Who's Dream is it Anyway? The "Rat" Race

In the early mornings we scramble to get to the gym, rush through traffic delays, and into jobs that provide little to no meaning to our lives. A few lucky ones can find meaning and purpose within their work but the vast majority are counting pennies in one way or another for someone else. They will never be rich and they will always live within the confines of some existing rule. The "Rat Race" has been known to tear open souls and leave society unproductive and less innovative.

Society has defined through generations of trial and tribulations values and beliefs that keep us together. Some of those values are beneficial while others are completely useless to modern civilization and move directly against good health and living inherited from our ancestors.

For example, the earning of more and more money despite the cost to society or the actual need of that money is an obsessive disorientation to hoard beyond necessity for emergencies or hard times. Yet we sit there and buy products on credit and push ourselves into debt in order to look like we have resources. That image can quickly fade once bills get called in.

That life has been defined for us based upon our need to build bigger and stronger companies that create higher return on investments. Those investment profits are used to make more profits and are not always reinvested back into the U.S.so our countrymen can benefit withnew jobs. They may equally be supporting a Frenchman or a Chinese laborer as much as an American family.

Yet the pressure to produce with limited wage growth and less respect for one's personal abilities will continue forward. We are "trapped" in the race to produce more with less personal return, mounting debt and lower satisfaction. Moving up to the "wealthy" status becomes almost impossible without owning the means of production that no one anymore can afford.

The "rat race" can be broken away from but one must rethink their motivations and life to create a new way of doing things. Without rethinking we will always be stuck in the "rat race". Working harder, receiving less, spending more, and taking on more debt is ludicrous when we consider the cost to our health, society and even long term economic strength. The secret door out of the maze is through the rejection of archaic Industrial Age values and embracing the uniqueness of your own existence and living your life as such.

MRMW Market Research Conference Europe 2017

MRMW Market Research Conference Europe 2017
8th to 9th November 2017
Berlin, Germany
http://eu.mrmw.net

It is no secret that participants at MRMW belong to the most forward thinking and technology savvy part of the industry. Hopes are high that upcoming technology developments in the area of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Big Data can help the industry through its current transition.

In the run-up to MRMW Europe 2017 on November 8-9 in Berlin, we asked some of our speakers to share their views on the future of market research and share their favourite parts of the agenda. Check out our latest MRMW blog on what these experts have to say. See: https://goo.gl/WaTpVE

PLUS: Don't forget grab your tickets early! We have a fantastic line-up of speakers and exciting topics not heard anywhere else before. Hear how:

ZALANDO boosted brand performance through insights into 22 million customers
ORACLE is integrating Artificial Intelligence into existing research toolbox
SAMSUNG used crowdsourcing insights to improve retail performance by 30%
TURKCELL leveraged eye-tracking & EEG to uncover unexpected brand perceptions
MCCORMICK used new techniques to capture growth opportunities along shopper journeys
ORANGE implemented augmented research into an immersive fan experience successfully
FRIESLAND CAMPINA acquired a new insights engine that delivers fast answers to marketers
COCA-COLA enhanced its ideation processes through crowdsourced intelligence
ERICSSON is developing the next generation insight tools - Mobile MR without screens!
and many more exciting sessions!

Join us on Nov 8-9 in Berlin and be inspired by our speakers!
Find out more about our speakers, conference agenda and venue at: http://eu.mrmw.net

*Academics and full-time students get up to 70% OFF!! Use promo code: ACAD70
Register now at: http://eu.mrmw.net

Enquiries: events@merlien.org
Web address: http://eu.mrmw.net
Sponsored by: Merlien institute

Institutional Investment in Cluster Stages of Growth

There are key times when large institutional investors can swoop in a make radical change that leads to cluster growth. The key point is when companies within the cluster have moved beyond their initial inception, or entrepreneurial stage, and into their growth modes. When strategically approached large scale investment in multiple connected businesses will have their greatest impact.

Clusters are often based in market trends and budding new ideas. Whether these ideas are a new widget or a new service doesn't make much of a difference. They grow together, suppliers and producers, that lead to multiple businesses relying on each other for success. Investing in different strategic companies can ultimately lead to higher growth for entire industries.

Industries are like companies and formulate around an idea and entrepreneurship. If the business becomes sustainable it attracts investment capital that seeks to improve upon the product/service and create higher profit margins. As one business grows so does the other businesses within the cluster that connect and relate to it. They all feed off of each other in that growth process and encourage growth of each other.

Therefore, it make sense for large institutional investors to consider the different places within the cluster to invest to ensure that the entire cluster develops together. Injecting needed funds into a manufacturer and the supplier to that manufacturer makes sense in the same way as investing into the supply chain and telecommunications of the cluster leads to increased performance of multiple businesses that use those systems.

When coordinated properly large institutional investors can grow those areas and regions necessary for maximum growth of the entire local economic system. In essence, they can build the system with their investment choices and maximize profits by knowing when and where to invest within the cluster. Watching the life-cycles of multiple businesses within the region can make a big difference in striking while the iron is hot.

That requires the ability to understand the cluster from a micro and macro level. It takes considerable analysis and willing information sharing to allow this to happen. Instead of hiding information companies will need to share information so they can attract investment capital at just the right time within their life-cycle stage to maximize their growth.

