Commercialisation is not a negative word

by Matilde Hørmand-Pallesen

- It must be okay to make money, says Thomas Ritter, professor in market strategies and business development.

Ritter sees an inverse development, where profit and earnings have been stigmatised. Ritter has just been appointed new academic director for the CBS Competitiveness Platform, of which the aim is to improve competitiveness in companies, organisations, and society at large. Monday 27 January he will present his commercial agenda for Denmark at the seminar "Never Stop Competing!", which places focus on competition.

- We cannot speak ill of commercialisation. If we do not understand competition and commercialisation right, we are going to dismiss ourselves. We need to prioritise business acumen again - it will only be possible for us to maintain our welfare if we make money, says Ritter.

Measure competitiveness

At the seminar, Thomas Ritter will, in order to place focus on competitiveness again, present a method to measure the commercial value of a company; the ability to position itself on a market and create profitable customer relations.

Besides Thomas Ritter, Nicolaj J. Foss, Professor at CBS, and prominent business executive Eva Berneke, currently CEO at TDC and newly appointed CEO of Danish IT company KMD, are among the keynotes. Nicolaj J. Foss will unveil the plans for CBS' new World Class Research Environment HOPE, which also will place focus on competitiveness, while Eva Berneke will talk about the challenges faced by competing companies.

The event ”Never stop competing!” takes place Monday 27 January from 16:00-17:00 at Kilen (The Wedge), Kilevej 14A, 2000 Frederiksberg. For more information, please contact Thomas Ritter at: +45 3815 2121, email: ritter@cbs.dk, or contact CBS' media service.