Senin, 29 April 2013

Predictive Analytics by Eric Siegel - Book review





Predictive Analytics

The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die


By: Eric Siegel

Published: February 19, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1118356853
ISBN-13: 978-1118356852
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.











"Compelled to grow and propelled to the mainstream, predictive technology is commonplace and affects everyone, every day. It impacts your experiences in undetectable ways as you drive, shop, study, vote, see the doctor, communicate, watch TV, earn, borrow, or even steal", writes founder of Predictive Analytics World and Text Analytics World, Eric Siegel, in his groundbreaking and endlessly fascinating book Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die. The author describes the achievements of computer based prediction, and of the people and the science behind meeting its difficult challenges.

Eric Siegel understands that the concept of computerized predictions may appear simple on the surface, but that there are also multiple and complex variables and concepts operating beneath. The author points out that this myriad of factors must come together to reach a conclusion in the form of a prediction. Eric Siegel provides the solution in the form of machine learning where computers actually learn as they add more knowledge and capabilities through the constant infusion of ever increasing amounts of data. The author makes clear that predictions are different from forecasts. Predictions work at the individual level, while forecasts are geared to the macro level of society.



Eric Siegel (photo left) recognizes that predictions are not always accurate, but hre result is always better than decisions based entirely on guesses. As a result, predictions, despite varying levels of accuracy, produce huge dividends. Eric Siegel offers insights into how prediction and learning from data leads to the steps involving the actions taken based on those same predictions.

Eric Siegel guides the reader through the following aspects of predictive analytics, and shares a balanced assessment of the realities and challenges involved in the use of data, machine learning, and predictions:

* The prediction effect
* Liftoff: Prediction takes action - deployment
* With power comes responsibility - ethics
* The data effect: The glut at the end of the rainbow - data
* The machine that learns: Prediction of mortgage risk - modeling
* The ensemble effect: Crowdsourcing and supercharging prediction - ensembles
* Watson and the Jeopardy! challenge - question answering
* Persuasion by the numbers - uplift

For me, the power of the book is how Eric Siegel combines a comprehensive examination of both how and why predictive analytics works, with real world examples of the prediction processes in action. The author presents a complete and balanced view of the basic principles surrounding and the interrelationship between predictive analytics, machine learning, and big data. The author adds to the understanding of the concepts through real world examples of how predictive analytics was used by various organizations. Eric Siegel demonstrates how data is utilized to make predictions, and how through machine learning, the predictions become ever more accurate through the addition of ever more data.

Eric Siegel acknowledges that the predictions may not always be correct, but also stresses how data based predictions are vastly superior to mere guesses. Eric Siegel includes an important chapter on the role of ethics and how predictive analytics and data can be misused by various agencies. As added value in the book, the author includes a list of five effects of prediction, twenty-one applications of predictive analysis, and list of people using the principles. As is appropriate for an academically oriented book, there are extensive notes and acknowledgements as well.

I highly recommend the insightful and enlightening book Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die by Eric Siegel, to any business leaders, marketers, non-profit organization executives, and anyone who may be seeking a thoughtful and informative primer on the basics of predictive analytics. This book presents an opportunity to understand more fully how data is used to predict the actions of individuals, and how these predictions will affect the future.


Rose Fass: The Chocolate Conversation - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Leadership strategist, founder and CEO of fassforward Consulting Group, and author of the interpersonal connection building and organizational transforming book The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business, Rose Fass, describes the crucial importance of communication in the overall success of a company. Rose Fass provides evidence that even though people may think they are having the same conversation, their perception of the words, content, and message may be completely different. Rose Fass shares the idea of the chocolate conversation as a metaphor for how words have very different meanings for different people. Rose points out that different worldview of the big picture in our minds, the standards of the way that big picture is interpreted, and concerns that appear when those standard fail to align with our world views. Rose Fass presents the techniques and practices that incorporate these three important elements into all conversations to ensure complete understanding. Learn how to share conversations that build trust, are not misinterpreted, and support real organizational change.

