Deviyani Misra-Godwin's Profile

Role player games like Magic are fundamentally about immersive yourself in the experience – of being a different character, of being part of another world. Therefore I would imagine (as Catherine notes above) that one of the biggest opportunities for Magic is Virtual Reality. VR would allow players to immerse themselves in the Magic experience to an even greater extent. It also allows for more spectator possibilities, which you suggest is a growing trend. Is this something that Magic has looked in to?

I would also be interested to know if they could develop mobile application technology, which would allow a much broader base of users to be involved in the game. Desktop gaming is becoming less and less popular as people’s lives shift from their computers to their phones…if Magic does not adapt there is a risk it could become obsolete.

Wow – this is so interesting. I had no idea that Tesco was doing so much…I especially love the Broccoli cam!

One concern I have is how whether consumers actually value all these additional digital applications. A Harvard Business Review article from 2014 (“Tesco’s Downfall is a Warning to Data-Driven Retailers” [1]) discussed Tesco’s declining performance despite all the investments they had recently made in digital technology and data analysis. They quoted a Telegraph article which said “…judging by correspondence from Telegraph readers and disillusioned shoppers, one of the reasons that consumers are turning to [discounters] Aldi and Lidl is that they feel they are simple and free of gimmicks. Shoppers are questioning whether loyalty cards, such as Clubcard, are more helpful to the supermarket than they are to the shopper.”

As a consumer I would agree…although the products discussed above sound interesting…how much do value do they really provide for myself as a shopper?

[1] https://hbr.org/2014/10/tescos-downfall-is-a-warning-to-data-driven-retailers

This is such an unusual concept…and as the other comments have noted above it’s fascinating how society has gotten to the place where we need this kind of technology!

My biggest concern with the business (in addition to what you not above about emergency situations and becoming obsolete) is who is going to pay for it? Of course megastars like Adele can afford to spend thousands of dollars on these pouches…but comedians tend not to earn that much until they hit the big time. Can they really afford to buy a new set of pouches for every single gig?

I also think there will be huge backlash from companies like Snapchat, who’s entire business model is based on integrating our phones with our daily experiences. Will Snapchat counteract with a technology that blocks the blocking? And what happens when we all start using snapchat glasses?

Stephen I really like your idea of Nest moving in to the big data space; however I agree with Ana that there are big concerns around privacy that would need to be addressed.

The other issue is that in order to collect the data, you need to have the hardware installed. I’m actually pretty sceptical about how much take up there will be from consumers on energy efficiency products like Nest. They say it saves around $131-$145 a year [1] …this is not a significant amount of money. How many people are really going to go out of their way to buy something that saves them $12/month?

Instead perhaps they should focus on a B2B model, and target large energy consumers like retail stores or factories. I imagine these types of customers would have a lot more interest in both the energy savings and the information that they can get from Nest.

[1] https://nest.com/support/article/How-does-the-Nest-Thermostat-savings-calculator-work

This is a really interesting topic. Although I like what the company is doing, it feels a little ‘gimmicky’. My biggest concerns about putting my child in daycare is not whether I can get an update on their nap time and what they’ve eaten, but how much its going to cost me, and what quality of care my child is going to get. As you say above, childcare is incredibly expensive – over $1000 a month. I feel like firms should be focussing more on using digital technology to make its more affordable or higher quality.

For example, could you apply an ‘uber-pool’ model to childcare, where families ‘pool’ children with a nanny to make it more affordable? Or use a rating service (like Angie’s list or Openable) to rate childcare facilities or nannies?

I know there are a few start-ups looking at this (like the Harvard-based company CozyKin)…I wonder if LCG can leverage their size to focus on some of these areas as well.

Thanks for the interesting post!

However, if I’m being a bit cynical, it seems like JSB is just “talking the talk”. The Cattle Agreement is impressive, but that was 7 years ago. What have they done since then? You’ve laid out some really great actions for them to pursue, and yet it seems all they have done is organise a set of forums for people to discuss the issue. If they were truly committed to being sustainable, I would have expected them to have achieved more since 2009.

