I met Dr. Brian Shepard, Assistant Professor of Pedagogical Technology at the USC Thornton School of Music at the 2007 Internet2 meeting in Chicago and thought his clip at YouTube really explains Internet2 more elegantly than Fox News. But for some reason USC will not permit this YouTube video to be embedded into blogs. So here is the link
Tags: Internet2, bandwidth, network, fiber, globalization, trends
Ted Fishman’s China, Inc.: How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World is a much needed read in the new era of globalization. In today’s world it seems everything is about China.
There are so many emerging topics of interest Americans need to understand about this giant economy and manufacturing base.
So powerful in fact that it’s now on my recommended list for business and education. Actually I’ll move it next to Tom Friedman’s bestseller The World Is Flat and John Kao’s Innovation Nation as noteworthy companions.
So what? The next time your holding an empty coffee cup or your child’s toys, flip them over and discover the country of origin. Yes, China is changing the rules of business and society.
If you do not believe this impacts America’s school children — well … your in trouble. Consider China graduates more honors students than the total number of students in American schools. Think about that statistic and what it means for your children or your grand-children’s future job market in the coming decades. I’m even concerned about my own son’s future career choices, yet confident it will require him to speak a non-roman language.
Rapid changes in the business landscape via globalization means the global market will continue to get more competitive. Americans will continue to be challenged to find secure, solid employment. It will be just as challenging to find a company who does not outsource elements to China’s fast growing economic empire in order to stay competitive. Fishman delivers this message loud and clear.
Take into consideration the production of cement. Do you see construction sites on your daily commute? Well think about the construction in China based upon this cement chart listed in Gigatons. Look how little America consumes next to China. What does that say about their growth?
Fishman also shares how the Chinese copy products (and processes) of successful companies around the world. In many cases buying a product and taking it back to China where its taken apart, examined, copied and produced at a fraction of the original vendor’s costs…regardless of copyright.
The Wisconsin connection:
Some of the more compelling chapters in Fishman’s books even cover the impact of Chinese manufacturing impacting local SE Wisconsin businesses. Regardless of your geographic location in America, the story is the same.
How can you compete today in a globalized, highly competitive world? One very smart solution: Analytics. From Google and Amazon to the Boston Red Sox organizations (yes sports teams included) are succeeding by competing on analytics with proven results. Just ask the Yankees…
Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning from Harvard Business School Press is simply a must read for your organization. New data analysis tools and the internet have changed the rules for competition.
This book is not about Google Analytics. This book has a focus on business intelligence, analysis and data reporting that changed the competitive landscape. Consider this NY Times article about the use of analytics in the Boston Celtics organization.
It would be a mistake to think your organization is immune to the lessons shared in this book. I was even surprised how poorly my former employers rate in this book. Some feel colleges need not apply business intelligence to admissions, continuing education, communication and strategic planning. This book proves that notion dead on arrival.
The shift in data gathering tools and enhanced analysis proves this a key tool for any organization moving forward in a tough economy and market with a shrinking pool of customers. Your probably losing prospects to your competition as a result of analytics and business intelligence conveyed in smart communication.
Michael McIntyre taught me lessons regarding You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know (YDKWYDK) and how it deeply impacts organizations. The single key to winning with analytics is the total support by the CEO — from the top down — and this is where most organizations simply fail.
Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back from John Kao is a timely read. To say I enjoyed his lessons how America is losing it’s innovation lead was not pleasant experience, yet the book is highly engaging.
There are timely lessons in this book from the $100 laptop and more importantly the exodus of top American talent. No surprise that top talent from India is returning home after attending college in America as globalization brings new opportunities to India.
You may be surprised to learn how Kao documents the loss of top Americans heading overseas. That’s native-born Americans leaving our best institutions (and their home country) to work in new innovation centers with more creative, less political conditions.
The list includes Paul Saffo from Stanford, John Seely Brown from Xerox PARC, Peter Schwartz from Global Business Network and Rita Colwell, former head of the National Science Foundation and current professor of biological sciences at the University of Maryland.
Tom Friedman’s book will be one of the hot reads this fall.
Order yours today: Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America