European Business Forum articles from June 2000

European Business Forum archives from June 2000

More haste, less e-speed.(Letter from the Editors)(Wireless Application Protocol)(Editorial)
June 22, 2000... If a week is a long time in politics, three months is now an age for ambitious, globally-minded businesses seeking to harness the latest technology. When we launched European Business Forum (EBF) this April the dot com tidal wave was...

Is e-commerce destined to divide us?(At the forum)(Cover Story)
June 22, 2000... Dot com millionaires. New business models. Productivity revolutions. The dramatic changes attributed to the internet are daily catalogued by the business and popular media, yet the longer term social and economic implications are in many ways...

Does the 'European' management model have a future?(European management revisited)(Andrew Campbell)
June 22, 2000... In EBF's first issue (Spring 2000) eight experts gave their views on this important question. They ranged from the likes of Andrew Campbell who championed the newly 'enlightened' Anglo-Saxon way to others like Anglo-German entrepreneur Bob...

Being customer-driven is not enough: successful companies are not simply customer-driven, they are market-driven. The result of a new European research project demonstrates that such an approach--incorporating in addition to customers, other key market actors such as distributors, competitors and prescribers--pays off in stronger business performance.(In depth: market-driven)
June 22, 2000... It would probably be hard to find anyone these days to argue against the idea that all activities of a business should be responsive to customer needs. It is our contention in this article, though, that being customer-oriented is not enough in...

In my opinion ...(In depth: market-driven)(Customer Relation)(Column)
June 22, 2000... Today the relationship between customers and suppliers is more complex than ever. New technologies, especially business to business e-commerce, are dramatically changing the way companies and customers interact. Customers are more...

Get real about real options: traditional discounted cash flow techniques systematically undervalue investment projects because on their own they cannot value the opportunity to make decisions later in the process.(In-depth: valuation)
June 22, 2000... Methods for valuing investment projects have become increasingly sophisticated in the last few decades. Capital budgeting decisions were once made by crude reference to the expected payback period until discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques...

In my opinion ...(In-depth: valuation)
June 22, 2000... Why do men usually marry at a later age than women? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Why is this age gap narrowing? Why might a Hollywood company be willing to finance the production of a movie with a negative net present value? Why are...

Missed opportunities in the virtual store: companies can use marketing tools that have been effective in the physical marketplace--but on the web they need to go further.(In depth: e-business)
June 22, 2000... Much has been written about how to attract shoppers to a traditional retail outlet--but promotion and design issues have been largely unexplored in relation to the 'virtual' store. How then do you influence consumers to buy your products once...

In my opinion ...(In depth: e-business)
June 22, 2000... Dahlen and Lange's paper is an example of many now flooding out of universities addressing an area of keen interest--how does shopping on-line look and feel to the consumer compared with the real thing? Does traditional marketing theory still...

So who's really interactive on the net? Only publishers are taking full advantage of the communication potential of the web.(In depth: e-business)
June 22, 2000... The Internet may have broken down geographical barriers--but an investigation of more than 200 web sites illustrates how businesses and other organisations are still adopting traditional marketing approaches on the network. The project carried...

Trust is not built at e-speed: a new study of European procurement shows companies still respond to business relationships, brand and physical presence.(In depth: e-business)
June 22, 2000... 'Trust is the webbing that produces an orderly, civilised society out of anarchy and disarray. In organisations, it is the same as love in marriage: trust binds people together to make them strong and effective. It also increases feelings of...

E-forecasting--a taste of the future.(In depth: e-business)
June 22, 2000... Fed up with brochureware from consultants masquerading as "research"? Short of a "good read" for the journey to work which explores what's going to happen next in the world of computing and communications technology? Even short of a really...

Baby boom or blood bath? Incubators, which nurture young firms, are springing up all over Europe. But they face a number of hurdles and some may have a not-so-soft landing.(business incubators)
June 22, 2000... A new wave of entrepreneurial activity is taking Europe by storm: hatcheries, incubators, catalysts and accelerators have sprung out like buds in Spring, offering visions of instant networks, support, resources and ultimately riches for...

In my opinion ...(Sounding board)
June 22, 2000... As the internet wave is sweeping Europe, more than 100 incubators have sprung/up in less than 18 months. This nascent industry is already going through rapid evolution. Esouk, a London based incubator, recently announced it was cutting its...

Sharing out shares: how do you design and implement a global share plan? Few other companies have tried to do this on the scale of Lucent Technologies, the global telecommunications and internet equipment and solutions provider with a world-wide workforce of 160,000 (of which 40,000 are located in 60 countries outside the US). One of the company's senior directors describes the experience.(Sounding board)
June 22, 2000... From day one of Lucent's existence as an independent company--we were spun off from AT & T in 1996--we made all our regular employees world-wide eligible to enjoy a slice of ownership through our Global Founders Grant (GFG). Two years later, in...

