Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2019 i The European Business Review

Merck, a vibrant science and technology company, celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2018. Dr. Ulrich A.K. Betz, VP and Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubator, highlights the vision the company has for the future as well as the series of science & technology programmes and activities that were set up in order to install a global movement, underlining the importance of science & technology to build a better world. Over the millennia humanity has made incredible progress in advancing science and technology, just compare one of our first tools, the stone age wedge, with the complexity of a modern computer chip. With the help of science & technology our population has grown to the amazing number of 7 billion people creating an unprecedented imprint on our planet resulting in a new…

Peter Weill, PhD, is an MIT senior research scientist and chair of the Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) at the MIT Sloan School of Management, which studies and works with companies on how to transform for success in the digital era. MIT CISR has approximately 100 company members globally who use, debate, support and participate in the research. Peter’s work centers on the role, value, and governance of digitiation in enterprises and their ecosystems. Ziff Davis recognised Peter as #24 of “The Top 100 Most Influential People in IT” and the highest ranked academic. Stephanie L. Woerner, PhD, is a research scientist at MIT CISR. Stephanie is an expert on how companies use technology and data to create more effective business models and manage the associated organisational change. She…

ADABAS – (adaptable database system) – is still probably the fastest, lowest TCO database on the market today. Starting as they continued, the database structure adapts to the customers data – no SQL tables here. Adabas has attained transaction speeds of over 1,183,000 commands per second. To put one million commands in perspective, if every spectator at all sixteen NFL games on a particular weekend were to simultaneously ask one bank, running one database, to send their account status to their cell phones, they would all receive simultaneous sub-second replies.…

“We need to understand how the whole structure of employment is being transformed by AI – most jobs won’t disappear, they will evolve.” As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly plays a big role in today’s business and society, it is important to know how different sectors can properly utilise such innovation in order to maximise its full potential. At emlyon business school, a multifaceted initiative was created with the aim to understand the opportunities and implications of artificial intelligence for the management of organisations, industries, and business ecosystems - The Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Management (AIM). To tell us more about the research centre, we sat down with Mr. Renaud Champion, the Executive Director of AIM Institute. Q Good day, Mr. Champion! Thank you for taking the time to talk…

This article draws upon an on-going research and executive engagement focussing on innovations in organisational design and management practice. Our initial ideas were developed and tested via a comprehensive review of salient literatures, analysis of secondary data and in-depth executive interactions on customised and open enrolment executive education courses with participants from a variety of industries and geographies. Over successive executive engagements, including in-depth case studies and consulting assignments with market leading enterprises operating in a variety of different sectors (including insurance, shipping, logistics, banking, professional services, professional associations, recruitment, mining, high-technology and government), ideas were developed, tested, refined and reapplied. As action research, each engagement was initiated to solve specific firm-level strategy and organisation challenges.…

William S. Harvey is Professor of Management and Associate Dean of Research at the University of Exeter Business School. Will researches on reputation and leadership within organisations. His work has appeared in world leading journals such as Harvard Business Review, Journal of Management Studies and Human Relations. Jonathan V. Beaverstock is Professor of International Management and Head of the School of Management at the University of Bristol, U.K.. He is an expert on the internationalisation strategies of global retained executive search firms and has also worked extensively on the competitiveness of financial and professional services in the City of London. Hongqin Li is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), Aston University. She completed her PhD in leadership at University of Exeter Business School.…

Most entrepreneurs today do not just wish to make money, but also aim to serve a good purpose. They combine self-discovery with business-modelling and brand-building, but struggle to exploit the full spectrum and true potential of symbolic brand benefits. This article will help businesspeople combine these tasks as the author outlines the Brand-Building Canvas, explains why and how to use it, and briefly describes each of the brand-building elements. As a professor in luxury marketing at emlyon business school, I concentrate on how to build luxury brands for many years. There is no other segment in which symbolic consumer benefits play a greater role than for luxury brands. A big part of the brand-building process deals with the creation of ‘meaning’. Building a (luxury) brand is about developing brand identity.…

Stijn Viaene is a full professor and partner at Vlerick Business School in Belgium. He is the director of the school’s Digital Transformation focus area. He is also a full professor in the Decision Sciences and Information Management department at KU Leuven University in Belgium. References 1. Atluri, V., Dietz, M. and Henke, N. (2017). Competing in a world of sectors without borders. McKinsey Quarterly. July. 2. Viaene, S. (2017). A digital quick-start guide. Ivey Business Journal. September-October. 3. Brynjolfsson, E. and McAfee, A. (2014). The second machine age. Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company. 4. Legenvre, H. and Herbet, I. (2017). Mapping and strategising across business ecosystems. The European Business Review. March-April. 5. The concept of a focal customer is the equivalent of an end customer in a supply chain,…

