sexta-feira, julho 22, 2011

Not yet

As câmaras e os políticos ainda não perceberam as implicações do encarecimento do preço do dinheiro na avaliação dos "investimentos" a realizar.

Interessante

"Lactogal "exporta leite mais barato do que vende à distribuição""
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Será verdade?
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Lembro-me de discutir, enquanto aluno na FEUP, a hipótese de vender para exportação a um preço que compensasse os custos variáveis e pouco mais.
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Uma coisa pontual, extra-orçamento, OK.
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Fazer disso um modo de vida... nonsense, sobretudo num mercado aberto. Querer que os clientes habituais subsidiem a exportação não é uma boa política, sobretudo agora com a simetria de informação.
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A queixa da distribuição portuguesa é dos livros sobre o tema dos preços.

Para reflexão

Consultem a coluna do blogue do lado direito e vejam a lista intitulada "SDL+co-criação+balanced centricity" é uma lista em construção que aborda o fenómeno de nos concentrarmos na originação do valor para ter sucesso no ambiente competitivo de Mongo.
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Contudo, o mainstream só fala dos custos... como se o nosso problema fosse de custos:
Gráfico retirado de "Wages and labour costs" (figura 6).
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Num mundo em que o value-in-use é o enfoque cada vez maior... o mainstream continua encalhado no value-in-exchange.

Users, buyers and payers

"As distinct from treating ‘value’ as an embedded attribute of the product being exchanged, this conceptual framework views it as a being created by the interactions with customers taking place throughout the relational process. It is thus rooted in subjective performance criteria and measured by value-in-use, rather than in objective quality standards, capable of measurement in terms of value-in-exchange. In this view, firms do not deliver value, but instead offer propositions that have the potential to co-create value in partnership with customers, as “reciprocal promises of value, operating to and from suppliers and customers seeking an equitable exchange”.
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"Even if value-in-use does take up a super-ordinate position in relation to value-in-exchange, a strategic issue remains to be addressed: whether firms should always strive to communicate propositions emphasising the former kind of value, or might in certain situations place relatively more emphasis on the latter.(Moi ici: Mais uma razão para definir e caracterizar quem são os clientes-alvo. E, como já me aconteceu em vários projectos, não é fácil a um comercial habituado a lidar com a proposta de valor preço (value-in-exchange), ter de abordar novos clientes de uma forma diferente, reforçando a perspectiva do (value-in-use))
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For example, if a customer’s short-term orientation is towards the achievement of annual price concessions on capital goods and service agreements, propositions focusing on value-in-use may be contraindicated, even if they would be a good business rationale for buyers in general. This conclusion supports the view of Lusch et al. (2007) that it is not viable for a firm to pursue an unvarying approach to the formulation of its value propositions. In that case, those responsible for the related strategy decisions need to be able to recognise the determinants of value emphasis, in order to be able to change, adapt and influence the value proposition effectively. (Moi ici: Um dos melhores exemplos que conheço é o da XIAMETER. A DOW teve a clareza de espírito para perceber que para certos clientes é só mesmo o preço e a marca DOW não representava nada) This in turn demands a clear understanding of the nature of the interactions between providers and customers, and those among the members of buying centres where those exist."
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"Michel et al. (2008) discuss three distinct customer roles in the value-creation process, from an S-D logic perspective: users, ‘payers’ and buyers, whether individual or organisational. Whereas the user’s role primarily relates to value-in-use and the payer’s primarily value-in-exchange, the buyer’s role bridges the two. In some contexts, all three roles are performed by the same person; in others, they are played by different individuals." (Moi ici: Ontem à noite trabalhei o esquema que se segue para um projecto em curso
E cá estão eles os 3: os buyers (os distribuidores); os payers (os compradores) e os users (os utilizadores).
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Creio que há uma componente de value-in-use que pode ser desenvolvida com os distribuidores. Em vez da concentração no produto, concentração na experiência que o distribuidor quer sentir na relação que tem com os seus (dele) clientes. A que me parece mais complicada é a proposta de valor a oferecer ao comprador. O comprador não é um utilizador, por isso, a tentação pode ser o preço como factor decisivo. Assim, há que trabalhar a experiência, a mensagem, quer para os influenciadores, quer para os utilizadores. O que é o endorsment de um utilizador senão uma tentativa de captar experiência de uso e transferi-la para o momento da troca, da decisão de compra)
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"In general, if the key role of the payer is to be gatekeeper, decider, major influencer or some combination of the three, it is more likely that he or she will be inclined to adopt the value-in-exchange criteria when making buying decisions. (Moi ici: Cá está) A focus on value-in-exchange may also suit low-cost providers aiming for increased sales and market share but having limited interest in close collaboration with customers in the creation of mutually beneficial value propositions. This is one reason why firms that increasingly compete by emphasising value-in-use, find it important not only to interact with the customer at the operational level, as a user, but also to carry out other joint task tasks aimed at increasing awareness of lifecycle costs and identifying new value-creation opportunities. (Moi ici: Cá está) Furthermore, the types of need identified are likely to depend on whether the initiator in the purchasing process is the user, buyer or payer.
Initially, the focus of a value proposition must therefore meet the initiator’s criteria, but the focus is likely to shift as the needs and demands of the other evaluators in the buying centre are taken into account, and the final decision criteria evolve. The initial focus may also change during the sales process, as a result of the communicative interactions and dialogue within the buying centre and with the supplier."
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Interessante como estes temas têm sido desenvolvidos nos últimos anos pela escola nórdica de marketing e gestão. Estamos a falar de uma literatura que aborda os negócios em Mongo.
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Trechos retirados de "Dynamics of value propositions: insights from service-dominant logic" de Christian Kowalkowski"

