The morning of April 6th starting at 6am EST, we will be upgrading the tutorials from Flash to HTML5. We expect this to take less than an hour to complete and during that time, you should have access to the pdf files. Like Flash, HTML is not compatible with all systems, but we expect this will be a good improvement for those of you on tablets. Please let us know if you experience any problems with the new tutorials....
I love interviews and books that send your mind spinning with creative thoughts and new directions. Seth's interview with Krista Tippett is one of those interviews that would benefit marketers and entrepreneurs alike. It's an hour long, but perfect for your morning commute or to discuss with your study group or executive team! Seth Godin on Being Interview...
Neil Bendle, one of our authors as well as a co-author of Marketing Metrics, hosts a website discussing problems in management thinking and provides resources for teachers, students and managers. Please visit if you get a chance, at www.neilbendle.com....
The Mission of MASB is to “Establish marketing measurement and accountability standards across industry and domain for continuous improvement in financial performance and for the guidance and education of business decision makers and users of performance and financial information.” Establishing the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) was recommended by The Boardroom Project body after a three-year study of current practices, needs, and marketing accountability initiatives underway across the marketing industry. The study concluded that while marketing was not ignoring issues surrounding metrics and accountability, practices and initiatives underway were narrow in focus, lacking integration and generally not tied to financial performance...
"For the more pedestrian MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), the simple podium lecture captured and released, the difference between a real college course and a MOOC is like the difference between playing golf and watching golf. Both can be exciting and enjoyable. Both can be boring and frustrating. But they are not the same thing." Recently, the University of Virginia was thrown into civilized upheaval over the dismissal of their President, Teresa Sullivan. One of the reasons cited for her dismissal was failure to move quickly enough into MOOC. UVa professor Siva Vaidhyanathan explores this topic further in this...
From David Brooks' article in today's NYTimes: "In a blended online world, a local professor could select not only the reading material, but do so from an array of different lecturers, who would provide different perspectives from around the world. The local professor would do more tutoring and conversing and less lecturing." We are still discovering how on-line education changes the student's learning experience. But we should also consider how the role of the professor may need to adjust in this blended world. ...
"Companies say they need flexible thinkers with innovative ideas and a broad knowledge base derived from exposure to multiple disciplines. And while most recruiters don't outright avoid business majors, companies in consulting, technology and even finance say they're looking for candidates with a broader academic background." A long-standing debate regarding the most popular major on college campuses today. What's your opinion? Wealth or Waste? Rethinking the Value of a Business Major...
"Bezos is its billionaire enforcer, the guardian of what he calls the “culture of metrics” that tries to give [the customer] a loud, clear voice. Amazon tracks its performance against about 500 measurable goals. Nearly 80% relate to customer objectives. " Read the full article at Forbes, here. Inside Amazon's Idea Machine: How Bezos Decodes The Customer...
From a recent HBR Blogpost by Thomas Hout...
From today's Washington Post Value Added: Quantifying the intangible amounts to profits by Thomas Heath. "Saaty realized right then that there must be a business in answering such questions for companies if a firm with the smarts and expertise of Intel sometimes lacked enough information to make the most informed decisions." This article is a great conversation starter about understanding how tools such as Conjoint Analysis can help managers make better informed decisions. It isn't about replacing business judgement, but about enhancing it....