Guy Kawasaki has drawn on his VC experience to pen an amusing set of pick up lines entrepreneurs use on VC veterans. Included in each is the venture capitalist's hard-edged take on the line. If you are in the market to pitch your revolutionary new ideas, you might read this cautionary list before you start cruising Sand Hill Road. As a bonus, included is a link to the VC Alltop news site.
Producing almost half of the country's automobiles, the Yangtze Corridor formed by the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing hosts the major manufacturing bases of China's four largest auto groups – SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, ) Dongfeng, Changan and FAW. It is also the birthplace of China's dynamic domestic brands of Chery and Geely.
In contrast to the logistics cost for European and US automakers of 8% of sales volumes and only 5% in Japan, in China, the figure is generally above 15%. Logistics is particularly painful to Changan Ford based in the far inland city of Chongqing. Although waterborne shipping of automobiles is 20-30% cheaper than road, only 10% of the more than 5m automobiles a year are delivered by water transport. There is no policy support from the government and there is no uniform standard for car shipping. By contrast, in Japan, there is a regulation that vehicles must be carried by ship if the distance is more than 300km. In China, responsible departments have just started the establishment of standards for auto shipping.
Lloyd’s Freight Transport Buyer Asia, 1 September 2006 via Factiva database
According to an article in the May 19th issue of TIME magazine, babies are environmental disasters. Babies clog up garbage dumps with dirty diapers, use up lots of plastic in the form of toys and bottles, and will grow up to consume more food, energy, and just plain stuff. Eco-conscious parents are beginning to change the "wasteful art of child rearing" by recycling toys, clothes and baby stuff. Their goal is to save the planet for these very same babies and babies of the future. Interested in ways to raise a green family? Read (appropriately named) Stanford pediatrician Dr Alan Greene’s book, Raising Baby Green.
'Women on Board: How Women Are Gaining Ground in Corporate Governance' is a panel discussion that took place on April 7, 2008 at Stanford. Sponsored by the Center for Leadership Development and Research, Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford Center on Ethics, Women in Management, and Women's Initiative Network, the event was moderated by GSB Faculty Lecturer Evelyn Williams, and included a distinguished panel of four who discussed the representation of women on corporate boards today. Watch it on video. Tip o' the hat to Library friend Michelle Gutman for bringing this to our awareness.
Helen Chang of GSB News & Publications alerts us to the fact that a PBS Frontline documentary 'Young and Restless in China' will be airing Tuesday, June 17. The program features 9 smart, young and ambitious Chinese individuals trying to ride the crest of the tremendous change sweeping their nation. Among those profiled is our own GSB Alum, Lu Dong (Class of 2004). Read more to learn what's happening today in the world's most populous economy.
Tis the season Graduation Day is/has arrived for many students. So now what do you do? How do you decide on a career? Or what do you do to change careers?
 In searching our catalog using keyword "career", I found many titles. This one looks good if you are an MBA still looking for carrer advice, "Bigwig briefs : career options for MBAs, real world advice from industry veterans on choosing the right career".
Also the NY Times posts an interesting blog named "Shifting Careers" that highlights the newfangled ways we are custom-blending careers, and shares tips for doing it better.
Although it’s been a difficult year for PE, things seem to be looking up. If Private Equity Analyst is any indication funds are beginning to launch again. PEA reports that Thomson Reuters and Research in Motion are working with Canada's largest bank to launch a $150 million venture fund for device developers for BlackBerry. That following a similar venture put forth by Kleiner Perkins to develop add-ons and software for the iPhone.
The Wall Street Journal is also reporting in the article Deal Making: They Shall Return that PE insiders such as David Rubenstein, one of the co-founders of Carlyle Group, is bullish on PE deals.
For those members of the GSB community who missed the Bloomberg presentations on May 15 with Penny Lane, you may now view the screen capture video that we have made of the 'intro' session. Under the Spotlight part of our Jackson home page, there is another link to the session. A version of the 'advanced' session, also held May 15, will soon be available. Please note that these sessions are available only to those with GSB accounts.
Attention all food connoisseurs -- have you tasted a $175 hamburger? It is on the menu at the Wall Street Burger Shoppe in New York. What makes it so costly? According to this news article, this "ultimate in decadence" has "a Kobe beef patty, lots of black truffles, seared foie gras, aged Gruyere cheese, wild mushrooms and flecks of gold leaf on a brioche bun". Feeling hungry? Feeling rich?
