Category
In the News
A fascinating short video here from the FT Business and Automotive team which considers how modern cars have become highly sophisticated pieces of technology - and how further technological change...
Teenage Traders at the Teenage Market
A great story here from the Guardian explaining the rise of street-trading markets designed specifically for teenage entrepreneurs!
The costs of operating an airline are largely fixed. It broadly costs the same to fly whether a plane is packed with passengers or half-empty. All of which means that capacity utilisation is a key...
Uber and the Unions - Are Drivers Employees?
A UK trade union is taking legal action against Uber claiming that Uber's drivers in the UK are not provided with key employment protection, including the payment of minimum wages and health &...
Starbucks Failed $100m Takeover - Was It Really a Failure?
Three years ago, back in the summer of 2012, Starbucks announced a takeover of a small bakery chain based in San Francisco - La Boulange.
Niche v Mass Market: UK Burger Wars
Is there a layer missing in a Big Mac? No, not another layer of cheese or salad. A layer of authenticity or customisation that helps differentiate the burger product, adding more value for the...
On average each household in the UK spends £1,200 each year on energy. For the poorest households energy costs are around 10% of total spending. So it might come as an unpleasant surprise for...
Financial Motivation: Tesco's Turnaround Bonus
How important are financial methods of motivation when it comes to encouraging staff to work together to achieve strategic and organisational change?Dave Lewis, the CEO of Tesco, believes that they...
The recent strike on the London Underground perhaps inevitably caused a spike in market demand for taxis. The tubes were closed, the busses full (including the Thames river boats too). Hundreds of...
Apple - Is Tim Cook's Span of Control Getting Too Wide?
How wide should a CEO's span of control be? How many senior managers should report directly to Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. This recent article suggests that Tim's span of control is growing and...
If your business plan requires operations to supply up to 100 million units for an important product launch, then effective capacity management is pretty vital.That's the case for Apple which is...
Microsoft and Porter's Generic Strategies: Failed Takeover Leads to Focus, Focus, Focus
What a fantastic example to help illustrate Porter's generic strategies in action. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has written to Microsoft staff to explain the strategic rationale behind a decision...
New Leadership Skills Required at Barclays
After three years at the helm, Antony Jenkins has been fired as CEO of Barclays. The Board have decided it's time for a change having disagreed with Jenkins' strategy, particularly the pace of...
What Does $18bn of Profit Look Like?
This short video from the BBC is a great way to illustrate the scale of the profits made by Apple - currently the world's most profitable business.
Delayering at the BBC
A topical and excellent example of the concept of delayering in the news this week as the BBC announced substantial job losses as part of a strategy of cost control aimed at also improving the...
Ikea, Ansoff's Matrix and Meatballs in Norwich
Ikea's growth strategy for the UK provides a great way to illustrate the power of Ansoff's Matrix and how it links with corporate objectives!
Taylor Swift Meets Michael Porter's Five Forces
You've got to love and admire Taylor Swift. Has there been a better example of the bargaining power of suppliers than Taylor's recent, short-lived dispute with Apple over a proposed royalty-free...
The disruptive force that is Uber
It is estimated that Uber will generate over $10billion by the end of this year. Five years since it was launched in San Fransisco, the driver and passenger matching service has over a million...
Pure Gym agrees takeover with LA Fitness
In a class example of horizontal integration in the competitive market for fitness gyms and health clubs, Pure Gym has made an agreed bid for LA Fitness in a deal that will make it the biggest...
Tragedy and Contingency Planning - Thomas Cook Struggle
In 2006 Bobby and Christi Shepherd, who were aged just 6 and 7, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Corfu hotel during a holiday sold by Thomas Cook. The holiday firm had no direct...