Algorithms and our world picture

November 11, 2013 in Management

Arun Sehrawat I have scraped data and created algorithms for our family travel website. It was therefore with more than an average interest that I listened to William Uricchio of MIT talk at THINK 2013 about algorithms and their effect on social conversion. Uricchio started with explaining that the media has seen a tremendous change in the last few years – a few companies own 80 percent of the media while on the other hand, there has also been a decentralisation as a result of the internet.

Multicultural managers can make a huge difference

August 8, 2013 in Management

“Many multinational companies have hidden, unrecognised multicultural gems within their ranks. To find these and get the most from their unique skills means taking the time and trouble to carefully develop and deploy multicultural managers in critical positions.” Read more by my former INSEAD professor of Strategic Management, Yves Doz.

Alitalia Customer Service: an oxymoron or tautology?

July 23, 2013 in Management

You have received a customer complaint. Do you focus to minimise your financial loss or the loss of face your company may suffer? This thought crossed my mind when I lodged a claim with Alitalia for delayed delivery of our luggage on July 1. We had enjoyed a wonderful trip to Italy recently.

Book launch "Inzicht in India"

May 8, 2013 in Management

inzicht-in-india Everything you wanted to know about doing business with India but were afraid to ask…? It is available now via www.inzichtinindia.nl. Together with others who contributed their material I will be at the formal book launch in the Netherlands on July 10, 2013. The details of this event are being worked out by the author.

BNR Radio Zakendoen met ...

April 20, 2013 in Management

BNR Radio On Monday April 22 I was to be heard on the Dutch business radio broadcaster BNR radio. Diana Matroos presented live the program ‘BNR Doing Business with’ from the rooftop of the Trident in Mumbai. You can hear it still here, though it’s in Dutch.

Microsoft: How can we help you?

February 8, 2013 in Management

How can we help you? A friend of mine called this morning to say that, despite the spamassassin I had installed, he had received almost 2000 spam messages and whether I could help. Not certain how one could receive suddenly so much spam I was somewhat bewildered and took an eager look.

2013 World Economic Forum Report on Global Risks

January 20, 2013 in Management

For those of us dealing with risk management, and who doesn’t these days, here is a link to the 2013 World Economic Forum Report on Global Risks. This year’s findings show that the world is more at risk as persistent economic weakness saps our ability to tackle environmental challenges.

Overcoming the Global Innovation Trade-Off

January 20, 2013 in Management

How to maintain creative complexity without the limitations of co-location is an article by Yves Doz, my former professor at INSEAD, and Keeley Wilson. Illustration by Heads of State “For their global innovation strategies, many companies have long relied on their ability to assemble people with key capabilities and critical knowledge.

Bob Geldof and Jonathan Fenby

November 4, 2012 in Management

Earlier in the day Bob Geldof had stated that China has uplifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Can this be sustained or not? Jonathan Fenby, founding partner of Trusted Sources, the emerging markets research and consultancy firm, spoke on this topic at THiNK 2012. Jonathan Fenby (Photo courtesy Thinkworks Pvt Ltd)

The Republic of Technology

November 4, 2012 in Management

Sherry Turkle At THiNK 2012 being held in Goa this weekend, Sherry Turkle spoke on the social network: why are robots are becoming human and men machines. As a psychologist, over the years she became more concerned with the change to a virtual reality in that we become social robots.

Anatomy of a Pandemic

November 4, 2012 in Management

Dr Ian Lipkin As a CEO one has to be prepared for any wild card event, an event which rarely happens but one which could affect your business in a major way. Prof. Ian Lipkin of Colombia University started day 3 of the THiNK 2012 talking about just this.

Modern Druids

November 3, 2012 in Management

Steven Cowley Steven Cowley, CEO of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and professor at Imperial College, spoke at THiNK 2012 about his area of expertise: fusion energy. This is a topic of immense economic interest as its success will have paramount repercussions. Cowley commenced his talk with the statement that there is a direct relationship between wealth and energy consumption.

Profit and Prejudice

November 3, 2012 in Management

Rajan Mittal Photo Rajan Mittal Heavy industry minister Praful Patel, Rajan Mittal of Bharti Airtel fame, and Sajjan Jindal of JSW, spoke at the THiNK 2012 in Goa. Praful Patel joked that credibility of politicians is at an all time high referring to the many scams being uncovered.

Big History

November 3, 2012 in Management

David Christian raised the interesting question at THiNK 2012 that many parents will have: what problems and issues will our children be faced with? He started to elaborate that the Russian economy prior to Brezhnev would have collapsed if people would have stopped drinking vodka as its economy depended for 40% on this.

The Green Thing

October 6, 2012 in Management

The following story has been published multiple times without me or anyone else for that matter being able to trace the source. It is a good story which struck a chord with me. Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.

Our Man in India