New scientific report on the consequences of the gobal warming

Le Monde, édition du 20.03.2007

Shortages of water, floods, lower agricultural outputs, multiplication of fires, decline of the biodiversity… The scientists of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on the Evolution of Climate (GIEC) are publishing new evaluations of the consequences of the global warming and the confirmation of the bond between this phenomenon and the multiple disturbances already noted on the planet.
These data will be debated between several hundreds of scientists and representatives of 190 countries, from April the 2nd to April the 5th in Brussels.
After the approval of the first part of the evaluation report of the GIEC in Paris, on February the 2nd (which had ratified the responsibility of human activities in the global warming), the second chapter will deal with its consequences.


The direct consequences of the global warming:
- instability of the grounds in mountains,
- melting of the permafrost,
- modifications of the flora and the fauna in the polar areas,
- increase of temperatures of lakes and rivers,
- precocity of the budding of vegetation and migrations of birds,
- modifications of the distribution of algae, fishes, plankton, etc.

To underlie the fact that the rhythm of increase in the average temperature will depend on the actions taken to reduce the gas emissions for purpose of greenhouse, the evaluations of the future impacts are made by taking in reference rises of temperatures, without mention of dates.

If we count a rise of temperature between 2°C and 4,5°C above the values of 1990, scientists evaluate:
- between 1 and 3,2 billion the number of people touched by water shortages
- hundreds of million the number of people threatened by the rise of the level of oceans. Indeed, if the reheating reaches 4°C, a fifth of the world population would be confronted with floods
- agricultural outputs would decline everywhere if the reheating reaches 3°C
- in the South of the planet, capacities of adaptation of many species would be exceeded. Up to 120 million additional people would then be exposed to famine. Scientists envisage an increase in the number of deaths due to heat, dryness, floods, diseases related to water, as well as massive extinction of species, and major upheavals in ecosystems.

Several areas of the world are regarded particularly threatened, as small islands, or Arctic, and:
- Africa, with water shortages and loss of arable grounds, is also considered to be very vulnerable, because of the weakness of its capacities of adaptation.
- The estuaries of Asian rivers, very populated, also form part of the most exposed zones. If the global warming is not braked, in Asia, the melting of the glaciers of the Himalayas will involve floods, crumbling, disturbances in the water supply.
- In the South of Europe, the water availability will decrease in 5% to 35%, with consequences on the agricultural and hydroelectric production, and the frequency of fires. On the other hand, it will increase by 10% to 20% in the North of the continent, involving floods.
- In South America, the vegetation could suffer important disturbances (replacement of the tropical forest by savanna). In dry areas, agricultural lands would become unsuitable with the cultures.
- North America will have to face a strong competition for the use of water, waves of heat, and the increase of fires.

Scientists underlie that the actions of adaptation (modification of the use of grounds, of infrastructures, and increased protection of the ecosystems) to climatic changes are not very developed.

However, even if the gas emissions for purpose of greenhouse would decrease quickly, benefit of that would be felt only several decades after. Such measurings are thus essential, according to experts' of the GIEC.

Easyjet Business Model

Easyjet is a British low-cost air company.

The concept:
Easyjet cuts the costs by eliminating wastes:
- They use Internet to reduce the distribution costs. Today, almost 95% of the seats are sold on the Net.
- They optimise the immobilized capital. The Easyjet planes fly more than those from other companies. A good way to optimize the unitary cost of each plane.
- They develop the travel without tickets. Passengers receive a confirmation by mail.
By doing that, they can eliminate the costs of printing, distribution, transaction and checking of millions of tickets per year.
- They don't offer free meal during the flight.
- They are based in the most important European airports, but they earn in efficiency because they have very reduced stopover times (30 min.) and agreements with airports on landing taxes. With reduced stopover times, Easyjet can make more rotations with the planes.
- Easyjet has also developped the principle of "management without paper". The management and the administration of the company are totally made with the computer.