Ikigai – in Japanese it means, loosely, “what makes life worth living.” If reforms by the Shinzō Abe government succeed, it may one day represent a new ethos towards work-life balance. Is this possible for a population more known for a work ethic that sometimes leads to extremes including karōshi (death by overwork)? There are reasons to believe. Workstyle reforms integral to Abenomics Throughout the “economic miracle” years, 1960s-1990s, loyalty to Japan became equated with loyalty to employers, hard work and sacrifice – measured primarily by long working hours. But by the 2000s, these behaviours were hindering the country’s economic strength, harming families and individuals – and yes, even killing. With the shrinking population putting a further drain on productivity, change became essential for renewed growth. Prime Minister Abe’s economic…

Ulrich A.K. Betz, Vice President of Innovation Merck, is responsible for innovation management and strategic academic collaborations at Merck. He is an accomplished R&D manager with >20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, including positions in the President's Office Merck Biopharma and positions reporting directly to the Heads of Research and Development at Bayer and Merck. In his current role for example he designed and implemented the Merck Innovation Cup, the Curious2018-Future Insight Conference, the Merck Future Insight Prize, the Darmstadt Science Declaration, the idea competition innospire and the BioMed X Outcubator. Prior to joining Merck in 2005, he worked 7 years for Bayer AG in various scientific and managerial positions in Pharma Research. Ulrich received his PhD in functional genomics and immunology from the University of…

Medellin – The City of Eternal Spring creates economic growth supported by a modern, effective and flexible IT infrastructure! The Urban Land Institute has recognised Medellin as the world’s most innovative urban centre implementing innovative solutions to problems such as mobility and environmental sustainability. Medellin has also been recognised by the United Nations for the multiple transport options now offered to its citizens. Its new urban transport infrastructure has opened jobs and schools to the previously isolated communities living in outlaying mountainside areas with travel times for the majority of its citizens being cut from more than two hours to just a few minutes. Gabriel Werner Brandt, Director of Planning for Information Technology at the Municipality of Medellin: “In the government sector the transition to a digital enterprise must be…

Located in one of the world’s most dynamic business hubs – New York City, Columbia Business School Executive Education has an unparalleled environment for advanced business education. To find out how it allows executives to immerse themselves in NYC’s rich culture and vigorous business scenes, we sat down with Professor Paul Ingram, Faculty Director of Columbia Business School Executive Education’s Advanced Management Programme, who sheds light on their uniquely designed curriculum and the proven learning methodology that help executives respond to evolving leadership challenges and create a vision to lead their companies to success. Q Good day, Professor Ingram! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. Let’s start this interview by giving us a glimpse of what a day looks like for an academic leader like…

Renaud Champion is Director of Emerging Intelligences at emlyon business school, member of the Executive Board in charge of developing the strategy on Artificial Intelligence as well as the digital transformation of the school and its practice. He is also Director of euRobotics AISBL, the European Association of Robotics acting as the private side of SPARC, the Public-Private-Partnership for Robotics in Europe, and an independent expert for the European Commission on innovation and investment in advanced technologies. He has published articles and white papers on the ethical, legal and socio-economic issues linked to Al and Robotics.…

Jonathan Trevor is Associate Professor of Management Practice at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School. He holds a PhD in Management Studies and Economics from Cambridge University. He works extensively with executive leadership teams in all sectors and internationally to apply his research, and teaches on the Oxford MBA, Executive MBA and executive education courses. Peter Williamson is Professor of International Management at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School and Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge. He holds a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard University. He also serves as the non-executive director of several companies spanning digital transformation software through green energy. References 1. O'Reilly 3rd , C.A. and Tushman, M.L. (2004). The Ambidextrous Organization. Harvard Business Review, 82(4), p.74. 2. Sidhu, I. (2010). Doing Both: Capturing Today's…

