HP’s ProCurve in 2009 by Ju-man

HP’s ProCurve in 2009

Year: 2009

Goal: to establish ProCurve value in HP

Result:

Lessons:they realize the importance of networking business

Grade: A-

Keller Roundtable – What is Corporate Entrepreneurship? – Part 2

Surfing the web I came across a very interesting and informative talk, a two-part roundtable discussion, sponsored by DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management which explores the value of innovation (Part 1) and how to successfully build a corporate culture of entrepreneurship (Part 2) in today’s workplace.

The whole series can be viewed on YouTube or on the Keller Round Table Home Page.

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 2

– Anson Gomes

Corporate Entrepreneurship Process Flow

I thought of summarizing what we have learnt in this course and hence create a process flow for the entire process.

This is to facilitate anyone reading this blog about the corporate entrepreneurship process and how to go about achieving success.

This is a work in progress and is open to suggestions and changes.

Hopefully in time we will be able to come up with a sturdier analysis of the same.

Case Study Analysis

Relating some of the case studies to the topics that we covered during the course the following conclusions have been drawn:

As per the Entrepreneurial Grid for the Organizations:

With respect to the domain of a new business we have:

And finally according to Dr. Rao’s model of corporate entrepreneurship we have:

All the case studies can be tied up to these 3 analytical grids for a better understanding of the innovation process and also the entrepreneurial practices in these organizations.

 

– Anson Gomes

Innovation at NYU – Poly

One of my friends might get a patent attached to his name. Something to do with sliding doors! He is pretty happy about it. Sliding doors – sounded pretty lame to me at first but when he told me about the benefits, I was pretty impressed. So I said to myself; I go to an engineering school what are the other developments going on around me.

And so the search began! I didn’t have to look very far. It seems that at Poly Innovation is second nature.

The “TIME WARNER CABLE INNO/VENTION COMPETITION” was a good place to start. Cheap Solar Power – the PolyStar, Electronics that aid walking – VibroWalk and a recyclable printer.

NYU-Poly Students Create The Next Big Things: Cheap Solar Power, Electronics that Aid Walking and a Printer that Recycles

Moving on I come across another exciting invention, cheap biodegradable plastic

Using Yeast to Build a Better Plastic

Artificial intelligence? Done. Artificial leadership?

Follow the (Robotic) Leader!

A lone innovator.

All Lit Up: Senior Billy Gordon shines as an inventor

All this and much more…. !!!

This goes to show that innovation is all around. We just have to keep our eyes open for the next big thing!

 

– Anson Gomes

Is it time to pull the plug on that project?-Good lessons to learn…

Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/business-research/is-it-time-to-pull-the-plug-on-that-project/440

Story: Is it time to cut your losses? That’s probably one of the hardest decisions senior executives have to make. Yet some corporate initiatives have an incredible power to suck up money, time, and even careers while seemingly producing nothing in return.

These black holes grow bit by bit through a process popularly known as “escalating commitment  to a failing course of action“-a phrase most often associated with the Vietnam War. The challenge for managers lies in knowing when a big over-budget project deserves more resources and when it’s time to pull the plug.

In a paper published in the California Management Review, Mark Keil, a professor at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, and Magnus Mähring, a professor at the Stockholm School of Economics,explain the signs that a project has crossed over from merely unwieldy to black hole territory. While the duo are specialists in information technology, Keil says, ”I have no reservations saying these steps apply to other types of projects.”

Over more than a decade, Keil and Mähring have conducted in depth surveys of 579 information technology auditors and published case studies of four large IT implementations. Drawing on that research, the current work describes the three tell-tale signs of “black hole” projects:

1. The Drifting Stage

Drifting occurs when a project begins without any real agreement about what it is supposed to accomplish. Keil and Mähring equate this to beginning a journey without a clear destination, or having a destination but no map. If you can answer yes to any of these questions, your project is either beginning to drift or in serious danger of doing so.

• The project has been going on for some time without consensus among key stakeholders regarding its objective(s).
• The project has been going on for some time without agreement on how to best achieve the project objective(s).
• Although considerable time and money has already been spent, there are few, if any, deliverables to date.
• Work continues in spite of a vague or ambiguous project charter.
• There are unresolved conflicts regarding the goals and direction of the project.

2. Treating Symptoms Phase

Here’s where folks get in deep: Project managers essentially begin to treat symptoms without realizing that the problems may be interconnected and unresolvable. Treating these symptoms, of course, eats up time and money while doing little to move the project forward. Here’s how to tell if you’re treating symptoms:

• Project-related problems are being addressed in a superficial way.
• As soon as one problem is solved, another emerges.
• Each problem is described as isolated from others and is treated independently.
• Actions taken to solve problems constitute minor adjustments or “quick fixes.”
• Problems are seen as fixable without a need to review or reconsider the project goals or direction.