The digital TV dilemma: owning consumers--or owning content? European television executives will have to consider the balance of roles they want to play in the next five to 10 years.(Sounding board)
June 22, 2000... Market convergence has driven new forms of competition and left companies everywhere facing an awkward strategic question. Should they define themselves in future according to their historic product range, or by reference to their core...

In my opinion ...(Sounding board)
June 22, 2000... The digital world and its challenges are relatively easy to predict and depict. Everyone is connected and everyone is digital. Bandwidth is virtually limitless and currently unimaginable choice is delivered to a wide range of devices, both...

Jim Rose, CEO of QXL.(View from the top)(Interview)
June 22, 2000... The fall out in 'new economy' stocks has dominated business headlines both sides of the Atlantic over the last three months. QXL.com has seen its share price slump like the rest of its dot com peers--but Europe's largest online auction company...

Juan Pirlot de Corbion, CEO of Chapitre.com.(View from the top)(Interview)
June 22, 2000... Chapitre.com, founded in 1997, is for the moment the only independent on-line bookstore in France exclusively committed to selling books. Besides new titles the company has a unique database of more than 260,000 old and out-of-stock books,...

Does humour travel?
June 22, 2000... I ordered it through our digital TV channel... MATTI REMES, FINLAND [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ROGER BEALE, FINANCIAL TIMES, UNITED KINGDOM [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'Please give generously--any hot tip for the Stock Exchange...

Living with the volatile euro: our regular focus on recent news events considers strategies for dealing with a weak and unstable European currency.(Zoom lens)
June 22, 2000... Before the euro was launched in January 1999 there was a broad, although not universal, consensus among analysts that it had the potential to be a strong currency able, over the long run, to rival the dollar. In the event, despite a recent...

Language--a critical business issue in the internet age.(Window on Europe)
June 22, 2000... 'For the foreseeable future, the wired world will speak our tongue, or, at least, that of its American masters... The net advances the global power of the language more ruthlessly than the British empire ever could, and the obvious effect...

Reflections on the value of an 'Asian' model: if the overseas Chinese can learn to extend their network building model to incorporate non-Chinese businesses, their experience would make them a competitive global force.(Window on the world)
June 22, 2000... The impact of global commerce and financial liberalisation on South East Asia, as experienced during the financial crisis of 1997-98, is pertinent to any discussion of suitable business models for Europe. Indeed, that crisis demonstrated that...

The time seller: what if some megalomaniac entrepreneur tried to package time and sell it? Tzvetlina Tzvetkova, a prize winner in an essay competition organised at the University of St Gallen (CEMS), takes a frivolous look at this idea.(Sideways look)
June 22, 2000... 'I am a seller. Dead capital is not capital. I have to trade and I do... An Air-Seller!... Ha-ha-ha! Who would have supposed it!' Belyaev, Alexander (The Air-Seller) Brrrrr! 'Oooh!.' the Mechanical Clock moaned. 'I cannot stand...

Branding revolution.(Book Review)
June 22, 2000... Jean-Noel Kapferer, Remarques Editions d'Organisation, 2000 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jean-Noel Kapferer has been acknowledged as a leading European expert on strategic brand management since the success a decade ago of Les marques,...

Breaking down the wall.(Book Review)
June 22, 2000... John B Stuttard, The New Silk Road: Secrets of Business in China Today Wiley, 2000 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] China has woken and the world is trembling, as Napoleon said it would. Example: the recent PNTR debate in the US House of...

Profits from information.
June 22, 2000... Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian, Information Rules: A strategic Guide to the Network economy Harvard Business School Press, 1999 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Does the New Economy need a New Economics? That is the fundamental question...

Laying the foundations.
June 22, 2000... David S Pottruck and Terry Pearce, Clicks & Mortar Wiley, 2000 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At last, it's arrived: the book we've all been waiting for since the term 'clicks and mortar' was invented by David Pottruck almost a year ago....

A MetaMarket for education.(Book extract)
June 22, 2000... The emerging 'B2B' business model has huge implications for organisations, not least for educational institutions and how they deliver in the future. In this article on higher education--drawn from their new book MetaCapitalism: The E-Business...

Internet usage in Europe: in formulating an effective e-commerce strategy companies need to know the extent of internet penetration across Europe.(Web.europe)
June 22, 2000... Any European business developing an on-line strategy will need to recognise the uneven spread of the internet across Europe, and keep track of differences in the way the internet is used. Fortunately, a good deal of this information is...

