August 2007
Why are products so complex?
Posted by Grant Brewer on 28 Aug 2007 | Comments (5)
Technology and progress were meant to make us more productive and make life easier. We were meant to be enjoying more leisure time, whilst technology helped us get the job done. We know that this idea was far from the truth, but there is still a nagging doubt that life (and the products and services we consume whilst living) have become more complex to deal with rather than less complex. One of the keys to overcoming the challenge is to stop trying to please everyone -- accept that some potential customers won't buy your product or service, and this takes courage. Good strategy often requires the courage to take such a stand. If you get your product portfolio right and get customers to understand your products you might be on the road to creating value through product leadership. And that might help you lower the cost of sales and lower support costs as you get the right product to the right consumer, just when they want it.
Essays | Strategy | Intelligence Strategym
design (3) | product strategy (2) | mtn (2) | apple (2) | telkom (1) | simplicity (1) | compexity (1) | bmw (1)
Brazil unveils strategy on crime
Posted by Grant Brewer on 21 Aug 2007 | Comments (0)
So Brazil has announced a strategy to reduce crime -- and what is South Africa doing? Nothing it seems -- believing that the current approach is doing just fine. It is worth understanding what exactly the Brazilian strategy is. Time to go and dig out an English summary of the plan.
south africa (5) | brazil (2) | crime (1)
China’s Trade in Africa Carries a Price Tag
Posted by Grant Brewer on 21 Aug 2007 | Comments (0)
The New York Times carries an interesting article on the affect of low cost Chinese imports on local manufacturing in Africa; and the conclusion is that factories in Africa have suffered. On so many levels Africa suffers at the hands of globalisation. In some senses, it is a penalty for not having sorted itself out earlier in the last century. The only upside is the investments that China is making in Africa, although these seems to be largely related to commodities. Trying to fix some of the issues in Africa is double hard today because of the open-ness of the global economy. As the article points out, it makes establishing a healthy, diverse economy difficult.
(Via The New York Times - New Power in Africa.)
south africa (5) | china (4) | globalisation (3) | imperialism (1) | trade (1) | africa (1)
Innovative strategy is more than passion
Posted by Grant Brewer on 08 Aug 2007 | Comments (0)
It is not unusual to see organisations that are struggling because they allow the passion and the belief in a new idea to masquerade as strategy. It is true that new ideas will almost always fail unless someone has the passion and the belief in the idea to stay with it through all the challenges. However, fresh ideas and people that are passionate about them are not uncommon, yet successful businesses built on these same ideas are a lot less common.
Innovation is more than ideas. Re-inventing an industry or a product category takes more than research and a fresh take on the business model. Managing innovation and implementing new business models is notoriously difficult -- regardless of whether you're an established business, a new business unit or a start up company. It is a common mistake to assume that sheer passion and belief will bring a strategy to life. New ideas need the passion and the belief -- they also need good strategy, leadership and implementation.
Essays | Strategy | Intelligence Strategym
implementation (10) | strategy (8) | leadership (7) | innovation (3) | management (3) | change (3) | project portfolio (1) | passion (1)