Mese: Maggio 2018

SWOT IS SWOT !!!

swot

The process of assessing a situation is widely and effectively accomplished through the use of SWOT Analysis

Anyway, SWOT means assessing: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and it shouldn’t be SUPERFICIAL, WEAK, OBVIOUS, TREMENDOUS!!!!

 

  1. Use the (full) graphic potential of the tool: Take time to draw it properly;
  2. Look firstly inside the organization: Strengths and weaknesses are considered as internal factors on which a direct influence is likely and that most probably you can change (or influence): therefore those are attributes of the organization. Strengths are those aspects of the internal environment that can help the firm fixing a present problem, issue, or opportunity, while weaknesses are obstacles that may stop organization reaching its full potential;
  3. What is going on outside? On the other hand, opportunities and threats are attributes of the environment and therefore the examined organization has less influence on this fled .Nevertheless, it’s necessary to consider external factors when preparing your strategy. Yes, they do exist even if the organization in question does not exist and that is somehow a confusing aspect;
  4. Beware the Two –faced Janus: You may fall into an aspect that can be both a strength and a weakness, or an opportunity and a threat. By definition, there’s no right or wrong: pick up a point of view and be coherent in your following analysis
  5. Opportunities ≠ possibilities. As we earlier said both threats and opportunities would be present even if the organization did not exist. Therefore, opportunity is definitely NOT something an organization might do
  6. Drop in to the scheme only a few words and synthetic concepts: if necessary, you may write apart more extensively some important assumption/concept
  7. Take time/don’t miss the key problem: rank all of them in order of importance, and concentrate on the ley issues or you’ll miss the benefit of the SWOT Analysis
  8. Match internal strengths with external opportunities and record the resultant SO Strategies; Match internal weaknesses with external opportunities and record the resultant WO Strategies; Match internal strengths with external threats and record the resultant ST Strategies; Match internal weaknesses with external threats and record the resultant WT Strategies
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A good business case analysis: twelve golden rules

 

business case immagine

Analizing a case study is probably the most important but also the most difficult task you should accomplish using the know how acquired during a strategic management course.

Here a possible method and the crucial points in order to avoid issues and pitfalls:

 

  1. Strategy= solving successfully a problem with a brilliant plan: case study= the problem. The problem solver: You. Therefore please always, at the end of your analysis come with a solution and at least, some realistic conclusions!;
  2. The Postman always rings (at least )twice: no way you can analyze a case after reading it only one time;
  3. The Rule of 3: 1.) read just in order to understand what is going on and the nature of the proposed strategic issue; 2. Read in order to classify in order of relevance the proposed issues 3. Now you can start to take notes (in the text) in order to start providing an answer/analysis;
  4. The dark side of the moon: Consider the information you do and don’t have; even in real life is hardly possible to have all the informations you wish…: As with life, it is neither possible nor realistic for cases to contain all the information a decision maker might wish to have available. Usually a decision maker has only bits and pieces of information. Fill in the gaps, playing (just) with the card you have;
  5. We are not playing hide and seek. In the case there are no tricks or shortcuts neither hidden informations…for the simple fact that there is no single answer that wuill “solve” the case!!!.
  6. Fading to grey: identify key points and issues and weight up the situation…. There is no black and white and a span/scale of possible solutions to adopt. ..in other words…don’t be too assertive;
  1. If I were in your shoes: try to imagine yourself in the situation described in the case, playing all the single characters/parties that take part to it : it will be useful for a more motivated and prospective analysis
  2. SWOT is SWOT: The process of assessing a situation is widely accomplished through the use of SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Play by the rules, it should be a real analysis, using all the graphic potential of the tool;
  3. The den of the white rabbit: don’t confuse the symptoms with the desease. Dig as deep as you can in your analysis… if you start treating the symptoms you may forget to identify the underlying problems…;
  4. Follow the “Why”: related to point 9, you probably identified the root problems when you can no longer fight for a meaningful response to the Why;
  5. Classify solutions: between all the possible answers to problem you found, give a kind of rankig based on f.i. feasibility, costs, impacts, returns etc. If possible, support your conclusions with adequate facts/evidences;
  6. No crystal ball: you cannot predict all future events. Your conclusion should be solid, reasonable, clear, as far as possible evidence-based (in the end, evidence is what you know for certain) As long as your evaluation responds to the before stated criteria, your recommendations will be fully justified.

