Archive for October, 2010

Expatriates need to rethink their roles in emerging markets if their organizations expect to stay relevant in the post-recession economy, said Thunderbird Professor Nathan Washburn, Ph.D. “They have seen their job as coming in and transferring their expertise to the emerging economies where they are assigned,” Washburn said. Expatriates who cling to this mindset will miss the innovation that increasingly flows the other direction. Washburn said expatriates sent to open factories or implement strategy still need to transfer knowledge in, but they also need to listen and gather information. “Emerging markets are the hotbeds for innovation,” he said. “The great innovations in the future are not going to happen in our mature markets.” | Podcast: Nokia’s hard lesson in India (5:23)

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Satjiv Chahil moved fast when he came to Hewlett-Packard in 2005 as Senior Vice President for Marketing. In less than 12 months, he helped the company reinvent its entire line of personal computers. “We started defining complete solutions and messages, segment by segment,” says Chahil, a 1976 Thunderbird graduate. He reached out to women with high-fashion personal computers designed by Vivienne Tam. He reached out to younger consumers with new eco-friendly products, including a $700 laptop packaged in nothing but a canvas bag. “Aim for the heart, and you will always get the wallet,” Chahil told Thunderbird students Oct. 7, 2010. Here is an excerpt from his presentation. | Podcast: Satjiv Chahil on making HP’s product line greener and softer (26:00)

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Hewlett-Packard was at a crossroads when Satjiv Chahil arrived in 2005 as Senior Vice President for Marketing. Industry analysts and others inside the company advised HP to exit the personal computer market, which was dominated by Dell. “In 2005 few people knew HP made PCs,” says Chahil, a 1976 Thunderbird graduate. “Everybody knew we made printers, but nobody knew we made PCs.” When Chahil researched the market, he saw an opportunity for HP to move fast and differentiate itself from other personal computer makers. “A personal computer had become just a PC — just a boring box or commodity,” Chahil says. Under his guidance, HP set out to make the PC personal again. He explains how during his presentation Oct. 7, 2010, at Thunderbird. | Podcast: Satjiv Chahil on making the PC personal again (26:58)

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