MRMW 2016 - The Best Mobile Marketing Research Conference

MRMW North America 2016 - The Best Mobile Marketing Research Conference
18th to 19th July 2016
Fort Worth, Texas (USA)

MRMW is back with the 6th edition of its global innovation series for Market Research. Never standing still, MRMW 2016 will surprise you with new features, exciting speakers, an abundance of business opportunities and an expanded range of topics covering all aspects of innovative market research.

MRMW will continue to lead the way uncovering the latest mobile market research technologies, client case studies, cutting edge thinkers and industry experts. Experience everything from plenary CXO panels to in-depth workshops in small groups – all at MRMW.

New in 2016 will be an expanded focus on The Internet of Things, Smart Data Acquisition, Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning. A new bonus track will also serve those data-hungry techies amongst the market research community.

Case Studies from wide range industries including Food & Beverage, Hospitality, Electronics, Online Commerce, Social Media, Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals.

Parallel workshops covering Mobile Research Methodologies, Innovation Strategies, Smartphone Qualitative...and much more!

A special focus on IoT, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in our breakout track, covering the latest cutting edge developments and innovations.

Innovation Elevator featuring some of the hottest start-ups from inside and outside the Market Research industry.
And of course our MRMW Awards 2016, presented live on stage!

Celebrate, learn, network and build your success!
Book your tickets now at: http://na.mrmw.net

Enquiries: events@merlien.org
Web address: http://na.mrmw.net

Commerce and Sand Point Lighthouse

Sand Point Lighthouse

Sand Point Lighthouse is located in Escanaba Michigan. The light house operated to warn people of the Little Bay De Noc reefs from 1868 until 1939. Most of the ships were moving ore and natural resources. Nine different keepers stayed at the light house until the U.S. Coast Guard took over its operations and changed the entire area by dredging and filling in areas to create the modern harbor. A crib light was built to warn of the new land hazards.

http://www.exploringthenorth.com/sandpoint/light.html

Smoothies as a Healthy Snack

We live busy lives and we don't always have time to cook a breakfast, eat a full lunch or sit at a restaurant. We can make a healthy contribution to our diet and our waistline by drinking smoothies. Body builders, fitness enthusiasts and people who are trying to lose weight agree that smoothies offer a healthy alternative.

Smoothies can be made any number of ways but the most common is ice, milk, honey/sugar, and fruit. Those who are into the internal health of their body might also include greens such as cucumbers and spinach or anti-oxidants like raspberries and blueberries. Any combination of fruits and vegetables can be used.

I don't not agree with liquid diets per see as our bodies need something to digest. Such diets do result in amazing weight loss but often come with muscle loss as well. A better approach is to augment your normal diet with a smoothie. For example, oatmeal breakfast, smoothie lunch, and a lean meat supper.

You may also consider putting protein in your smoothie. Adding protein in your diet does have an additive impact on muscle gain and overall health. Try and look for a reasonable protein that is easy to digest and use. Personally, I like to use hemp protein from Trader Joes but there are many others on the market you may like.

The Importance of Open Trade vs Protectionism

Free trade agreements seem to create a natural fear that jobs will move overseas and people will suffer the consequences of lost jobs and income. It is not as though some of these ideas have merit but what we find over time is that protectionist policies do have an impact on long-term growth putting people at much greater risk.

Consider the two main approaches. We can protect our industries, raise tariffs, and make it difficult for companies to invest in the U.S. What we will find is there will be a short-term positive effect of secure wages and better profit margins. However, in the long run we will continue to lose our global competitiveness and eventually experience economic collapse.

Countries that have tried this approach require companies to hire a certain amount of workers which raises costs and they protect their companies from foreign competition. Its really great! Eventually, the U.S. capacity gets more out of line with foreign competition and can't maintain its competitiveness. Expenses will rise and revenues will decline.

Few companies will want to invest in a country with lots of rules and regulations. They will option to invest in emerging markets like India or Eastern Europe where regulations is easier to handle. We will continue to lose our global competitiveness in a way that is non reversible leading quickly to the 2nd, 3rd or 4th spot in the global economy.

Protectionism only works in the short run on specific industries that need a little time to adapt and develop to be competitive. In the long-run they will stop adapting and rely on government protection to maintain their profits until they collapse. A much better approach is to embrace the global market and to rethink our policies.

We need to make our people and cities more competitive with increased innovation, reduced costs, and greater investment opportunities. This can only happen if we make cities hubs of economic activity where data infrastructure is improve, quality of living is enhanced, policies are open to development, tax rates are low, environments are enhanced, global investments are encouraged, and innovation is worshiped.

