Knowledge@Emory -- Innovation and Entrepeneurship

Understanding the Innovative Power of Play

Wed, 13 May 2009 16:56:54 EST

In the new book The Red Rubber Ball at Work: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play, author and consultant Kevin Carroll discusses the innovative power behind play. In a recent interview with Goizueta Business School's Knowledge@Emory, Carroll notes that what we learn in childhood—to be spontaneous, resourceful and full of imagination—offers us lifelong lessons for creativity and problem solving at work.

Why Innovation Will Revive the Tech Sector

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:26:10 EST

With estimates of more than 300,000 jobs lost in the tech industry, will innovation suffer? According to faculty at Emory University's Goizueta Business School the recession's impact on the industry will be painful in the short-term, but will produce the type of innovative products consumers have come to depend on. The difference, faculty experts say, is that entrepreneurs and upstarts will likely overtake better known stalwarts of the industry.

Malcolm Gladwell�s Latest Tome Delves into the Hidden Causes of Success

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:49:14 EST

In the new book Outliers: The Story of Success, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, well known for his top selling tomes The Tipping Point and Blink, doesn’t dispute the role of smarts, talent and drive in making the most extraordinary and successful people stand out from the pack. Instead, the author contends that people underestimate the more overwhelming role of hidden advantage--those things the individual has nothing to do with, such as year of birth, family connections, access to resources and special training--in making software billionaires, leading entrepreneurs, and world renowned musicians tops in their given field.

Emory�s Clifton Partnership Aids Business, Community, and the Environment

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:33:12 EST

At a time when high energy costs and a crumbled credit market are spurring local, state and federal governments to tighten their belts in a bid to contain costs, a unique partnership between Emory University and the surrounding Atlanta neighborhood promises to have a positive impact on the school, the community, and the environment.

In the Mood: Exploring Managerial Creativity and Intuition as Sources of Competitive Advantage

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:05:35 EST

Many factors drive a company’s performance, not the least of which are entrepreneurial creativity and managerial effectiveness. In two papers recently presented at the fifth annual Atlanta Competitive Advantage Conference (ACAC) at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, U.S. and Australian faculty presented their research on the effects of group mood and managerial mental models on creative and structural dynamics, offering strategies for enhanced business success. Among the findings? Managerial creativity and intuition are not easily copied and thus provide a distinct source of competitive advantage.

Why Innovation and a Customer Focus Can Drive Revenue and Profits

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:49:28 EST

“All too often, managers decide on a business strategy—what markets to pursue and what products to make—then turn to innovation to support it. This is the wrong way around,” contends A.G. Lafley, the chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble. “Innovation needs to be put at the center of the business in order to choose the right goals and business strategy and make how-to-win choices.” Lafley, along with business consultant and best-selling author Ram Charan, expound on this theme in their new book The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation. The book offers insights from Charan’s work with business clients and highlights P&G’s turnaround and the customer-is boss focus that Lafley stresses helped turn the consumer marketing giant around. Placing the consumer at the center “delivers sustained organic growth and profits,” the authors assert.

Will High Gasoline Prices Spur Innovation?

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:19:17 EST

With oil now at $124 a barrel and the average price of a gallon of gas $3.65, frustrated American consumers are looking for answers. As the political candidates scramble for solutions, Ray Hill, an adjunct professor of finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, takes a less alarmist view of higher oil prices. Hill, who holds a doctorate in economics from MIT and spent ten years as CFO of Mirant Corporation, an Atlanta-based U.S. electricity supplier, has seen prices shift before and believes that market forces, rather than price caps or mandated investments in alternative energy sources, will produce the most beneficial results.

The �Marketnomics� Difference: A Handy Tool for Maximizing Product Value

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:53:49 EST

In a recent interview, Charles F. Goetz, adjunct professor of organization and management and distinguished lecturer in entrepreneurship at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, explains “Marketnomics,” the analytical tool he developed that uses a combination of primary market research and calculus to quantify and prioritize the value customers are likely to place on a company’s list of product features and benefits. The result is product offerings with substantially greater perceived value at no additional cost to the business.

Want to Become a TV or Film Producer? Better Learn the Art of Making a Deal

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:06:43 EST

“There are a gazillion great ideas out there, but it comes down to who you can get to buy into your product,” says Tracey Baker-Simmons, the co-owner of Atlanta-based B2 Entertainment Studios LLC who has produced such shows as “Being Bobby Brown.” Baker-Simmons shared her expertise with students at Emory and its Goizueta Business School during a new seminar entitled, “The Business of Producing for Film and Television.” In addition to learning how to pitch their ideas and the finer points of negotiating a deal and managing a budget, students came to realize a truth Baker-Simmons continually stressed, “this industry is 80% business and 20% creative.”

Steve Wozniak on Apple, Steve Jobs and the Value of a Good Prank

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:06:31 EST

Steve Wozniak, or "Woz" as he is commonly called, is best known for co-founding Apple along with high school friend Steve Jobs. But Wozniak didn't set out to establish one of the world's most influential computer companies. His goal early in life was to be an engineer and a lifelong employee of Hewlett Packard -- and to have enough spare time to tinker with electronic gadgets. Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Wozniak on a wide range of topics, including: his relationship with Steve Jobs, artificial intelligence, companies he admires in addition to Apple, the state of education in the U.S. and his upcoming appearances on Kathy Griffin's television show, "My Life on the D List."

