Strategy

Entrepreneurs, Investors, Management, Strategy, Trend Spotting

Are humans the ultimate differentiator?

Josiah Wedgewood had a lot to do with it. Within four years of starting in 1759, he’d begun to get orders from royalty and the aristocracy, and was one of the first to use celebrity endorsements to power sales to the growing middle classes. He was able to industrialise the production of pottery through his…
Entrepreneurs, Investors, Management, Strategy

Selling up is a capital idea if you’re Tarzan

A new mortgage product was launched in Denmark last week, and it was a global first; the first mortgage with a negative interest rate. Jyske Bank, the third largest there, is offering a 10 year deal at -0.5%. They say that borrowers will still make a payment each month, as with other mortgages, but the…
Entrepreneurs, Investors, Management, Strategy, Trend Spotting

Elephants’ feet need not be threatening

Autocomplete has its uses, it does save a bit of time, but it can be illuminating in that it gives an insight into what the most popular searches might be. Type in Should Apple – the first entry that autocomplete suggests is: Should Apples be kept in the fridge. So what, you might ask?  That’s…
Digitalisation, Investors, Strategy, Trend Spotting

Subscriptions are so middle aged

Flock is great for flexible insurance for drone pilots – “Download the app for free to get a real time quote in seconds. Puts you in control.” Pay to use, when you use. It’s the Uber model – a simple and convenient app to access what you want, on the fly, pun intended. Who wants…
Digitalisation, Strategy, Trend Spotting

Where are Data Protection and Safe Harbor laws now?

So, we had been on track for the EU wide overhaul and harmonisation of data protection laws, and work had begun to sort out the stand off between the EU and US authorities over safe harbor provisions. Where’s all that now? Presumably, the UK will exit – it must do, I guess – and do…
Digitalisation, Strategy, Trend Spotting

Technology does it again

I’ve heard it said that photography released painters from the workload of capturing reality, freeing them up to do what cameras can’t do. I daresay that many painters might point out that they are capturing what they see as aspects of reality, but you get the point. Camera technology took over the great mass of…
Digitalisation, Strategy, Trend Spotting

The Classroom and School Administration are Going in Different Directions

The direction of travel towards the use of tablets and other personal devices in the classroom seems clear, even if the speed of transition varies between different schools and colleges. Tablets are steadily establishing themselves in the classroom, sometimes ad hoc by Bring Your Own Device, sometimes in one go through personal issue to each…
Entrepreneurs, Management, Organisation, Strategy

Change before you have to

Management is all about being proactive and avoiding problems, not being good at coping. At the inquest into the London bombings, a security officer said that their workload with terrorists was so big that “…we only had time to deal with the crocodiles nearest the boat”. In fast growth companies, the CEO’s obsession must be…