Most CEOs don't have the time to personally interview every person who joins their company. But they absolutely set the priorities and culture that factor into every single hiring decision, and are intensely involved with top level hires. Those are some of the most important decisions they can make, so company leaders tend to have strong opinions about the kind of people they want at their company. 

The GE Global Innovation Barometer, now in its third year, explores how business leaders around the world view innovation and how those perceptions are influencing business strategies in an increasingly complex and globalized environment. The Barometer is an international opinion survey of senior business executives  actively engaged in the management of their firm’s innovation strategy. It is the largest global survey of business executives dedicated to innovation.

GE expanded the global study in 2013, surveying more than 3,000 executives in 25 countries.  This year’s Barometer examines what factors business believe to be drivers and deterrents of innovation and analyzes specific strategies and policies that enable innovation and drive growth.

Dear Avis: If you want to win big with the Zipcar acquisition you will have to try harder. Resist the temptation to impose your core car rental business model on the upstart transformer. Zipcar is your sandbox to scale a car-sharing model with potential to disrupt the automotive and car rental industry. Stop with the number two shtick, Zipcar can help Avis become a market maker instead of a share taker. Your main competitor, Hertz, is a share-taker demonstrated by its recent acquisition of Dollar Thrifty. Your opportunity is tremendous but throw away the classic post-merger integration playbook. Here are five ways to do that:

It isn’t about Avis. It’s about Zipcar Change your lens. It isn’t about you. Zipsters aren’t your current customers. Your business model, renting cars by the day or week, isn’t designed for Zipsters. Start by understanding their experience and view the world through the lens of Zipcar’s business model, which provides members with access by the hour to a network of shared cars. You aren’t buying a platform to improve the Avis business model. You are buying a new business model that will benefit from access to Avis capabilities. ZipCar was struggling to scale its model and Avis can help. This is about enabling more Zipsters and improving their car sharing experience.

Although governments have been reluctant to resort to New Deal-style direct job creation, agencies at all levels are seeking ways to accelerate the current economic recovery.  One of the most reliable formulas researchers have identified for private-sector growth has been the regional innovation cluster model.  Regions build upon their existing university programs, industrial capacity and technology strengths to develop a competitive advantage that promotes export-driven growth with high-value jobs.  Some regional planners proudly report that their innovation clusters provide “5% of the companies, 10% of the jobs and 20% of the payroll.” 

The innovation cluster model has failed only in that technology-driven businesses are attracted to locate within a comfort zone of existing infrastructure, amenities, anchor institutions and social networks.  High-growth clusters can become more crowded and more affluent while concentrated, intergenerational poverty can continue to get worse in nearby neighborhoods, even in regions where average levels of wealth attainment are rising.  A rising tide does not automatically lift all boats.

The fearsome box jellyfish packs venom that is among the deadliest in the world, but a new treatment may take the sting out of its powerful poison, according to a new study.

The study researchers found that a zinc-based compound prevented death in mice injected with box-jellyfish venom. The compound — zinc gluconate, a nutritional supplement — seems to work by preventing certain ions (charged particles) that keep the heart beating from leaking out of blood vessels.

Association boards, CEOs and senior executives will need to answer a wide variety of questions as they embark on the work of developing new business models to enable their organizations to thrive over the next decade and beyond. Of unique importance, however, will be how these leaders work through three critical design challenges that may well determine whether their new business model concepts will be able to achieve both purposeful impact and sustainable profitability.

The practical challenge: Making the shift from membership-centric to value creation-centric business models. 

In a series of blog posts last summer, I outlined five reasons why membership is “killing” association business models. While I certainly encourage you to read those posts, here is the key point: the shifting economics of membership, combined with greatly increased stakeholder expectations, are making membership-centric business models strategically and financially problematic for many associations across different industries, professions and fields. Despite these difficulties, tradition continues to trump innovation, as selling memberships remains the all-encompassing logic of association business models. Some associations are so committed to maintaining their membership-centric business models, they are now giving membership away for free, a tactical choice that can create unintended consequences for strategic intent.

Texas startups and young companies saw far less private investment during the fourth quarter of 2012 from a year ago, according to a new report.

The Austin-based Texas Entrepreneur Networks‘ report found that private investors pumped $297.6 million into 109 companies during the three months ending Dec. 31. That’s down from $463 million invested in 96 startups and young companies during the same period in 2011.

Overall, venture capital investing statewide and in North Texas slowed in 2012.

Sometimes the best business lessons are the ones we’ve know the longest. 

Success at business is no easy chore.  It takes discipline, focus, and a set of core values that guide you around the emotions and stress of daily combat.

It’s all too easy to get sidetracked by the latest new strategy for business — like social media or digital marketing or sales automation. You find yourself chasing tactics. One after another. Hoping that you will be successful with one of them.

The B2B startup domain has slowly emerged into one of the hottest and fastest growing areas attracting expert talent funding.

Barriers to entry have fallen with light touch interfacing and sticky product features through web and mobile apps, as well as APIs. Deal flow opportunities are tremendous: Think scoring 50 fold+ in revenue over long term contracts with large clients, as opposed to one-night-stands with consumer who can flake out at any given time.

There might be a lot of griping about how tight the venture capital world is when it comes to funding medical devices, but reality seems to be spinning a different yarn altogether.