WAP in Europe.(Web.europe)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... Headline results from European internet surveys conducted by NOP Research are available from their site at http://www.nop.co.uk/. The most recent survey looked at the potential growth of the market for internet access through WAP (Wireless...

Hidden wealth.(Web.europe)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... Germany may store redundant pfennig coins in disused underground missile silos to avoid depressing copper prices when euro notes and coins are introduced in January 2002. 'We are a bit worried about the copper price. If all the coins were...

The Swiss internet top 20.(Web.europe)(Illustration)
June 22, 2000... The Swiss internet top 20 Rank/Store Category Portal or Pure Origin Consumer Market Play Sales* 1. Dell.com Computers no no USA 11,313 2....

Swiss online shopping.(Web.europe)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... The University of St Gallen's (CEMS) Research Institute for Marketing and Distribution conducted a survey among 1,500 Swiss consumers with access to the internet. It estimated total sales to Swiss consumers by the Top 20 on-line retailers in...

Cover your tracks.(Web.europe)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... Each of us is leaving a data trail on the internet that could fall into the wrong hands, warn Charles Jennings and Lori Fena in their forthcoming book The Hundredth Window (The Free Press). In an extract from this unsettling account of the...

EU patent move.(Web.europe)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... The incoming French and Swedish Presidencies of the European Union have indicated that the creation of a new EU patent will be one of their internal market priorities. A new proposal is likely to be presented shortly by the European...

Taking work home.(Web.europe)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... Ford has bought 350,000 Personal Computers, costing almost US$300m, for its entire staff to use at home--including internet connections and printers. The company believes this will cut the cost of communicating with staff by US$19m and...

Casual dress backlash?(office wear)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... Slippers are acceptable office wear in some New York companies, according to the Wall Street Journal, while in deference to its customers the US retail chain Nordstrom has asked piano players in its department stores to stop wearing 'jarring'...

Internet power.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... A book purchased on-line costs about one sixteenth of the energy of a book bought in a bookstore. One minute spent driving uses the same amount of energy as 20 minutes sitting at home in front of a computer. The internet will reduce world-wide...

Responsible citizens.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... The extent to which business is responding to environmental concern has been highlighted by recent announcements from two of America's greatest manufacturing icons. In its first 'corporate citizenship report' in May 2000 the Ford Motor Company...

Vive la difference!(Did you know?)(Cultural differences hamper business negotiations )(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... Cultural differences hamper business negotiations in three main ways, according to the authors of a new book The Insider's Guide to Working in Europe. The meaning of commitment (what is decided now and future agreed actions) often varies from...

Guidelines for EBF authors: the European Business Forum warmly welcomes contributions to its print and on-line publications from academics, consultants, business practitioners, other 'thought leaders' and readers. The following describes our submission process and offers some simple guidance on 'house' style and procedures.(Invitation to contribute)
June 22, 2000... Q Are there guidelines for what constitutes a suitable EBF topic? A Articles should be based on research or solid first hand experience, sharpening readers' knowledge about managing an organisation, introducing new tools and techniques, or...

German board conflicts.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
June 22, 2000... Dear Sir Congratulations on the first issue of the European Business Forum, which made good reading. In the discussion of the Rhineland model, it may be helpful to comment, from the point of view of corporate governance, on German...

Rhine model defended.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
June 22, 2000... Dear Sir It was a big joy for me to read the articles in Issue One of EBF in the Forum section. I completely agree with most of them (those in favour of the European model). Besides, they helped me clarify my thoughts about European...

Getting the best from change.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
June 22, 2000... Dear Sir The article 'The leader's stake in change' by Ian Wells and the commentary by Evelyn Leonard raise the paradox that while change ought to be a matter of rational choice and decision, it is more often the result of personal agendas...

A question of customers.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
June 22, 2000... Dear Sir. Andrew Pettigrew's article on the different dimensions and critical areas of organisational change is a good analysis of past and present trends in this field. Somewhat missing in the picture is the aspect of the client and the...

PricewaterhouseCoopers is committed to understanding the implications for businesses of the key drivers that are changing Europe.(News from EBF founders)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2000... The drivers of change operating across Europe and globally are unprecedented. Distinctive European, as well as global, issues are transforming the business environment within which companies operate. Together they pose strategic and operating...

CEMS is a strategic alliance of leading universities and international companies whose objective is to shape Europe's management education and research.(News from EBF founders)(Community of European Management Schools )
June 22, 2000... The CEMS Master's Degree already enjoys a reputation as the pan European standard of excellence in management education. In addition to a degree from their home school, over 2000 graduates from 34 different countries hold the CEMS Master's, a...