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Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Elon Musk, Avery Dennison, Loblaw, Mercadona and LG Electronics.

From the NY Times: Tesla Electric Cars: Revved Up, but Far to Go
"Elon Musk, who made a fortune selling PayPal, has poured a lot of his money into Tesla, the maker of electric cars. But it has hit with delays, financial crises and a personnel soap opera."

Wally's Comment: There are three issues and stories wrapped up in this one article. First, there's the story of Elon Musk. He made a bunch of money as a founder of PayPal, is a real life rocket scientist, and started Tesla Motors to make electric cars. Oh yes, and he's broke. At least that's what he says.

There's also the saga of Tesla, the electric car. That's been quite a ride so far and, while his vehicles have offered impressive performance they're also very expense. That prompted Joe Nocera to write a column titled: "Costly Toys, or a New Era for Drivers?"

And there's a subplot: battery technology. Electric cars sound like a great idea, but until and unless we can get lighter batteries with longer life, they'll always be a fringe technology. Check out a NY Times piece: "A Quest for Batteries to Alter the Energy Equation" and one from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Battery Innovation Thrives in the Area."

If you're up for a little fun, check out "Neil Young's 1959 Linc-Volt Hybrid." You may find the biography of Nikola Tesla fascinating as well.

From Industry Week: Putting a New Label on Avery Dennison
"CEO Dean Scarborough is pushing an ambitious plan to transform the company from a materials supplier to a brand builder and provider of information services."

Wally's Comment: Peter Drucker suggested we ask, "What business are we in?" Dean Scarborough has taken that upscale with "What is our role in the world?" He's using the answer to that question to attempt to create a unified strategy for the company's worldwide businesses. I've seen this play before. It usually doesn't end well.

From the Toronto Globe and Mail: Loblaw ‘making progress’ on rebuild
"Loblaw Cos. president Allan Leighton has a full plate, grappling with shrinking food prices, sluggish grocery sales and a potential strike at the grocery retailer’s key Ontario market. On top of those major challenges, Loblaw is pouring $185-million this year alone into a crucial upgrade of its outdated supply-chain systems, and the British retailing veteran says proper execution of the new technology is vital for getting products to the shelves on time. Amid the pitfalls, Mr. Leighton is slowly re-fashioning the food retailer in a dramatic transformation of the country’s largest grocer."

Wally's Comment: Here's another re-work, but this one's more operational than strategic. That doesn't mean there are fewer risks.

From HBS Working Knowledge: How Mercadona Fixes Retail's 'Last 10 Yards' Problem
"Imagine a retail chain that offers customers not only the lowest prices but also personalized customer service. Employees receive above-average wages and 20 times more training than the average American retailer. Sounds like a recipe for retail suicide, especially in industries with razor-thin margins. Yet in the new case study "Mercadona," HBS assistant professor Zeynep Ton and research assistant Simon Harrow describe a Spanish supermarket chain that has done all this while achieving steady profits and double-digit growth for more than a decade."

Wally's Comment: In the US and Canada, supermarkets are a very mature market. In other countries that's not always true. That makes it easier to see the impact of different policies and processes. For additional reading, check "For Mercadona, Spain’s Leading Supermarket, TQM Has Been an Excellent Investment."

From INSEAD: How LG Electronics reinvented itself in the US
"It took three attempts in four years for Korean electronics giant LG Electronics (LGE) to launch its brand in the US market in 2002. Five years later, it became the top seller of refrigerators and washing machines, and has since been successfully maintaining its lead in the two home appliance categories with current respective market shares of about 24 per cent."

Wally's Comment: This is a good article, but it only tells part of the story. For background, read an article from the Wall Street Journal, "CEO Broadens Vistas at LG." It tells about the impact of changes wrought by Yong Nam, LG's CEO.

LG has done a superb job of product development. Read the NY Times article, "Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip." The company has really gotten into crowdsourcing. To get an idea about how that works check out this page describing a LG crowdsourcing project that was awarded in May 2010.

If you enjoy this post, you may want to check back on Wednesday when I select five excellent posts from the week's independent business blogs. Last week I highlighted posts on metaphors for your organization, the look of leadership, a vote against Maslow, measuring engagement, and "evidence-based" leadership.

Check out my latest book, Ruthless Focus, at Amazon.

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