What Is Thought Leadership The Role of a CEO as a Thought Leader Thought leadership comes with the responsibility of processing a particular thought to making it achieve the goals that can improve the health of an enterprise. A though leader happens because the audiences, the industry and the markets recognize you as that. A proper planning and execution is required to get to the goal point estimated. How as a CEO would you want to see your company respond to new business contracts, share purchases, product purchases, technology based software purchases and legal procedures? Only you as a c-suite executive can decide on how you would guide and take guidance for some important decision-making. Thought leadership affects a company's image Be it a small company or a large enterprise, thought leadership can be elevated. This elevation can take place in a company catering to a small audience for mere promotions and then in its larger version using various contemporary plat...

Telecommunication Network Telecommunications through waves connects people from different corners of the world and  satisfies consumers with cost and time-effective services. After all the world is becoming following trend setting technologies, so why would the telecom industry stay behind. Following the mobile world that is becoming seamless by each passing day, there is an urge in all of us to learn about the trending characteristics of the telecom industry. So, let us run through the seven major trends of the telecommunications industry: Small cells Small Cells deliver data coverage with a cost-effective capacity that is accessible to both indoors and outdoors operators. Radio access nodes that are low-powered, operator-controlled, and operate in both licensed scope and unlicensed spectrum will ease mobile data coverage and consumption. Small cells networks guarantee effective and quick service in crowded locations like shopping malls, stadiums, hospitals, subways and ra...

A 2012 Huffington post for Canada read that the country witnessed 79 industrial plant shut-downs in 2011, which took away 14,000 jobs. At the pace which US manufacturing plants, with over 1000 workers, have been declining since 2011, it seems quite evident that the manufactured goods from countries like China are being purchased in large numbers and hence, the downfall of manufacturing companies. The role-play of technology has become more prominent in countries like USA and Canada, and so, even though, the output of human labor in manufacturing has been good, machines have replaced most of it. So, since, the labor cost is being minimized this way, most manufacturing plants are closing outright and work is being shifted overseas. Though over 12 million workers are still employed in manufacturing, importing manufactured goods from other countries is only going to worsen the situation. Laying the groundwork for a comeback In the background of American manufacturing companie...

Frankly, linked data has been around for a while, perhaps longer than big data in terms of relational database management. However, when it is about big data, privacy issues, and linking across channels, it is alarming! But do we understand how big data is "linked"? And how is it going to be a good thing overall? To answer these questions, here's the man who can be said to have built the web itself. He is asking for help... Truly, Data = Relationship

The term Innovation is often misunderstood. Without innovating, enterprises fail, waste your time and  money, and often take away livelihoods. While fossil fuels are becoming a realistic energy source for private use, it is important to note how K Sridhar of Bloom Energy made a few tweaks to the ordinary approach one takes. The use of color and hard "paper" (which is actually baked beach sand) made a really big difference if you remember the video in my previous post . Now, companies, no matter how huge, can power their facilities with Bloom Energy installations. Clean energy is finally here, but what about foolproof data? One thing's for sure: If your data business has to earn money that is enough to install a Bloom Energy power box, it better does some genuinely good business. Innovative approaches are seldom effective, unless they are both, timely and targeted. It simply means that a new algorithm may hardly work as expected. It is the little tweaks that you...

Coming to realize the concerns of a B2C marketer, data companies like us realize the complexity of tracking targets. Favorite cuisines, ambiance preferences, locations, and work and travel behavior... wooh! that's a lot of information when it is not a business concern, and individuals only. However, we are talking about something a little more penetrative, realizing that it could be controversial at the same time. Do you remember restaurants requesting your information at the end of a meal, and you just end up leaving your office name or address at the bottom of the review. That leaves the scope for a hospitality or restaurant marketer to find out information about your colleagues - at least the ones who share a similar taste in food. We embarked upon some brainstorming last week to figure out if the complexity could be lowered at some level in the process of data-driven marketing in the B2C sphere. While collecting information from prospects and customers, restaurant and ho...