A new funding report from CB Insights, a venture capital database, describes the medical device industry as the “sector darling” of VCs who invested in healthcare in the fourth quarter of 2012. In fact medical device deals comprised 42 percent of the overall number of healthcare deals done in the fourth quarter of last year. By comparison biotech deals stood at 15 percent, drug development at 13 percent and pharmaceuticals at 10 percent.

From wearable computing to tablets and smartphones, CES 2013 showcased another roundup of technologies. To weigh in on which ones will — and won’t — matter in 2013, take our survey.

A caucus of eurosceptic Conservative MPs has issued a manifesto today (16 January), two days before Prime Minister David Cameron is set to make a landmark speech on Europe, stating that “the status quo is no longer an option” and demanding “a new and different relationship” with the European Union. The Fresh Start group of Conservative backbenchers – numbering nearly 100 of the party’s 304 deputies – sets out proposals to repatriate legislative powers to the UK and cut Britain’s bill for EU membership by billions of pounds a year.

After two consecutive years of increased deal flow and capital invested, 2012 started out on an optimistic note; however, private equity deal volume fell 14% and capital invested declined 13% from 2011 levels. Deal-making also decelerated throughout the year until a 4Q spike in activity, as investors rushed to get deals done in anticipation of higher tax rates in the New Year. Exit activity, on the other hand, increased for the third straight year as private equity firms exited a record 587 portfolio investments in 2012. One of the most significant developments was the continued focus on secondary buyouts, which surpassed corporate acquisitions as an exit strategy for the first time ever in 2012.

To help keep you up-to-date with the current state of the private equity industry, PitchBook has released our Annual Private Equity Breakdown Report. Powered by the PitchBook Platform, this report provides an in-depth analysis of private equity trends and activity in 2012.

Mark Twain once said, “There are two kinds of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.” In other words, no matter how seasoned or “under-seasoned” you are when it comes to making presentations, there is going to be some particular audience, some particular topic, some particularly poor timing or something else in particular that is going to give you some sleepless nights and a queasy stomach in the morning.

I know this firsthand. I've been a professional speaker and communications coach for over 20 years, so when a client of mine offered me the incredible opportunity to present a keynote address on customer service to more than 2,000 financial-service professionals, nobody was more surprised than I was to hear these words leak out of my mouth, “Uh, no thanks.”

Lexington, KY and San Antonio, TX (January 16, 2013) – San Antonio, Texas-based Biomedical Development Corp. is expanding its operations to Lexington after securing two grants from the Kentucky SBIR-STTR Matching Funds Program. Aligned with the innovative grant program and the University of Kentucky, 28-year-old BDC aims to extend its successful record investing in healthcare technologies.

BDC’s Kentucky operations will focus on two initiatives, a mouth rinse that fights oral inflammation and a patient management software designed to better understand and treat bipolar disorder.

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new federal initiative to improve access to venture capital investments for high-growth innovative companies. Totaling C$400 million, the Venture Capital Action Plan will include a C$250 million privately managed fund of funds, which will make commitments to venture capital funds in partnership with corporate and institutional investors, and interested provincial governments. Another C$150 million will be ear-marked for recapitalizing existing funds of funds and making direct commitments to leading funds. The plan’s combined capital is to be deployed over the next seven to 10 years.

At Rio Tinto’s West Angelas mine in Australia, large automated Komatsu trucks are moving tons of earth thereby saving $100,000 per truck annually in operating costs. Meanwhile, in the U.S., warehouse robots scurry down aisles to locate goods or parts, as directed by their human controller, and return them to a pallet for loading and shipping, while saving time, reducing injuries, and cutting costs. It is all part of a robotics revolution that is proliferating to the everyday operations of more and more businesses.

Used by Companies Large and Small “In the past, only large companies with numerous repetitive tasks, such as automotive manufacturers, could afford robotics. Today, efficient, cost-effective robots are available for both mid-sized and small companies for low-volume projects or parts,” says Justin Percio business manager for the automated welding segment of Lincoln Electric in Cleveland, Ohio.

Tech is back! For the first time since 2001, San Jose tops the Milken Institute's Best-Performing Cities index, which looks at jobs, pay and the technology sector to determine which cities are best at creating and sustaining economic growth. For the second year in a row, Logan, Utah, leads the small cities.

As we are beginning a new semester I’m excited to share an update on the Wharton Venture Initiation Program (VIP), our educational incubator that supports Penn students.  We accept applications three times a year and this past December received 42 applications in Philadelphia and 6 in San Francisco.  Following the multi-round selection process 8 new ventures in Philadelphia and 2 in San Francisco were accepted and started this January.  There are some very novel concepts in the new batch that include:

The ability to talk to your nurse, anywhere, anytime A B2B distributor of spare machine parts that are printed on-site using 3-D printers Frozen smoothie bites

Now is not the time to cut funds for large-scale experimentation. The current economic dilemma of the EU is a golden opportunity to enable innovation breakthroughs at a system level, says Ioan Ciumasu.

Climate change and resource shortages will force us to transform our economy and society. If we do not break out of the old, unsustainable techno-economic paradigm of the 20th century1, a perfect storm2 looms within decades. Experts from virtually all sectors are now talking about the need for innovation to transform whole industries, ensuring industrial leadership and a leap towards “sustainable growth” in Europe.