Sem patente... nada feito

"Francesinha cria água nas bocas americanas".
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Espécimen recolhido na passada semana no Restaurante Feirense!

quinta-feira, julho 21, 2011

O canário grego indicou o caminho...

Lembram-se do que se podia aprender com o canário grego?
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"Vale a pena ler para aprender com o canário grego";
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"Aprender com o canário grego"
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Por cá "Crise de Portugal retira credibilidade à empresa. Fornecedores querem pagamentos à cabeça."

Acerca da importância das histórias

"If someone has a strong opinion about something and you provide an alternative strong opinion…it reinforces their strong opinion.
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Instead of starting with facts and reasonings…start with a story.
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Start with a negative story, something that will grab someone’s attention"
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Trecho retirado de "Our natural tendency is to start with our facts and then give examples..we need to reverse this"

Servitization?

"The 5 Myths of Servitization"
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O nome é esquisito... mas é sobre isto que tenho de pensar nos próximos dias.
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Quando uma empresa tem um produto super-atraente, como acrescentar operant resources aos operand resources? Que serviços acrescentar, que pontos de interacção desenvolver, para poder evoluir para o nível seguinte do jogo?

Valor vs Produção ou Facilitação

Vale a pena ler "Adopting a service business logic in relational business-to-business marketing: value creation, interaction and joint value co-creation" de Christian Gronroos.
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Este esquema parece-me bem conseguido para mostrar o que está em causa quando se fala de valor:
"Production and value creation are not the same thing. In production processes the distribution mechanisms (goods and service processes) for service that render value for customers are produced. Value creation, on the other hand, takes place in the customers’ value-generating processes where goods and services are used. There value is created out of these distribution mechanisms. The customers are in charge of their value creation. What suppliers can do is, first of all and fundamentally, to provide their customers with such goods and services that they can use in a value-creating way. As suppliers in this way facilitate value creation, this can be labelled value facilitation.
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However, as production and usage, or in more general terms the supplier’s and its customer’s processes, are partly simultaneously occurring processes, interactions between suppliers and their customers occur. As part of such interactions customers’ co-producing opportunities exist. From a production point of view, where the supplier is in charge of the process, customers engage themselves with the supplier’s production process.
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However, looking at the interactions from a value creation perspective the situation changes. In value creation the user is in charge, and hence it is the supplier that is invited to engage itself with the customer’s work, or usage and value-generating processes, in order to support how value fulfilment is occurring in those processes. This view also describes a truly outside-in approach and is in accordance with the marketing concept.
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The supplier’s involvement in its customers’ usage processes during interactions with the customers opens up additional opportunities for suppliers to influence value creation and customers’ value fulfilment. During the interactions the supplier can directly work with the customers and actively influence the flow and outcome of their value-generating processes.
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Because according to the value-in-use notion customers create value, the supplier is not a value creator or the value creator. However, during interactions with users in addition to its role as value facilitator, the supplier becomes a co-creator of value as well. ... customers produce value for themselves independently, but suppliers may offer assistance. Co-creation opportunities that suppliers have are strategic options for creating value. As these interactions are dialogical situations, where both parties are active in a learning process and influence each others perceptions and actions, it is in fact a matter of joint value co-creation in which both are engaged."

