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SPEAKING
Vinod speaks on a variety of themes related to his areas of interest, namely, strategy, global business, and digital business. Here’s a sample of some of the topics on which he has spoken in the past for associations and corporations.
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Rules and Tools of Digital Business
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Digital Business Models
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Entering and Competing in Foreign Markets
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Emerging Markets: Why We Should Care
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Globalization and Technology
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America and the Global Economy
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Doing Business in India (or China)
Rules and Tools of Digital Business
The confluence of the physical and digital worlds, led by globalization, technology, and innovation, has led to three kinds of businesses–physical, digital, and physical-and-digital (Internet of Things, IoT). The economics and strategy of each of the three kinds of businesses are quite different from each other. The seminar is structured around two key themes, the rules and tools of digital strategy. The economic principles (“rules”) that underpin digital strategy include, among others, network effects, non-rivalry, and zero marginal cost. The “tools” of digital strategy include digital technologies, like AI, robotics, and data analytics, and digital business models, such as product-as-a-service, data monetization, and platforms and ecosystems.
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The presentation explores how digital and IoT businesses create and capture value and establish competitive advantage in both B2C and B2B contexts. The presentation will explore digital strategy issues for companies like Spotify, a purely digital product (music), Peloton, a smart machine (a stationary bike, a product that is both physical and digital and connected to the internet), and Bosch (a legacy business that is now a leader in B2B IoT businesses)—depending on the audience. All these companies are involved in digital business—succeeding with innovation—using software, data, analytics, and digital technologies like AI and blockchain.
Each disrupted a traditional industry, even creating a new business category, thus transforming its industry. In speaking to a corporate group, I adopt the perspective of B2C businesses (like Spotify and Peloton) or B2B businesses (like Bosch and Schneider Electric) depending on the client’s audience.
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Digital Business Models
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A business model describes how a company expects to create and capture value and build competitive advantage through its strategy. What makes a business model digital is the use of digital technologies to create and capture value. Business models that used to be based on human effort and human intelligence now also require computers, networks, internet, data and analytics, and information technologies to help make decisions in real time, 24x7. The presentation will cover some of the more prominent digital business models in use today by both legacy and digital businesses, like freemium, product-as-a-service, razor and blade, outcome-based, data monetization, and platforms and ecosystems.
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Entering and Competing in Emerging Markets
As the world’s center of gravity shifts decisively in favor of emerging markets, competitive challenges and opportunities are being continually and dramatically transformed. The presentation offers an introductory look at competing in and with emerging markets, especially the BIC countries (Brazil, India, and China), as they integrate into the global economy. Vinod's basic premise is to learn from the strategies of world-leading companies from both the developed world and the emerging markets in global competition for markets and resources.
Emerging Markets: Why We Should Care
While globalization and technology bestowed great benefits upon the advanced countries, most developing countries were left out of the bounty. Lately, however, some have been experiencing dramatic increases in growth and prosperity. These are the emerging economies or emerging markets.
Now, as advanced countries are beginning to experience lower growth rates, and many developing countries higher growth rates, there is a growing convergence between the developed and developing countries. For example, just 15 years ago, China was the fifth largest economy in the world, but today China’s economy is second only to the US in terms of gross domestic product (GDP)—and actually larger than the US economy in terms of GDP at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), i.e., after taking cost-of-living differences into account. Many other emerging markets have also been experiencing high growth rates and rising prosperity. Why should we care?
Globalization and Technology
Globalization is a defining issue for the 21st century. It is driven by technology, communication and transportation networks, multinational enterprises, multilateral institutions, and the arrival of dozens of developing countries on the global stage. The world has experienced greater integration between countries through cross-border trade and investment, migration, and cross-border technology flows.
Nevertheless, globalization trends of the recent decades also present a paradox. While there’s indeed growing integration between nations, there is also growing divergence between the haves and have-nots, as well as signs of breakup represented by growing trade tensions, protectionism, terrorism, even a move away from democratic and free market institutions. This presentation explores the evolution of globalization, the impacts of technology, and the likely future of living and working in a world defined increasingly by technology.
America and the Global Economy
Today’s global economy is a connected economy; people, goods, and services are more connected with each other than ever before—connections facilitated by the twin forces of globalization and technology. Businesses compete with each other for markets, resources, and talent worldwide.
While the Industrial Revolutions and digitalization continue to bestow great benefits upon advanced countries like the United States, many developing countries that had previously been left out of the bounty also began to experience dramatic increases in growth and prosperity, especially in the last two-three decades. In fact, as the industrialized countries are beginning to experience lower growth rates, and developing countries higher growth rates, there’s a growing convergence between developed and developing countries on several dimensions. What happens in the rest of the global economy matters to all of us. The presentation explores the role and position of the U.S. within the global economy of the 21st century.
Doing Business in India (or China)
With over 1.38 billion people, India is the world’s largest democracy, secular, multi-religious, multi-cultural, a nuclear power, and with a growing role in global business and world affairs. Since the start of economic liberalization in India in 1991, India has emerged as a top destination for investments globally. It is one of the fastest growing large economies in the world.
While COVID-19 disrupted the growth path in 2020, India is expected to resume its annual growth rate of more than 7% in the coming five years. A good understanding of a country is a pre-requisite for anyone planning to do business there. India is a highly complex, heterogenous market. This presentation introduces India to the participants in all its complexity and splendor, focusing on the opportunities and challenges of doing business there.
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