Royalties and Loyalties

If the creation of the WTO in 1995 was the last clear victory for Globalization, the specific point of farthest advance was probably the inclusion of intellectual property inside the trade regime. No sooner was TRIPS in place than the backlash began.The most dependable of pro—Globalization economists were horrified. Why should coupon clipping be treated … Read more

The fall of Economics

Since 1950 world trade has multiplied — depending on whose numbers you use — between twelve- and twenty-two-fold. Worldwide foreign direct investment has grown fifteen-fold since 1970. For foreign directinvestment to developing countries, the multiple is twenty. The daily turnover in foreign exchange markets was $15 billion in 1973. Now it is over $1.5 trillion. … Read more

Executing Innovation

So why is innovation execution so hard? Simply put, organizations are not built for it. Quite to the contrary, they are built for ongoing operations. They are built to be Performance Engines. A well-run Performance Engine is the master of many challenges. It excels at serving today’s customers and fighting today’s rivals. It is terrific … Read more

Coke’s Small Sizing

For its relaunch to succeed, Coca-Cola first has to reposition itself so that people stop feeling guilty when they drink it, or, ideally, come to see a Coke as a treat. That’s why Douglas is so intent on pushing Coca-Cola away from the supersize drinks and back to the older, smaller sizes. A few years … Read more

Disneyization Defined

In a sense, Disneyization takes up where McDonaldization leaves off. McDonaldization is frequently accused of creating a world of homogeneity and sameness. One of the main foundations for Disneyization is that of increasing the appeal of goods and services and the settings in which they are purveyed in the increasingly homogenized environments that are the … Read more