KR's Profile

Interesting post Nik. I really like the idea of using existing technology like IBM Watson to improve the database from which technology like this would undoubtedly need to rely on. I wonder how people would react to this technology though – would we automatically expect amazing results simply because we know the vast amount of data the software has access to? And will we be let down when a software written blog post fails to invoke the same emotion as a talented writer?

Interesting post! How is Tesla thinking about the ethical issues that will no doubt arise once we have given up full control? For example, I would imagine that once drivers aren’t in control, in the case of an accident, the car will need to decide what the course of action is that will cause the least harm. The question of “least harm to who” will be an interesting one. Will the car prioritise the car’s passenger’s or will it look for overall minimal damage?
Secondly, how will insurance companies respond? The flip side of safer technology will mean (hopefully) fewer accidents, which will cause insurance premiums to drop. Will the corresponding lower payout rates be enough to dissuade insurance companies from standing in the way?

Interesting post Angelo! I agree that it will be necessary for Harvard Business School to get ready for teaching in the digital age, however, I’m still not convinced that it will pose a threat to the traditional MBA program. Having done the HBX course, I must say that although it will still miles ahead of most online courses I have done so far, it still isn’t compelling enough for me to choose it over a residential program. In my opinion, the classes where I have learnt the most have been ones that had intense debate, where the class was pushed to challenge and defend opinions. It’s hard enough to do that in a classroom when people don’t know each other – do you think it’s likely that the required level of comfort is reached in a virtual space?

Great post! I love the idea of “democratization” of education. Institutions like edX are paving the way for what I believe will be the mechanism for reaching out to the millions of kids who do not currently have access to basic schooling. As you pointed out, there is a definite opportunity to reach kids before they get to universities – however, I believe the biggest barrier to this is incentive and lack of awareness. Perhaps there is an opportunity for edX to work with governments to spread the word and incentivize people to at least let their kids study online if not at a school. In a lot of places, there also is a lack of infrastructure to support initiatives like this – would edX then be willing to first set the stage in their pursuit of true democratization of education?

K. Caven, a very interesting read! I agree that RTR has a unique value proposition and is in a good position to leverage big data. If RTR want to grow bigger, they will definitely have to find a way to manage their inventory better. Perhaps they could even use data to find the right “fit” for a person based on photos that customers could send through prior to ordering their clothes? Then as TomCat mentioned, RTR could increase the variety of dresses that they hold, while minimizing their return costs.

I found this post very interesting, thank you. For an organization that comes in when disaster strikes, it is going to be increasingly important to keep track of where they have impact and ensure that help is given where it is needed the most. Most people give lots of money when big disasters occur. However, as these become more common, will we as a species become desensitized?

Great article, thank you. It is interesting to note how a company operating in oil and gas can mitigate climate change, while creating maximum value to it’s shareholders. I agree with you that they can play a much bigger role in rallying other stakeholders to play a much bigger role in combating climate change, given their position as an industry leader.

Interesting post AVP! Happy to see that Tata has been at the forefront of this challenge and hopefully it will continue to invest in mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing their own carbon footprint. Perhaps their R&D efforts could also be translated across to other sensitive crops and with countries like Bangladesh that will no doubt be affected as well.

Interesting post JB! I find it fascinating that there can be such a close substitute for meat. I share concern with AC’s post – there are many economies in the world that are very heavily reliant on livestock. How can we present this opportunity in a way that gets buy-in from these industries rather than strong opposition?

Interesting article Kat! This post really shows the importance of not taking the “obvious” measures without looking at the bigger picture or looking at the entire life cycle of a product.