THE NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GROUPS (NBDG)

The Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario case study article by authors Rein Neiland, Inge Leuverink, Femke van Hoven, and Marijke van Wely illustrates the innovative New Business Development (NBD) of DSM-NBD in the Netherlands.

Through the "stage-gate" process of a 1. New Business Creation and 2. Business Evaluation Project the company was responsible for the evolution of Stamypor, the so-called brain child of DSM-NBD. As research suggests, KonicaMinolta has followed the leadership at DSM-NBD.

Through its core technologies, which provide economies of scale and core competencies such as optical, nano, image processing, and material technologies KonoicaMinolta is better able to leverage and sustain a competitive advantage through a conglomerate. A great example that probably started this recent venture can be credited towards Montell. By merging Himont as the original plastics and resin company together with Shell Oil company created the eventual existence to be of Montell.

Himont contributed with their knowledge in plastics complementing Shell Oil's knowledge with petroleum and chemicals. Therefore, Montell was able to achieve their unique market niche of economies of scale and sustainability in the plastics-chemical industry creating new and nurturing existing plastics materials of polyproplene, polyethlene, and polyolefins. As recent as the turn of the millenia, Shell has once again merged with BASF to form Basell as a chemicals-energy strategic initiative for future endeavors for oil and natural gas.

As evidence and research suggests, leaders like DSM-NBD and KonicaMinolta are forecasted to pave the path for current and recent initiatives such as by Mr. Richard Branson and his initiative endeavor for space exploration through his Virgin Atlantic group of New Business Development projects (Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Music). The Virgin Atlantic space expedition may just land the next Texas A&M University Satellite campus at either planet of The United States of Mars or The United States of Pluto. It shall be envigorating and fascinating for history in the making.

THE INNOVATIVE BUSINESS MODEL!

The Harvard Business Review case study article dated March 2003: Finding Your Innovation Sweet Spot by Jacob Goldenberg, Roni Horowitz, Amnov Levav, and David Mazursky details five innovation patterns so-called "templates of innovation" consisting of subtraction, multiplication, division, task unification, and attribute dependency change. On the contrary, why can't marketers vision innovations from "points of view" rather than just through patterns.

For example, let's assume business models are not just created in regards to how the potential business portrays itself from their perspective. Hans-Dieter Zimmerman at the MCM Institute for Media and Communication at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland does an excellent task of presenting elements of a new approach to develop innovative business models for electronic markets. Han's design model framework consists of four view perspectives taking into account and consideration "Views" such as: the business, the process, the transaction, and the infrastructure.

The business view defines the relevant business community and its underlying, basic business model on a normative and strategic level. The process view defines the inter-organizational business procedures and processes along the value creation process of the respective business community. The transaction view is where generic services have to be defined that enable the realization of the defined business processes. The infrastructure view defines the necessary network services and other technical components to realize the settlement of the transaction from a technical point of view.

The methodology of applying the concept of innovation towards a business model and other futuristic endeavors then leads us to raise the question of "Why just innovation for products and nothing else?" Han's innovative business model design strategy can lead to perhaps more innovative manufacturing methods with ease and feasible packaging for products and also innovative agricultural methods for livestock grazing and feeding on farms.

This idea and design of innovation is not just limited to the above mentioned but it also can create improved and much better innovative brainstormers/brainstorming and innovative organizations/corporations. The outcomes shall be fascinating.