How Lego took to anthropology: ‘The Moment of Clarity, Using the human sciences to solve your toughest business problem

February 26, 2014 3:24 pm

How Lego took to anthropology

By Andrew Jack

‘The Moment of Clarity, Using the human sciences to solve your toughest business problems’, by Christian Madsbjerg and Mikkel Rasmussen,Harvard Business Review Press $28; £18.99

A decade ago, Lego’s plastic brick empire was starting to crumble. Half a century after patenting its click-fit system, the Danish toy company reported heavy losses and gave a sign of the depth of its troubles: the grandson of the founder relinquished his place as chief executive to a McKinsey consultant. Read more of this post

Beware the lure of go-go growth stocks; Rewards for successful investors are high, but hard to reach

February 26, 2014 5:02 pm

Beware the lure of go-go growth stocks

By John Authers

Rewards for successful investors are high, but hard to reach

US stocks’ long rally has lasted almost exactly five years. The S&P 500 has again hit all-time highs this week. Even the Nasdaq index is showing signs that it might be able to regain its high from 2000. Read more of this post

Hedge funds should not be the only activist investors

Last updated: February 26, 2014 7:08 pm

Hedge funds should not be the only activist investors

By John Gapper

The danger is that directors talk to the loudest voices but spurn contact with anyone else

At 78, Carl Icahn shows little sign of retiring, or of becoming more polite. After finally prodding Forest Labs into a $25bn takeover by Actavis, he renewed his attack on eBay this week, accusing John Donahoe, its chief executive, of being “completely asleep or, even worse, either naive or wilfully blind”. Read more of this post

China pollution: Trouble in the air; Roused by public protests and air-quality tweets from the US embassy, China has vowed to challenge its growth model

February 26, 2014 7:27 pm

China pollution: Trouble in the air

By Lucy Hornby

Roused by public protests and air-quality tweets from the US embassy, China has vowed to challenge its growth model

“440. Hazardous. Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects, please avoid physical exertion and outdoor activities.” 
Tweet from US embassy air pollution monitor, Beijing, Tuesday Feb 25 2014 Read more of this post

Thai Builders Face Tough Times as Crisis Drags On

Thai Builders Face Tough Times as Crisis Drags On

By Khettiya Jittapong on 9:44 pm February 26, 2014.

Bangkok. Political unrest and an over-supplied $20 billion real estate market in Thailand are the latest challenges threatening developers who are canceling new launches in the hopes of staving off a bubble. Read more of this post

Alison Chung’s gift for numbers has helped her build a consulting firm that specializes in computer forensics

FEBRUARY 26, 2014, 7:00 AM  11 Comments

‘I Have Been Told That I’m Different’

By COLLEEN DEBAISE

Alison Chung of Chicago is not wired like most people. This can present challenges socially, but from a business perspective it’s her competitive advantage as the owner of a consulting firm that is essentially a digital detective agency. Read more of this post

Cash crises, political grudge matches, suicide. None of it stopped David Walentas from forging a 10-digit fortune by creating an entire neighbourhood in New York’s underdog borough. And he’s about to do it all again

Brooklyn’s Billionaire Is Betting On The Borough, Again

by Caleb Melby | Feb 27, 2014

Cash crises, political grudge matches, suicide. None of it stopped David Walentas from forging a 10-digit fortune by creating an entire neighbourhood in New York’s underdog borough. And he’s about to do it all again
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“Any definition of a successful life must include service to others.” Finding One’s Way on the Entrepreneurial Path

Finding One’s Way on the Entrepreneurial Path

by Michael Freedman | Feb 24, 2014

What are the characteristics of an entrepreneur? What are the risks? H. Irving Grousbeck explains

For nearly 30 years at Stanford, and for several more at Harvard, H. Irving Grousbeck has taught and counseled countless women and men as they moved along the entrepreneurial path. After graduating from Harvard’s MBA program, he cofounded Continental Cablevision (later Media One) in 1964, and has since served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards. He is currently a principal owner of the Boston Celtics. He was founding co-director (with Charles Holloway) of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in 1996, and recently stepped down from that position while continuing to teach. Last year, he discussed the traits of successful entrepreneurs, and how they might think about the many challenges that they and others put in front of them.  Read more of this post