Entries Tagged 'Business Knowledge & Knowhow' ↓

The European Commission is at it again with an investigation sparked by three of Google’s potential competitors. Alleging ‘abuse of its dominant position’ this investigation is a penalty of having over 80% of the UK search market.
Google’s customer loyalty has been earned through technical excellence and a customer service that provides a high level of satisfaction such that customer eschew other offerings.
Customers can always vote with their feet or a click of their fingers in this case.

Julia Holtz, senior competition counsel for Google says ‘increased scrutiny comes with the territory when you are a large company’. Envy and commercial practice can attack your Intellectual Assets.

T-Mobile

The proposed joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile looks like it will get clearance from the European Commission despite consumer champion Which, The OFT, Ofcom and our Competition Commission.
As the Sunday Telegraph put it ‘Based on the Lisbon Treaty, the European Commission has the ultimate power to decide on such issues.’

Side agreements have and will be done to sweeten smaller mobile competitor  3.

Knowledge of and engagement with the power bases can be an important part of your Intellectual Assets.
It is an international market out there ’so mind how you go’.

Two American gurus of New Product Development Dr. Robert Cooper and Dr. Scott Edgett have badged their business as the Product Development Institute Inc.
Great for a consultancy business and the ‘world’s most widely implemented innovation system, Stage-Gate®’ must also benifit.

New product development is crucial to the health of business so keep up with the latest thoughts:

Winning at New Products: Accelerating the Process from Idea to Launch by Robert Cooper

Innovation Management and New Product Development by Dr Paul Trott

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Wampit.com claims to be a leading UK business search directory. The unique selling point is its capacity to include “rich” content such as video on free adverts; ‘you tube for business advertising?’

Time will tell if the intellectual offering meshes with both market demand for directory search and business promotion. In the meantime some businesses may wish to register.

One

North East

New financial support for innovation may be found in the North East

* A £7.5 million Angel Match Fund that will offer early-stage investments ranging between £50,000 and £150,000.
* A £15 million Technology Proof of Concept Fund targeting very early-stage technology businesses with investments ranging between £20,000 and £100,000.
* A £20 million Growth Fund for mature companies at the development and growth stages offering investments between £50,000 and £400,000.
* A £20 million Seed Fund for pre-start and early-stage firms that can invest between £50,000 and £750,000.
* A £25 million Technology Fund providing investments worth between £50,000 and £1.25 million to technology-based companies at any stage of development.
* A £20 million Growth Fund 500 that will invest between £350,000 and £1.25 million into relatively mature companies that need growth capital.

This Government quango, part of the Technology Strategy Board ‘wants to make the UK a global leader in innovation. To do so we need ensure the UK is a place where:

* business is successfully competing at the forefront of technology and innovation developments globally;
* Government provides a supportive and coherent environment which allows innovation to thrive;
* society understands, embraces, values and is excited by innovation and technology.’

Fighting infection through detection, Crop Protection, Plastic electronics and other R&D projects are funded via competitions with up to £29m available to fund feasibility studies, fast-track projects and larger R&D projects. Read more

Kraft are looking to buy Cadbury for approaching 800p per share. In mid 2009 Investors Chronicle reported Cadbury’s total net assets were 259p per share of which 292p was for intangibles! In other words the value of factories, stock and equipment was less than Cadbury’s liabilities.

So Kraft are buying the hope value, the right to future earnings and cash-flows plus the brand franchises and getting nothing ‘tangible’ for £8 per share.  However you Crunchie the numbers Kraft may end up with Chocolate Egg on their faces unless the Curly Wurly intellectual assets perform.

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It is argued that there are ‘riches in niches’ and that a rifle will be more effective than a shotgun so your niche strategy is a crucial part of your Intellectual Property.

Niche customers will be happy if someone serves them well, you can own the niche and make it expensive or not worthwhile for competitors to target your niche,  your marketing investment will be totally focused. If you are mass market or focused too generally you may be niched by others who will target your profitable customers.

A well defined niche can produce a great business,  Tetra Foods make 80% of the worlds tropical fish food. Read more about niche branding.

Keep your ear close to the ground to find support schemes that may be available to help you develop products and markets.

‘Proof of Market Grants from the East of England Development Agency have to be submitted by 8 January. The scheme offers SMEs funding ranging from £5,000 to £20,000 to assess the commercial potential of new products, processes and services.

Grants can cover up to 60% of the total eligible project costs, such as undertaking market assessments and identifying market opportunities. Up to 10% of any grant can also be used to cover Intellectual Property costs.’

‘The state-sponsored innovation agency is already looking for participants to take part in a workshop next March aiming to demonstrate commercially-viable plastic electronic technologies, with £3 million worth of grants on offer for the best ideas.

And next month they will launch a £5 million competition to support collaborative R&D projects and the development of a UK plastic electronic supply chain.

Plastic and printed electronic technologies enable circuits to be manufactured at a relatively low cost by printing or patterning electronic materials …………. and while the current global market for the technology is less than $2b, this figure is predicted to grow to as much as $330b by 2027.’ Source j4b examples from news letter.

Discount fashion retail brand Koodos grew rapidly after good internet sales last Valentine’s Day. They secured good media coverage in the run up and will doubtless do the same in 2010. It is almost too late for you to emulate this activity for your business as magazines like Women’s Own and Look plan their features well in advance but on that basis so should you.

Your next 18 months PR and advertising strategy should be available, at least in outline, so you are prepared to take advantage of, the next election, World Cup South Africa, Global Warming pronouncements, Christmas or whatever impacts on your brand and business activity. Think now, how you can create an online buzz to further your promotions.

In addition to pre-eemptive marketing you should also have contingency plans or disaster recovery plans in place. What would happen if your IT systems goes down or you suffer a disaster like Buncefield?