On investing: The patient and the brave

Updated: Thursday March 6, 2014 MYT 11:22:30 AM

On investing: The patient and the brave

BY JAMES SAFT

REUTERS:  There are two main ways to get paid as a value investor: one is by avoiding the mistakes of your peers, the other is by making some mistakes of your own. Read more of this post

How AT Cross rewrote its future; The US pen maker won a name for stylish sunglasses

March 5, 2014 4:34 pm

How AT Cross rewrote its future

By David Gray and Seán Meehan

The story. The recent $270m acquisition by Essilor of Costa Inc, which owns the sports sunglasses brand Costa del Mar, was the culmination of a remarkable and unlikely transformation of AT Cross, the 165-year-old US company known for making fine writing instruments. Read more of this post

The One Hour China Book: Two Peking University Professors Explain All of China Business in Six Short Stories

The One Hour China Book: Two Peking University Professors Explain All of China Business in Six Short Stories [Kindle Edition]

Jeffrey Towson (Author), Jonathan Woetzel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 2014

“One hour with this book will make you an expert on business in China.” – Dick Gephardt, Majority-Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, 1989-2002  Read more of this post

Corporate Governance According to Charles T. Munger; Munger advocates giving more power to a highly capable and ethical CEO, and taking several steps to improve the culture of the organization to reduce the risk of self-interested behavior

Corporate Governance According to Charles T. Munger

David F. Larcker 

Stanford University – Graduate School of Business

Brian Tayan 

Stanford University – Graduate School of Business
March 3, 2014
Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University Closer Look Series: Topics, Issues and Controversies in Corporate Governance and Leadership No. CGRP-38

Abstract: 
Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger is well known as the partner of CEO Warren Buffett and also for his advocacy of “multi-disciplinary thinking” — the application of fundamental concepts from across various academic disciplines to solve complex real-world problems. One problem that Munger has addressed over the years is the optimal system of corporate governance.  Read more of this post

“The Hard Thing about Hard Things”: The most valuable book on startup management hands down

“The Hard Thing about Hard Things”: The most valuable book on startup management hands down

BY SARAH LACY 
ON MARCH 4, 2014

It’s not a surprise that Ben Horowitz got a book deal, that the book is already getting a flood of press, or that it’ll sell well. Horowitz is one of the most powerful investors in Silicon Valley right now and has built his following largely through his writing on this blog. A book collecting a lot of these posts was a no brainer for him to pull together and a publisher to commission. Read more of this post

How first-time CEOs can hire top talent: BigCommerce co-founder and Young Rich lister Eddie Machaalani

How first-time CEOs can hire top talent: BigCommerce co-founder and Young Rich lister Eddie Machaalani

Published 05 March 2014 11:24, Updated 05 March 2014 15:09

Eddie Machaalani

Eddie Machaalani (left) and Mitchell Harper, co-founders of BigCommerce. Photo: Nic Walker

Every start-up founder knows, or should know, that you’re only as good as the people on your team. Hiring the best people you can for the stage of your company is imperative for growth and building a great business. Question is, how do you know you’ve found the right person? Read more of this post

A Q&A With Ben Horowitz On His New Book, “The Hard Thing About Hard Things”

A Q&A With Ben Horowitz On His New Book, “The Hard Thing About Hard Things”

Posted yesterday by Leena Rao (@leenarao)

Ben Horowitz’s new book on entrepreneurship and company building, The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building A Business When There Are No Easy Answers, is officially out, and it’s the polar opposite of many of the management books CEOs and founders are advised to read (you can read our review of the book here). We also sat down with Horowitz to talk about his inspiration, his honesty, what surprised him about writing the book and more. Read more of this post

The benefits-and limits-of decision models; Big data and models help overcome biases that cloud judgment, but many executive decisions also require bold action inspired by self-confidence. Here’s how to take charge in a clear-headed way

The benefits—and limits—of decision models

Big data and models help overcome biases that cloud judgment, but many executive decisions also require bold action inspired by self-confidence. Here’s how to take charge in a clear-headed way. Read more of this post

The strength of ‘weak signals’: Snippets of information, often hidden in social-media streams, offer companies a valuable new tool for staying ahead.