Recordar sempre estas cenas ao ouvir os Muggles

Sempre que oiço André Macedo na rádio ou na TV lembro-me desta história.
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Ontem, André Macedo escreveu no artigo "Não temos dinheiro, vamos ter de pensar":
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"Há exactamente 46 anos, um visionário chamado Robert Plinskin decretou a morte dos ovos.
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Disse ele: “As mais recentes análises de mercado estabelecem, sem sombra de dúvida, que o ovo é um produto triste e lamentável. Os ovos não vão, obviamente, continuar a vender-se: não se seguram sozinhos, rolam facilmente, partem-se depressa, exigem pacotes especiais, são todos parecidos uns com os outros, são difíceis de abrir e não se empilham nas prateleiras.” A lista de argumentos deste guru do marketing era arrasadora: os ovos estavam fritos."
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Pois bem, reparem neste exercício:
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Há exactamente 3 anos 5 meses e 1 semana, um comentador económico chamado André Macedo decretou a morte do têxtil e do calçado em Portugal:
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Disse ele: “Acontece que o abandono progressivo das actividades com baixo valor acrescentado (têxteis, calçado) é uma estrada sem regresso possível e sem alternativa. Vai doer, mas só assim o país ficará mais forte e competitivo.”
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Cuidado! Esta gente vive longe da realidade, tem um pensamento linear e é incapaz de perceber que possam existir relações amorosas com clientes, fornecedores e produtos... são Muggles.
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Não percebem nada da magia!

quarta-feira, julho 20, 2011

Abraçar a MUDANÇA em vez de lhe resistir (parte II)

Relacionar o ponto 4 deste postal "O momento Janus (parte II)" com estes postal de Seth Godin "Embracing constraints".

Shape expectations, frame experiences

""everything is brand." And everything a brand does should be aligned to deliver a meaningful experience. (Moi ici: E qual é essa experiência? E a quem é dirigida?) But the sensory experience of transacting business with a brand, while it may be the cornerstone of the brand experience, is far from the totality. Brand experience encompasses everything from the first impression of a brand to the latest interaction with it, from a positive association with it created by its funny TV ad to a negative one from a neighbor's discussion of its shortcomings. It is the job of marketing to shape expectations, frame experiences, and keep as many associations as possible both positive and salient. If they do their work well, the result will be the creation of value for both brand owner and brand buyer."
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Trecho extraído de "A Brand is Bigger Than Performance"

Os mercados como configurações (parte IV)

