Bas van Oosterhout’s Business Innovation Blog

According to thought leaders within INSEAD customers are really in the driver’s seat when it comes to making or breaking a brand. Also different consumer trends indicate the same, such as Trendwatching.com for example. In the past people could be earmarked to fit within a certain stereotype, e.g. punkers during the 80’s. During this period […]

Many people are interested in how a new Value Proposition is created. Of course, understanding this process and being able to execute it, provides a basis for continuously staying ahead of competitors; it would be the Holy Grail of business. In workshops I have used various methods such as Blue Ocean and TRIZ. These methods […]

Recently HBR published an article about the difference in competition between the US and Europe and emerging markets, China in the article. Where in the US and Europe most customers demand excellent quality in China the largest segment is the “good enough” segment (62% share of market in 2005). The good enough segment is defined […]

During the Internet Bubble Business Model was one of the buzz words. Companies did not need a real strategy, a special competence, or even customers. The only thing needed was a web-based Business Model making vague promisses about wild profits in a distant future (source Joan Magretta, HBR, 2002). Not strange that the term itself […]

Recently I stumbled upon an interesting article which states that we should not focus on the things we are good at, but concentrate on the areas we are not so great at. The theory behind it is based on researching to-be chess masters. Of course this differs 180 degrees from our common sense.
Applying this line […]

Growth is something which can be realized in many different ways: operational excellence with Six Sigma trajectories; product or technology innovation, either incremental or radical; business model innovation; or plain old mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Of course calling it plain old does no justice to the complexity of these kinds of transitions. But fact is […]

Googling the internet “Blue Ocean” was already quite popular (12,900,000 hits). “Business Model Innovation” is a risen star here (6,800,000 hits). Combining the two only generates 75,400 hits. A bit strange… Not only do the two serve the same purpose, deliver growth and innovation to a company. The first can serve as a means of […]

From the 3rd till the 14th of December the United Nations Climat Change Conference was held in Bali. Again loads of attention were given to the subjects of sustainability. Nowadays the topic has really found grounds in society; it is even fashionable to concentrate on environmentally friendly goods and services.
In this light there is a […]