By Robert H. Bloom for ChangeThis.com
Today, looking ahead is useless. Prior to this moment in our world, ‘looking ahead’ was the time-tested protocol, perhaps essential and potentially valuable when the world told time in seconds, not nanoseconds. Today, it is almost useless, because when you ‘look ahead,’ you will see and learn little or nothing… read on
ICA Overview:
Professor Ken O’Neill is one of the world’s pre-eminent authorities on small and medium policies. In a keynote address to the International Small Business Congress, Professor O’Neill has declared that government policies and programmes for SMEs globally over the last 25 years have produced no results and are a complete waste of money. He called for urgent review and reform. Below is an edited profile of Professor O’Neill and an edited version of his speech.
This talk will suggest that much of what we variously (and imprecisely) describe as enterprise entrepreneurship and small business policy probably doesn’t work—with great waste of money as a result.
We say it doesn’t work because overall rates of entrepreneurship or business growth are not rising or, where they are, it is difficult to attribute them to specific policy interventions of the sort which are universally applied… read on
Reading through Tony Featherstone’s article “The Planet of Women” this morning in TheAge.com (which is well worth reading I might add), he brought this to my attention…
As reported in the July/August 2010 ATLANTIC MAGAZINE…
Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history. Most managers are now women too. And for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same. For years, women’s progress has been cast as a struggle for equality. But what if equality isn’t the end point? What if modern, postindustrial society is simply better suited to women? A report on the unprecedented role reversal now under way— and its vast cultural consequences… read on
What if modern, postindustrial society needs to be remoulded to suit the Lifestyle that women aspire to, and that men will also definitely benefit from?
What if all considerations of Life were treated equally as importantly, without there being the lop-sided tilt towards work as it is now?
What if all the entrepreneurial mothers, who have left work as we know it to pursue their own version of what that Life needs to look like, were encouraged to return to the corporate jungle to re-vegetate and re-establish the equilibrium?
Replacing women with men will not be the entire answer, we know that. But to keep doing things as we have always done them will not rectify the straining issues right now either. At least the conversation has started…
A little while back, trendwatching.com gave us a light-hearted yet insight-heavy video edition of their trend report, featuring consumers from all over the world speaking their minds on a variety of trend topics. After all, one consumer video sometimes says more than a 20-page Trend Briefing 😉 Enjoy!
Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world’s leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings to more than 160,000 subscribers worldwide.
The latest informative edition of the Professional Edge from aCE talentNET, read on for the up-to-date thinking in Organisational Development…
From the desk of the Head Corporate Talent Agent, Deirdre Gruiters…
It’s probably boring to start my meanderings with yet another “well what a busy month it’s been” but alas when the cap fits….?!!! But the interesting fact is that the work that has and is keeping aCE talentNET busy over the past 6 months is quite different to the past. Yes, we continue to support our clients with one off needs for consulting and facilitation resources and deliver on our important long term contracts, but we are also being asked to assist in a more strategic way by working more closely with HR and L&D senior executive. These conversations include being part of Panel arrangements where we are working with Government Departments to source the best-fit HR and Learning resources to deliver on key initiatives as well as working with large Corporates to source a pre-approved stable of consulting resources to be ready to go at very short notice to resource priority Business Unit programs.
This later approach in particular allows a client to avoid the delays often experienced when selecting, recruiting and onboarding for contract resources. The upside means that a pre-approved pool of consultants is able to become familiar with the organisation culture, processes, procedures, policies and are able to hit the ground running when appointed to a project role. The client also avoids the time consuming advertising and selection process and the risk that goes with appointing an unknown and untested consultant. The downside is…. well I’m yet to find one! If these strategies are of interest to you and or your clients you know where to find us!
An observation based on the web poll question from last month… more than 50% of you said that last year’s turnover did not show a significant increase. To ensure this financial years turnover is a lot healthier I strongly recommend you avail of all that is offered in the AdvantEdge, in particular the Referral Program. Only today, we’ve received another from one of our consultants, and assuming all works out as planned, it will be very beneficial for all parties.
As always we have some interesting articles for you this month… so keep reading!
Deirdre
and to continue… click here
another must read from the team at trendwatching.com
take notes!
We all agree that innovation is the only way to survive in an ever more global, competitive business arena. We’re talking basically anything that will get consumers spending, and preferably the kind of spending that involves sustainable goods, services and experiences.
And since everyone from Seth Godin to the Harvard Business Review is providing you with excellent, inspiring insights and theory on innovation as a mindset, a process, a way of life, we’d like to contribute to the conversation with examples of actual B2C innovations. Tons of ’em.
As we see it:
INNOVATION INSANITY | There will never be a shortage of smart new ventures, brands, goods and services that deliver on consumers’ wants and needs. In fact, with the entire world now engaged in creative destruction, INNOVATION INSANITY is upon us. So yes, the dozens of innovations we’ve rounded up for this briefing, courtesy of our sister-site Springwise, are just the tip of the iceberg. Invent, improve, copy… or perish.
The link between INNOVATION INSANITY and consumer trends? As focused as we are on emerging consumer trends, we never tire of pointing out that trends are only good for one thing: inspiring you to innovate, to come up with new goods, services and experiences for (or even better, with) your customers… keep reading