The strength of ‘weak signals’

Snippets of information, often hidden in social-media streams, offer companies a valuable new tool for staying ahead.

February 2014 | byMartin Harrysson, Estelle Métayer, and Hugo Sarrazin

As information thunders through the digital economy, it’s easy to miss valuable “weak signals” often hidden amid the noise. Arising primarily from social media, they represent snippets—not streams—of information and can help companies to figure out what customers want and to spot looming industry and market disruptions before competitors do. Sometimes, companies notice them during data-analytics number-crunching exercises. Or employees who apply methods more akin to art than to science might spot them and then do some further number crunching to test anomalies they’re seeing or hypotheses the signals suggest. In any case, companies are just beginning to recognize and capture their value. Here are a few principles that companies can follow to grasp and harness the power of weak signals. Read more of this post

Next frontiers for lean: Lean-production techniques have been revolutionizing operations for 50 years. Advances in technology, psychology, and analytics may make the next 50 even more e

Next frontiers for lean

Lean-production techniques have been revolutionizing operations for 50 years. Advances in technology, psychology, and analytics may make the next 50 even more exciting. Read more of this post

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

by Ben Horowitz  (Author)

Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog. Read more of this post

A Conversation With Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz on the ‘Hard Things’

MARCH 4, 2014, 12:01 AM  3 Comments

A Conversation With Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz on the ‘Hard Things’

By NICK BILTON

Andreessen HorowitzBen Horowitz, the co-founder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz, has written a book about management and start-ups. Read more of this post

A Powerful New Way to Edit DNA; A technique is stirring excitement while raising profound questions.

A Powerful New Way to Edit DNA

By ANDREW POLLACKMARCH 3, 2014

In the late 1980s, scientists at Osaka University in Japan noticed unusual repeated DNA sequences next to a gene they were studying in a common bacterium. They mentioned them in the final paragraph of a paper: “The biological significance of these sequences is not known.” Read more of this post

“What is to be salvaged of our hope for the final memories we leave to those who love us? The dignity we seek in dying must be found in the dignity with which we have lived our lives.”

Sherwin B. Nuland, ‘How We Die’ Author, Dies at 83

By DENISE GELLENEMARCH 4, 2014

Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland in 1996. His book “How We Die” won a National Book Award in 1994 and sold over 500,000 copies.CreditBob Child/Associated Press Read more of this post

Time to Try Compassion, Not Censure, for Families; If an objective is to help poor children and young people achieve better lives, it may be time to stop trying to reshape families into a platonic ideal

Time to Try Compassion, Not Censure, for Families

MARCH 4, 2014

Eduardo Porter

Nearly 50 years ago, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, assistant secretary of labor for President Lyndon B. Johnson, noted that nearly a quarter of African-American children were born to single mothers and proposed that this “deterioration of the Negro family” was “at the heart of the deterioration of the fabric of Negro society.” Read more of this post

Established Companies, Get Ready for the Collaborative Economy

Established Companies, Get Ready for the Collaborative Economy

by Alexandra Samuel  |   11:47 AM March 4, 2014

As more and more startups like Airbnb, Etsy and Kickstarter crowd into the space of the collaborative economy, big brands are starting to get in on the action, too.  Staples sells products developed on Quirky; Avis has acquired Zipcar; Walgreens has partnered with TaskRabbit for delivery. Read more of this post

Are You Too Afraid to Succeed?

