The Growth Imperative 
By: Clayton Christensen

• "Financial markets relentlessly pressure executives to grow and keep growing faster and faster. Is it possible to succeed with this mandate? Don’t the innovations that can satisfy investors’ demands for growth require taking risks that are unacceptable to those same investors? Is there a way out of this dilemma?"

Life is not fair definitely applies in this case.  I don't envy the pressure the executives are under to meet the demands of the share-holders.  It takes real intestinal fortitude to survive and hopefully thrive in their position.  Of course they are well compensated for the pressure they are under, so no sympathy here.  UTC has managed to stay in the game for decades and I believe part of their success is attributed to the fact that they don't have all their eggs in one basket and continue to adjust their business acquisitions to better position themselves in the market.  They have their core business units which give them their constancy and capitol value and they have a set of smaller business venture type units which they "play" with in the stock market.  They are taking a risk right now with their latest acquisition of  Goodrich.  We'll see how this plays out in the long term.


UTC has also invested heavily in off-shore markets which gives them leverage and makes them more competitive.  All that being said, they are not too big or successful to fail and therefore must always be on the look-out for dangers and opportunities looking forward.  Timing is as critical as selection when it comes to investments and decisions to sell off divisions.  So far, they've proven themselves successful.

Blog topic for week of March 21, 2012

Estimating market size depends on four different cuts of market data: 
(Discuss with respect to your team's new business)

(1) demand
 Our product is Java Fix Stix which are basically a convenient way to add creamer/sweetener/flavor to a cup of coffee with one simple straw-like container.  With today's busy society where everyone's always in a hurry, any product that adds convenience and time savings to life, is a good bet.  Just as the Keurig revolutionized the customized single cup of brewed coffee in the home and workplace/office, so will Java Fix Stix revolutionize the coffee station with a cleaner, quicker one-step way to add ingredients and stir your cup of java.


(2) addressable market
Our plan is to launch the product here in the North East and basically cater to the on-the-go coffee crowd.  This could be at the local convenience store, at the office or at home.


(3) realistic opportunities vs competition
 Realistically speaking, there are current products such as International Delights and Coffee-Mate which make similar single serving containers, but they are bulky not as customized, not all made with real dairy and none that come with a convenient stir as part of the package.  Like the Keurig, we believe people are willing to pay for the convenience and customized ingredients which are color-coded for easy identification of YOUR particular mixture.


(4) targeted selection of "winnable" market opportunities. 
 If we can develop a formula that tastes better than the current products out there, I believe we can win over a good many consumers that use International Delights and Coffee-mate products.

Generation C and the Entrepenuer

The article bellow came from WNPR and generated all kinds of ideas in my head with respect to entrepreneurship.  This is an interesting market sector that warrants some thought as to what appeals to this group, how to best reach them, and mostly, how to get their attention amidst the constant barge of electronic communication and advertisement.  I know when I'm on the internet and these "annoying" advertisements pop up all over the screen, slowing down my experience (yes, I have a slow DSL ISP) the last thing I want to do is respond to it in a positive way.  My point is; these "popups" don't generally work.  What does interest me,  is if I'm on a page and it suggests things similar to what my normal interest are based on my history.  My Amazon account is very efficient at this and will show be books similar to the ones I've recently viewed or purchased.  I don't have a smart phone yet, but I do wonder if this type of advertisement will annoy me on my phone.  I prefer to inquire when interested rather than have it forced upon me.  It sure does change the traditional marketing experience we've experienced in the past.  Does any one feel strongly about privacy issues or annoyances?

Kai Ryssdal: And the word of the day this Friday is Generation C. C as in Connected. The folks at Nielsen came up with it to describe 18- to 34-year-olds -- those that are, Nielsen says, truly connected in the digital sense.

We went to the campus of George Washington University today in our nation's capital to see what some of the newly-minted Gen C-ers think about how they're being labeled.

    The C could stand for Generation of Consumers. You know, that's the first thing that comes to my mind.