Additional sources of revenues:
- Commissions
- Hotels and apartments offers
- Car rental
- Bars lounges in waiting area
- Airports parkings
- Buses between airports and towns
- Insurances

Innocentive concept

1. What is it?
It's a new concept of market place which enables companies to pose a R&D problem, and which enables scientists, searchers to earn money by finding the solution of the problem.

2. Who owns it?
Innocentive has been developped by the pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly.

3. What is the business model?
Innocentive: innovation + incentive

4. What problems does it solve?
Save time and money for the companies. It enables companies to "rent a brain" for a specific problem very different from the core skills of the companies.
Reduce the costs and have a better R&D department

Freemium - for which biz models ?

Freemium is used in concert with other biz models (which ones and why)?

Free services is provided in the first instance.
So it is important for companies going on Freemium to master costs (ex no distribution, no stocking, no offline shops,...) as a matter of fact such a model cannot be applied to clothes, furnitures and any tangible goods which must be transportated.

Morever this model is best suited for online services and downloadable products (ex Skype, VIADEO, IT sofware). In these cases the company can expect a return on investment in that the product once created and published is ready for immediate download without any fee.

Also this model is best suited to social, referral and professional networkings where no publicity or advertising is needed. the goal is to find business partners to enhanced the initial projects.

Natacha, Fabrizio, Epiphane, Reza (Groupe 3)

Quizz Answers

1. OTHER revenues than core revenue sources:

- financial credits
- more capacity for stocking emails
- absence of ads
- meeting people: social and business networking, recruitment, partnerships, love, etc.
- sharing videos, photos
- paying téléchargements
- video diffusion peer-to-peer
- customer relationship, customer care


2. If "market segments are dead", how are segments replaced? Why is it important to the digital economy?

The market segments which are dead are replaced by using the Internet, and e-business models.
- because it is a very dynamic business model
- because you can meet another kind of demand or developp others periferic services
- because you can reduce the costs
- because there are less barriers


3. How can 'free' generate revenue for an online business? Please include your favorite example.

"Free" can generate revenue because you propose a service for free. It enables you to acquire a lot of customers who can use free services.
At the same time, you offer premium services that are priced value added services or an enhanced version of your service to your customer.

My favorite example is Viadeo: it is a professional network that helps you find clients, partners or collaborators, gain more visibility and make you known by recruiters, etc. Viadeo is free but it provides you with some paying services and "premium subscriptions".

Seulement 1 cadre sur 4 est une femme

Only 1 executive out of 4 is a woman

Challenges.fr 05/03/07


Inequalities between men and women are still strong on the job market. And executives are also concerned. In 2002, only 1 executive job out of 4 was given to a woman with a salary lower by 20%. These figures are revealed in a study published today by the DARES (Labour Ministry).

Some of these inequalities can be explained by the familial situation.

Wages lower by 20%

Five years ago in companies of 10+ employees :
- 15% of women were executives
- 23% of men were executives
- The probability for a woman to become executive was 26% under than for a man.
- Even with an equivalent diploma, women still had less chances and a lower salaries.

The reasons:
- less working experience
- less seniority in the company

To be or not to be a mother

Differences between men and women from diploma and professional experience can explain a small part of the inequalities.
But it’s the familial situation of employees that can explain a main part of the inequalities.
In that way, the study shows that women spend a lot of time educating their children and cleaning the house while they’re working.
15% of executives women live alone without children against 10% of men.
A woman living in couple, with or without children, has a probability 29% under than a man to become executive.

Discriminations at the time of recruitment or as regards as promotions

“The variations remaining, independently of the family loads, can partly result from discriminatory practices at the time of recruitment or as regards as promotions, which the data of the study of the wages structure do not make it possible to evaluate”, Dares underlines.
The women in couple suffer the consequences of the two effects:
- mothers “have weaker real experience since they stopped their career due to maternity”,
- and women “in couple have a less great availability in their job”, notes Dares. On the other hand, men in couple touch wages higher than single people. “The life in couple could increase the availability of executives men in their job, their wife then devoting more time to educate the children and with the domestic tasks”, Dares notes.