Are You Too Afraid to Succeed?

by Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries  |   1:00 PM March 4, 2014

Tim had been on the fast track. An Ivy League graduate, he had joined one of the premier consulting firms as an associate. He went on to take an MBA at INSEAD, graduating at the top of his class. Recruited by a pharmaceutical firm he rose quickly through the ranks, joining the executive team in record time. Within just eight years after joining the company he was appointed its CEO. Read more of this post

Buffett or Icahn: Whom to Invest With? Two billionaires; two investment vehicles. At current prices, Berkshire is the better value for investors

TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2014

Buffett or Icahn: Whom to Invest With?

By ANDREW BARY | MORE ARTICLES BY AUTHOR

Two billionaires; two investment vehicles. At current prices, Berkshire is the better value for investors.

Companies controlled by the two billionaire investors have recently reported strong results for 2013. Berkshire Hathaway ( BRKA / BRKB ) recorded an 18% increase in its book value per share, while Icahn Enterprises (IEP) said its asset value rose 50% last year. Read more of this post

“People make bad choices if they’re mad, or scared, or stressed. Throw a little love their way, and you’ll bring out their best.”

At Disney, a Celebration That Was a Long Time Coming

By BROOKS BARNESMARCH 4, 2014

BURBANK, Calif. — The gathering at Walt Disney Animation here was supposed to be a giddy celebration. The studio had achieved the ultimate validation for its hard-fought creative rebirth: “Frozen,” its Nordic tale of two sisters and a wisecracking snowman, won two Oscars on Sunday, the same day the film crossed $1 billion at the global box office. Read more of this post

‘Avatar’ could care for elderly in future; An intelligent “avatar” which would detect whether people are in pain and alert the emergency services could help the elderly remain independent and in their own homes

‘Avatar’ could care for elderly in future

March 4, 2014

London: An intelligent “avatar” which would detect whether people are in pain and alert the emergency services could help the elderly remain independent and in their own homes. Read more of this post

Why my alma mater Oxford will struggle; While old names often have assets and tradition on their side, they also have baggage

March 4, 2014 4:48 pm

Why my alma mater Oxford will struggle

By Luke Johnson

While old names often have assets and tradition on their side, they also have baggage

Iused to believe it was better to restore existing organisations than build new ones from scratch. It always seemed that their resources, goodwill and momentum were a safer bet than the risks of creating something modern. Now I am not so sure. Read more of this post

The human progress economists miss; The steady accumulation of knowledge is important but sudden advances matter most

March 4, 2014 4:30 pm

The startling human progress that economists fail to see

By John Kay

The steady accumulation of knowledge is important but sudden advances matter most

The ancient Greek runner Phidippides conveyed with his dying breath the news that the Persians had been defeated at Marathon. We do not know how long it took him to complete the course to Athens or even whether his epic journey actually occurred. We do know that the winner of the first modern marathon, at the Olympic Games of 1896, completed the course in just under three hours. Read more of this post

There is no easy path to democracy: The basic needs are true citizens, honest guardians, proper markets and just laws

March 4, 2014 6:38 pm

There is no easy path to democracy

By Martin Wolf

The basic needs are true citizens, honest guardians, proper markets and just laws

©James Ferguson

Could Ukraine become a stable liberal democracy? The answer to this question has to be: yes. Will Ukraine become a stable liberal democracy? The answer to that is: we do not know. We do know that other countries have reached the destination. But we also know that universal suffrage democracy is a delicate plant, particularly in its early years. What has happened to young democracies in, say, Egypt, Thailand, Russia and Ukraine underlines that truth. Democracy is delicate because it is a complex and, in crucial respects, unnatural game. Read more of this post

How to Reverse the Graying of Scientific Research; Dramatically fewer grants are going to young scientists. That’s a cause for alarm

How to Reverse the Graying of Scientific Research

Dramatically fewer grants are going to young scientists. That’s a cause for alarm.

