The Impact of Recent Macroeconomic Forces on the Global Defense Industrial Base
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U.S. Airlines – A Global Perspective from Inside the Beltway

In 2011, airlines have been contending with rapidly climbing jet-fuel prices that have outpaced crude-oil prices to reach their highest level since September 2008. As of March 4, U.S. Gulf Coast jet fuel sold for $3.20 per gallon. Excluding hedge gains or losses, if U.S. airlines had to contend with $3 per gallon jet-fuel prices for all of 2011, their fuel bill would increase $15 billion, from $39 billion in 2010 to an estimated $54 billion in 2011. Mr. Heimlich will discuss how structural increases in the cost of energy over the past two decades are transforming the industry and what it means for revenue generation, domestic seating capacity, and the global competitive landscape. Mr. Heimlich will field questions on the airlines’ quest for sustained profitability and positive returns on invested capital.

UPDATE: Slides from the talk may be downloaded here: Heimlich slides (PDF).

Copycats: How Smart Companies Use Imitation to Gain Strategic Edge

In the business world, imitation gets a bad rap. We see imitating firms as “me too” players forced to copy because they have nothing original to offer. In Copycats, Oded Shenkar challenges this viewpoint. He reveals how imitation—the exact or broad-brushed copying of an innovation—is as critical to prosperity as innovation.

Shenkar shows how savvy imitators generate huge profits and how they avoid costly errors by observing and learning from other’s trials. He will present suggestions for making imitation a core element in your competitive strategy and pairing it powerfully with innovation.