 

Successo al Salone di Torino

Foto Colombero e Max

Grande interesse e apprezzamento allo stand della Regione Calabria nel 31esimo Salone Internazionale del libro di Torino, che si è aperto al Lingotto Fiere. Uno spazio caratterizzato dal rosso che è il colore scelto dalla Regione Calabria per la cultura, richiamandosi innanzitutto al Codex Purpureus Rossanensis. Una partecipazione dedicata a quattro pensatori calabresi, Cassiodoro, Gioacchino da Fiore, Bernardino Telesio e Tommaso Campanella, a cui si aggiungono omaggi agli scrittori Mario La Cava e Saverio Strati, allo scienziato del sedicesimo secolo Luigi Lilio e con momenti dedicati alla narrativa calabrese, tra cui una tavola rotonda a più voci con numerosi scrittori. Visitabile anche un percorso espositivo con edizioni di pregio delle opere di Gioacchino da Fiore e riproduzioni dal Codice Romano Carratelli del XVI secolo. Il primo giorno è stata ospitata la presentazione del lavoro realizzato sulle location cinematografiche della nostra regione con il supporto della Calabria Film Commission e della Regione Calabria, edito da Rubbettino e intitolato “Cinetour Calabria”, a cura di Maurizio Paparazzo e Giovanni Scarfò. La presentazione, con la partecipazione di Daniela Rabia, ha coinvolto anche il Presidente della Calabria Film Commission, Giuseppe Citrigno. Venerdì 11 ospite del Focus Cassiodoro il cardinale Edoardo Menichelli, che ha presentato con il prof. Luciano Vasapollo, dell’università La Sapienza e don Antonio Tarsia del Centro Culturale Cassiodoro, l’ultimo libro curato da Mons. Antonio Cantisani, arcivescovo emerito di Catanzaro Squillace dal titolo “Grazie a te, Signore” con traduzione e commenti ai salmi di Cassiodoro, edito da Jaca Book.

Nelle prime due giornate di attività sono stati presentati i testi di Giuseppe Fiorenza “E dopo accadde” (Ferrari editore), di Federico Carro “Il re della luce. L’ordine degli dei oscuri” (Sovera) e “L’ombra del caso” di Massimiliano Bellavista (Il seme bianco), entrambi a cura di Bottega editoriale, il libro “Guglielmo” di Adriana Lopez (La Rondine), due testi dedicati al cinema come “La grande avventura: Tony Gaudio/Nicholas Musuraca” di Eugenio Attanasio e Mariarosaria Donato a cura della Cineteca della Calabria, e “Appunti di cinema” di Francesco Grano (Ferrari editore). E ancora i testi dedicati ai bambini e ragazzi tra cui “Il sogno di Martin” di Dino Ticli e “L’Angelo di Alì” di Anselmo Roveda, entrambi della Coccole books, “Perché non volo” di Paola Merolli con l’intervento di Francesco Toniarini e “Giseppa e il fantasma pasticcione” di Leonardo Ruffo e Nini Mazzei, edito da La Rondine e “Ardian che voleva svuotare il mare” di Assunta Morrone (Expressiva edizioni). Presentazioni che hanno visto la colorata partecipazione dei ragazzi delle scuole in visita al Salone. Tra i libri più impegnati quello di Mario Caligiuri “ Aldo Moro e l’intelligence. Il senso dello Stato e la responsabilità del potere” (Rubbettino), “Generazione don Milani” a cura di Raffaele Iosa (Erickson), con la partecipazione di Silvana Borgese e di Nicola Irto, Presidente del Consiglio regionale della Calabria. Ancora, “‘Ndrangheta totalitaria” di Andrea Carnì (Falco editore), con la partecipazione dello storico Enzo Ciconte, il testo di Giuseppe Aieta “Vie d’uscita” (associazione culturale Visioni), presentato con Maria Antonietta Sacco. Su Tommaso Campanella tre testi editi da Città del Sole edizioni, “Stavamo al buio… io accesi un lume” con la partecipazione del Sistema Bibliotecario Jonico, “La Città del Sole” di Francesco Idotta, “All’ombra delle tue ali. La saggezza di Tommaso Campanella” di Claudio Stillitani. A chiudere la seconda giornata un panel dedicato alla narrativa calabrese, con i libri “Lungo il sentiero delle trasparenze” di Felice Foresta (Tralerighe libri), “L’ uomo dei tulipani” di Elia Banelli (Alter Ego), “Caos ordinato” di Paolo Magrì (Ferrari), “La forma esatta delle stelle” di Brunello Montagnese (Besa), “Permani” di Carlo Simonelli (Pellegrini).

