Posts by: Tim J. Smith, PhD
Thales SA and Panasonic Corp. have recently begun marketing Wi-Fi-enabled iPad in-flight entertainment systems alongside traditional wired and seatback entertainment systems. Does handing out iPads to passengers and going Wi-Fi make sense for other airlines or is this a frivolous luxury for the elite that commoners will never see? A modeling of the Exchange Value can determine.
More“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all…
MoreAs Mark Hurd, co-president of Oracle re-emerges on the public stage, we see him once again focusing on the sales force. Within Oracle’s sales force, he has changed job descriptions, reporting structures, compensation plans, staff size, and corporate routines in a stated effort to improve revenue and profits. But what principles guide his sales-force design? Is he a sales-force master architect or a tinkerer that will destroy Oracle’s revenue?
MoreFine. Life sucks and then you die. Get over it. Be happy. Do your work. Any executive can blame a bad market…
MoreCharting a winning corporate strategy is rarely an easy task, and 2012 has been particularly difficult for executive decision-making. Yet difficult times do not get executives off the hook for poor performance. A case in point: Sears is floundering while Target is advancing. What is driving the significant divergence in performance between these two competitors? Is a role reversal possible in the next 18 months?
MoreHow do you know you have a bad (unprofitable) customer (also known as a leech)? Look for one of these known telltale…
MoreThis fall, Nike is rumored to be launching the above $300 LeBron X Nike Plus basketball shoes. What was expected to be a highly promising product launch has morphed into a management and political quagmire regarding its high price, potential violence, and target market abuse. What should Nike do?
MoreAccording to Young & Rubicam’s BAV measures, the four pillars of brand value are Knowledge, Relevance, Esteem, and Differentiation. On which of…
MoreTrust is central to business relationships, that most everyone would agree. But what exactly does trust mean? What are the dimensions of trust? How related are trust and decisions? And, more to the point for this journal, how does trust affect customer purchase decisions?
More“Taking a defensive position can, at best, only limit losses. And we need gains.” Peter Drucker, HBR, (1961). Core values drives performance. …
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