Source: study published by the DARES, March the 5th 2007.

FREEMIUM Business Model

What is the model ?

A definition found in Wikipedia :
"The freemium business model works by offering basic services for free, while charging a premium for advanced or special features.
The word freemium has been created combining the two aspects of the business model: free + premium.
The business model has gained popularity with Web 2.0 companies."

How does “free” in fact generate revenue?

With:
- subscriptions
- advertising / “e-pub”
- professional charging versions: by paying you can install plugins which enable you to have more functions
- charging special, personalised or advanced services
- including e-commerce sections (ex.: MySpace)
- better mails stocking capacity and absence of advertisements (for mail services)

Other examples of online companies that are using Freemium business model :

- MySpace: is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos.
- Viadeo (new version of Viaduc.com): is a professional network that helps you find clients, partners or collaborators, gain more visibility and make you known by recruiters, etc. Viadeo is free but it provides you with some paying services and "premium subscriptions".
- Digg.com: "is a digital media democracy. As a user, you participate in determining all site content by discovering, selecting, sharing, and discussing the news, videos, and podcasts that appeal to you."
- Tribe.net : is another social networking website.
- Friendster: idem as Tribe.net

More articles read in:
http://www.zdnet.fr/
http://www.journaldunet.com/

HERMES, force tranquille du luxe français

« HERMES, force tranquille du luxe français »
20/02/07
http://www.abc-luxe.com/

French luxury symbol, the familial company HERMES is in good health.

In 2006, its turnover reaches 1,5 billion € (+8% compared to 2005), and the most amazing is that the activities the most profitable are the secondary activities, with very important growth rates.

Historically specialised in the leather industry, HERMES has managed to diversify itself and has, today, 8 métiers: clothes, perfume, jewellery, watches, arts de la table, etc. The brands Puiforcat, Cristalleries Saint-Louis, John Lobb (bottier) are part of the group.

The success of the company is also due to its internationalisation strategy: 1/3 of its sales is made in Japan (its first market). HERMES is also developed on the Chinese, Russian and Indian markets where the demand for luxury articles is stronger than in Europe.

Created in 1837, HERMES has still been managed by the founder family. But, historic fact: in April 2006, the Direction of the group is taken by Patrick THOMAS, one of the Directors of the group, without any familial link with the founders.

Patrick THOMAS wants to go on with the actual strategy of intern growth and innovation, which has made the strength of HERMES.

The intern growth will pass by the increase of the activities on dynamic and efficient segments and the development of the internationalisation strategy will pass by opening new boutiques or by renovating existing ones.

HERMES’ objectives:
- to develop the presence of the group in emergent countries, which are very efficient and dynamic markets
- to establish the group in the USA (second market of luxury in the world) where

it’s under – represented. Objective: to double the sales within the next 5 years
- to develop its secondary activities insufficiently represented in the boutiques: jewels, watches, gloves, arts de la table.

Potential difficulties of a intern growth strategy :
- to limit the development of the company
- a growth always under the performances of the leaders market such as LVMH, Richemont and Gucci Group, which have managed to be offensive and to lead a politic of extern growth very efficient.

There are some rumours in the financial markets that speculate on a possible purchase of the group. The constitution, by the financial Albert FRERE and Bernard ARNAULT, of an investment found of one billion of € has participated a lot to these rumours.

But this is impossible because the capital of HERMES has been totally bolted by the founders.
The family possesses the ¾ of the capital, and she has also firmed two pacts with the shareholders that forbidden the sale of the shares during several years.

Link: http://www.abc-luxe.com/nl203.htm

From a study published by XERFI : "HERMES : Dynamique du groupe et de ses activités - Environnement concurrentiel et perspectives stratégiques", décembre 2006