Por Ben Schneider - 24/11/2014
According to a recent survey conducted by Gallup in the United States, adults laugh much more at weekends than on work days. While children laugh as many as 400 times a day, adults over 35 only laugh 15 times. Prestigious business schools like Wharton, Sloan, Harvard and the London Business School say that every "guffaw" brings a host of benefits for the company. Laughter relieves stress and boredom, boosts interpersonal relations in the workplace, enhances creativity and even improves productivity.
Por Ben Schneider - 30/10/2014
Technology and connectivity have impacted companies and changed the lives of millions of individuals. However, several studies predict that we are about to experience changes of tremendously greater importance.
During the years to come, we will witness the lightning-speed development of “Artificial Intelligence” in computers, improved means for instant communications, the multiplication of electronic devices and the mass flow of information. All of this will disrupt the way we do business.
Por Ángel Bonet - 30/09/2014
There is no doubt that business intelligence – or analytics, as it is called nowadays – offers a very important strategic lever at this moment in time when the information revolution and digitization are in full swing.
Por Ben Schneider - 29/09/2014
There is a reality that affects the majority of companies around the globe: only 30% of their collaborators are truly engaged in their work.
In its latest annual survey, conducted in 2013, Gallup reported that 50% of workers in the U.S. merely put their time in and 20% act out their disengagement in counter-productive ways, with a negative impact on their co-workers. Gallup estimates that this group costs the U.S. economy $500 billion a year.
The enigma to resolve is this: Why is there such a high level of disengagement?
Por Ben Schneider - 08/08/2014
More than a few management scholars argue that individuals should strive to stand out in the workplace, to get themselves noticed and to behave as if each executive were a one-man operation, associating their own interests with those of the firm. "The brand is bigger than the individual" is the extreme expression of this position. This approach is based on the "agency theory" in academics, in which a business is seen as a set of "agents" who seek to interact and develop within an organization, but always while pursuing their own personal interests.
Por Ben Schneider - 11/07/2014
All organizations attempt to disseminate good management practices amongst their collaborators and to generate a positive environment for achieving the so yearned excellence. To do so, managers undergo training, hire consultants, read publications by management gurus, but usually find that the path toward excellence is plagued with obstacles.
Por Ángel Bonet - 12/06/2014
Freemium is a business model that works by providing free basic services while charging for more advanced or special features. The term freemium is a contraction of the two words that define this business model: “free” and “premium”. This business model has gained in popularity among companies operating in Web 2.0.
There are several freemium business models, including:
Por Ángel Bonet - 29/05/2014
This week, as a member of the teaching staff of one the most important academic institutions in Spain, I started an in-house course on customer orientation for one of the country's leading companies. On the positive side, the senior management decision at this great company to become "customer-oriented" and cast aside not only the obsession with product positioning but also the short-term view of earnings.