Let's get something straight. When you hear talks on big data, they generally send a shiver up your spine, making you feel like a "2-bit" piece of data, which can be used or misused, and converted into millions of dollars, but not by you, only someone else! And it is true. But this is where most of us go wrong... The information that you think is available on you is vast, and the ways of tracking are getting easier. No escape, right? Not exactly. What enables marketers to find loads of information they need, is technology. The zillions of bytes that are helping devices track people and their interests, are in no way possible to be handled by humans - that is why big data technology has been around. The onus of handling big data is on technology - cloud applications, etc., and the only information found about you is... What you have supplied into the cyber space (knowingly or unknowingly) What the marketer wants to find out, may not be necessarily about you,...

Protocols are there to ensure ideal implementation of tasks, especially when the devices or technologies at play are potentially dangerous. However, complete adherence to protocol can raise many practical issues. For example, in the big data business, there are numerous instances of anti-protocol behavior, without which the quality of the deliverable may be affected. Here are the glitches often overlooked: Filtration of meta-data  Collection of incomplete (or partly solicited) information in tele-verification The ambiguity of permission pertaining to social media  While these are some of the problems that force protocol-oriented members contributing to bad data quality, you may be overlooking how far some of your staff might be stretching the boundaries. More on the tricks of the trade in the next post.

When you want to know if your product or service is really creating happiness... or your business plan is worthy of creating it, you could be 'just as messed up as anybody else is!'

In spite of all the enthusiasm big data brings, what is overlooked is something that lies at the very stage of procurement. The world is yet to see a technology that can dissect what we call the data tsunami, leaving enough space for ambiguity when large chunks of data are scored on their usefulness for a particular procurer. The majority of big data analysis for commercial support happens at a much later stage. What Meta Data provides you, or even technology, can be highly erroneous. Without confirmation about every detail, scanning or filtering is only a matter chance when it comes to getting it right. However, cloud computing scientists are on the verge of discovering excellent programs, which can hopefully guide upgraded data-capture apps towards correct information at a relatively early stage (procurement). So here's what you can expect by the end of this decade (2020): At least 30% more data accuracy (world average) Worldwide customer information in a click (app-...

Sure you are against the Fed, big government spending, and keep diving into the all-important Orwellian predictions. However, here's the way I look at it brethren... While governments will be using big data to pry on you, you've got to find a way out to show the world how this new marvel of technology can benefit small businesses, the public, and the economy in general. Let's face it, every advancement in technology has held something good for the masses. While governments are banning the internet today, it is only because it has created way more freedom than was predicted. And people like us are fighting for every inch of the cyber space under siege. And remember, if big data is so monstrous, there has to be a way to tame it. Here's all the things big data does, and you may have overlooked: Tells a startup business where, when, and how to find customers Lets a small business retain customers for years Lets entrepreneurs find who their peers can be A...

Thinking about gaining trust, or trusting your employees of that matter, one always starts grappling for conditions and risks... perhaps a way to make your wisdom a little more telling! Now here's what - there are two ways you can go about solving problems while working in an organization. The first of them is to take it upward from the lower levels, through the management, which is supposed to have a clear understanding of the culture and the various standards, up to the top level, that is supposed to push down a solution that needs to be executed, right down at the lower levels. Evidently, there are chances of losing context across the ladder! However, the second way of solving the problem is harder to articulate. It comes with an element of building a culture of trust. Discovering the obvious possibility of mismanagement, delinquency, or even theft is a no-brainer, really! A more delicate way of taking this seriously is realizing what a self-trusting family of workers...

One of the major failures in marketing or any other enterprise is the lack of a differentiating factor. And the problem is that differentiators are not really easy to get. Even if you have them, you may not be able to identify them soon enough. Here's why... Whenever most people undertake an enterprise, they do so looking at the success probability. And gauging that requires you to look at all that's been happening around your market... or does it? Is it the lack of knowledge that helps innovation, or is it a great observation of the competition around that does you good? While that has no easy answer, what's to be done could be rather simple, too simple to comprehend in fact. Here are a few things common to successful ventures... Some of them came up with an idea completely out of the blue Some others had a keen enough interest on the markets to one day realize where exactly they could fit Some, already established businesses in the middle of a spiraling fa...

