Business Game Time

How too much expertise and pressure can lead to playing it safe: The case of referee Alain Rolland, who showed a controversial red card to welsh Sam Warburton at the Rugby World Cup semi finals.

Filed under: rugby by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: alain rolland • all blacks • auckland • bias • creativity freedom • dip tackle • expert • france • influence • international rugby board • irb • mediator • mistrust • moderator • new zealand • paddy o'brien • red card • rugby • rugby union • rugby world cup • sam warburton • sandwich position • sensitivity • soccer • south africa • suspicion • tonga • vincent clerc • wales

While it was an unusual, unexpected decision by FIFA to host the 2022 World Cup at Qatar, from a purely economical perspective, it may be one that makes sense. Here’s why.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
3 Comments » Tagged with: 2018 • 2022 • 2022 world cup • atlanta • atmosphere • bid • boca juniors • campaign • celtic glasgow • coca-cola • conspiracy theories • decision • england • fenerbahce istanbul • fifa • fifa executive committee • fifa world cup • galatasaray istanbul • germany • glasgow rangers • host • hosting • india • market • marketing • middle east • monopoly • natural resources • olympic games • product • qatar 2022 • reach • riverplate • russia • soccer (football) • south africa • spain • the netherlands • tournament • untapped • world cup final

The Qatar bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 probably won’t go through because of the small size of the country. Ironically, this “compactness” has been a major selling point in their campaign. Here’s more about consumer insights, marketing misconceptions and why partnering is good.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
3 Comments » Tagged with: 2014 • 2018 • 2022 • 2022 world cup • abu dhabi • australia • belgium • bid • brazil • campaign • compact • compactness • consumer insight • convenience • customer insight • customers • dubai • emirates • england • etihad • europe • fifa • fifa world cup • global market • harold mayne-nicholls • host • hosting • inspection team • japan • needs • partnering • partnership • perception • portugal • qatar • qatar airways • russia • south africa • south korea • spain • the netherlands • tournament • united states • untapped • usa • value

Not only does this article explain how a “Mexican Wave” or “La Ola” is created in stadiums, it also uses this analogy to explain why the old broadcasting model of marketing communications is dying and why the business models of Facebook and Twitter’s are so successful: It’s all because of the waves!

Filed under: baseball, soccer (football) by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: (american) football • activate • activating • activation • activation threshold • ballpark • baseball • biological physics • broadcasting model • budapest • business model • communication channels • differentiation • distance • divorce • eötvös loránd university • excitable media • excitable units • external stimulus • facebook • fascinating • fifa world cup • followers • greenberg-hastings model • hastgas • hungary • illés j. farkas • instant reality check • interesting • kevin kelly • la ola • marketing • marketing communications • media landscape • mexican wave • mexico • movie • noise • oakland a's • outstanding • south africa • stadium wave • tamás vicsek • triggering group • twitter • vuvuzela • washington huskies • when harry met sally

A lot of bad calls by the referees at the World Cup resulted in players and coaches complaining. This article talks about the “referees” in your job: Bosses, colleagues, the HR department, etc. and why complaining about them is as useless as in soccer. Here’s how to get over your stubbornness and come up with the right reactions.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
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Soccer tactics are like fashion: They only last for a certain time until new ones come up. Looking at the history of tactics at the World Cups, this article compares fashions in management strategies to soccer tactics fashion and also finds a way to explain why many matches at the 2010 World Cup were quite boring.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
5 Comments » Tagged with: 1930 • 1970 • 1974 • 1978 • 1982 • 1986 • 1990 • 1994 • 1998 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010 • 4-2-3-1 • 4-4-2 • ajax Amsterdam • americo gellego • australia • basic commodities • boring • boston consulting group • brazil • chile • competitive advantage • competitive strategy • control • defense • diego armando maradona • diego maradona • dot-com bubble • economic crisis • economists • england • euro 2008 • fifa world cup • flexibility • france • franz beckenbauer • germany • greece • growth-share matrix • honduras • italy • lothar matthaeus • lothar matthäus • michael e. porter • mutual neutralization • netherlands • organized • Paraguay • politicians • pyramid formation • raw materials • rinus michels • risk-taking • roberto baggio • ronaldo • security • serbia • shareholder value • slovenia • south africa • south korea • spain • speculation • strategic management consulting • switzerland • tactical • tactical formations • totaalvoetbal • usa • value based management • youri djorkaeff • zone defense