RONALD J. DANIELS And PAUL ROTHMAN

March 4, 2014 7:08 p.m. ET

Youth will be served, as the saying goes, but increasingly that’s not the case in scientific research. The National Institutes of Health reports that between 1980 and 2012, the share of all research funding going to scientists under age 35 declined to 1.3%, from 5.6%. During the same period, the number of NIH awards going to scientists age 35 and under declined more than 40%, even as the total number of awards more than doubled. Read more of this post

CEOs Scramble to Sell Themselves When Looking for a New Job

CEOs Scramble to Sell Themselves When Looking for a New Job

RACHEL FEINTZEIG

March 4, 2014 7:41 p.m. ET

Ravi Saligram, formerly CEO of OfficeMax, at the desk in his home office in Naperville, Ill., last month. Rob Hart for The Wall Street Journal Read more of this post

Death and the Executive: Encounters with the ‘Stealth’ Motivator

Death and the Executive: Encounters with the ‘Stealth’ Motivator

Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries 

INSEAD – Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise
January 30, 2014
INSEAD Working Paper No. 2014/11/EFE

Abstract: 
Death anxiety is a primary motivational force that drives much of our behavior. It puts our defenses on high alert, and we make strenuous efforts to repress or deny the unwelcome truth of our inevitable end. The way each of us denies death not only affects life in its broadest sense but also influences the way we behave in organizations. Death anxiety underlies much executive behavior and action. However, traditional motivational theories do not acknowledge the influence of death anxiety on our behavior. Although they attempt to help us better understand employee motivation, they are not sufficiently inclusive. This article takes a clinical lens to explore death anxiety as a motivational force, how it affects behavior in organizations, and how we metabolize the feelings death evokes. In addition, I examine the various ways we deal with our knowledge of death. Some of us go into overdrive in trying to suppress it, while others fall into a state of resignation and depression. To deal with the ultimate narcissistic injury that death represents, we resort to a variety of immortality strategies to create permanent or enduring meaning. Furthermore, from an organizational perspective, three maladaptive responses to death anxiety are explored: the manic defense, succession issues, and the edifice complex.

Dream Journeys: New Territory for Executive Coaching

Dream Journeys: New Territory for Executive Coaching

Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries 

INSEAD – Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise
February 14, 2014
INSEAD Working Paper No. 2014/14/EFE

Abstract: 
Leadership coaches need to understand how their clients think and experience emotions. They have to be skilled at detecting and evaluating the psychological strengths and challenges that can help or hinder their clients’ development as a leader. Leadership coaches need to take a holistic approach to the information clients present, which means considering information from both their waking and dreaming life. To help executives with their journey into their own interior, I suggest that leadership coaches should also pay attention to their clients’ dreamtime. The dreams that occur during their clients’ “night journeys” can offer useful clues about their main preoccupations and concerns. Reflecting on how the feelings in their clients’ dreams relate to what’s happening in their waking life, will help leadership coaches and their clients better recognize and address their internal struggles and challenges, and figure out what is most on their mind. Making sense of dreams can be a very powerful problem-solving and inspirational tool, offering a pathway to out-of-awareness preoccupations. This relatively unexplored territory is the main focus of this article, in which I also take into consideration various theories about dreaming.

Woman collapses at train station exit; dies after 50 mins without receiving first aid

Woman collapses at train station exit; dies after 50 mins without receiving first aid

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 – 07:45

AsiaOne

SHENZHEN, China – A 35-year-old woman, Liang Ya, collapsed while climbing the stairs of a train station exit on Feb 17, and died after 50 minutes without receiving first aid. Read more of this post

The Air Force general who channels a mellow CEO’s leadership style

The Air Force general who channels a mellow CEO’s leadership style

BY JUSTIN BRADY

March 4 at 8:31 am

We’ve all worked in companies with ugly cultures. Leaders bark orders and we are expected to blindly obey, even if it’s the wrong decision for the consumer or the company. Most obey their marching orders, but some passionate employees propose creative solutions to problems, only to have their ideas ignored. “Just do the job I hired you to do,” they say. The frustration builds, stripping employees of their natural creativity.  They become exasperated and stop caring. Read more of this post