In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

I’ve never thought of the homeless as innovative or entrepreneurial. Beneath the pier and within reach of your coins from above are 5 picnic blankets spread six-feet apart, each with novel merchandising themes to entice charitable currency. Human Resources. Homeless, Not Helpless: Entrepreneurship in Unlikely Places.

Brand 245

Brand Merchandising Entrepreneur Audience 245

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 5, 2016

Companies say they want to be customer-centric, to be innovative, to produce outstanding products and services, to be environmentally responsible, to be socially responsible, and so on. Bean , the idea of selling really good merchandise at a reasonable profit and treating customers like human beings is worth the effort.

Teamwork 100

Teamwork Real Estate Mission Statement Merchandising 100

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Given the unrelenting pace of change surrounding organizations in virtually every industry, companies are looking for executives who know how to innovate and introduce change, not simply caretakers who can manage the status quo. Senior management doesn't really encourage innovation, you'll hear. They won't let me take risks."

Innovation 15

Innovation Merchandising How To Proposal 15

You're Not the Boss of Me

OCTOBER 31, 2010

They stifle creativity and innovation. As they often say in retail stores about handling merchandise, “ If you break it you own it”. If we are to encourage the innovators of our time we must also accept that rules should be subject to rigorous question and challenge.

Maturity 50

Maturity Blog Merchandising McCarthy 50

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Pioneers of new business models, such as Alibaba and Amazon, are launching innovations in rapid succession, such as voice ordering and real-time pricing, while simultaneously building scale and driving down costs. Danita Delimont/Getty Images. Few industries are being disrupted as drastically as the retail industry.

Retail 10

Retail Chief Executive Officer Supply Chain Operations 10

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 27, 2017

The bad news: Petabytes of new data and algorithmic innovation assure that “autonomy creep” will relentlessly challenge human oversight from within. At one American retailer, an autonomous ensemble of algorithms replaced the entire merchandising department. Human leadership defers to demonstrable algorithmic power.

Outsourcing 8

Outsourcing Software CAPEX Competitive Advantage 8

In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 4, 2012

But even artists have to eat, and the fuel of commerce and industry is innovation and novelty. Economically I probably helped shift some merchandise. This hybridization of the arts and business is nothing new of course – it’s been going on for centuries – but they have always been uncomfortable bed-fellows. Let’s trade.

Advertising 265

Advertising Creativity Industry Bottom-up 265