The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson
Saturday, August 1, 2020
Two Ways to Immediately Improve the Justice System-Removal of Minor Offences and Reversing Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
Moving Your Horse from Trail Riding to Polo Player
An Organization's Observable Artifacts Can Tell You About its Espoused and Enacted Values
All organizations have values and beliefs that tie them
together into a single bounded rationality. Some companies may be more focused
on industrial values while others have more interest in philanthropy. Values
that are accepted by the organization as central to their mission often create
artifacts. These artifacts can give deeper insight for executives into what an
organization is and how it functions internally.
Just like in the
ancient world artifacts can tell you an awful lot about an organization and
what values it holds dear. Becoming aware of an organization’s observable artifacts
can also tell you about an organizations culture or how artifacts become part
of the way in which people communicate.
Let’s think of two examples. The dove symbolizing peace and
the anvil symbolizing work strength. The dove’s history was premodern and
associated with fertility. The anvil symbolizes strength, earth, virtue and martyrdom.
They both have different values and when
they are used they become artifacts of an organization with high symbolic meaning
to the members.
As human beings we create all types of symbols that help us
understand certain values and beliefs to keep us aligned to groups. Symbols are
collective representation of our values in society. It hardly makes a difference
if we are discussing a company, society or social group.
Knowing which values organizations pronounce as important
through their espoused values helps to determine their official belief systems.
Further analysis of their enacted values can shed light on unofficial culture
of the organization. When the espoused values and enacted values are in alignment
you have a highly motivated organization.
If you want to understand an organization from the inside
and outside. We can look at its official communication and at its unofficial
communication to gain greater insight. If people volunteer, then this is
something that is important to the organization. If they use something like an
anvil to represent aspects of their workplace then it is more focused on strength
and building things (i.e. products).
Every organization has multiple artifacts that come to
represent the beliefs of the society in which we work and life. The official
ones tell us about explicit values while the unofficial ones tell you more
about how the organization functions from the inside. Knowing the difference
can help you understand organizational culture and how symbolism in marketing
can be created for greater effect.
Friday, July 31, 2020
Availability of Financial and Non-Financial Information Impacts Investor Interest in Delta County Michigan
Information is a central need of any investment and economic decision matrix. With proper information and tools investors can be attracted invest in promising local businesses and business ideas. To gain their revenues businesses and municipalities must do their part to provide information in a way that is useful to larger institutional investors and the development of these businesses alike. The quality of that information will determine not only business and location selection but also return revenue which leads to other investments in the area.
Pre-Money: Money available (i) at the time of investment (t).
Non-Financial Data: Data on team composition, founding team size, management team, CEO qualifications, in-house experience, first reference customers, cooperating partners, patents and prototypes.
Financial: Cash and non cash assets, long term debt, R&D expenses, SG&A expenses and revenues.
Deal Characteristics: Investment monies from Venture Capitalists available, firm age, money available in the VC industry for 4 quarters, etc...
Shang, R., Chen, Y. & Chen, C. (2013) The social and objective value of information in virtual investment communities. Bradford, (37) 4. DOI:10.1108/OIR-06-2011-0087
Bi-Partisan Water Resource Development Act May be Win for Great Lakes Manufacturing and U.P. Communities
Bergman Proposals Included in Water Resources Package,
Wins for First District Priorities
"This legislation focuses on key concerns affecting the navigability as well as the preservation of our Great Lakes. From addressing the maintenance backlogs along our Great Lakes waterways to taking the next steps to stop Asian carp, this year’s WRDA bill is good news for the First District of Michigan and our entire Nation," said Rep. Bergman.
The WRDA bill included key legislation and priorities advocated for by Rep. Jack Bergman, including:
- Securing an increased amount of Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund resources for the Great Lakes Navigation System, a waterway spanning the Great Lakes consisting hundreds of channels, breakwaters, jetties, harbors as well as the Macarthur and Poe locks;
- Approval of the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study; and
- Expanding the study of ways to mitigate shoreline erosion and high water.
In May, Rep. Bergman wrote a letter to Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves requesting "the inclusion of legislation to modify the existing Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) funding allocation for the Great Lakes Navigation System (GLNS)."
Rep. Bergman additionally noted, "The GLNS has unfunded backlogs of $320 million for maintenance of navigation structures (such as jetties and breakwaters) and $150 million for maintenance dredging. This requested legislative change is needed to ensure that these GLNS backlogs are reduced, not increased, as future HMTF resources are allocated."