Across the Board interviews Richard Foster, co-author of the book, "Creative Destruction", who offers up some interesting analysis and advice for companies to stay at the top of their game.

A recent study of US IPOs from 1986 through early 2000, conducted by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, found that "new economy" firms that promoted the use of non-financial measures did worse when evaluated by those same measures. This compounds their well-documented failure to provide meaningful financial returns and confirms the importance of identifying, measuring, and disclosing appropriate intangible value drivers.

Furthermore, the study found that the factors driving IPO success have stayed relatively constant over time and are strongly connected to intangibles such as good management practices, rather than based only upon the promise of new technology. In addition, the results of the CGEY study run counter to many other popular perceptions about the size and age of companies that conduct IPOs.

Forbes takes a comprehensive look at pay and performance of the top 501 CEOs in 2002. Includes charts and related articles, including one titled 'Keep Your CEO Out Of Grad School'.

Marketers repeat their message because up to a certain point, repeated exposures to the message can lead to favorable impressions of the brand. Professor Prashant Malaviya examines the amount and type of ad repetition that would lead to a desired impact level.

We tag along as an expert networker demonstrates the art of the schmooze.

How closely related are organizational learning and indoctrination? This Harvard Business Review interview with one of the founding fathers of the field of organizational psychology, Ed Schein, reveals the darker side of organizational learning.

If you answered "False," you may need Unicru's smart-assessment program -- a fast-paced, real-time screening system that quickens your hiring process, improves your hit ratio, and boosts your employee-retention rate. And that's the truth.

Note: CEO Refresher articles are no longer free...

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Tools and the important steps to take to improve communications for increased productivity.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Conventional wisdom is correct in recognising that poorly implemented M&As are risky, but the strategic value of successful acquisitions is underestimated. This article outlines elements of successful acquisitions by analysing the five preacquisition strategies and six post-acquisition strategies.

Note: Darwin Magazine is now dead. Some articles are moving to CIO. I will try to update the links when I have time...

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"Adam Couture, an analyst at Gartner in Stamford, Conn., reports that worldwide storage capacity will skyrocket from 283,000 terabytes in 2000 to more than 5 million terabytes by 2005. When it comes to data, one terabyte-that's a one with 12 zeros after it-holds the equivalent of 50,000 trees' worth of printed material. And 5 million terabytes, well, let's just say that companies like yours will be buying an awful lot of storage. So, suppress that yawn and keep reading. You'll learn why storage needs have soared, how you can make smart purchasing decisions and the reasons behind some big changes rumbling in the storage industry. Believe us, your budget will thank you."

It is now more than ever that businesses must look to their customers. Ask them what they want, what they need. Listen to them. Perhaps it's finally time to ask those 75 painful questions about your customer service.

Despite difficulties, it is generally believed that within a decade, Smartcard technology will be all-pervasive. You can examine the future possibilities after reading this technical note. How will the banks, transaction clearing houses and their gateways to join hands and establish a system that does not compromise on security? And once they make even cash obsolete, where will the competition be?

Myriad factors can make or break a deal, according to Harvard Business School professor James K. Sebenius. As he explains in this excerpt from Harvard Business Review, the "web of influence" in many countries is more important than meets the eye.

The marketing excesses of the past few years left broken pieces scattered across the branding landscape. As a result, many companies are left with bogged-down, boring -- even dying and dead -- brands. Now take a look at your brand: Do you know what's broken? Do you know how to fix it?

"Though many academic methods (decision aid tools) exist, few actually reach the audience they need to reach because of the barrier between academic and business languages, as well as the ability to produce workable and usable tools. This article summarizes what I believe are the methodologies most used in Business, and some of the tools that are commercially available."


Editor's Note: Especially interesting is the table summarizing the methodologies most used in Business (link to the table is found on page 4 of the article). Tools discusses include:
AHP - Analytic Hierarchy Process
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Bayesian Loss Functions
Bayesian Nets
Bayesian Belief Networks
Business Rules
Cognitive Mapping
Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)
Data Flow Diagrams
Decision Tree
Fuzzy Logic
Neural Nets
Multiattribute Utility Value (MAV)

Note: CEO Refresher articles are no longer free...

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Should you comment? If so, what should you say? About what should you be cautious?

You've handed out stacks of business cards, called all your contacts, and mailed reams of cover letters. Guess what, pal: So has everybody else. That's why we've asked the pros for networking tips and tricks that'll help you leave the name-tag-wearing, resumé-waving hordes in the dust.

"To a non-profit organization, the brand is perhaps the most important asset they have. Many corporations actually carry the worth of the brand on their balance sheets; for example, the Coca-Cola* brand is said to be worth $13 billion. However, non-profits are often at a disadvantage when it comes to branding. After all, they don't have the deep pockets of corporations who can afford to hire brand specialists, nor do they have staffers whose job is to protect the integrity of the brand, and promoting it at every turn. But successful branding of the charity can have a great effect on the awareness and fundraising of the charity and its mission. If you have built and promoted the brand well, it is like having an introduction in the person's mind, or having a door opened. A strong brand creates trust and builds recognition, which can - properly managed - be parlayed into affinity, loyalty, and a relationship."

An interesting summary and framework for the issues that arose from a group gathering at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young's Center for Business Innovation to discuss "missing markets." The paper offers a systematic method for identifying missing markets, analyzing what would be required to provide those markets, and evaluating the consequences.

Institutions spend $50 billion a year selecting stocks. Here's how to tap their knowledge for free.

In doing research for their book Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras had to toss out old frameworks and build new ones, sometimes from the ground up. It took six years. But it was worth every minute. Here are a dozen common myths that were shattered during the course of their research.

Though of most practical use to network administrators, this article provides an excellent look at what kind of network documentation your company should have. It also provides a good very high level look at the seven-layer OSI Reference Model.

Note: download the documentation outline from the TechRepublic site (see article) or from the MBA Depot file vault at:
http://www.mbadepot.com/vault/vault.php?ID=118

The amorphous term "Web services" has a lot of people confused. What exactly does it mean? Here's one explanation that should help you sort it out and decide how to put Web services to use for your organization.

Do you need a fresh start on creativity? Stanford professor Robert Sutton is a unique voice with an urgent message about how to generate and capitalize on new ideas.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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A recent study of firms in the Netherlands shows that regional differences still influence the sourcing strategies of European-based firms. The results also turn the tables on the ‘globalisation pundits' who link international sourcing with higher profits.