B corporations are the latest innovation within the small world of companies with a social as well as financial mission. Such firms have banded together for decades in networking groups such as Businesses for Social Responsibility, Co-op America's Green Business Network or the Social Venture Network.
The B stands for "beneficial." It's less a legal designation than a certification system that will allow businesses to define themselves as socially responsible to consumers and investors. To become a certified B Corporation, a company must amend its articles of incorporation to say that managers must consider the interests of employees, the community, and the environment instead of worrying solely about shareholders.
Read more about B corporations in the following articles:
B corporation' plan helps philanthropic firms,
A New Kind of Company
May issue of Entrepreneur magazine features its 14th annual ranking of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial companies. Some of the qualification characteristics include the following: the company should be founded between 1999 and 2003; its sales figure should be no less than 100,000 in 2003 and not to exceed 1 billion in 2007; the company should show a positive job growth. Only 0.3 percents of all American businesses meet the criteria. The top 100 are selected by the magazine.
This year, there is no dominating industry among the top 100 companies. The scope of business activities for the selected companies ranges from self-storage operations to mortgage banking, and natural gas distribution. An interesting statistics accompanies the list, such as the sources of funding. It shows that only 3% of the selected companies are VC funded, and 79% started on the founders’ savings and personal funds. Look at complete list in the magazine in the Periodicals display area at Jackson Library or online.
So you're an MBA2, girding your loins to go back onto the corporate battlefield. What can give you a decisive edge over your competitors? Information. But as an alum, you won't have access to any of the powerful databases and tools you now enjoy at Jackson Library. Right? Wrong.
You can take it with you. Or at least some of it. Interested? The My Library After Graduation 30-minute "bullseye" session will bring you up to date on what's available to you as a GSB alum. This briefing takes place Friday, May 23 from Noon - 12:30 in Library conference room 303. To learn more, or to sign up, email librarian Helen Losch.
Winemaking pioneer Robert Mondavi, a leader in the development of the modern California wine industry, has died at the age of 94. Though not the first to produce wine in this state, he championed the growth of quality domestic wines that could rival Europe's. In 1998 he published his autobiography Harvests of Joy: How The Good Life Became Great Business, describing his struggles and triumphs. Let's raise a glass of fume blanc -- which he developed -- to his memory.
Jackson Library and the GSB Finance & Investment Club are happy to present Bloomday 2008 (pace, James Joyce). Bloomberg rep Penny Lane will be on deck in L-107 tomorrow, May 15, to present two hour-long sessions on the Bloomberg financial database. The first, from Noon to 1:00, will serve as an introduction to the system. The second, from 1:30 to 2:30, will address more advanced issues. Bloomberg, as you recall, is a fixture at Wall Street firms, offering complex current and historical data on equities, fixed income, commodities, mortgages, interest rates and more. Feel free to 'brown bag' it; cookies will be availble.
But space is limited. If you are a GSB student and wish to attend, go to the CMC registration system. Faculty, staff and others should RSVP to Helen Losch as soon as possible.
San Francisco banned plastic bags in the city due to environmental concerns and the fact that they litter everywhere. Other countries who have banned the use of plastic bags are Taiwan, Ireland, Uganda and Bangladesh and now China is joining the ranks. A few weeks ago China’s largest producer of plastic bags closed its doors. Beginning June 1 China will ban the domestic production of plastic shopping bags (they will continue to export them). You can read more about plastics in China and how much oil goes into producing them in The Deal article entitled Why They Call It Dumping.
Are you trying to find the cheapest gas prices in your city? Check out this website Gasbuddy.com which records prices by gas stations in the US and Canada. Let your fingers do the typing and not the pedal to the metal! Forgive me it's Monday and I'm low on gas....
Perhaps it is worth noting this weekend one of the seminal events in the history of our country: the completion, on May 10, 1869, of the first transcontinental railroad. The ceremonial final spike was driven in at Promontory Summit, Utah; tourists at a visitors center today can observe the exact spot where the coasts were linked, amidst much hoopla. None other than Governor Leland Stanford, our Founder and guiding force of the Central Pacific Railroad, was on hand to participate. The celebrated 'golden spike' was temporarily tapped in, for ceremonial reasons; it is now housed on the Stanford campus. A final ceremonial tie, made of laurel wood, was lost in the 1906 quake.
Fortunately our benefactor was much better at starting universities than at laying track; embarrasingly, Governor Stanford actually missed when trying to tap in the final iron spike. Nonetheless, the deed was done, and America was one -- a welcome message after the bloody Civil War.
