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Improving the RPF Process

Aug-11-11 By Aminda
The Request for Proposal is a process usually associated with large, slow moving, traditional corporations and government agencies. The lengthy document contains all the detailed functional, technical and business requirements for large scale projects ranging from constructing a bridge to planning a capital campaign. Once the document is created the organization has to seek bidders, review bids and make a selection; altogether a 6- to 12-month process.

Multi-generational Teams Produce Innovation Results

Aug-09-11 By Aminda
An interesting article on CLOmedia.com analyzes the workplace relationship between Gen X (currently between about ages 30 and 45) and the younger Gen Y. The author asks whether these two generations can partner to make a significant impact on workplace technology and learning, or if the conflicting egos will lead to disparity?

How Not to Measure Innovation?

Aug-08-11 By Aminda
The decline of the U.S. stock market has fueled a debate regarding the methodology used to determine Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most innovative companies. The list, published last month, was lead by expected heavy hitters such as Google and Apple alongside some lesser known players like Tencent Holdings at #4 and Salesforce.com at #1.
Kudos to Forbes for also allowing its writers to publish critiques of the list. Both business writer Bruce Upbin and innovation columnist Haydn Shaughnessy wrote analytical commentary regarding the methodology used rank the companies. The process calculated a company’s innovation premium by determining the proportion of a company’s market value that cannot be accounted for from the net present value of cash flows of its current products in its current markets. Or as Upbin says, “it’s the premium the stock market gives a company because investors expect it to launch new offerings and enter new markets that will generate even bigger income streams.”

Connecting With Consumers

Aug-05-11 By Aminda
A recent post profiled some unique new methods available to small businesses and other marketing professionals to gather professional advice and consumer intelligence, particularly related to pricing and spending. A second post on the topic seemed justified since there are so many other ways marketing departments are creatively working more efficiently and effectively utilizing technology.
The Eyes Have It
Companies for which click-through rates and other site visit data isn’t enough, now have another option for evaluating the effectiveness of their websites. A new service called You Eye uses webcams installed on testers’ computers to track eye movements as they navigate a site. Audio, screen, and mouse activity are also tracked during a user test to create a full profile of a tester’s interaction. The service is an appealing alternative to expensive traditional eye tracking research but has its limitations, as an article from Fast Company explains.

New Tools for Customer Intelligence

Aug-02-11 By Aminda
One thing that all businesses of any industry or size have in common is that they wouldn’t exist without customers. So it would make sense that businesses would want to know as much as possible about their customers: what they want, how much they want to spend and how they make decisions on products. Fortunately, with social media, crowdsourcing and other innovations, it’s easier, more efficient and more affordable to gather consumer intelligence. Here are some examples:

Crowdsourcing for the Children

Aug-01-11 By Aminda
The National Movement for America’s Children, an organization devoted to the well-being of children in the United States, recently launched a crowdsourcing campaign designed to achieve the ambitious goal of “developing and implementing a clear strategy and set of actions that provide for healthy child development for all children.” The hope is that this plan will reduce the likelihood of unhealthy childhood experiences and help address the $104 billion the country spends each year when failing to prevent child abuse and neglect.
The organization is calling for a multifaceted approach and a holistic national strategy, including policies and actions for government, businesses, communities, faith institutions and individuals - all of whom have a role to play in supporting healthy development for all children.

TED Talks to Spark Creativity

Aug-01-11 By Aminda
When looking for creative inspiration there might not be a much better source than TED talks. TED is an organization dedicated to Ideas Worth Spreading. Through conferences and online videos, these events have been inspiring, encouraging and motivating people for years. A recent TEDx event at Chapel Hill University focused on presenting new innovations related to health care, particularly to improving service the neediest amongst us.

Building Democracy in Egypt

Jul-30-11 By Aminda
A pair of journalists has started an insightful blog documenting the process of building a democracy in Egypt. With the first post-revolution parliamentary election to be held in September, there is much work to do. Political activists are using methods such as social media and crowdsourcing as efficient methods of engaging voters in discussion about the new constitution.

Enlisting the Crowd to Create Better Cities

Jul-28-11 By Aminda
Around the world, cities and communities of all sizes are developing innovative methods for generating economic advancement.
In the U.S. state of Maine, the nonprofit organization Island Institute has enlisted members to create the Island and Coastal Innovation Fund. The goal of the fund is to make loans that will jump-start or increase the capacity of island-based and remote coastal businesses, and take an equity position in transformative business models. The $2 million economic-development tool is a strategy for developing collaborative approaches to sustainable economic viability, helping island and coastal entrepreneurs obtain capital to start or expand their businesses

Unleashing University Innovation

Jul-27-11 By Aminda
While educational institutions are responsible for training future innovators, many experts wonder if the bureaucratic structures and systems often found in public schools are keeping up with the pace of the rapidly changing global workforce and economy. From the classroom to the support staff, there is no lack of ideas on how to bring about transformation, particularly in the university setting.