When Business Models Trump Technology - Karan Girotra and Serguei Netessine. By Karan Girotra and Serguei Netessine | 11:00 AM November 19, 2012 In case you missed it, the 2012 World Food Prize went to Daniel Hillel, an Israeli scientist who, in his own words, “…helped to develop the principle of shifting from low-frequency, high-volume irrigation to high-frequency, low-volume irrigation”, the system known as drip irrigation. Irrigation is a big deal in many countries: in just the last 50 years, the world population has doubled and irrigation water is increasingly becoming a critical constraint in many parts of the world. Study after study has shown that improved irrigation systems like drip irrigation can set in motion a new dynamic of development that has the potential to change the face of these regions, relieving vast numbers from the vicious cycle of poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment.
But drip irrigation is not a new technology, it has been around for over 120 years, and many companies have developed and marketed it. What is Netafim’s secret? Genetic Testing, Electric Cars, and Powerful Intermediaries. Swapping.be - Swapping Week Winter Edition - Kledingruil event - Kledingruil party - Kleding, Kledij ruilen - Swapping.be. The Ingenious Business Model Behind Coursekit, A Tumblr For Higher Education. At universities, educational software largely means enterprise-scale, expensive, feature-stuffed "learning management systems. " Blackboard has the majority of the market, but professors and students are about as enthusiastic about its various updates, crashes, and bugs as people are with the latest version of Windows (Blackboard scores a whopping 93% "hated" rating on website Amplicate). Last week, a new alternative was launched--built by students--that looks and works a lot more like the social platforms people actually choose to use in their spare time.
The core of the site is a constantly updated social Stream where instructors and students can conduct discussions or easily post rich media. Picture a cleaner-looking Facebook news feed, centered on a single academic theme, or a group Tumblr blog where each picture, question, or video can accumulate its own discussion in the attached comment thread. The second ingenious part of their pitch may also turn out to be a pitfall.
Airwalk - Case Study.