Where Process-Improvement Projects Go Wrong

(6/25/2013) I think this is a pretty good article about "Where Process-Improvement Projects Go Wrong." It is not complete or exhaustive, but it reminds me of our self-improvement initiatives (quit smoking, exercise, career change, or diet control....). Business is about people and that's why.

Hasbro Listens to the Voice of Customer

(12/18/2012) Toy company Hasbro will launch it successful product - Easy-Bake-Oven - to be boy friendly responding to a 13-yo girl's request. Currently,  Easy-Bake-Oven is only available in purple and pink. "McKenna Pope, 13, of Garfield, N.J., got more than 40,000 signatures on her online petition at Change.org and the support of celebrity chefs including Bobby Flay, who backed her call for Hasbro to make a gender-neutral oven and to include boys in the ads." Who says a kids cannot change their world?

Android's Product Rollover Dilemma

(12/4/2012) I found this is a very article to talk about product improvement and model generation rollover problem in new product innovation. Except the maker of Galaxy -- Samsung, other makers of Android smartphones cannot launch a product that can really compete with Apple's iPhone neck to neck. The strategy of these makers is to launch a lot of Android phones more frequently. (In Taiwan, we use a term "機海戰術", indicating the makers just make a lot of models.) This is partially due to lack of negotiation power with wireless service provider, hence the makers need to differentiate their own product with more models for various carriers. (Apple has one model for all carriers.) For android's users, it triggers more frequent and quicker "buyer's regret" because their new phone will be 'dated' in several months. (Apple renews their iPhone roughly every year.) Another bad impact for Android makers is they will need to provide more software updates for their various models with various versions of Android OS. Do you see the headache of Android makers?