Gerosky em "Thinking creatively about markets", publicado por International Journal of Industrial Organization 16 (1998) 677–695 (um artigo escrito em 1998 e... que continua actual).
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Um mercado não é algo inerente à natureza, não é algo intrínseco, é uma criação intelectual, é uma organização mental da actividade económica. Quando uma empresa define a natureza do seu mercado, influencia de forma poderosa a sua identidade, as suas capacidades o seu know-how. Por sua vez, a identidade de uma empresa, ajuda a focar as energias e recursos dos seus elementos proporcionando um sentido comum de propósito.
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Quando uma empresa dá o salto mental de "criar" o seu mercado, em vez de se posicionar num mercado que já existe, criado por outros (qual Bill Russell), pode criar as condições para destapar oportunidades de inovação estratégica.
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A redefinição de um mercado é, muitas vezes, a única forma de engenheirar com sucesso a entrada numa actividade bem protegida por barreiras à entrada ou à mobilidade.
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"The notion that there is a well-defined ‘market’ for any good or service is an artefact of the collective imagination of those interested in the buying and selling of that good or service. A market exists whenever someone can dream up a set of needs that can be profitably served through production and trade, and that means that markets exist only in the eyes of their beholders. Market boundaries are imaginary lines which we impose on reality, and we draw them to isolate certain kinds of activities from others in order to make sense and think creatively about what we observe. Where we draw the boundaries depends on why we are interested in doing so, and the first point that I have tried to make is that different users are almost certainly likely to draw different boundaries.
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that markets are places where economic activity occurs, and this means that identifying a market is about identifying a viable activity."
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"firms might try to identify a strategic market, defined as ‘ . . . the smallest area within which it is possible to be a viable competitor’. The two key features of this definition are ‘smallest’ and ‘viable’, and a useful way to see the power of the concept is to apply it to the vexed question of whether any particular market truly is global or not.
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‘Viable’ refers to profitability, and this means that it reflects both supply side factors and demand side influences. (Moi ici: Em especial para os jotinhas) On the one hand, a strictly national producer of a commodity whose production is subject to substantial economies of scale is always at risk of being undercut by a large sized foreign based competitor, and, therefore, it is unlikely that operating at a strictly national (or even at a subnational) scale will be viable. On the other hand, if the product is capable of being differentiated and niches of consumers who value certain variants of the product very highly exist, then a firm that serves these niches well can sacrifice the cost advantages of large scale operation without threatening its viability. In this case, it would be incorrect to assert that the ‘market’ in question was global, even if it were populated by global players. More generally, viability means that a strategic market must be built up around products or services which perform valued functions. This means matching technological capability to important user needs, and assembling a long enough list of people who have these needs to make serving them profitable.
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‘Smallest’ is important because it enables one to draw a strong line between strategic necessity and strategic options. When small, economically viable niches exist in a market otherwise characterized by substantial economies of scale and homogeneous demand, firms have a choice: they can occupy one of these niches or they can operate globally. The strategic market is not, in this case, the global market, since a viable smaller alternative exists. That is, a firm may choose to go global, but it need not necessarily do so." (Moi ici: E onde é que uma empresa portuguesa com cultura portuguesa pode dar cartas, sendo global e apostando na escala, ou sendo uma ocupante de nichos?)

Um sonho

A sério, da próxima vez que visitarem uma loja de material de desporto à procura de mochilas procurem apreciar o material da Montecampo e comparem com: Quechua, North Face, Berg, e outras...
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Qual a que tem melhores acabamentos? Qual a que tem melhores atributos?
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Um sonho para um trabalho de facilitação estratégica assente no desenvolvimento da marca, na reformulação dos canais de distribuição e dos clientes-alvo.

Os mercados como configurações (parte III)

Continuado daqui.
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"Value sensing
As discussed previously, firms need an ability to generate a deeper understanding of the value creation potential in a selected market configuration; we call this value sensing. The value sensing capability can be seen as a representational practice: it is performative as it can be used to influence how other actors view the market and how they discuss the development and potential value of a particular market configuration.
Further research is needed in order to operationalize the different elements of value sensing. Flint et al. (2002) have investigated “customers” desired value changes’ and argue that firms may take a reactive (respond to changes as they occur) or proactive (influence customers by helping them to understand changes in the market) approach. They conclude: that “both positions require collection and analysis of data on changes in desired value with each influential member of the customer organizations” (p. 115).
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"Market scripting
Focal firms may need to develop capabilities for market scripting which can be defined as conscious activities conducted by a single market actor in order to alter the current market configuration. In practice, market actors can conduct market scripting by consciously changing their mental models and/or business models. Andersson et al. (2008) define scripting as processes through which a programme of action (or script) is devised for some entity in some envisaged situation (see Akrich and Latour, 1992). The concept of scripting bears similarities to structuration theory (Giddens, 1984), which suggests that active agents have the capacity to transform their setting through action. Thus, markets can said to be the result of both unguided performativity and conscious structuration.
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Central to market scripting is the subjective motive of the focal actor to align the mental models and business models of other market actors so that they support the mental and business models of the scripting actor. Actors need to offer their view on how the market should be configured (make “market propositions”), and engage actors in collective sensemaking activities aimed at creating a shared market view."
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"Defining markets as configurations influences the strategizing of actors. Strategy cannot be defined as a description of efforts of one actor to utilize the opportunities in its environment. Instead it should be viewed as the firm’s effort to influence the market configuration. The aim of strategy is not “winning” a zero-sum game, defined as a product market. Nor should the focus be on “competing”, but rather on how the firm can engage in “co-opetition” with other market actors (suppliers, customers, and partners) in order to improve the resource density of the market configuration and, hence, improve firm performance for several actors at the same time."
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Um excelente artigo ("Market as configurations") que sistematiza muita reflexão feita ao longo dos anos sobre a capacidade, ou a possibilidade de uma empresa criar o seu mercado, desenhar a sua cadeia da procura.
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Claro que isto é difícil... porque a maioria das empresas pensa na satisfação dos seus clientes e, por isso, são market-driven. Fora do comum é uma empresa equacionar toda a cadeia da procura... pensar nos seus clientes sim, mas também pensar nos clientes dos seus clientes até ao elo-final. E também pensar nos influenciadores. E criar uma melodia, um argumento, um somatório de propostas de valor que alinhe e sintonize todos. Ou seja, ser market driving!

