July 2014

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 25 jul 2014

The recent survey of 150 US nonprofit foundations and endowments found that more nonprofits are prioritizing the implementation of effective risk management strategies to preserve the longevity of their organizations and missions. Main highlights of the survey are - (46%) Place greater value on positive risk-adjusted returns than on overall portfolio returns when evaluating investment success; (44%) Not confident that sufficient time is being spent in assessing the impact of potential market shocks on the ability to spend/achieve mission; (49%) Lack confidence that the investment committee has identified all key portfolio risks. According to Mary Jane Bobyock, Director of Nonprofit Advisory Team at SEI, '48 percent of nonprofits are currently using or considering the use of an outsourcing provider to help manage the portfolio.' Read on...

MarketWatch: SEI Poll - Nonprofits Focus On Risk Management In 2014
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 24 jul 2014

Innovation has been considered as a critical component of the strategies of most companies and to achieve it they have tried to transform and eliminate activities from their product development process (PDP). Is this is the better approach? Probably not. Bradford Goldense, an expert in product management & development, suggests ways to improve and build innovativeness into the PDP itself - (1) Companies should add innovation activities at appropriate places in their PDP. (2) Companies should emphasize existing activities that spur appreciable innovative thinking. Moreover there are a variety of soft, quantitative and algorithmic tools, that are available in the market to boost innovation. He suggests selection of three tools spanning incremental to breakthrough innovation, reguired to be used at key points in the concept, definition and design phases, chosen by the nature of the product being developed. It is also found that some deterministic tools spur more innovative thinking than others. Research of 200 companies provides insights into which PDP activities out of the total 20, scored the highest innovation benefits. These were - Requirements definition; Product specifications; Technical feasibility analysis. Some other activities that were closely behind were - Concepting/Concept engineering; Voice of the customer; Market definition. Read on...

machine design: Making Product Development More Innovative
Author: Bradford Goldense

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 23 jul 2014

Although most innovation in technology-driven companies is achieved and accomplished by experts in R&D, but marketers at General Electric (GE) have found ways to facilitate and contribute to the innovation mechanism. Beth Comstock, Chief Marketing Officer of GE, explains their method that can be utilized by other marketers who are seeking to create value and drive innovation in their businesses - (1) Go to new places: Be explorers and seek out new places and better the understanding of what people need and require around the world. It can help them give insights for better product development. (2) Shape the market early: Great innovations need to be explained before they are accepted. Marketers can explain, define and communicate effectively and set the stage for the innovation before it hits the market. Mantra at GE is 'Mindshare before Marketshare'. (3) Incubate new businesses and models: To promote ongoing innovation, marketers seek to find ways that have not been thought before. Integrate startup culture into the marketing DNA. It simplifies development and gets products to the market faster. (4) Invite others in: Partnerships are the path to speed and scale. Develop collaborations outside the organization to increase the creative territory. Marketers are generally facilitators for these relationships. Read on...

HBR Blog Network: Innovation Is Marketing's Job, Too
Author: Beth Comstock

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 21 jul 2014

In a fast paced and highly competitive global environment with cultural and diversity challenges, there are needed some exclusive competencies in business leaders to succeed and grow their organizations. A study of 108 senior executives conducted by Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman found 6 behaviors or competencies that differentiated successful global leaders from others - (1) Strategic Perspective (2) Customer Focus and Understanding (3) Ability to Spot the Trends and Connect the Dots (4) Engaged and Committed Teams (5) Willingness to Take Risks (6) Deep Knowledge and Expertise. Read on...

Forbes: The 6 Competencies Global Leaders Need To Succeed
Author: Jack Zenger