How Profit and Brand Recognition are Redefining the Toy Industry

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:27:42 EST

Move Over Mr. Potato Head. Today, big manufacturers and retailers care much less about a toy’s imaginative possibilities than its automation and its licensing tie-ins. According to Eric Clark, author of The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for America’s Youngest Consumers,” increasingly toy manufacturers see themselves as entertainment companies and “their toys as entertainment or lifestyle properties–the books, TV series, and movies are not purely to sell more toys but rather to enhance and reinforce the brand.” While this may bode well for marketers, Clark, an investigative journalist, strips the veneer off the industry for a peek at what goes on behind the fancy packaging. Well-written, engaging and thoughtful, The Real Toy Story describes an industry that has almost ceased to be fun.

A Serial Entrepreneur on the Fundamentals of Building a Successful Business

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:27:42 EST

Building a successful new business is no easy task. It’s fraught with problems over sales, capitalization, and poor management, says Charles F. Goetz, adjunct professor of organization and management and a distinguished lecturer in entrepreneurship at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He and Michael E. Axelrod, a serial small business investor and Goizueta guest lecturer, have penned a new book titled The Great Entrepreneurial Divide: The Winning Tactics of Successful Entrepreneurs & Why Everyone Else Fails to help entrepreneurs and business owners cope with these hurdles.

For UPS, Delivering Solutions Is Key to Its Growth and Success

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:45:34 EST

UPS is supposed to be celebrating 100 years of success. Instead, the company is doing what it is famous for: reexamining its past and contemplating its future to see what can be fixed. �That�s typical for UPS, because for that company it is about the journey not the destination,� says Sundar Bharadwaj, a professor of marketing at Emory University�s Goizueta Business School. Faculty at Goizueta explore the company�s strategy, culture, and challenges.

What Can Business Learn from Potter Mania?

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:26:28 EST

Thought-provoking Tomes Tops Faculty Favorites

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:12:21 EST

This year�s listing of recommended books by faculty at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School reads like much of the business headlines. From a look at why so many well-meaning international aid programs go wrong to a primate expert�s theories about why human beings turn out the way they do, the faculty�s offerings are guaranteed to stimulate thought, even as you turn off the BlackBerry and spread on the suntan lotion.

Is Small Business the Future of America?

Wed, 09 May 2007 20:54:59 EST

Think Small. This slogan launched the Volkswagen Beetle back when Americans drove tanks with fins and it might well be the slogan of small business today. Small businesses often look a bit insignificant next to the Hummers of the Fortune 500, but like the Beetle, small business actually has economics on its side: it�s the bugs of the business world that are creating the most jobs. Faculty from Emory University and its Goizueta Business School explore the strengths and challenges of small business in the U.S.

Exploring the Ways World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:02:16 EST

Can the companies we don�t just like but love profit from catering to the needs of its customers and employees? Yes, say the authors of Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose. The new book by Jagdish Sheth, a chaired professor of marketing and a corporate strategist at Emory University�s Goizueta Business School, and co-authors, Rajendra Sisodia and David Wolfe, outlines how firms that are concerned about all of their stakeholders, naturally have to be innovative, and in this process not only gain a competitive advantage but are profitable as well.

How John Wood Left Microsoft to Change the World -- through Books (Including His Own)

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 21:38:53 EST

In 1998, Microsoft executive John Wood decided to take a rare and hard-won vacation. He started out trekking in Nepal and ended up establishing a foundation, Room to Read, which has created nearly 3,000 libraries in the developing world and stocked them with more than one million books. His experiences are chronicled in a recently-published book that offers his corporate-based perspective on how to raise money, market the product, leverage relationships and, ultimately, maximize results.

Helping Businesswomen Gain Leadership in International Trade

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 21:38:53 EST

Women are uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in international trade, one of the fastest growing business sectors. But just setting up a website is not enough, notes Jeffrey Rosensweig, a professor of finance at Emory University�s Goizueta Business School. Rosensweig spoke to a packed audience at the International Alliance of Women�s day-long event on Business and Trade Mission held recently in Atlanta. To succeed, Rosensweig advised the packed audience, requires an essential set of skills or �multifunctional literacy� that includes competence in information technology, fluency in languages and, �perhaps most important of all,� interpersonal literacy, that is, the ability to communicate and to get along well with others. This is a skill, he notes, at which many women excel.

How Women Leaders at Niche Publications Carve Out Territory in the Competitive World of Magazine Publishing

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:17:35 EST

For women seeking the top spots of CEO or publisher in the competitive and male dominated magazine publishing industry, ownership has been the main route of overcoming this disparity. But as Andrea Hershatter, associate dean and director of the BBA program and a senior lecturer in organization and management at Emory University�s Goizueta Business School, notes, �From an entrepreneurial perspective, it�s an incredibly challenging undertaking.� Yet with the evolution of marketing to women and a strong understanding of their audience, independent women publishers continue to break new ground. Experts at Goizueta Business School and industry insiders explore this trend.