Businesses within clusters often develop around new and innovative technology. Offering accurate information and institutional investing in the right places can lead to the growth of multiple businesses at one time. As these businesses grow they create synergy that leads to higher levels of investment return and stronger business outcomes that move initial business entrepreneurship into a growth stage. It is precisely this growth stage, or target return on investment, that institutional investment should seek when considering pack investment into innovative industries.

Live or Artificial Fishing Bait

Live or artificial bait is a common debate fisherman have. As a person who loves the outdoors I have used both. I will say that fake bait offers opportunities to not worry about storage and use of a retractable pole to fish anywhere almost anytime without preparation. Yet, fake bait has some limitations so consider the different options.

Live Bait: Is natural and attracts fish through smell.

In my experience I have caught more fish off of live bait then fake bait. Yet this depends on what type of fishing you are doing and in what conditions. If the water is murky and you need to attract fish then live bait may not be your best option. However, if you are fishing under normal circumstances live bait seems to attract more fish. There is a reason why commercial fisherman use live bait.

-Natural and gets more bites.
-Smell attracts fish
-Relatively cheap
-Needs storage
-Higher "bit" rate

Artificial Bait: It is easy for fish to detect and can be taken anywhere.

Fake bait can be bought for a few dollars and doesn't need a refrigerator or other cooling method. You can throw it in your tackle box and not worry about it. Likewise, fake bait is often colorful and can attract fish in a way that natural bait can't. Unfortunately, not all fish that see the bait will take a bite at it. I can only assume they can determine the difference between real and fake.

-No storage needed.
-Can use anywhere
-Easy for fish to see.
-Can be used over and over.

Why is it important to push college students to solve their own problems?

If you work in higher education you have likely heard just about every excuse for not turning in your work. With sappy eyes and a truly heartfelt plea they contact their professors in an effort to just let them turn in their work late just this time. The excuses range from the simple such as I didn't have time all the way to serious medical issues.

As professors we should show a level of empathy for those problems that are very much out of their control that could impact their grade unfairly. However, this isn't the same as giving a free pass or allowing students with any excuse to skirt the rules.

There are those who become accustomed to violating rules and have a hard time holding themselves accountable for learning. Unfortunately without self-accountability they eventually fail out of school or fail themselves in life. It is those students we should push to solve their own problems so they can master new skills.

Let us say a student has already received a free pass on one assignment and now needs more time on another assignment. You suspect the student isn't being honest so what do you do?

1. Ask lots of questions: When you ask a lot of questions you will soon find the truth of whether the student had an issue or it is something you can help with. Asking questions leads to discovering root causes that lead to greater awareness. 

2. Let them think through the alternatives: Don't consider giving any extra grace period unless the student answers your questions and thinks critically about what they could do differently next time. You are helping them in the long run achieve their goals.

3. Hold your ground: There may be times when you need to hold your ground. The student may not have answered your questions, provided a reasonable explanation, or thought through the possibilities. Without holding your ground the student won't learn. 

San Diego Extreme Sailing Series

The San Diego Extreme Sailing Series occurred between October 19 and 22nd and was best seen at Harbor Island. A little difficult to get to if you have a car but for those of us who live on the bay you could simply bike down the bike path and be there in 15 minutes.

Such races offer a chance to see how well finely tuned teams work together. It draws together professional sailors from the Middle East, Americas,  and Europe. Once can see hydro-foiling catamarans cruising faster than you would expect any ship to go at 20-30 Knots.

Watching these type of racers and going to some of the events if you can find them helps in improving my sailing skills as well as connecting up with people who have mastered the art. they say that if you want to get better then hang out with people who are better than you.

https://www.extremesailingseries.com/events/view/san-diego-usa#schedule

More Systems Thinking is Needed in Today's Global World

The Flat Earth-An example of early Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is becoming an increasingly important part of managing larger international firms. From supply chain management all the way down to the marketing and design of products systems thinking offers a set of skills that American business professionals will need to learn. The availability of this skill among managers will make a difference in the ability of companies to function at their best across large global networks.

Systems thinking is a conception of the whole by understanding each of its parts. While we may understand these parts individually a person who has a systems thinking mentality can also see how the parts created something more. A "sum is more than its parts" mentality.

It is often seen as the ability to be in three different perceptions at once and apply systemological concepts in everyday life (Lobanove, 2009). The person can break down and put back together complex systems through appropriate analysis.

How does systems thinking apply in the workplace?

Think of the international supply chain and how each of the manufacturing components work together. From a systems thinking aspect people who can understand these complex chains are able to produce real value through management decisions that leads to better outcomes. (Seong-Am & Dong-Jin, 2005).

To be true masters of systems thinking we shouldn't just see and analyze components but also be able to think beyond these components to possibility. This isn't possible unless we have mastered the ability to "see" the systems from a "birds eye" view. 

Improving on the system will require thinking shifts that allow for more flexibility (Pathak, 2005). We must see beyond the system to higher levels of performance and influence.

Systems thinking is about understanding complex global systems that will be needed to keep American businesses moving forward. Business professionals should be able to move beyond understanding and creating efficiency within the system to redesigning aspects of the system to achieve higher levels of performance. With consistent improvement our business managers can improve corporate global performance and reach.

Pathak, R. (2005). Thinking shift of organizational excellence. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 6 (3/4).

Seong-AM, M. & Dong-Jin, K. (2005). Systems thinking ability for supply chain management. An International Journal, 10 (5). 

Lobanove, A. (2009). Systems thinking manager. Scientific Technical Informtion Processing, 36 (3).