If you notice I am continually pointing out new designs and strategies on the Blog. For example I posted the story about two guys in Sulphur Springs Tx creating Legend Aircraft, as sideline business.
My point is that for all the talk about research and development, big companies rarely come up with the truly innovative. The iPod is an exception but perhaps not as the Apple Culture really promotes individuality and initiative. Remember the Google article about Chaos, they are trying the same thing though a lot of the efforts don’t pay off like the singles site that is popular in Iran and Brazil.
Anyway, if you link to this Folger Site , you can get a free sample of their new ‘gourmet’ coffee. And you will note on the survey that they are well aware of the competition. My question is, what took them so long to get around to getting into the market? Again big companies do not innovate they follow and then only when it is clear a new product is for real.
This next week MSFT finally comes out with ZUNE, their competitor to iPod. I read Walt Mossberg’s review in the WSJ and believe I will still buy and iPod. iTunes has 3.5 M songs, MSFT has 2M. MSFT makes you put up 5 bucks whether you buy five songs or not, they sit on your money in the meantime. Check out his review on page B1 of the Nov 9 edition.
The examples are legion. Starbucks was begun by a guy who went to Italy to learn about the coffee shops there, he imitated their success in Seattle WA, a trendy city.
The weed eater was invented by an individual in Houston TX, not by the existing lawnmower industry.
Wozniak invented the Apple II computer while working for H-P, H-P rejected the idea.
Western Union stated they saw no need for the telephone when it was offered to them.
Trans Texas airlines floundered for decades in Texas before Herb Kelleher drew a triangle on a napkin in a bar and started SW Airlines realizing that all you had to do was lower the price till you filled up all the seats. Well duh, Trans Texas derisively referred to at Tree Top Air went out of business I guess as did Eastern and Braniff that fought SW Air.
Community Colleges are an American invention begun in the Midwest in the 1920s, other countries are just now emulating the idea.
Colonel Sanders went on the road to promote his KFC franchises when he was 65, a new high way was built away from his location and his restaurant was not going to make it. Whoops, he sold out for a measly $1.5 M instead of taking stock in 1965.
Keep thinking, there are plenty of undiscovered ideas, or old ideas made new again.
DLE
Professor Elam 
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