Free trade is beneficial when the environment is conducive to capitalizing on new opportunities. In the long run, we will have to accept that we are losing our competitiveness because our basic platform needs work. Opening our trade means doing so in a way that improves opportunities for investment and development within the U.S. Having a focal point on the older platforms in cities is a social and economic method of transformation.

How to Manage the Economic Entrepreneur

The entrepreneur is perhaps the most important type of person in economic society as we know it. People who create and develop new opportunities by finding solutions to problems and enhance business opportunities. Entrepreneurs have a certain mindset that is very different than the average person which allows them to succeed and achieve. Managing the economic entrepreneur requires a different approach that hedges and enhances their skills.

Entrepreneurs are optimistic and promotional oriented but also can be un-realistic and irrational (Clapp & Senson, 2015). They seek the optimistic outcome to nearly every challenge. What provides them an opportunity to succeed in tough situations could cost a company a lot of money if done wrong.

 This opportunism is great for breaking open whole new ways of doing business that can lead to higher profits and stronger revenue lines. To make these breakthroughs possible there needs to be many failures that result in learning and improved efforts. Companies cannot always afford the cost of these failures.

Managing an economic entrepreneurs spirit while not allowing your company to go bankrupt in the process can be helped by using teams. Teams better ensure the entrepreneur doesn't act in a rash or overly enthusiastic manner without considering the merits of such ideas. Using highly skilled people in the topical area helps to make novel ideas practical.

These teams act as knowledge groups that filter ideas through their own experience and understandings before allowing them to proceed to a point where company resources must be used. The team votes on ideas and solicits opinions and ideas from other experts when necessary. If gives the economic entrepreneur the free hand to think with the protective knowledge of a group of experience professionals.

Clapp, B. & Swenson, J. (2015). Entreprenuers, innovation and the hidden costs of optimism. Business Journal of Entrepreneurs, 3 (78)

How Fishing Can Enhance Your Career

People believe that the fastest way to the top and success is through doing more by working like a plow horse until they drop. I can't start to count the examples of executives who think doing more is the best approach. Unfortunately, many get disappointed, burn out and move onto other jobs when gratification isn't immediate. Engaging in recreation helps you balance your life and think about the best approach to accomplishing your work goals.

Let us take fishing for an example. Fishing offers an opportunity to get out of the office, calm the mind and engage in a pleasant activity. As one learns and develops their skills they will spend a good deal of enjoyable time plotting on the best fishing holes on the map and reviewing just the right bait to improve their opportunities. Even better...they can invite friends/family and eat what they catch.

How does it make a difference to our careers? Fishing, like golf, or any other relaxing activity allows us to process information on our own time and in a way that creates deeper connections to information. We don't force a poor solution. It can lead to better strategic decisions, conclusions, and general work outcomes. Reflection takes time to accomplish.

In todays world, companies have less need for work mules than they do for innovative and smart people that can solve problems. Smart workers need time to think about solutions to corporate problems and this only happens by spending quality time in relaxing activities you enjoy. If your an executive that must deal with complex information and problems then learn to relax through fishing.

In addition, fishing can help creative people find the balance they need to feel fulfilled. Life fulfillment can lead to retention This means they can continue to work at the same company longer than a few years and add to the overall intellectual capital of the organization. Helping employees find a good balance will also help them be more satisfied with their life and job.

Using Critical Thinking to Beat Bias

We always assume that "we" and "our" group are always better than every other group. I often considered why we hold such bias. Part of it might be rooted in how we view the world based on our biological need to be in a protective environment to keep our genetics safe. While that is a possible explanation it doesn't seem to hold up against idea that entire groups that can contain millions of people where natural biology has no place. To understand bias is to understand ourselves and our own needs.

I find that people who are biased often discuss the "other" in terms of fear. Fear that they are doing something wrong, will take something, or will cause some havoc. Their focus is limited to a few examples and seem to raise the perceived validity of those arguments beyond their natural merits.

Beating bias through critical thinking means we must perceive the world around us as accurately as possible. That means not ignoring dis-confirming information. We must accept the information as it comes to us while ensuring it is unadulterated first-hand information versus that which is related by others.

We must think through all of the possibilities both for and against an argument to come up with an accurate assessment. When new information comes along we should continually update our cognitive models in order to ensure it is accurately portraying what is happening. People prone to bias simply won't accept counter information and won't adjust their models.

If you view why bias people hold onto their beliefs is because it is tied deeply to their self-perceptions. They feel that if they accept the inherent quality of others they are lowering their own value. Trying explain that the "other" has similar value creates an affront to their self-esteem. Exposure, environment, and time can make a difference only if the person is open to experience.