China opened the world’s longest cross-sea Hangzhou Bay Bridge last week running 22.4 miles from the port city of Ningpo across Hangzhou Bay to reach Shanghai. As part of an effort to boost economic integration and development in the Yangtze River Delta, it is designed to slash travel time between Ningbo and the financial hub Shanghai from four hours to two and a half.
Since its opening on May 1, police have fined more than 300 drivers, most for driving too slowly or illegal parking on the emergency lanes while enjoying the ocean view and taking photos. The $1.7-billion bridge’s much publicized sightseeing platforms in the middle of the span will not be ready for tourists for another two years, local media have reported.
Reuters, People's Daily Online
 We are saddened to report the passing of GSB Alumnus Claude Rosenberg (MBA '52), financier, philanthropist and friend of the Library. Mr Rosenberg and his wife Louise were well known nationally for their charitable donations. Among the beneficiaries of their benevolence was Jackson Library, whose Rosenberg Corporate Research Center, dedicated in 1992, was the real foundation stone for today's outstanding array of Jackson databases. The Rosenberg gift was the greatest single impetus in the growth of the electronic tools that have become an integral part of the Library. In addition, their bequest changed the look of the Library, making it a much more attractive place to study and collaborate. Jackson Library staff who remember Mr Rosenberg always found him engaged, interested and enthusiastic about the development of resources for future business students. For these and other reasons, we pay tribute to Mr Rosenberg's memory.
I’ve been a fan of taking public transportation for many years (I’ve also lived in places where public transportation is safe and clean), but these days my commuter train is so packed with people it’s hard to find a seat sometimes. A year ago I was often one of five people in a train car which holds fifty. A recent article in Business Week seems to have come across the same phenomenon. Suddenly It’s Cool to Take the Bus takes a look at how people are changing their commuting habits and liking it. It seems like in Boston people are also making the change in the article Gas Prices Pushing Boston Drivers Out Of Cars, Into Public Transportation.
Want to learn about Bloomberg? Don't want to spend time doing it? We have a solution: Bloomberg Bullseyes. 'Bullseyes' are short sessions -- 30 minutes, max -- which give you an opportunity to pick up the basics on a subject when you've little time to spare. Bullseye sessions will be offered to GSB students May 7, 9 and 14 in the Jackson Library Trader's Pit. To save a space, sign up via the CMC registration system. Bloomberg is a vast collection of market information on currencies, commodities, fixed income, interest rates, equities and much more. A Bloomberg Bullseye can give you the simple compass you need to navigate this ocean of financial data. And that's no bull.
How much money should you earn compared to others in your job? That seems the age old question and many people come to the library or search online for salary metrics. An article in the SF Chronicle discusses why there seems to be more salary disclosure online. Within the article is a link to the Chronicle's salary databases which includes salary information and other bay area statistical information. Enjoy.
Got your attention? Sorry, not Da Mayor, but a representative from his brainchild, The Bloomberg System. If you plan to go to Wall Street, you may end up using this product. Penny Lane will be at the GSB Thursday, May 15 to present two sessions on Bloomberg: a basic overview from Noon to 1:00 PM, followed a half-hour later by an advanced session from 1:30 to 2:30. Location will be L-107. Space is limited, so please RSVP. GSB Faculty can do so by contacting librarian Helen Losch; GSB students should sign up via the CMC registration system. Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch, but cookies will be available. Questions? Contact Helen.
I recently lost my cell phone and this article caught my attention.
TryPhone beta has 12 handsets so far, including such popular items as the iPhone and the Motorola Razr 2 for customers to take a look. The company hopes to have between 100 and 150 handsets up by the holiday season, says marketing director Leila Modarres. It also plans to increase the interactivity of the virtual handsets.
Check it out. For someone like me who has used only one model that comes free with a subscription, TryPhone saves time and money in identifying the popular ones and the best ones that are out there. Before I go to an AT&T store in my area to actually try out different phones, I should already have a pretty good idea what I am looking for.
Library friend Michelle Gutman, Program Manager for Global Center & Corporate Governance Research, brings two new corporate governance cases to our attention: Attention Shoppers: Executive Compensation at Kroger, Safeway, Costco and Whole Foods 2008 and Say on Pay: Does the Buck Stop Here? 2008, both authored by GSB Professor David F. Larcker and GSB Alum / case writer Brian Tayan. Members of the GSB community can download these for free; others should contact Case Services.
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