    I don't know that I think that Generation C is a good way to categorize us. I mean, everyone is more connected now. My grandparents on Facebook, so...

    We as a generation are clearly not labeling ourselves as anything.

    Narrowing it down to Generation C and calling us all this one thing is about as thin as the connections that we have on things like Facebook and Twitter.

So deep thoughts from a college campus. Nielsen is in the business of measuring things. Trying to quantify our lives, whether it's what we're watching on television or how connected we are, so it kind of makes sense for them to come up with a term like Gen C. But what use is it really

Week 4 (02/08/2012) Creative Abrasion
What is creative abrasion?  I never realized there was an actual name to describe this type of creative development.  I really enjoyed reading the article by Katharine Meiszkowski titled “Opposites Attract:”.  It was a unique approach to be sure, and I can certainly appreciate the logic behind the concept of pitting two diametrically apposed individuals against each other in order to capture the entire spectrum of possibilities.

I believe when in a start-up setting, this is a great idea since you really need to look at all the possibilities and identify what attributes really bring out the strengths in your business and bring your concepts to the forefront of the current market.  Ultimately there will be “marriage” of both concepts which will likely place you in an ideal position to stand out among the existing competition.  

With respect to an intraperneurship setting this paradigm can also work quite nicely especially when trying to break out of a stale rut a lot of established companies find themselves in.  It’s a great way to brainstorm and get some fresh ideas kicking around.  It can stimulate new ways of looking at things and awaken creative thinking.

Strategy and the Internet
It is interesting how although the Internet has had a dramatic effect on how business is conducted, the basic forces Micheal Porter identified still apply.  

Rivalry among existing competitors has become more fierce since comparison shopping is only a mouse click away and with that ease of comparison comes price competition.  Differentiation has also become more difficult as competitors have easy access to your product and can quickly become fast followers.

The treat of substitutions has also been amplified since everything changes so rapidly and can instantly be launched on the Internet for the whole world to see.

Bargaining power of suppliers has taken on an entirely new concept due to the transparency of the Internet.  Suppliers can now reach consumers directly which can increase their profit margin and on the flip side, competing suppliers can easily adjust to pricing and products since they have access to the competitors website.
Barriers to entry are greatly reduced thanks to all the Internet technology and minimum capitol investments of bricks-and-mortar facilities, staffing, and physical assets.

Buyers have the corner on the market, as they can determine where the best prices are and whether items are in stock and how soon they can be delivered.  The bottom line is: The business with the best customer service overall will come out a winner.  

With the advent of the Internet,  “If you snooze you loose”.  In order to remain competitive, you have to carefully monitor the market and be ready to adjust to its constant state of flux.  Keeping that cutting edge is hard work and the ability to see changes coming and be ready to move on new technologies and products, is the key to staying ahead of the competition. 

Week 3 Blog (February 1, 2012)
-Discuss the pros and cons of "first mover advantage" and your position on whether being the first mover is an advantage.

First Mover Advantage can be a good thing if your plan is well developed and you can hit the ground running.  It allows you to build a loyal customer base and get them accustomed  to your product and style.  Once invested in your product, it will be less desirable for your customers to start over with a new product line and 'waste' all the original capitol they invested in your product.  An example would be, once you own a PC and have made substantial investments in the product, it's hard to justify switching to the Apple product line since little if any of your PC hardware will be compatible with Apple.

However, if you are not sufficiently prepared to launch a new product to market and delight your customers, it can easily become a springboard for your competition to take your idea and refine it into a better product, thus essentially stealing the market out from under you.

SOPA/PIPA

Where's the Wiki?  Wow!  Lots of reactions about copyrights and the web.  It's an interesting time to be alive, that's for sure!  The implications of this type of censorship are very scary.  On the flip side, it's also frustrating for the artists etc. to have their work pirated.  Let's hope a better resolution can be reached than randomly shutting down sights and stifling information sharing.