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Top 10 financial service ideas in 2006

From Springwise.com

1. Kiva: p2p micro lending: Kiva helps lenders provide (charitable) microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries, offering a new, sponsor-a-business option for individuals to connect with small enterprises in developing countries through flexible loans. More »
2. Facilitating kidpreneurs: Dutch Postbank, part of the ING Group, recently started a campaign aimed at budding entrepreneurs. Children who open an Easy Blue account receive a briefcase containing materials for printing their own t-shirts (aka bizznizz attire), stickers, letterhead, flyers, and business cards. More »
3. Making it easy to chip in: ChipIn is an online tool…

Modular Portfolio Construction

From: http://www.allaboutalpha.com

“If Modular Portfolio Construction catches on, Janus hopes it might someday be recognized as a new beginning for retail portfolio construction.  Say the rocket scientists at “Janus Labs”:

“Today’s complex markets require more innovation and comprehensive solutions to investing than ever before.  Traditional approaches, nine-box style grid, and core/satellite models may not meet those expectations.

“What’s needed is a flexible framework hat will help your clients take full advantage of all the market has to offer today - all of its differentiated and non-correlated choices, the latest in active management and near-term macroeconomic opportunities.”

The approach involves…

Metabolix and the wave

Metabolix stock looks like a hit. The Cambridge-based company produces “green plastics” from biomass – materials like wood or corn which can decompose over time. This contrasts with petroleum-based plastics, which do not biodegrade.

Since the company went public last October, its stock price has moved from about $15.50 to a high of over $20. It is currently trading at around $18. It has a production partnership with agribusiness giant ADM and a market cap of around $350 million.

Introduction to Learning 2.0

I highly recommend this introduction to Web 2.0 tools through 23 small exercises.

http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/

Making Blogs Work for Physician-Hospital Collaboration

Two years ago (while I was employed by The Otter Group) I worked with Ken Cohn, who is a general surgeon and a consultant at Cambridge Management Group, to create and manage a blog-based collaborative web site for a large hospital system. Ken invited me to co-author a chapter about that work in his recently published book, Collaborate for Success! Breakthrough Strategies for Engaging Physicians, Nurses, and Hospital Executives. Bill Ives also co-authored the chapter and recently published a review of the book here.

We were supporting a group of physicians…

Water Lilies and Innovation - a Guest Update

What does Claude Monet, the idiosyncratic French Impressionist painter, have in common with McDonald’s, the fast-food restaurant? At a mature age, both went through a radical re-interpretation of their “operations” in order to re-emerge with a new, successful approach.