Oxford Odyssey

Author: cowleycorporateclimbers

  • Political resources and competitive advantage

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    That political influence can be a boon to business performance is almost stupidly obvious. Trump’s election saw his close ally Elon Musk enjoy a boost to the valuation of his companies. Even back in the Suharto era, the import of cloves was regulated and hence allowed the formation of monopolies trading the spice. The resource-based…

  • The Paradox of Risk: Gambling vs. Risky Investments

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    Humans are inherently risk-averse. This means that, when presented with a choice, most people tend to prefer a certain, lower reward over a higher potential reward that comes with greater risk. The St Petersburg Principle involves a hypothetical game where a fair coin is flipped until it lands heads. The payout for the game doubles…

  • The evolution of marketing

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    The philosophy behind marketing has been evolving over time, adapting to the surrounding economic and technological structure. Of course, some industries will remain laggards, while others will be more advanced in their progression. This is a general guide as to how marketing has changed. First Era: Product Focused “Build it and they shall come.” In…

  • Why it is irrational to give it your all at your work

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    Elon Musk famously claims to sleep and live in his factories to work longer hours and drive his companies forward. This relentless dedication has paid off for him; he is now one of the wealthiest people on the planet. However, the same can’t be said for everyone. Take Nico Murillo, for example—he followed a similar…

  • On ESG: Stakeholder theory and why it is flawed

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    Friedman’s Shareholder Theory Milton Friedman’s Shareholder Theory asserts that the primary responsibility of a business is to maximise profits for its shareholders. Friedman argued that businesses are essentially tools of their owners (the shareholders) and should focus exclusively on generating the highest possible returns, provided they operate within the bounds of law and ethical norms.…

  • Hacking productivity: Using collectible experiences as a marketing tool

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    Have you ever dreamed of staying in an ice hotel, or perhaps sampling exotic delicacies like balut or Casu Marzu? While these experiences might not be on everyone’s bucket list, there’s a fascinating reason why they captivate so many people. Keinan and Kivetz (2011) argue that consumers often approach unique experiences as collectibles, much like…

  • When to fire your customers: The Pyramid

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    The Customer Pyramid Explained The Customer Pyramid (Zeithaml, Rust & Lemon, 2001) is divided into four tiers: Platinum, Gold, Iron, and Lead (though we will focus on the top three tiers and the Lead equivalent). Each tier represents a different level of profitability and customer value. Maximising Profit Margins for the Top Tiers For customers…

  • Choosing an Oxford college

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    Instead of listing out the traits of each college like this, which is often subject to changes, I thought it’d be more helpful to give you a framework of considerations. In general, most colleges have friendly cultures and people will be nice, though this is subject to each individual cohort of students. Learning Which professors…

  • Should I pursue full-time entrepreneurship coming from Oxford?

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    The allure of entrepreneurship is strong, especially for those graduating from a prestigious institution like Oxford. The idea of forging your own path, creating something new, and potentially achieving significant financial success is appealing. However, entrepreneurship isn’t just about big dreams and high rewards; it’s also fraught with challenges and risks that often go unnoticed…

  • Why entrepreneurs have to be technical

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    With the rise of Bubble and other no-code platforms, it seems like you no longer have to be a technical co-founder It is true, that with software startups, the barriers to entry are immensely low However, the top entrepreneurs are those who have entered the field early. Facebook started moving servers and coding out different…