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Archive for November, 2007

Delivering Competitive Advantage through design…

Posted by cultivar on 26 November, 2007

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Design plays a fundamental role in the success of many of the world’s leading companies. But how do those firms ensure that they are getting the best return on their investment in design?

For their most in-depth study ever, Design Council researchers visited the design departments of eleven companies, all world-leaders in their fields and all with a public commitment to the use of design to improve their brand strength and product and service offerings.

The study looked at the way design is used in these firms, how designers work with staff from other disciplines and how the design process is managed to deliver consistently successful results. How is design managed across complex, global, product and brand portfolios, we wanted to know. So they asked leading design teams how they select and organise their designers, and when they bring designers into the product or service development process. They also wanted to find out what skills today’s designers need in order to succeed.

From this in-depth examination the report aimed to draw out some of the key features that define the state-of-the-art in modern design practice, as well as the unique approaches that set some firms apart.

The full study includes eleven case studies looking in detail at the processes used at each participating company. The report can be accessed by downloading it from our website Articles page. Further informtion can also be obtained by visiitng the Design Council website:

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/About-Design/managingdesign/Eleven-lessons/

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Must-Have podcasts for Business Owners & Senior Managers

Posted by cultivar on 4 November, 2007

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For the business owner: HBR IdeaCast

From the Harvard Business Review, this podcast shares ideas and commentary from leading thinkers in business and management. Whether you run your own business, or just like to stay abreast of business trends, HBR IdeaCast offers discussions of strategic innovation, decision-making, and leadership. Just take a look at the following website to register for updates as they are published:-

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/hbr/hbr_ideacast.jhtml

For the strategist: Knowledge@Wharton

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Wharton faculty share their expertise in this podcast, analyzing current business trends from the iPhone to the China Bubble. A recent podcast tangled with the thorny issue of corporate environmentalism, addressing the question: “What does ‘going green’ mean for the bottom line?” Just take a look at the following website to register for updates as they are published:-

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast_archive.cfm?CFID=4102494&CFTOKEN=58301941

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