Amazon asked authors and readers to write to Hachette's CEO regarding this debate. Here is mine: Dear Mr Pietsch I am writing to you at the request of Amazon but, in fact, it is to plea with you to ask them some important, but as yet unasked, questions. This …
'Wait and See' as the appropriate response to disruption
This week a couple of outlets provided coverage of my forthcoming Management Science paper with Matt Marx and David Hsu. Techcrunch: Taking a Wait and See Approach with Disruptive Innovations Knowledge@Wharton: Why Disruptive Innovation can Help Market Leaders Put simply, the overwhelming response from the Christensen-led school of disruptive theory is that incumbents are doomed …
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Staying focused: The Case of Scottevest
Sometimes Shark Tank is good for a bit of entrepreneurial strategy. Here is a video of Scott Jordan of Scottevest. This is a company that has gone all in on the idea that people want pockets for their gadgets. I love this stuff and have their vest, jacket, pants etc. What was he doing on …
Annals of Coherent Entrepreneurial Strategy: Clover Food Lab
Last week I was at MIT and had my first experience of Clover Food Lab. No, it isn't some fancy new scientific research institute. Instead, it is a food truck. Except that I didn't visit a food truck but felt that I had. The Clover I visited was, in fact, a cafe/restaurant/I don't know what …
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Amazon makes its case against Hachette
Well, after months of this, Amazon has taken up a new strategy in its dispute with Hachette -- to tell us what they want and why. Suffice it to say, this is an approach that we can only welcome as it allows us to delve deeper into the dispute and the nature of book publishing …
Fixing the Reputation Score at ebay
I saw this paper by Chris Nosko and Steve Tadelis presented two years ago. I have wanted to blog about it in all that time but because it came out of ebay Research Labs, it was not available. Happily, that constraint has now been lifted. It is a wonderful piece of research and the application …
Am I as good an innovator as the folks at Apple?
Possibly and since I want to make the case be warned this post is a tad self-serving. Back in March I wrote the following: What this means is that: (a) the fitness tracker, watch and any other smarts you want will have to work from one band; (b) there will have to be a routine …
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One paywall model to rule them all
A few years ago I wrote a post that I was quite proud of. It was entitled "Is Paul Krugman Click Worthy?" Here's an excerpt: The New York Times has just proposed to turn us all into Seinfeld‘s Elaine Benes. In episode 119 of the classic sitcom, Elaine’s preferred method of contraception is revealed to be the sponge. When the …
How did the Snowden revelations impact behaviour?
This week the Australian government announced what seems to be an extraordinary piece of legislation. Spies who leak sensitive information will face tough new penalties of up to 10 years' jail and internet firms could be forced to store customers' data for up to two years under sweeping national security reforms. Prompted in part by …
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Amazon's Kindle Unlimited: There may be a danger for authors
Thusfar, I think it is safe to say that publishers have had the most to worry about with regard to Amazon's monopsony power rather than authors; and what power there is comes at their own fault for relying continually on DRM restraints. Indeed, on many levels, one can see that Amazon has provided more opportunities …
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Digitopoly 