We were initially skeptical because, as Buysiders.com readers are probably well aware by now, we view risk management as a matter of knowledge gathering/sharing and corporate culture. The excerpts inside this post explain our satisfaction with the video. It’s not enough for us to judge whether this course is a great investment for you or your company, but we have attended classes with Bob Kaplan (and other) at Harvard and we certainly got more than our money’s worth.
Two recent stories highlight the current moral double standards regarding defaults and indebtedness in general. The first article uses American Airlines’ Chapter 11 filing, lauded as a “smart move”, and contrasts this reaction to the stigma surrounding personal bankruptcies by home owners. The second article tries to tack the same “double standards” theme onto Germany, but it doesn’t work nearly as well.
We’d like to thank our over 5,900 unique visitors who have seen over 25,000 pages in 2011. We also thank our newsletter subscribers and, most of all, all of you who have suggested some of the best stories and subjects in 2011. We wish you all a great 2012, a year full of knowledge gathering and sharing, peace, health and success. We leave you with a few interesting stats about Buysiders.com in 2011.
Two articles, taken together, are great reading material and food for thought. The first one is about rethinking innovation and new product development. The second article, even larger, is about production processes that are becoming – paradoxically perhaps – more efficient and more flexible.
Two recent stories in US newspapers highlight the huge per-capita spending of Brazilians in the US. While one piece focuses on tourists in NY and retail sales, the other focuses on Florida and also mentions Brazilians buying up real estate. The big point: the taxation making imports so expensive in Brazil as to justify, in some cases, the airfare and hotel expenses.
Our Christmas gift came in the form of two reader-suggested articles, yesterday’s and today’s. To make us even happier, keep the suggestions coming… On a lighter note: funny article on Slate about how to maximize value in giving presents.
Excellent article in the Economist magazine about innovation coming from smaller or larger companies. Also a fine example of concise analysis/ synthesis of a given issue.
Last year we published David Brooks’ Sidney Awards – a recognition of that year’s best articles in the press. Mr. Brooks, himself a very good essayist and writer, has just published Part 1 of the 2011 Sidney Awards. Another issue of importance to us is Philanthropy, especially now that it seems to have shifted towards a more rational and meritocratic way. IP itself has an Institute that is responsible for the IP Art Prize, PIPA – Brazil’s largest art prize and a huge accomplishment in many dimensions.
We continue to learn from the collapse of Jon Corzine’s MF Global. A recent article at NYT’s Dealbook highlights another lesson: ignore your chief risk or compliance officer at your own peril. While we agree that in this case it might have led to different and better decisions, such officers are still prone to all the talent, behavioral and incentives-driven traps and pitfalls. That said, the simple governance, hierarchical and process improvements the author suggests do help, and he also has the merit of recognizing that “Leadership has the right to challenge, disagree or even reject that advice.” Remember: “Culture eats Strategy for breakfast”.
No mistake in the title: US immigration laws have some California entrepreneurs – Peter Thiel included – pondering a ship to house innovators and entrepreneurs 12 nautical miles off the California coast – i.e. international waters! The point here isn’t the specific plan, it’s the regulatory and political environment that spawned it.
