Boeing posts requests for proposals online along with a fair price, and pre-qualified vendors can post proposals and prices, all in public, bidding down the price lower and lower. As described in "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman.
Nonprofits are often resource constrained. That doesn't mean they can't scale in impact. This article reviews six strategies (bricks to clicks, networks, training, advocacy, alter attitudes, strengthen the sector) described by Jeffrey Bradach of Bridgespan Group. Stanford Social Innovation Review http://bit.ly/8YSl73
Asia is becoming the hotbed of innovation, especially in reinventing good-quality products that are much cheaper: $3000 cars, $300 computers and $30 cell phones. Economist Magazine special report: http://bit.ly/bnu2cJ
Professors at the Yale School of Management show that highest picks in the NFL draft perform worst dollar for dollar. Late first round and high second round picks do best. This probably has implications for other selection processes, such as picking CEOs. Yale SOM http://bit.ly/c2Bzbf
If you want to create a revolutionary product or experience, don't listen to customer feedback (because they don't know). Watching the customer is OK. The curious example of one of Europe's most successful restaurants | Harvard Business School http://bit.ly/cTLMVE
Northwestern University researchers demonstrate that bad decisions beget more bad decisions, in part because of human tendency to factor in sunk costs. When trying to undo bad decisions, it makes sense to consult outsiders with no vested interest. Science Magazine http://bit.ly/9fMx8C
Businesses increasingly are not only outsourcing call centers to India, but also model-building and analytics. Harvard Business Review http://bit.ly/b7ecL3
Men and women manage in different ways. McKinsey and others argue that organizations should incorporate more feminist approaches to management. Economist Magazine http://bit.ly/c8ltet
A new suite of standard "angel round" investment documents makes early funding faster, easier and cheaper. Andreessen blog: http://bit.ly/cpcXNS
A colleague once observed that the best business ideas are often those you trip over, but you can only trip over something if you are moving forward, not standing still.
Social media makes it possible to amplify corporate philanthropy to the point where it can compete with traditional advertising. One example: the Pepsi "Refresh Everything" campaign is offering millions of dollars of support to worth causes. http://pep.si/biSDH9
Bill Gates on the magazines, newspapers and online resources he uses to get news. http://bit.ly/7OXm7R
Bill Gates describes why it is in both a company's and society's best interest that corporate R&D budgets be in part targeted to the poorest. http://bit.ly/6NFyI8
B Corporations retain for-profit status but commit to broader social goals. http://bit.ly/7vNVYF
Certain IT (and other) jobs require memory and concentration, and are well-suited to autistics. A Wired Magazine "shocking idea" of 2009. http://bit.ly/4LLWwI