Europe’s car makers are facing a rough ride. Their sales are at a 17-year low region-wide. It may seem cruel of the brokerage, Sanford C. Bernstein, to remind them of their biggest commercial wrecks. Most major makers suffered billions in losses. Yet not all cars failed by accidents of poor design, ill-judged technological leaps or wildly optimistic production forecasts.
Continue reading… “Europe’s biggest loss-making cars”
The concept of franchisingas a distribution model has been around since the nineteenth century. In the 1940’s, McDonald’s was the first company to pioneer the distribution model.
By 2020, 40 percent of labor in the U.S. will be comprised of contingent/independent workers.
The federal jobs report that came out recently may have looked bleak, but there is a large and growing group of people who have a sure place in this economy — freelancers. And Elance had debuted its Private Talent Cloud to help companies hire, manage, and pay their freelancers on demand.
Continue reading… “Elance debuts Private Talent Cloud to drive freelance revolution”
The internet has made it possible for people to educate themselves, independently or in groups large and small, on an unprecedented scale.
There hasn’t been much change in universities since the Middle Ages. Universities have the campus with its lecture halls, dormitories, libraries, and laboratories surrounded by leafy quadrangles. They have added giant sports complexes, gyms and swimming pools, and gourmet restaurants, but the basic layout is the same. And the production process hasn’t changed since around 1200. Professors give lectures, students read books and take notes, there are examinations and grades, along with the occasional tutoring session, and a great deal of hanky panky. The professors wear tweed jackets instead of gowns, and the students wear – well, just about anything, including pajamas – but otherwise the university remains one of society’s most conservative institutions.
Continue reading… “Are universities terrified of MOOCs?”
Google is planning to launch a new company with the absurdly ambitious objective of extending our lives. “Calico” is the name of the company and will be run by Arthur Levinson, chairman and ex-CEO of biotech company Genentech.
Continue reading… “Google hopes to cure death with its new health startup Calico”
If we lived in a PR utopia, it would look something like this: Businesses would send journalists timely, interesting stories. Journalists would receive an ongoing supply of quality information. Readers, in turn, would grow enthusiastic about brands, turning media coverage into a conduit for sales and investor interest.
Continue reading… “When media and big data collide”
Organizations that offer a better customer experience have more customers who say they are willing to buy from them again, according to Forrester. However, if that experience is poor, 89% of consumers are likely to buy from the competition.
Continue reading… “Top 10 customer experience trends”
Internship compensation – does it pay?
Unpaid internships are a hot topic right now in light of the recent slew of compensation-based class action lawsuits. And with only 36.9% of companies still offering interns less that minimum wage or no compensation at all, it’s clear that relying upon unpaid interns is more damaging than many employers assume. (Infographic)
Continue reading… “Does internship compensation pay?”
The car industry has accounted for 15 percent of post-2009 GDP growth.
America’s amazing car recovery explains the U.S. economy. But how does the U.S. economy explain America’s amazing auto recovery?
Continue reading… “The future of the U.S. auto industry in 14 charts”
Piggyback on a thriving network as long as your platform is contextual and complementary to that network.
When creating a two-sided network one of the key challenges is deciding how to get both sides on board. What does a marketplace do first – get the consumer or the merchant first? Why would either side join without the other? It’s a chicken and egg problem that often occurs during the initial stages of seeding. A great way to gain traction for such a network is to steal traction from another one.
Continue reading… “The growing success of piggybacking”
The Angel CoFund is a government-backed fund in the UK.
Startups in the UK that are raising financing have a new route to funds in the shape of a government-backed fund which can super-charge an Angel round with extra cash. The UK government-backed fund, Angel CoFund ,is able to make initial investments of between £100,000 to £1 million into businesses, alongside syndicates of business angels. Angel CoFund launched in November 2011, and it was an early backer of Yplan, the events app which this year raised $12 million and PlayJam (a games maker for smart TVs). The fund started out investing in just some parts of the UK, but now it works nationwide. And it’s now had its first exit in its short, two year history.
Continue reading… “UK’s Angel CoFund can super-charge angel syndicates with extra cash”
Even employees who are employed in large corporations are encouraged to be “intrapreneurs.”
Entrepreneurs used to be thought of as the renegade cowboys out in Silicon Valley. Now it seems you have to be an entrepreneur just to get and hold a job.
Continue reading… “Why everyone will need to become an entrepreneur: Infographic”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.