What's Wrong With Facebook's Business Model And Innovation Strategy?

Facebook’s (NASDAQ:FB) acquisition of WhatsApp for a whopping $19 billion dollars demonstrates the company’s determination to remain the leader in social networking, even if that comes at a hefty premium.

 

At the same time, it reveals a very important limitation in Facebook’s business model: the very assumption that everyone can be a friend with everyone else.

Long before Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook, Aristotle has argued that “true” friendship is governed by a strictly qualitative logic. That is, friendship is a rare spiritual intimacy that can only be shared among a handful of people.
As a result, a person may live an entire life and only possess three or four “real” friends.

Read more at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2014/02/23/whats-wrong-with-facebooks-business-model-and-innovation-strategy/


What will be the impact of this acquisition on FB business model ? What is your answer to the question posed by the title?

Nestlé needs youth

Get hired, get skilled, get support and more opportunities!

Challenge yourself with the new European Youth Employment Initiative by Nestlè.

Wait are U waiting for? Read more at: http://www.carriereinternazionali.com/organizzazioni-internazionali/lavoro-tirocinio-europa

EISENHOWER FELLOWSHIP

Sei un innovatore? Hai un’idea geniale e vuoi avere la tua opportunità per svilupparla? Qualunque sia il tuo campo, dalla sociologia alla politica, dall’industria alla tecnologia, il programma Eisenhower Fellowships potrebbe essere il tuo trampolino di lancio. Il progetto made in Usa punta a portare idee innovative negli Stati Uniti fornendo ai candidati i mezzi e l’ambiente per svilupparle come meritano.

http://www.wired.it/economia/start-up/2013/12/09/eisenhower-fellowships-innovazione-globale/

London School of Economics SU Alternative Investments Conference 2014 - TAKE YOUR CHANCE, APPLY TODAY!

Where? Marriott Hotel London Grosvenor Square
When? January 20^th and 21^st, 2014
Apply before the 4th of December 2013 on www.lseaic.com

What is the LSE SU Alternative Investments Conference?

If you are interested in Private Equity or Hedge Funds, this is the place to be! You will have the opportunity to hear the insights of leading industry luminaries and increase job opportunities through networking. Several of last year’s attendees got interviews and jobs in Hedge funds and Private euity thanks to the networking provided by the Conference (there are even interviews being held at the conference for attendees).

The LSE SU Alternative Investments Conference is the world's largest student-run conference on hedge funds and private equity, bringing together over 50 speakers and 350 delegates from across the world. We are delighted to confirm an incredible line-up of speakers this year:

- David Rubenstein, Co-Founder of The Carlyle Group

- Kyle Bass, Principal of Hayman Capital Management

- James Chanos, Founder and Principal of Kynikos Associates

- Randall Dillard, Co-Founder and CIO, Liongate Capital Management

- Farhan Sharraff, CIO - Equities at Guggenheim Partners

- Marc Lasry, CEO and Co-Founder of Avenue Capital

- David Allen, Managing Director at CPP Investment Board

- Hugh Langmuir, Managing Partner at Cinven

- Johannes Huth, General Partner at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts

 Students from Italy are encouraged to apply to attend this unique conference which is not only a great learning opportunity but, as past delegates can confirm, a fantastic networking experience that could lead to thepossibility of internships/full time jobs in one of the most competitive industries. All applicant CV’s are reviewed by our professional recruiting firm as well as by our sponsors, including Liongate Capital Management, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Bain & Company, Guggenheim and many more.

Visit our website www.lseaic.com to find out more about this amazing opportunity and to register (CV drop). Deadline for applications is midnight GMT on Wednesday, 4 December, but do apply early as application for a delegate seat is very competitive. In 2013, we received over 5,000 applications for 350 seats and we expect even higher application figures for the 2014 Conference. Take your chance and APPLY TODAY!

Open Question

Based on what you have learned throughout the course, what is a critical managerial issue that has emerged from the news in the past few weeks? As a suggestion, you may collect evidence and information from business magazines, blogs, newspapers etc.

Customize Me: McDonald’s Testing Biggest Burger Change in Decades

Customers can use iPads to build their own burger.

McDonald’s of supersize fame is now exploring the “made-to-order” model, in an effort to compete with growing competition around the country.

Read more: http://business.time.com/2013/11/20/customize-me-mcdonalds-testing-biggest-burger-change-in-decades/#ixzz2lgACkA3N

1. If implemented, what will be the cons and pros of McDonald's entry in the made-to-order model?
2. In what sense may customization represent an effective opportunity for the company?

Edison Start Competition

For its 130th anniversary, Edison launched a competition to distribute 300 thousand euro to finance innovative ideas on Energy, Social Development and Smart Communities. Registration for the contest will open January 13, 2014.

Read more at: http://www.ticonsiglio.com/concorso-edison-start-300mila-euro-per-idee-innovative/?utm_source=emailcampaign368&utm_medium=phpList&utm_content=HTMLemail&utm_campaign=Nuovi+concorsi+e+assunzioni+con+Nestle%2C+Fao%2C+Edison%2C+Inps%2C+Max+Mara%2C+Granarolo

A 'Bounty' Of Confusion At Procter & Gamble

Walk into any grocery store and you will be amazed at the dozens of ways Bounty paper towels are packaged. In sizes ranging from regular, big, large, giant, super, jumbo and varying numbers of rolls per package, it is anything but simple when it comes to purchasing paper towels. To complicate matters, Bounty is sold in different configurations in competing stores and has a luxury (yes, really) offering called DuraTowel. Priced at about twice the cost of Bounty’s basic paper towel, DuraTowels come in different color packaging and are often located apart from Bounty’s other products.

Read more at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/agoodman/2013/11/12/a-bounty-of-confusion-at-procter-gamble/

According to the article, P&G's line extension strategy has slowed its sales compared to competitors such as Unilever. The suggested formula to boost sales would then be to become innovative again. What would you consider an innovation for products like paper towels and dish detergents? In your first 90 days as the new Chief Innovation Officer, what are the issues you would like your team to work on?

Your late fees are waived: Blockbuster closes

"Be kind, please rewind," the signs used to say in video stores, urging customers to return their rented VHS tapes spooled back to the beginning.

If only Blockbuster could rewind back to the 1990s.

That was the time when the video chain was the colossus of the movie-rental business, with stores in seemingly every city shopping district and suburban strip mall in America. Visiting the store was a weekly rite for many people, who would show up on Friday evenings to check out the latest releases, navigating a crush of couples and families who had exactly the same idea -- only to find out that the last copy of "Air Force One" or "The Lion King" had already been snagged.

 

Read more at: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/06/tech/gaming-gadgets/blockbuster-video-stores-impact/?c=&page=3

 

1 - In what measure has Blockbuster failed to understand that customers' needs were changing?

2 - What is the panorama that the digital era is shaping for the movie entertainment industry?

Ryanair unveils new strategy - 'be nice to customers'

Ryanair, Europe's biggest budget airline, has promised to transform its "abrupt culture" in a bid to win customers from costlier rivals, admitting for the first time that a reputation for treating its passengers badly might have become a problem. 
The Irish firm, this week voted the worst of the 100 biggest brands serving the British market by readers of consumer magazine Which?, said on Friday it would become more lenient on fining customers over bag sizes and overhaul the way it communicates.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/20/ryanair-idUSL5N0HG1F020130920

If customers are not willing to pay less for an unfriendly customer relationship anymore, how Ryanair is supposed to change its BM's building blocks to implement a "be nice to the customers" strategy?