Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Which industries will florish in 2011 - CEOs say all but VCs are cautious

An excerpt from a trusted source... 

The VCs' cautious tone changes when it comes to certain investment sectors. They overwhelmingly expect dollars to increase for consumer Internet and cloud-computing software companies (82% and 80%, respectively). Those sectors also happen to be the two that VCs labeled as most likely to see investment "froth," meaning over-funded.

Likewise, a majority expects investment to rise in health-care IT, mobile and software-as-a-service. But they were much less optimistic about more capital-intensive industries such as energy, medical devices, biopharmaceuticals, financial services and hardware.

So, which industry do you belong to?

Courtesy - McKinsey & Company

In this, our final Top Ten Newsletter of 2010, we've rounded up the most popular articles among readers this year. Topics they were most interested in include decision-making biases, digital marketing, and management in uncertain times.
Global forces: An introduction graphic 1. STRATEGY
Global forces: An introduction
Five crucibles of change will restructure the world economy for the foreseeable future. Companies that understand them will stand the best chance of shaping it. A related video highlights the value of tracking global forces and how to build them into corporate strategy.
Clouds, big data, and smart assets: Ten tech-enabled business trends to watch graphic 2. BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
Clouds, big data, and smart assets: Ten tech-enabled business trends to watch
Advancing technologies and their swift adoption are upending traditional business models. Senior executives need to think strategically about how to prepare their organizations for the challenging new environment. In a set of accompanying podcasts, leading experts offer their views on how these trends will evolve and change business models.
A new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing graphic 3. MARKETING
A new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing
Assessing its impact as well as its volume will help companies take better advantage of buzz. An accompanying podcast focuses on how marketers can use word of mouth to influence consumer behavior.
4. STRATEGY
The case for behavioral strategy
Left unchecked, subconscious biases will undermine strategic decision making. Learn how to counter them and improve corporate performance, and explore an accompanying interactive showing the biases most pertinent to business and the ways they can combine to create dysfunctional patterns in corporate cultures.

Plus, take this brief survey on how you make decisions, and we'll send you feedback on how your decision-making style compares with those of other respondents and on how to avoid any biases you may be prone to.
5. GOVERNANCE
Why good bosses tune in to their people
Know how to project power, counsels Stanford management professor Bob Sutton, since those you lead need to believe you have it for it to be effective. And to lock in your team’s loyalty, boldly defend their backs.
6. ORGANIZATION
How centered leaders achieve extraordinary results
Executives can thrive at work and in life by adopting a leadership model that revolves around finding their strengths and connecting with others.
7. CORPORATE FINANCE
Creating value: An interactive tutorial
In this video presentation, McKinsey partner Tim Koller explores the four guiding principles of corporate finance that all executives can use to home in on value creation when they make strategic decisions.
8. ORGANIZATION
Retaining key employees in times of change
Many companies throw financial incentives at senior executives and star performers during times of change. There is a better and less costly solution.
9. MARKETING
Unlocking the elusive potential of social networks
To realize the marketing potential of virtual activities, you have to make them truly useful for consumers.
10. ORGANIZATION
Boosting the productivity of knowledge workers
The key is identifying and addressing the barriers workers face i