There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. Eric Cantona has erased this line. One of the greatest yet most controversial players ever. Here’s why he never played a World Cup and what we can learn from his case, especially on how to deal with “insane geniuses”.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
1 Comment » Tagged with: ability • aimé jacquet • biography • building a bridge • cantona - the rebel who would be king • controversial • crazy • creativity • crystal palace • czech republic • different • english premier league • eric cantona • euro 1996 • european championships • f.a.a cup • facebook • fifa world cup • flair • france • freaks • freedom • french national team • frustration • genious • gérard houiller • germany • guy roux • howard wilkinson • ideas • individualist • insanity • insecurity • inspiration • kick • kung fu • leeds united • madness • manchester united • mark hughes • matthew simmons • offensive midfielder • oscar levant • philippe auclair • physical strengths • play maker • player of the century • playmaker • possibilities • preception • red devils • respect • selhurst park • sir alex ferguson • soccer (football) • south africa • striker • talent • talented • the guardian • thin line • thrilling • tom peters • trust • twitter • world cup 1998

With Diego Maradona and Carlos Bilardo both going below the belt – are Argentina the bad boys of the World Cup? No, they are not; it’s just leaders taking away the pressure from their team. Learn more about craziness on purpose and the role of a wig in this post.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: albicileste • angel di maría • argentina • bad boys • brasil • brazil • carlos bilardo • carlos tévez • colombia • dark side • diego maradona • diego milito • el loco • el narigón • emotion • enemy • england • europe • favorites • fifa world cup • germany • holland • hooligans • interview • italy • javier mascherano • kun agüero • leadership • leaership skill • libya • lionel messi • martín demichelis • martín palermo • maxi rodríguez • netherlands • performance • physical strengths • pressure • sergio agüero • sith lords • south africa • south america • spain • tactical discipline • tension • the force • wakeup call • walter samuel

Just like coaches try to mislead their opponents prior to the World Cup, Apple does the same with controlled information leaks. How can giving away false information on purpose support a product launch?

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
1 Comment » Tagged with: alex ferguson • apple • apple ipad • buzz • champions league • cheap • communication • competition • conjoint analysis • discourage • fans • fifa world cup • image • information leaks • injury • innovator • inventor • ipad pricing • john martellaro • journalists • kickoff • market research • media coverage • on purpose • opponents • preparation • price range • product launch • rumors • secret • senior marketing manager • soccer (football) • south africa • surprise • tactics • training camp • wall street journal • wayne rooney • winter sports • wrong information

On Monday, May 17, 2010, the German public learned that Michael Ballack will not play at the 2010 World Cup and was in a state of shock immediately. This article analyzes the reactions of the public and the press on that day based on the famous change management model known as the “Five Stages of Grief” by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
1 Comment » Tagged with: acceptance • anger • ankle • bargaining • bastian schweinsteiger • borussia dortmund • change management • change management process • chelsea fc • cope • defensive midfield • denial • depression • diagnosis • didier drogba • elisabeth kübler-ross • elisabeth kuebler-ross • f.a. cup • facebook • fifa world cup • five stages of grief • gemany • german national team • get over it • ghana • ghanaian • hertha bsc berlin • jerome boateng • joachim loew • joachim löw • kevin-prince boateng • kübler-ross model • ligament • look ahead • mario balotelli • michael ballack • mri • munich • nationalmannschaft • negtaive feelsing • on death and dying • ownership • portsmouth f.c. • public enemy number one • sebastian kehl • shock • simon rolfes • south africa • squad • team spirit • torsten frings • winning aura