3. Rationalizing Continuation Phase

At this point, the managers typically try to explain away past troubles, saying the problems have been solved and the path ahead is now clear. Given all the money that’s already been spent, they argue, it would be folly to quit now. They also claim that every other course of action would be worse. Here are the signs that you’re rationalizing continuation:

• Proponents of the project keep coming up with new reasons why it must be completed
• Experts have been enlisted to ‘evaluate’ the project, but they may be motivated to advocate for its completion
• A growing number of people outside the project are raising doubts about the wisdom of continuing it
• As projected costs rise, experts portray the alternatives, and project abandonment, as even more costly or problematic
• Despite growing recognition that the project is in a troubled state, the prevailing assumption is that pressing ahead will eventually bring the project out of the woods.

Learning and Comments: As a Corporate Entrepreneur one has to learn and understand all these stages as projects which are “Black holes” might not help the organizations. A good article to look at and learn from.

-Altaf Hajiyani

Cisco to invest $5million in Middle East fund for enhancement of Information Technology

Link: http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000609595&fid=1725

Story:  Cisco to invest $5m in Palestinian investment fund

Middle East Venture Capital Fund seeks to enhance the information and communication technology sector and creating jobs in the West Bank.

20 December 10 11:55, Shmulik Shelah

Three years after Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) chairman and CEO John Chambers pledged to invest $10 million in the Palestinian Authority, he has won recognition for his efforts. On Friday, he was awarded the Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Cisco’s “efforts to connect the Israeli and Palestinian economies and people, and engaging in initiatives to enhance technical capacity, connectivity and education, as well as creating opportunities for women and youths in Israel and Palestine.”Chambers announced the extension of its existing Palestine commitment with a planned $5 million investment in the Middle East Venture Capital Fund (MEVCF). MEVCF is focused on enhancing the information and communication technology sector and creating jobs in the West Bank by investing and helping to establish export-oriented, high-growth Palestinian high-tech companies.

Cisco’s Palestinian engagement includes engineering project collaboration between Cisco Israeli and Palestinian software development companies Exalt Technologies Ltd., Asal Technologies Ltd., and Global Software Services Inc. (GSSI), venture capital investments in high-potential small businesses throughout the region, and training programs that support the development of high-tech skills.

Cisco has also invested $2.5 million in Nazareth and Nazareth Illit’s digital cities project and the Mediterranean Young Technology Club (MYTecC).

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on December 20, 2010

Comments and Learning: Corporate initiatives like this show that investments can be made in some of the most troubled parts of the world with an intention of creating hope and opportunities for people who live there. This initiative though might work/fail but showing great courage and foresight through this initiative will definitely help Cisco in the long run.

-Altaf Hajiyani

Global Cleantech Leaders gather in Seoul to discuss Cleantechnology trends

Link: http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/10/12/p719844/global-cleantech-leaders-gather-in-seoul-to-discuss-clean-technology-tr

Global Cleantech Leaders Gather in Seoul to Discuss Clean Technology Trends and Korea’s Emerging Leadership Position

Cleantech Group, in partnership with Samho Green Investment, announces successful Cleantech Focus event and intent to jointly provide research and advisory services in the growing Korean cleantech market.

Seoul, Korea and San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 21, 2010

Cleantech Group, the leading global research and advisory firm focused on cleantech innovation, announced its successful Cleantech Focus Korea event, held earlier this month in Seoul, Korea. Building on the momentum of this event and its growing presence in Asia, Cleantech Group will be partnering with Samho Green Investment to jointly serve leading corporations, government agencies, and investors in Korea.

Cleantech Focus Korea convened with the theme “Going Global, Getting Smart” and was held on December 3rd at the Westin Chosun in Seoul, Korea. The event gathered a cross section of some of the world’s leading cleantech investors, corporate executives, and thought leaders to discuss trends driving cleantech adoption and market growth. The day notably began with a keynote presentation by Dr. Soogil Young, the Chairman of Korea’s Presidential Committee on Green Growth, who outlined an expansive agenda of clean technology initiatives being pursued through both government and private sector channels in Korea. Dr. Young leads the Korean Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) which is emerging as an important international think tank on clean economy challenges and opportunities.