terça-feira, julho 19, 2011

Fixes that Fail

Imprimir bentos seria uma forma de perpetuar uma economia típica da Sildávia.
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A libra e o dólar desvalorizam e, contudo, as economias inglesa e americana estão nas ruas da amargura.
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Como se tem portado o franco suíço face ao euro?
E não é que as exportações suíças têm subido?
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"Export Basket and the Effects of Exchange Rates on Exports – Why Switzerland Is Special":
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"In times of a strong CHF appreciation, the Swiss export performance has proven to be exceptionally robust. ...
Still, what is puzzling is that Swiss exports have risen as fast or even faster than those of other rich nations, despite the strong appreciation of the CHF."
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O Paradoxo de Kaldor em acção.

Os mercados como configurações (parte II)

Continuado daqui.
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Trechos retirados de "Markets as configurations" de Kaj Storbacka e Suvi Nenonen, publicado pelo European Journal of Marketing Vol. 45 No. 172, 2011, pp. 221-258.
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Trechos que reforçam o ponto de vista de que o futuro pode ser construído, de que os mercados podem ser alterados.
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"Bounded by their rationality, organizations “produce” (Weick, 1995) or “fabricate” (Sarasvathy, 2008) the environments to which they respond through their actions and selective interest. Markets will be results of the managers’ learning based on their observation of the outcomes of their past market actions. Brooks (1995) claims that “enacted markets” are outcomes of prior transactions and interactions between the actors in the network. As markets are defined by the already established relationships, this “structure” forms mental barriers against other perceptions of the market. (Moi ici: Estas barreiras mentais, estes modelos mentais tanto existem nos que desesperam e não vêem alternativas, como nos académicos e políticos que aconselham "Imprimam-se bentos!"Mental models tend to constrict individuals from looking “outside the box”. Individuals (and as a consequence, market actors) become myopic: they do not see – nor accept – things outside the boundaries of their mental model.
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Performativity emerges as a central concept in illustrating how socially constructed market configurations are formed. The notion of performativity, i.e. that the expressed views (theories, social structures, etc.) of actors influence reality, ...
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The performativity of market actors’ mental models means that markets are performed when market actors introduce theories about the market and new boundary definitionsFocal actors need to influence other market actors in such a way that their subjective definition of a market configuration becomes a shared definition. (Moi ici: Uma das minhas funções é esta de facilitar a actuação dos "focal actors": como mudar a configuração de um mercado) A shared market definition is achieved through an oscillating process of interaction and dialogue between individuals – within and between the market actors.
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The market view proposed in this paper suggests that opportunities are not precursors of strategy; rather they are outcomes of deliberate efforts to influence market configurations (Sarasvathy, 2008). (Moi ici: As oportunidades não caem do céu, são criadas pelos "focal actors". Escrevo isto e recordo as palavras de um empresário que, perante uma análise SOWT, se interrogava sobre o que eram oportunidades e o que eram ameaças. Segundo ele, em função de um caminho ou outro que decidisse tomar, o mesmo factor podia nuns casos ser visto como uma oportunidade e noutros casos como uma ameaça.) As actors engage in activities to influence the market configuration, opportunities occur and actors need to be nimble at capturing the value from these. This indicates that the sustainability of competitive advantage – in its most traditional sense – is not that important as it is increasingly difficult to maintain a superior value proposition or competitive strategy for long periods of time.
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Actors can, however, find sustainable competitive advantage from their ability to influence and reconfigure the market configuration to fit their objectives."
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Continua.

