Group items tagged

MaRS is having a Market Insights event on social commerce opportunities on April 17.

Consider the two faces of the global innovation movement. Company A, having grown through acquisition, produces multiple brands for multiple markets and operates a worldwide network of research and product development centers. Each of its R&D sites was initially responsible for its own brands and local market, but with globalization these distinctions have lost their importance. Company B, on the other hand, was built largely through internal growth and has two global brands. It operates one primary R&D center supported by a handful of special-purpose sites around the world. This comparatively sparse network has helped Company B win wide admiration for the efficiency of its engineering. Because expanding the number of nodes in a network exponentially increases its complexity, it is not surprising that Company A's R&D structure is more expensive to operate. Company A has considered closing some sites, but has resisted doing so because it fears losing capabilities and insights, and roiling local markets. Meanwhile, incremental budget cuts have chipped away at engineer and supplier morale. Having built its network to maximize the value associated with market access, it is now forced to manage the network for cost. Most global innovation networks look like Company A's - and suffer the same problems. Company B's R&D structure is clearly more productive, but it is not necessarily ideal either. Its network might be too compact, limiting access to knowledge that could maximize performance. Thus, to identify principles and practices for creating a truly well-designed innovation network, Booz Allen Hamilton and INSEAD, the international business school, surveyed R&D leaders in 186 companies from 17 industry sectors in 19 nations in 2005. The survey results, and our own experience, suggest one central truth: Organizations benefit when they configure their innovation networks for cost and manage them for value.

Rebecca Debens, Scrip Reporter, visits Ontario to find out more about Ontario's growing life science industry and the Canadian government schemes encouraging and supporting businesses. The article features MaRS and describes how MaRS has become the "hub of Canada's life sciences cluster."

Rebecca Debens, Scrip Reporter, visits Ontario to find out more about Ontario's growing life science industry and the Canadian government schemes in encouraging and supporting businesses. The article features MaRS and describes how MaRS has become the "hub of Canada's life sciences cluster." Jun 3, 2009

Created by the International Business Center at Michigan State University, globalEDGE is a knowledge web-portal that connects professionals worldwide to global business activities. The site offers: * Global Resources - more than 5,000 online resources * Country Insights - a wealth of information on all countries * Industry Profiles - in-depth analysis of selected industries * News & Views - latest issues in international business * Academy - extensive research and teaching resources * Diagnostic Tools - decision-support tools for managers * globalEDGE Network - connect with 33,399 registered users globalEdge offers a wide range of information and knowledge. Partnership opportunities are also available for international growth of businesses.