The remainder of the day featured leading international investors such as Mu-Shin Kim from the Asian Development Bank, Gabriel Santos from Goldman Sachs, Nicolaus Chaudron from Idinvest Partners, Eric Tao from Keytone Ventures, and the Cleantech Group’s Executive Chairman Nicholas Parker trading perspectives on global cleantech venture trends. Greg Neichin, the Cleantech Group’s Head of Research & Advisory services, delivered a keynote talk on the convergence of cleantech and information technology, a topic that has particular resonance in Korea given the strength of the country’s IT sector.

Building on this successful event, Cleantech Group announced an expansion of its activities in the Korean market. Cleantech Group will be partnering with Samho Green Investment (SGI), a leading venture capital and advisory firm, to deliver cleantech market research and consulting services to clients in Korea. “Fueled by strong government support and committed corporate investment, there is no question that Korea will emerge as a leading global provider of clean technology products and services,” said Cleantech Group President Sheeraz Haji. “As we expand our firm’s presence and relationships throughout Asia, we are thrilled to be working with SGI in Korea.” SGI’s Director of Advisory Services, Michael Paik, who was a featured panelist at the Focus event, expressed similar enthusiasm for the collaboration. “As investors, we are witnessing the rapid growth of the Korean cleantech sector and are excited about the capabilities that the Cleantech Group will bring to firms entering and expanding in this market.”

About Cleantech Group, LLC

Cleantech Group, the leading global research and advisory firm focused on cleantech innovation, pioneered the clean technology category in 2002. Today, it helps its clients make critical business decisions by providing the latest market intelligence through subscription-based research, custom advisory services, and global networking events. The company’s growing international client base includes global corporations, investors, entrepreneurs, governments, and service providers. The company also produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ events worldwide, including upcoming events in San Francisco & Amsterdam. Details are available at http://www.cleantech.com.

Comments and Learning: Cleantech is thought and believed to be like the IT of the 21st century, the cleantech group is partnering and offering many forums all around the world to crete awareness, understanding, opportunities, and hence new markets for Cleantech related markets and services. This deal clearly shows that trend. Also, one must keep in mind that this industry is not going to be focused just in US or Europe but Asia especially China, Korea and India will pounce on it because of their technology and IT poweress. Therefore as a corporate entrepreneur (and if USA is thought to be a corporate entrepreneur for a second) it has to smell this golden opportunity and throw its weight behind this industry.

-Altaf Hajiyani

China Mobile, Microsoft Reach Cloud Computing Agreement

China Mobile and Microsoft have reached a deal to jointly promote the application of cloud computing technologies.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed by the two parties, China Mobile and Microsoft will start cloud computing cooperation in various fields, including technology, marketing and services. Their cooperation will cover cloud computing; construction of optimized channels; joint marketing; comprehensive corporate information solutions; optimized support and operation management; mobile phone terminals; future technology development and industry standards; and energy saving initiatives.

Prior to this, both companies have tapped into the cloud computing field. In May 2010, China Mobile launched the 1.0 system of its cloud computing service, along with five products based on the system. Microsoft also launched its cloud computing solutions and services.

Li Zhengmao, vice president of China Mobile, said that the strategic cooperation relationship with Microsoft will help China Mobile improve its information service ability. No financial details of this deal have been released.

http://www.chinatechnews.com/2010/12/22/12899-china-mobile-microsoft-reach-cloud-computing-agreement

Comments and Learning:  Microsoft would definitely be very happy with this as it gives them access to one  of the largest and difficult markets (in terms of government policy and regulation, remember that facebook, youtube and some other companies are banned in China). Whereas for China Mobile, Microsoft is a global technology giant which can help them in creating best possible solutions and be a market leader in China.

-Altaf Hajiyani

Case study: Wawa- Building a new business within an established firm

In 1994, Wawa food market chain neared the end of its first century. And how it could continuous grow through the second hundred years? Through the type of convenient store and customer habit was changing, Wawa applies new strategy to fight with – enter gasoline retailing. What is more, without acquisition, the firm’s unique culture was central to its success. Also, product quality, customer service, employee commitment make Wawa be the “different” convenient store. But, the question now was “Which path to grow”?

Year: 1994

Goal: To keep company continuing to grow in the second hundred year despite the changing environment.

Result: Wawa decided to add gasoline retailing combined with its food convenient store. The CEO reviewed the QuikTrip’s business plan and the process details which are necessary to run an integrated gasoline and convenient store in order to more understand this type of integrated store. What is more, Wawa evolved customer needs and competitive pressures from new entrants and create a team to implement the program. In June 1996, Wawa opened its first integrated food and gasoline store in Middleboro, Delaware and it was kind of success.  

Grade: B

Lesson Learned: (1). Always thinking how to move on for the next step. (2). Understanding the recent market trend (3). Not afraid of trying new strategy.

Shau-Pei Huang