At the heart of the problem is an unholy alliance between Russian law enforcement and the criminal world—a combination that over the last decade has created “an alloy of almost unbreakable force,” says lawyer Vladimir Pastukhov. Instead of enforcing the law, a large chunk of Russia’s police, secret police, and government bureaucrats spend their energies on looking out for vulnerable businesses that can be targeted for a corporate raid, Russian style. Unlike the Wall Street version, a Russian hostile takeover almost invariably involves a violent raid by armed and masked police using a warrant issued on flimsy charges, followed by the confiscation of company documents, computers, and archives with a view to stealing the business and intimidating its lawful owners. The pattern was established in 2003 when the Kremlin dismembered Russia’s biggest oil company, Yukos, and jailed its head, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and a slew of executives and lawyers based on dubious evidence. “Russian bureaucrats figured, if Putin can do it, so can we,” says a lawyer connected to Yukos who is contractually forbidden from speaking to the press.

We in big pharma should never take for granted our right to exist; our business model is not written into any country’s constitution. So we should be turning up to work every day with the mindset that we are earning the right to exist. We are earning it by meeting the expectations of society. When you start to think like this, you see the world differently.

Andrew Witty - CEO, GlaxoSmithKline

Un modèle économique "bricolé" avec 50% de pub, 30% de formation et 20% de prestation de services (développement de sites web), et l'équilibre pour 2011.

Transformation is in the air. Business leaders across industries are recognizing that “old school” management isn’t up to the task of nonstop innovation. As a result, companies that were once run from the top down are steadily shifting to a more networked style of management in which employees and customers play a greater role in driving innovation. Networked cultures tend to be more creative, more agile, and better able to anticipate the needs of customers.

How do you create a culture of innovation? By recognizing one simple fact: If you want to innovate, you’ve got to design. Design and design thinking are the tools that create new products, new services, new business models, new markets, and new industries. The best way to leverage innovation—as outlined in my latest book—is to build a “designful company”. (Buy the book.)

To find out where you are on the culture curve, take this simple test: Share a total of 10 points across each of the 10 pairs below. For example, if your company is more siloed than collaborative, you might score it 6 and 4. When you’ve finished, add up the two columns to measure your progress. If your totals come out to 60 and 40, for example, you could say that you’re 40% along the path to an innovative culture.

Some standouts for me from the conference [Agriculture 2.0] (in order of appearance not importance!)

Tod Murphy from Vermont’s Farmer’s Diner. He talked about working with farmers and creating a business that was successful and practical. Love that his diner serves the farmers he buys products from.

Carol Kramer LeBlanc, from US Department of Agriculture where she serves as the director of Sustainable Development. Her talk was interesting because she outlined all the new programs available to farmers. Cannot wait to see the impact of these new programs in our rural communities!

Diana Endicott from Good Natured Farms a cooperative of 18 family farms in Kansas and Missouri. Very inspiring woman and organization. Great model for farmers getting together to save rural communities.

Craig Wichner who founded Vital Farmland, LP which invests in farmland and turns it into organic/sustainable farms. Would love to talk to him about all the farmland we have in upstate New York!

Pam Marrone, from Marrone Biopesticides an organic pesticide alternative manufacturer. Very impressed with her presentation, frankly a lot of the talk went over my head but from what I gathered she is a one-woman scientific powerhouse that has been creating patented biopesticides. Seems like there is a lot of exciting stuff that is and will be coming out of her company. Very cool.

Melina Shannon-DiPietro from Yale Sustainable Food Projects who spoke about the energy and commitment of today’s college student. Very inspiring and true, young people want to change the world with their minds and bodies. Cannot wait to see the energy these young people bring to farming and food in America!

4 Ways Social Media is Changing Business

1. From “Trying to Sell” to “Making Connections
2. From “Large Campaigns” to “Small Acts”
3. From “Controlling Our Image” to “Being Ourselves”
4. From “Hard to Reach” to “Available Everywhere”

What we need to do is to apply the same rules to VC’s which they impose on their companies – force them to make tough choices and get their business models in order. And instead of giving the tax-breaks to the middlemen, let’s give these directly to the entrepreneurs who take the risks and create the innovation. It is the entrepreneurs who fuel the economy, not the venture capitalists or investment bankers.

Finding solutions to the challenges posed by climate change will require exemplary leadership from the business community, which has a critical role to play in the transition to a low carbon economy. Companies need to be more proactive by seeking out new technologies and different, more innovative ways of working instead of waiting for regulations to force them to act. Are today’s CEOs ready to provide the kind of inspirational leadership required? How can CEOs best implement these changes, turn crisis into opportunity and keep their companies profitable?