South Africa’s prospects
Image courtesy of www.lowveldnet.co.za The Economist (14 Jan 2006) carries a report on investment in South Africa. They suggest: "Spend more but wisely" (read the full story here - login required). Simply put, the article points out that South Africa's economy is in...
The challenge for the big guys in the connection Economy
Although the era of ‘bigger is better’, is not coming to an end any time soon, there is a real challenge for the big corporations as oppossed to the little guys out there.
Today’s customers are becoming more an more demanding, in the world where more and more seems to revolve around the individual. When customers come to your establishment to buy something or for a service, they understand that the business is there to meet ‘their’ wants and needs. Entrepreneurial companies and startups understand this and they bend over backwards to make the customer feel welcome and pampered. Often than not bigger and better companies loose their customers due to the lack of connection with the customer.
This past weekend my wife and my mother-in-law went to buy an expensive (according to me) pram and car seat combo (known as a “travel system”) for the baby. They set out for Baby Ackermans at the local shopping mall. As they were browsing around, they found a travel system that interested them. They greeted the salesclerk who, avoiding all eye contact, swiftly sidestepped them, and were forced to follow him around as he made small talk with other clerks. Eventually their pleas for assistance succeeded in getting the clerk to slightly incline his head with a look on his face that said, “What do you want?” He had yet to speak a word. My wife beckoned him over to where the travel systems were kept and started to ask him about the various features of the product. The clerk looked as though the travel system in question had just dropped in from outer space, and he no more knew how to operate that product than I could fly a rocketship. His answers were no more than a word, if a word would suffice.
Goodbye Alan Greenspan
On 31 January, in just two weeks' time, the world's most influential economic police maker retires. Alan Greenspan has headed up the Fed (USA's central bank) for the past 18 and a half years. And now he retires, to much adulation and acclaim. America's economy has...
An Idea: Customisable Music (and movies)
In a previous post, I explained that I collect Christmas music. One of my favourite songs of this year's crop comes from a compliation album (WOW Christmas - get it at Kalahari.net), and is "Little Drummer Boy", as done by Audio Adrenaline. AudioA is an alternative...
If it Ain’t Broke… Break it
In their book, "If It Ain't Broke … Break It!" (Get it at Amazon.com or Kalahari.net), the authors, Louis Patler and Robert J. Kriegel, observed: "Not only is everything changing, but everything exists in relationship to something else that is changing." If we...
South African Post Office impresses
There are only about 5 Post Offices around the world that run at a profit. South Africa's Post Office is one of them. In terms of delivery, technology, services and functionality, SA's Post Office is also rapdily moving up through the rankings, and headed for the...
The Brussel Sprout and Christmas – an eBay parable
"All the world's a stage" eBay, the world's online auction place, continues to provide amazing 21st century "village square" stories. There are a number of people selling left over, or completely uneaten, Christmas meals. One item caught my attention: a single Brussel...
Confirmation of a character Tsunami
Sitting in a lecture at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok listening to David Hastings talking about the tsunami that devestated this region on the 26th December 2004. Some interesting insights are emerging as to the systems in...
Apple released Intel Powerbook
Steve Jobs delivered his keynote yesterday at the Macworld expo in San Francisco. Here's a list of all the announcements he made and blow-by-blow commentary. But the most exciting announcement is the release of the MacBook Pro - the first Mac with an Intel inside. It...
Ten practical marketing trends for 2006
The Wise Marketer today, gives a summary of Foxhound's top ten marketing trends for the year ahead. Read it here. Its a short read that will get you thinking, and prove again that the focus is moving to connections, rather than impressions. I have listed the headings...
The Tyranny of Reason (Logic)
I am currently reading John Ralston Saul's book, "Voltaire's Bastards" (buy it at Amazon.com or Kalahari.net). He is a Canadian philosopher with an impressive reputation. I have only just started his book, but it seems his intent is to show that reliance on amoral,...
Technology & Talent: How consumer power drives business technology
The Wise Marketer on 27 Dec 2005, carries this story - read it here. A summary: "The growing integration of technology into every aspect of life, whether in the home, office, family, car or recreational arenas, will profoundly impact business technology over the next...
Technology & Talent: How consumer power drives business technology
The Wise Marketer on 27 Dec 2005, carries this story - read it here. A summary: "The growing integration of technology into every aspect of life, whether in the home, office, family, car or recreational arenas, will profoundly impact business technology over the next...
Interesting Google
I don't know how long it'll stay up for, but the new Google banner is one of the most interesting ones I've seen. .
It's tough at the top
I listened to the Vice-Chairman of Johnson and Johnson, Christine Poon, at a GIBS evening a few months ago. While cleaning up my office for the onslaught of 2006 I came accross some stats she talked to during her 60 minutes with us. It illustrates that even when you...
It’s tough at the top
I listened to the Vice-Chairman of Johnson and Johnson, Christine Poon, at a GIBS evening a few months ago. While cleaning up my office for the onslaught of 2006 I came accross some stats she talked to during her 60 minutes with us. It illustrates that even when you...
Blog Communicating
For the last couple of weeks I have been milling with a question in my mind. Are there rules for blogging? People that are being communicated to, how do they receive information? Sometimes in life all you need is half a sentence, other times a couple of hours to get...
United Airlines nausea
United Airlines Nausea : 3 months of hellishly slugging it out against call center staff determined jut to play dumb, lose my ticket, charge me twice…
Office Optional
The Dec 2005 Inc magazine has a great article on Point B, a consulting company with over 200 employees, and no office premises at all. In addition to their virtual nature, they also have a specific approach to their staff and consulting work, preferring to keep...
A thought to chase: The rich
Here is thought that I put here, because I have nowhere else to leave it, and I am not sure what can be done with it... Throughout the ages, the rich in societies have been able to enhance their lives. In ages past, the rich have had superior access to those things...