 

Da “Il Giornale di Calabria”

Fonte

MULTYCULTY STARTUPS

GLOBO

 

Muticultural and ethnic startups are definitely a somehow neglected opportunity concerning business. These are the advantages and the open issues according to my experience.

 

ADVANTAGES

  1. Enhanced Dynamism: multyculty startups are hungry for success
  2. Multyculty startup it’s naturally a blue ocean because funders think differently and naturally out of the box and, by facing differents and sometimes harder issues, they can compete in a sometimes creative and innovative way. If 9 out of 10 startups are there both to answer to customer needs or solve creatively and consistently an already experienced personal problem/disruption, multyculty founders critically observe a larger quantity of market segments and certainly experience a wider set of social and cultural issues.
  3. A multyculty partnership between startup founders for a better understanding of a multyculty society. They can understand much better the concept of cultural relativism, therefore they are able of investigating not just how different cultures work, but also how different cultures and mindsets perceives them!
  4. Internazionalization: a multyculty business has a by-design international potential ready to develop
  5. Approach to problem solving: a multyculty startup owns by its very beginning a wider set of opportunities, cultural tools and different point of view in order to approach and solve an issue, because it deals every day with confrontation and negotiation as a tool to collaborate and develop/finalize its business plan
  6. A (back) door to integration through entrepreneurship: successful multyculty startups represent both an example and a tangible way to involve young entrepreneur coming from another country and/or owning a different cultural background into a real entrepreneurial carrier. It represents a chance of success and integration. Local& funding institutions should do more in communicating and promoting positive and successful examples of multicultural startups.
  7. Long term projects: that’s what in general multyculty startups are, because generally speaking creating a multicultural startups involves also a challenging and sometimes radical life plan
  8. Able (and familiar) with concept of choice/ ability to change mind (mindset): entrepreneurship and startupping is about making many difficult choices and (even more challenging) being able to recognize a failure and changing idea. This is already available in a multyculty startup, where is necessary since the very beginning to sum up, mediate between funders and frame different perspectives, thoughts and beliefs
  9. Able to naturally adapt leadership styles to different working conditions. For most of them, a leadership positon is something you conquer and deserve and that may vary according to different environment/market conditions

 

 ISSUES

1.Ethnic gap concerning venture capital. Not enough number of specialized firms. Skepticism and sometimes reluctance in investing in this kind of startups…but is there a real different risk for investing in multyculty or instead more remuneration opportunities

2.Lack of specific services. Multyculty startups have very specific needs concerning funding, training, coaching and communication: most of the times there is no appropriate offer of consulting services.

  1. Incubators: it would be interesting to develop a real project for a multicultural incubator where cross fertilization is the primary mission. Sometimes this already happens, but generally not in a structured/organized way.
  2. Lack of public funding and specific call for ideas on multicultural/ethnic entrepreneurship
  3. Lack of specific higher education based on an interdisciplinary study programs offering knowledge and skills on business administration, including internet marketing and international strategies, and key soft skills of intercultural dialogue and intercultural relations.