Imprimam bentos (parte V)

Mais um capítulo de "The Upside: How to Turn Your Greates Threat Into Your Biggest Growth Opportunity" de Adrian Slywotzky e Karl Weber, e mais uma lição para os adeptos da impressão desenfreada de bentos.
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O 4º capítulo chama-se "Unbeatable - Surviving the Arrival of the Unique Competitor" e começa com a história de uma rivalidade no basquetebol.
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Um jogador mais baixo e mais leve, Bill Russell, tinha como adversário o favorito dos comentadores e analistas, Wilt Chamberlain".
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"The smart money said: You can't beat Wilt. He'll kill you. There's no way to survive in a Wilt Chamberlain world" (Moi ici: Estes são os suckers de "Trends are for suckers", são os que só sabem imprimir bentos)
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"Russell spent a lot of time wrestling with the dilemma posed by his rival. The conventional wisdom was that nobody could beat Wilt at the vertical game - he was just too tall, too big, and too strong. All of wich was true." (Moi ici: E Russell descobriu uma forma de dar a volta a Wilt)
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""Wilt played vertical, I played horizontal. I got to his favorite spot first. That annoyed him. I covered so that he'd have to shoot from an angle he didn't like" Russell played a different game, a different way." (Moi ici: A mensagem deste capítulo resumo-a como: Não tente competir coma China no custo ou com a Wal-Mart no preço)
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De seguida, conta-se a história do progresso imperial da Wal-Mart e da quantidade e variedade de vítimas que deixou pelo terreno, todos aqueles que tentaram bater a Wal-Mart no jogo onde ela tem os trunfos... não tiveram hipóteses. Depois, conta-se a história do sucesso da Target, uma espécie de Bill Russell que resolveu jogar um jogo diferente.
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""You can't survive a unique competitor" is the rule of thumb - and it's usually a wise one. You certainly can't if you play their game their way. But if you focus on creating the maximum degree of non-overlap, if you chose to play a different game, you and your customers can do extremely well in a world where other competitors are being defeated by an "unbeatable" force such as Wal-Mart.
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What is an unbeatable risk for others turns into a growth opportunity for you so long as you stay obssessed with playing that different game in a different way."
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Claro, perante a concorrência asiática e do Leste Europeu uns gritam:
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"Imprimam bentos! Desvalorizem a moeda!"
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Slywotzky, e eu também tento dar a minha contribuição, propõem outra "receita":
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"Play a different game: define a different customer base, product mix, brand image, and business model from that of the unique competitor (Moi ici: A velha metáfora das formigas no piquenique)

Um ataque aos direitos adquiridos!

"Kodak: À procura de um novo foco"
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Os consumidores deviam ser obrigados a voltar a usar máquinas fotográficas com rolos Kodak.
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Como é que foi possível este ataque contra os direitos adquiridos da empresa, dos seus trabalhadores, dos seus fornecedores, dos seus agentes...
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A Kodak cometeu alguma ilegalidade?
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Quem acredita nesta lengalenga que leia "O Rei Lear"
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É a vida!
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Não há direitos adquiridos!!!

segunda-feira, julho 18, 2011

Um resumo que apanha muito coisa sobre este blogue

Tive de reler umas passagens de "The Profit Zone" de Adrian Slywotzky e David Morrison.
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Depois, ao folhear o livro deparo-me com uma sequência de subtítulos num capítulo dedicado a Andrew Grove e à Intel...

  • "Follow the Value, Not the Volume"
  • "Create Uniqueness"
  • "Compete for Value in the Chain"
  • "Own the Consumer Relationship"
Está cá tanta coisa... simplificando quase apetece dizer "O blogue é sobre isto!"