Minerva Review

By Minerva Review / February 2, 2019

Bad Blood of Theranos

Theranos, the biotech startup that once promised revolutionary blood test technologies to the world, came to an end after evidence of its fraud finally came to bear. Journalist John Carreyrou unravels the rise and downfall of the company, once valued at $9B, in his book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. This post summarises a few factors that enabled Theranos’ rise, and several red flags that warranted greater scrutiny from cautious investors (in hindsight). Continue Reading …

By Minerva Review / January 27, 2019

Think Fast, Talk Smart

Effective communication is almost always a critical for success in business. Matt Abrahams, organisational behaviour lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, outlines several communication techniques and exercises to assist with presentations and public speaking. Continue Reading …

By Minerva Review / January 14, 2019

Common Causes of Market Failure

Market failures occur when the allocation of goods and services by markets are not efficient and lead to net social welfare loss. Economist Peter Abelson describes, in his book Public Economics – Principles and Practice, common causes of market failure and solutions governments might take in response. Continue Reading …

By Minerva Review / January 3, 2019

Essence of Economic Growth Theory

Macro-economists, Antonio Fatas and Ilian Mihov, described a framework called 4 I’s to describe the ‘essence’ of economic growth theory. It specifies four important characteristics that often help to explain or anticipate the rate and scale of economic development that nations experience. Continue Reading …

By Minerva Review / January 3, 2019

Competitive Advantages and Economic Moats

A business’ sustainability over the long term depends on its capacity to maintain an enduring competitive advantage. Frameworks such as The Morningstar Economic Moat Rating provide a helpful starting point to think about sources of long term competitive advantage in business. Continue Reading …

By Minerva Review / December 31, 2018

‘Classic’ Forces that Shape Strategy

Harvard Economist Michael E. Porter’s work on competition, strategy and value chains in the 70s and 80s still hold relevance to this day as a tool to analyse competition intensity, industry attractiveness and business profitability. A useful starting point for all business students and professionals. Continue Reading …