Klaus Heine is Associate Professor of Luxury Marketing at emlyon business school, Asia and Co-Director of the High-end Brand Management Master Program at Asia Europe Business School in Shanghai. He holds a PhD from TU Berlin and specialises in high-end brand-building with applied-oriented research, education and practical projects with both, leading luxury brands and start-ups. References 1. Aaker, D.A. (2010), Building Strong Brands, London, Simon & Schuster. 2. De Chernatony, L. (1999), Brand Management Through Narrowing the Gap Between Brand Identity and Brand Reputation. Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 15: 157-179. 3. Esch, F.-R. (2017), Strategie und Technik der Markenführung, 9th ed., Munich, Vahlen. 4.Heine, K. (2019) How to Build a High-end Brand. Upmarkit: Tallinn,https://upmarkit.com/brand-building-workbooks/ how-to-build-a-high-end-brand” 5. Kapferer, J.N. (2012),.The New Strategic Brand Management, 4th ed., London, Kogan Page. 6.…

Professor M.S. Rao, Ph.D. (msrlctrg@gmail.com) is an International Leadership Guru, C-Suite advisor, and a sought after keynote speaker globally with 38 years of experience. He is the Father of “Soft Leadership” and founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India. He has authored over 45 books including the award-winning ‘21 Success Sutras for CEOs’, and most of his works can be read through his blog professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com. He is an advocate of global gender equality and is passionate about serving and making a difference in the lives of others. He coined the innovative teaching tool – Meka’s Method; leadership training tool – 11E Leadership Grid; and leadership learning tool – Soft Leadership Grid.…

Ginka Toegel is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Leadership at IMD Business School. She specialised in providing one-to-one leadership coaching and team-building workshops to top management teams in both the public and private sector. Her major research focuses on leadership development, team dynamics, and coaching. References 1. https://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00375/ 2. http://www.scmp.com / news / asia / east-asia /article/2057914/ japan-embarks-work-hour-reform-after-suicide-woman-who-did-105 3. https: / / asia.nikkei.com / Politics - Economy / Policy-Politics/ Japan-drops-key-labor-reform-proposal-after-survey-furor 4. https: / / www.japantimes.co.jp / news / 2015 / 08 / 25 / national / favor - work - life - balance - inclined - use - paid - holidays - survey-shows/#.WoldHzBG3IV 5. https: / / www.japantimes.co.jp / opin ion / 2016 / 01 / 30 / commentary / work - life - balance - japan - leans -…

Paul Ingram is the Kravis Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and faculty director of the Advanced Management Programme. His PhD is from Cornell University, and he was on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University before coming to Columbia. He has held visiting professorships at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Toronto. The courses he teaches on management and strategy benefit from his research on organizations in the United States, Canada, Scotland, China, and Australia, and his research has been published in more than 40 articles, book chapters, and books. Ingram's current research projects examine the influence of intergovernmental organizations on bilateral trade and democratization, the structure and efficacy of managers' professional networks in China and the United States, and the effects of networks and institutions on…

In the face of danger, every individual is designed to react almost subconsciously and when it counts, defend themselves. This stays true in the case of threatened organisations. In this article, the authors name three kinds of responses and their corresponding solutions. Existing organisations will already have a reputation among different groups such as their customers and employees. But how can they manage their reputations when confronted with a major threat such as political or economic change, or competitors tarnishing the image of their industry? We conducted two waves of interviews with partners of executive search firms to find out how they coped with common threats. Common threats are not exclusively reputation threats nor particular to a single individual or organisation. They are either common to a single or multiple…

Richard Markoff has worked in supply chain for L’Oréal for 22 years, in Canada, the U.S. and France, spanning the entire value chain from manufacturing to customer collaboration. He is currently a supply chain coach, consultant, researcher and lecturer. Ralf Seifert is Professor of Technology & Operations Management at the College of Management of Technology at EPFL. He also serves as Professor of Operations Management at IMD business school in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he directs the Digital Supply Chain Management programme. References 1. Seifert R. W. and R. Markoff. (2018 August). “The Hidden Cost of Cost-to-Serve,” IMD – Tomorrow’s Challenges, No. 26. 2. Freeman, Blair, et al. (2000). "Managing your cost-to-serve." Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal. Vol. 1. No. 1. Taylor & Francis. 3. Andrew Ross Sorkin. (2018 April…

Peter Hopkinson is Director of the University Exeter Centre for Circular Economy that brings together academic researchers, business, policy makers and civic society to support the transition to a circular economy. He set up and ran the world’s first MBA in circular economy and a global on-line executive education programme for leading global businesses, innovation companies and educators. He is most concerned with developing the scientific evidence base for circular economy theory and practice at varying scales and within different industrial contexts. William S. Harvey is Professor of Management and Associate Dean of Research at the University of Exeter Business School. Will researches on reputation and leadership within organisations. His work has appeared in world leading journals such as Harvard Business Review, Journal of Management Studies and Human Relations. References…