management Ideas

Published on March 18, 2009 in Global Strategy and International Business. 0 Comments Tags: , .

ideasBreakthrough management ideas for a world in which the game will never be the same. BusinessWeek has published several stories on management ideas structured in the following categories: New ideas for growth, New ideas for talent, and New ideas for partners.An overview can be found here.

The most notable articles are: Outsourcing Tasks Instead of Jobs, The World Is IBM’s Classroom, Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook, and Six Sigma is Out. Extreme Lean Manufacturing Is In.

Furthermore, some of the most powerful and lasting management methods were launched during tough times, when companies needed new ways to manage costs and grow. Here is a look back at some of the biggest ideas over the past 100 years.

The World’s Most Innovative Companies

Published on March 17, 2009 in High Tech & Media. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Innovative CompaniesFast Company has published its yearly round-up of the world’s most innovative companies: The fast Company 50. Most notable is the number of new companies (in total 36) taking positions in the list. With team Obama surprisingly taking the top spot. While established companies like Google, Apple, Cisco, Intel, Amazon, GE, HP, Nokia are still taking a spot in the top 15.

Even in these tough times, surprising and extraordinary efforts are under way in businesses across the globe. From politics to technology, energy, and transportation; from marketing to retail, health care, and design, each company on the following pages illustrates the power and potential of innovative ideas and creative execution. These are the kinds of enterprises that will redefine our future and point the way to a better tomorrow. source

Generation G

Published on January 20, 2009 in Personal and Ranting and Raving. 0 Comments Tags: , .

generation_g

Has it ever been more vital for corporations to ditch the greed and embrace generosity? After all, giving is the new taking, and sharing is the new giving.

“GENERATION G | “Captures the growing importance of ‘generosity’ as a leading societal and business mindset. As consumers are disgusted with greed and its current dire consequences for the economy—and while that same upheaval has them longing more than ever for institutions that care—the need for more generosity beautifully coincides with the ongoing (and pre-recession) emergence of an online-fueled culture of individuals who share, give, engage, create and collaborate in large numbers.”

Three trend-drivers for GENERATION G are:
1. Recession and consumer disgust
2. Longing for institutions that care
3. For individuals. giving is already the new taking, and sharing is the new giving

A complete report on Generation G can be found here.