The great thing about the weather folks is that they are able to predict sunshine better than oil folks can predict oil and gas. And Google's investment of $280 million in residential solar with Solar City seems to be a great move and a new opportunity for those in the roofing related installation business whoContinue reading “New opportunity for roofers as Google invests $280 million in residential solar”
Category Archives: Education and Training
US Employment: Opportunity at the high knowledge end and the high touch end
Rana Faroohar of Time discusses the 5 myths of the economic recovery. And a variety of folks have been talking about some of these issues for a long time, notably Thomas Friedman in his The World is Flat that in part, inspired the start of this blog. It's becoming clearer there are only two endsContinue reading “US Employment: Opportunity at the high knowledge end and the high touch end”
Who is the “customer” in education?- well the next link in the supply chain…
The employment situation in the US is not getting better, particularly for young people out of college.And this brings us to the "Who is the "customer"in education?" question. It is certainly not the student as the authors suggest and the simple answer from this blog's pont of view is the next link in the supplyContinue reading “Who is the “customer” in education?- well the next link in the supply chain…”
Air traffic controller “fam” trips with pilots a great idea- pilots should also spend time at the control room
This has been a tough spring for air traffic controllers and the FAA who have been literally caught napping, getting the First Lady's plane too close to another and watching DVD's on night duty and letting alarmed pilots hear the sound of the movie "Cleaner" for three minutes. So the re -institution of"fam" or "familiarity"Continue reading “Air traffic controller “fam” trips with pilots a great idea- pilots should also spend time at the control room”
What can you learn at a McDonald’s job or McJob ? Plenty…
With 50,000 jobs on National Hiring Day there were long lines of applicants today at McDonald's what with high persisting unemployment. The McJob is mocked in popular culture because it is seen as "flipping burgers" or saying hackneyed cross-selling lines like "Do you want fries with that?" Given that McDonald's have come forward with jobsContinue reading “What can you learn at a McDonald’s job or McJob ? Plenty…”
How did Lowe’s at Raleigh NC save customers from the tornado? Store manager as ship captain
At a DIY store like Lowe's or Home Depot all customers see themselves and others as experts of some sort. So as the tornado is at the front door and Lowe's managers are trying to get everyone to the rear of the store and safety, a customer yells that "this is no tornado" and peopleContinue reading “How did Lowe’s at Raleigh NC save customers from the tornado? Store manager as ship captain”
Innovation research: why you don’t need a heart attack to qualify as a cardiologist
Today's Businessweek piece by Maddock and Louis Viton on how education and professors might not do much for innovation made me smile. Because this is exactly how I thought before becoming an academic from being a hands on manager. The logic is like going to a doctor whose qualification must include having your illness. TheContinue reading “Innovation research: why you don’t need a heart attack to qualify as a cardiologist”
Southwest airlines: does aircraft maintenance mimic auto maintenance behavior ?
During the great recession (2007-2009) people became more conscious about repairing their cars since they were not going to be buying a new car soon. Airlines too slowed down maintenance to cut costs ,if you think about it in the context of the cracks found in the Southwest Airline planes. Consider this : individuals notContinue reading “Southwest airlines: does aircraft maintenance mimic auto maintenance behavior ?”
Learning fortitude from the Japanese and the iodized salt rush
The world truly bows to the Japanese for their fortitude in crisis. Have you seen [ Note: This post from March 22, 2011 was updated for formatting issues on May 31, 2021] of:
Japan Earthquake: heartbreaking images -seismologists, structural engineers and nuclear power industry worldwide to learn
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