EDITOR'S NOTE
Spring Ahead
by Barbara Brynko
Disruption: It’s not always a bad thing. In fact, disruption can be a catalyst for change, and it can raise the bar on our expectations and usher in plenty of new innovation in the process.
And innovation is the common thread weaving its way through our three main features this issue. Our top story, “Mobed: Elsevier’s Next Steps,” focuses on Ron Mobed, the new (well, new as of August 2012) CEO of Elsevier B.V. We had a chance to talk about his background, his business strategies, his plans for Elsevier, and, of course, Tim Gowers’ ongoing boycott. He opens up about the importance of providing information systems that serve customer needs and add value to their workflows.
Streamlining workflows is also mission-critical for attorneys, and we take a look at the new services and products from the legal divisions of Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis, which were presented at the LegalTech conference. “Legal Briefings” focuses on the new tools created for and by attorneys, as well as the impact that mobile is having on all fronts.
And the feature “Google, FTC Reach Settlements” delves into the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation about alleged improprieties by the world’s top search engine on three major fronts: misusing patent protection laws to prevent competition, misappropriating content from rival websites to skew search results, and imposing contract restrictions in its ad agreements that kept small businesses at bay. And in return, Google is making modifications and adjustments in algorithms and business plans.
As we draw closer to the end of 1Q 2013, we’re just getting started. With more funding available for startups, M&As, and R&D, we can expect to see plenty of disruption, innovation, and new collaboration in the months ahead.
— Barbara Brynko |