For example, one area you mention that could be pursued further is tracing and monitoring the supply chain. They signed the agreement in 2009 – do you they have a view on the impact it has made? What improvements (if any) the agreement has had on the supply chain?

I think more pressure needs to be put on these companies to hold them accountable for actual improvements, rather than ‘agreements’ and ’roundtables’ which are great for PR but actually achieve very little. We need more people like you and your sister raising awareness, if we really are going to moo-ve forward!

This is a fascinating article. Why is the Australian government so against mentioning climate change? In some ways I can understand that they don’t want to hamper tourism, but one would think that increased awareness of the issue would have a more long-term benefit on tourism in the end.

One innovative solution being tested in the Maldives is developing artificial reefs using steel cages which release an electric current. The low-level current triggers a chemical reaction, which draws calcium carbonate out of solution in the water and it gets deposited on the cage structure. A trial called the Lotus has been so successfully colonised by coral that it is almost impossible to detect the steel structure underneath. [1]

If Australia doesn’t want Quicksilver’s help, maybe the Maldives does!

[1] http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120905-save-our-dying-coral-reefs

This is an great post!

I do think there is a growing movement towards more sustainable fishing practices. For example, Sweetgreens, one of the fast growing ‘fast-salad’ chains, recently introduced Steelhead Trout on their menu instead of Salmon. They did this in a move towards more sustainable fishing practices: the provider, Pacific Seafood, became the first farm of its kind to receive a Best Aquaculture Practices certification.

There is hope for dogfish! Kale is a great example of how clever marketing has changed what used to be a ‘trash food’ (in many parts of the developing world Kale was eaten by people who couldn’t afford other vegetables!) to one of the most fashionable foods in the world.

I believe the key is building strong partnerships with growing environmentally-conscious food providers, and exactly as you say above, building a broader marketing campaign to make dogfish fashionable. We need to make other people realise there are other fish in the sea!

I love your article, as I believe that water scarcity is one of the biggest issues facing our planet. I remember reading that by 2030, water supplies will satisfy only 60% of global demand on average! [1]

In the energy industry, companies have met climate change with two ‘types’ of initiatives:

1. Reducing overall energy usage through increased energy efficiency, leveraging increased digitalisation, big data, and new technologies
2. Providing alternative energy sources through renewables (solar, wind, biofuels etc).

It seems like water could fall in to two similar categories:
1. Reducing overall water usage through increased efficiency (which it seems is Air Products focus)
2. Using treatment and distribution technologies to increase availability of clean water.

The questions this brings to my mind are:
– How much are companies utilising digitalisation and big data to increase efficiency? Can there be lessons learnt from energy efficiency projects, and how easy is it to apply those lessons to water efficiency?
– Should we be focussing more on treatment and distribution? What are the growing technologies in this area, and what can companies like Air Products do to help increase public attention and funding for this critical issue?

[1] http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability-and-resource-productivity/our-insights/the-business-opportunity-in-water-conservation

It’s clear there is a growing trend for the large IOCs to invest in renewable sources: Shell is investing in offshore wind [1], Exxon in biofuels, and so on. But the question I have is whether an Oil and Gas company can successfully shift to being a renewables company, as they are fundamentally different business, requiring completely different skills and operating models .

BP tried this, and failed. It was the largest solar panel manufacturer in the world for over 10 years. They sold it when they realised they didn’t have the competencies to be successful. [2] The expertise required to run a reservoir or steam cracker is hugely different to that required to trade power or make solar cells (or batteries in Total’s case) .

Saying that renewables are energy and oil is energy is like saying Pepsi and Gucci are consumer goods…the expertise for one is not substitutable for the expertise for another.

My biggest concern when hearing that Total is investing in batteries is whether this is the right thing for Total to be doing: can they shift their operating model sufficient to do this successfully? Or should they be leaving it to companies with specific expertise in the area.

[1] http://www.offshorewind.biz/2016/05/12/shell-bids-to-build-dutch-offshore-wind-farms/
[2] https://www.technologyreview.com/s/426461/why-bp-solar-failed/