mathematics-

If you are looking for product or process innovations then you could take inspiration from the middle row of your computer keyboard. The letters A S D represent add, subtract and differentiate. What can you add to your product, what can you take away and how can you differentiate? Let's look at how Ryanair used this approach to take on the established airlines.

Michael O'Leary, the founder of Ryanair looked at the whole business process of passenger flights and built a new model. He started by subtracting all the frills that meant extra cost. He subtracted:

• Travel agents - you book direct over the Internet so the middlemen and their costs are cut out.
• Tickets - you show your passport and quote your reference number. Subtracting tickets saves costs.
• Allocated seating - you choose a seat when you get on the plane; just like on a train or bus.
• Free drinks and snacks. If you want a drink you have to buy it.
• Customer care - Ryanair has one-tenth the number of customer care attendants per passenger mile compared to BA. If you have a complaint the answer is generally, 'hard luck but what did you expect with such a cheap flight?'

Then O'Leary added some new ideas with the aiming of supplementing revenues:

• Advertising on the outside of aeroplanes
• Ancillary deals with hotels, car hire and bus companies whose tickets are sold on Ryanair flights

Finally Ryanair differentiated its approach with:

• Smaller regional airports who offered low prices to get the traffic volume that Ryanair could bring.
• Cheap in-house marketing featuring controversial advertising (one ad featured the pope) and outrageous PR stunts.
• Buying aircraft cheaply - by choosing times such as just after 9/11 when demand and prices were very low.

What can you take away from your current business process in order to save cost and simplify operations? Can you unbundle your product into separate components? Can you strip out costs or processes that not all customers want? Can you bypass a middleman on the route to your customer - as Direct Line, Amazon and Ryanair did? Egg and First Direct offered on-line banking and made it cost effective by cutting out all the branches that burden the traditional banks

What can you add to increase the value and attractiveness of your proposition? Is there an equivalent to a little bag of salt added to a packet of potato chips that would make your product more tasty for consumers? Linda Brava is the Finnish classical violinist who appeared on Baywatch and in Playboy. By adding glamour to violin virtuosity she has created a unique brand.

What can you do to differentiate your approach? If you are competing with strong well-established market leaders then a me-too approach will not get you far. Coca-Cola and Pepsi dominate the soft drinks market. When Virgin competed head on with Virgin Cola they struggled. The successful new entrants have used lateral approaches and differentiated themselves - Snapple with fruit drinks, Tango with black cans and in your face advertising and Red Bull with a stimulant mixer.

Sometimes you can combine all three technique; Mercedes added Swatch designers to create the most differentiated and unusual town vehicle, the Smart car. They subtracted something that had previously been considered non-negotiable - half the length of an average car. Anita Roddick made the Body Shop a great success by cutting out the expensive packaging on traditional toiletries and using plain plastic bottles. She added a new appeal based on an environmentally friendly approach.

Next time you are faced with the challenge of how to refresh your product offering think mathematics. The way to multiply your sales is by addition, subtraction and differentiation.

Paul Sloane is the founder of Destination Innovation (http://www.destination-innovation.com). He writes and speaks on lateral thinking and innovation. His book, The Innovative Leader, is published by Kogan-Page.

posted by fdwvsmr55035  # 12:54 PM 0 comments

I guess that for many people, even people of faith, the prospect of learning to study the Bible leaves them with a lot of questions -- and perhaps the foremost question is: Why even bother? There are a lot of things that we need to do in our lives every day -- and the Bible was written a very long time ago. There are a lot of different opinions about the meaning of the Scriptures -- so many different denominations and sects -- why even make the attempt? That's a good question, and I think that it deserves a solid answer. In this article I would like to outline, rather briefly, some of the reasons why we should take time to study the Bible.

The Bible's Uniqueness

The first thing that I want to say is that the Bible is an absolutely unique piece of literature. No other writing -- or to be more accurate, a group of writings -- is like it. Among all the literary productions known, it is an extraordinary piece of literature -- something that can be enjoyed solely for its literary merits. Many people have learned to appreciate the majestic beauty of the Psalms, or the exciting drama of the stories in the historical books, or the stunning statements of the prophets. And many people read the Bible this way -- they appreciate it, and are perhaps inspired in some general way by its teachings. But there is much more to the Bible than this.

The Bible: a "Revelation"

For those people of faith who consider themselves a part of the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Bible is much more than a collection of masterful writings -- we believe that it is a special message from the creator of the universe to the human race. Both Christians and Jews believe that the Bible contains authoritative teaching about God -- and Christians, in particular, believe that the teaching of the Bible points us to personal salvation and eternal life through the historical person of Jesus of Nazareth. This is a part of what we mean when we say that the Bible is a revelation from God -- it speaks as an authority (for some of us the ONLY authority), and we trace in its message the call of God our lives -- to hear and to obey His teachings.

Why Not Just Read the Bible? Why Take the Time to Study It?

That being said, the next question is this: why take the time to study the Bible in depth? Why not just read it -- perhaps a little bit every day? In fact, many people do -- I do, and I recommend you do the same. But frankly, reading in this way has limitations: when we are reading large sections of the Bible, for the most part we will simply be skimming off of the surface meaning. We might as well face facts: in order to get a real handle on what God is saying to us, we must take the time to study the Bible -- just as we would study a mathematics or history or science textbook.

For many people this activity sounds like it will be very boring. Frankly, in order to become a serious Bible student you and I will need to take the time to study the Bible in an organized, systematic manner -- and it will require consistent, sustained effort over a period of time. But I'm here to tell you that whatever effort you must put forth will not be wasted -- as you take the time to study the Bible systematically each day, you will not only get to know these writings better, but you will also be learning more about the God whom, we believe, wrote it.

The Key to Spiritual Growth

Why is it that if we take the time to study the Bible will come to know the Lord better? Because the Bible is God's revelation of himself! When we get to know His word, His message, we'll be getting to know him -- and that means more than just knowing something about God, it means that we lack surely come into a closer relationship with our Creator! This means that serious Bible study is in fact a major key to growing spiritually.

This Will Impact Your Life

You believe in God? Good -- but if you ever wondered what His will is for your life? Have you ever thought about whether your life has an ultimate meaning or purpose? Studying the Bible will help you to get answers to these questions. I have noted in my own life that Bible study helps me to come to know God better -- as I come to know God better I am encouraged to be more obedient and carry out His will in my own life. When I do this, I will begin to draw even closer to God -- and the result is that I will have an even stronger desire to obey him and learn more about him. This, in turn, will feed my desire to learn even more about the Scriptures -- this becomes a repeating pattern which can have dramatic impact on the course of our life.

Why take the time to study the Bible? Because it is the world's most unique piece of literature. Because we will never really understand it unless we study it. Because it is the key to spiritual growth. And because when we become consistent students of God's Word, our life will be impacted forever.

Hi! I'm Hwang Keum-Ok, and I have a website devoted exclusively to Bible Study Tools. It's called http://www.Bible-Study-Tools.org and it contains useful reviews of some of the most important Bible study tools that you should own. It is not an e-commerce site; we do not sell products, we just give information. If you need some guidance in building your personal or family Bible study library, feel free to stop by. We hope to see you there soon!

posted by fdwvsmr55035  # 12:53 AM 0 comments