Posts by: Tim J. Smith, PhD
In October of 2010, Intel Corp. took an unexpected move by granting Achronix Semiconductor Corp. access to its most advanced foundry to produce field programmable gate array (FPGA) chips. Xilinx Inc. and Altera Corp. currently dominate the FPGA industry. How serious of a threat is Intel’s move to the historic industry cohorts? More specifically, will this move harm industry profits as competition heats up? And, how should executives and investors react?
MoreMost of us accept that if we go to a convenience store to buy groceries late at night, the price of many of the items will be more than if we bought them at a major grocery chain during regular hours. Yet when it comes to operating our businesses, many of us are not convinced that cost has no bearing on price.
More“Strategy is about defining what you won’t do more than what you will do” Michael Porter Prospect: Who is in the market,…
MoreSince its launch in 2008, Groupon has generated a storm interest. Positively featured in numerous news articles, news broadcasts, and even a few academic postings, but not every business working with Groupon reports satisfaction. Some are complaining of high expenses that brought few new customers.
So which is Groupon: goldmine, tar pit, or some niche in between?
MoreWhere is the creative destruction when you need it? Acknowledge the faults. Identify the goal. Define the path. Create buy-in. Execute. Job…
MoreImagine, your executive just read an article that said she can expect at least a 1% improvement in her bottom line profit if she introduces a pricing initiative. Now, she wants to know what steps you will follow to create a new pricing function with the goals of implementing value based pricing and stopping margin leakage. What resources do you need to be successful and where do you focus first?
MoreThe Wall Street Journal has reported that Proctor & Gamble Co.’s new CEO, Robert McDonald, is “slashing prices” and warns of an impending price war in the branded consumer packaged good (CPG) industry. Yet, Mr. McDonald states, “In my mind there’s not a price war going on.” Is the Wall Street Journal guilty of hyperbole or is Mr. McDonald blithe to the profit destruction of price cuts?
MoreJim Berger’s latest (9th) intellectual property survey article (July, 2010 Intellectual Property Today) focuses on a newly developed hybrid telephone/Internet survey technique.…
More“Grilling, broiling, barbecuing – whatever you want to call it – is an art, not just a matter of building a pyre…
MoreHow much is a brand worth? For Rick Norsigian, a garage sale hunter and public school building painter, it represents the difference between a $45 set of nice glass negative plates and a rare $200 MM find of Ansel Adams’ art.
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