When technology like the 3D medicine printer's around, there is no way you can grab ruthless competition by its horns. What does this mean for the US healthcare industry, and related businesses worldwide? Taking the 30-year old 3D printing concept to the masses is becoming easier today, but does it scare pharmacies and labs? It's again one of those situations that call for changes to adapt with evolving markets. We know well that business data can become obsolete in months, but when revolutionizing technology like this is around, changes can happen overnight! The lucrative business channels you have been using, can change in terms of popularity in a matter of days, not even weeks. And that's what's being talked about in the corridors of labs, research facilities, and medical schools. Doing business in an environment, where the end customer is capable of making almost 100% of what he or she needs, requires fundamental changes. Whether it is pricing, carte...

Hurrying under pressure is a common business mistake. Even the top level does it without anybody above. What's the pressure all about? Markets are evidently a source of pressure - to perform, outperform, and come up with a solution for the masses before anyone else does. Even if you are not catering to large markets, small markets may have a make or break situation for you. Mindless estimations, faults under pressure, and careless decisions can ruin your company. Most of these decisions are based on inaccurate facts, which may be so deeply rooted in your plan, that there is hardly any way of telling. Market information can be faulty very easily. Although at the macro level mistakes are easy to catch, the premise of such information is often at the micro level. Information collected from consumers can be old, irrelevant, and misleading. So here's what: if you had the correct market data, the chances of building up towards a comprehensive report about a market segment ...

The paradox of choice: It is evident from some advanced studies in economics and population behavior, that choice and freedom have a correlation, but sometimes it can be a skewed one. For example, referring to my earlier post  on choice and narrowing down on items, a difficult argument is imminent. Here's the catch - What Barry Schwartz has to say, is a matter of significance if you are selling anything. And as a buyer, you can really find his wisdom a savior. Can choice ever be too much? Well, it depends on you if you are buying. However, for the seller, it is about having the greatest variety, but is that wise? I am an intelligent buyer - because I DON'T GET FLUMMOXED BY CHOICE (I KNOW WHAT I WANT). So, when I walk in to a jeans store, I may look for a classic fit, and be showered with a gamut of choices; but if they don't have what I want, I simply walk out. A stubborn customer? Debatable. The seller's problem: Every seller feels secure by stocking ...

Hello friends, It's been a while we've really communicated. However, let's get this straight. Knowing about your customer's up close is not really a bad thing. Especially when they are okay to reveal. Decency in business means two things -  Making honest and transparent deals Being compliant with the set expectations Privacy is not so much of a priority unless someone has really asked for it. That's all.  Being decent citizens, it is hard to embrace this at the drop of a hat. However, it is really the way it is. Ever since you were born, every successful business in your neighborhood had a quiet interest about you. And now, you, your family, and your neighbors, no matter where you are, are a subject of interest to businesses that will prosper in the coming years. It's up to you - whether you block your information from going their way, or remain selectively lenient. By being selectively lenient, you could be helping them serve you better. B...

Big Data is grand. It is big enough to cause an overwhelming feeling the moment you begin to understand its scope. Even moral discussions around it find validation because of its scope to infringe on areas and other factors of daily life. The question consumers are beginning to ask is - what the heck is the point in trusting someone who knows how to pry, and does it for their own benefit? Prying v/s Constructive Investigation Here's what: When a consumer walks into a digitally-run store today, which is virtually everywhere, he or she is aware about the outline of information they are giving away for convenient trading. Now, you cannot deny that you simply give away your bank account number, details of items purchased, your name, perhaps even how many family members you have. If this seems to be scaring you, I am sorry you are eons away from the now. What big data also does is support the "true caller" facility. Is that dangerous? Well, that's what any techn...