Tipping point for hybrid cars
In The Coming Boom in Hybrid Cars ’in strategy+business makes out that sales of hybrid vehicles are following exactly what would be expected from ‘S-curve theory’ [?] - slow initial growth being driven by early adopters until the innovation becomes mainstream. Standard approaches have little to say about the scale or nature of change in such cases. Read more
Wal-Mart = ‘Environmental Protection Agency’?
Sloan Mgmt Review highlights a New York Times article on Walmart’s toughening stance on environmental sustainability. It also points out the inherent conflict in this – that W. relies on selling ’stuff’ in vast quantities. Yet even so, their leverage over suppliers may make them a very effective ‘Environmental Protection Agency’. Read more
‘Backshoring’ no big trend
When Dell decided some years ago to bring back home much of its customer support after complaints about service quality, it seemed perhaps to indicate limits to the off-shoring era. Read more
More on green consumers
Following my recent post on Tim Devinney’s great work on the realities of green consumer behaviour, see ‘Helping green products grow‘ in McKinsey quarterly. it seems there are barriers that can be broken down at each stage of the purchasing process. Coping with [or taking advantage of] green pressures is clearly going to be a key skill for strategic business management, so it’s worth checking out suggestions like these.