business strategy | Cooler Insights

Ways to Embrace a Kinder Economy

February 3, 2012 • Blog • no comments

Patagonia is the new yardstick for ethical and social businesses (image from Fortune Magazine)

Of late, I hear a common clarion call amongst leading thinkers for companies to pursue a more humane, ethical and sustainable business strategy. These proclamations allude to the fact that the current system of profit and GDP growth at all costs is broken, and that a more holistic and considered approach is needed.

The first is renowned management guru Michael Porter, who urged companies to adopt shared values when crafting their business strategies. Porter cites that the capitalist system which much of the industrial age economy is built on has been the cause of much social, environmental and economic woes, with companies (and their leaders) prospering at the expense of the rest of humanity.

The Rise and Fall of Kodak – an Imaging Icon

February 1, 2012 • Business and Management • no comments

You can still buy Kodak Film these days! Source of image

Do you know that Kodak went through bankruptcy proceedings and have re-emerged?

Repositioned as a technology company focused on imaging for business, Kodak is a far cry from its halcyon years. Today, its main business segments are Digital Printing & Enterprise and Graphics, Entertainment & Commercial Films.

Interviewing Crystal Jade’s Chairman Ip Yiu Tung

January 16, 2012 • Business and Management • no comments

Crystal Jade Golden Palace in The Paragon (courtesy of Crystal Jade)

In the restaurant-eat-restaurant world of F&B, few local brands have stood up as clearly as Crystal Jade, one of the market leaders in Singapore.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary last year with a refreshing of its identity that involved extensive refurbishments at its restaurants, Crystal Jade enjoyed a turnover of S$240 million in 2010.

Three Ways to be Truly Great

January 11, 2012 • Business and Management • no comments

Can you compete with the above brands on scale, distribution and price? (image source)

In the world of consumer businesses, there are probably three main ways to differentiate yourself from the hoi polloi.

These form the basis of virtually all forms of competition in marketing.

The Wal-Mart Effect: Book Review

January 9, 2012 • Book Reviews • no comments

What secrets does mega-retailer Walmart hold? Is low-price retailing always good for the customer or does it exert other insidious impacts on one’s lifestyles?

The answer to those questions and more are answered in the bestselling book “The Wal-Mart Effect” authored by award winning editor of Fast Company Charles Fishman. Leaving no stone unturned, Fishman’s highly readable volume dived deeply into the massive impact exerted by Walmart, and paints a sobering and sordid picture of its true influence.

Why Saying Sorry Matters in Business

December 28, 2011 • Public Relations • 1 comment

BP Former CEO Tony Hayward’s Apology came too little too late (courtesy of Infinite Unknown)

Recently, everybody in Singapore has been talking about the spate of SMRT train delays and breakdowns in December. Numerous netizens have called for extreme measures to be taken, including the resignation of the CEO, granting of free rides to commuters, andother actions to be taken.

As an aftermath of the incidents, we learnt that the CEO Saw Phaik Hwa has apologised soon after the incidents. The SMRT Board has also apologised for them, and has commissioned a committee led by NTUC Dy Sec Gen Ong Ye Kung to look into the matter. Separately, the Government is also investigating the incidents as part of a formal Committee Of Inquiry.

This Is How You Achieve Breakthrough Creativity

December 21, 2011 • Business and Management • no comments

Designed by Freepik

Can creativity ever be managed? Shouldn’t it be a spontaneous process that happens when you suddenly encounter a flash of brilliance?

How can you be creative if you are working in a role that undervalues creativity, like a lawyer, accountant or a vehicle mechanic?

Why Leaders Should Embrace a Higher Calling

December 9, 2011 • Blog • no comments

Michael Beer (courtesy of Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute)

To rise above the vagaries of the uncertain economy, what should companies do? How can they manage the wrath of Wall Street and the severe backlash of a liquidity crunch?

Well according to Michael Beer from Harvard Business School, the answer is that companies should embrace a higher purpose. In an excellent podcast from HBR Ideacast, Beer shares some of the characteristics of these firms and the leadership styles that they embody.

December 7, 2011 • Book Reviews • 2 comments

Gary Vaynerchuk has been “crushing” it ever since he was a teenager helping out in his family’s wine business. And his latest book shows how he does it.

Written by the straight-talking serial entrepreneur and founder of Winelibrary.com, The Thank You Economy presents a no-holds-barred approach to how businesses can leverage on the power of social media.

Tag: business strategy