Lydia was a region in Asia Minor famed for its great wealth. Lydia prospered in the 7th and 6th centuries BC and grew most powerful during the reign of King Croesus. Wanting to expand his empire Croesus looked for a forecaster who could help him make a decision. He asked seven oracles to predict what…
Read moreSaucy Choices
Campbell’s had a problem. Focus group after focus group told them that their Prego spaghetti sauce tasted better than the competitor’s Ragu Spaghetti Sauce. On every aspect, consumers told Campbell’s that Prego was better. The taste was better, the colour, was better, the texture was better! When you poured Prego on the spaghetti it sat…
Read morePost-merger: Are You Ready?
Many of you reading this have been involved in at least one takeover. Data tells us that most of these have gone poorly and the expected value promised by consultants and senior management largely fails to materialize. Fact is takeovers have a higher probability of destroying value than creating it. Does anyone get it right?…
Read moreDo I Need a Strategy?
Remember Xerox, the massive photocopier company that seemed to charge an arm and a leg for every sheet of paper that went through their copy machine? Invented in 1959, the Xerox photocopier owned the market for decades before competitors from Japan moved in and commoditized the business. The big bulky copiers were replaced with smaller…
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