Rose Fass is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, April 30, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Leadership strategist, founder and CEO of fassforward consulting group, and author of the interpersonal connection building and organizational transforming book The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business, Rose Fass, describes the crucial importance of communication in the overall success of a company. You will learn:

* Why effective communication is so critical to business success

* Why chocolate conversations lead to misinterpretations

* How to improve conversations through incorporation of worldview, standards, and concerns

* How to utilize effective communication skills to create real and positive change



Rose fass (photo left) is the founder and CEO of fassforward Consulting Group, a leading edge business transformation boutique. She is the author of the newly released book, The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business. Rose works with executive teams from fortune 500 companies. Her work delivers thought leadership along with methodologies, and tools that enable clients to address tough challenges, solve complex business problems, execute on their strategies, and deliver bottom line results.

She had over 35 years of corporate experience in technology and consumer-based industries. During her career she has opened new business in the United States, been a general manager with full P&L responsibility and led major corporate transformations. As the Chief Transformation Officer at Xerox Corporation, Rose led the transition to the global industry and solutions business. She integrated acquisitions, diverse cultures and operating units to develop and execute the new enterprise strategy.

Prior to starting fassforward Consulting Group, Rose was a corporate SVP at Gartner where she was responsible for creating the new business model, and working with the business units to execute on the global strategy.

A dynamic speaker, Rose is frequently invited to speak at private and public sector events. She has been a guest on CNBC, is quoted in several bestselling business books and she is listed in Forbes’ 2012 Top 10 Women Business Leaders of New York. Her firm has been awarded the Inc. 500/5000 for three consecutive years. Rose has a bachelor’s degree from Boston University’s School of Management and completed the Advanced Executive Studies Program at Harvard Business School.

My book review of The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business by Rose Fass.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with leadership strategist, founder and CEO of fassforward Consulting Group, and author of the interpersonal connection building and organizational transforming book The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business, Rose Fass, as she describes the crucial importance of communication in the overall success of a company. Rose Fass provides evidence that even though people may think they are having the same conversation, their perception of the words, content, and message may be completely different. Rose Fass shares the idea of the chocolate conversation as a metaphor for how words have very different meanings for different people. Rose points out that different worldview of the big picture in our minds, the standards of the way that big picture is interpreted, and concerns that appear when those standard fail to align with our world views. Rose Fass presents the techniques and practices that incorporate these three important elements into all conversations to ensure complete understanding. Learn how to share conversations that build trust, are not misinterpreted, and support real organizational change on Blog Business Success Radio.

Sabtu, 27 April 2013

The Chocolate Conversation by Rose Fass - Book review





The Chocolate Conversation

Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business


By: Rose Fass

Published: April 16, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 168 pages
ISBN-10: 1937134490
ISBN-13: 978-1937134495
Publisher: Bibliomotion









"for leaders to make a difference all through the levels of their organizations, they must listen to, and understand, where people at each of those levels are coming from and communicate in language the teams understand so they can build consensus", writes leadership strategist and founder and CEO of fassforward Consulting Group, Rose Fass, in her interpersonal connection building and organizational transforming book The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business. The author describes how communications between leaders and employees often break down due to a lack of common understanding, and provides the tools for becoming an effective conversational translator to ensure full comprehension of all involved.

Rose Fass understands the importance of conversations that really connect people in deep and meaningful ways. The author presents the concept of the chocolate conversation. People may think they are discussing the same topic and ideas, but may mean and interpret very different meanings, just as there are many different types and tastes of chocolate.

With the importance of clarity in conversations, especially those communications regarding organizational change, there is is a high level of danger through misinterpretation of the message. As a result, care must be taken to establish clear interpersonal conversation between leaders and teams.Rose Fass shares the tools and practices necessary to ensure that communications are clear and understood correctly by eveyone involved in the discussion.



Rose fass (photo left) recognizes that recognizes the power of words, and their myriad of different meanings and interpretations. The author uses the word chocolate as an effective metaphor for words that mean different things to each person. On the surface, a misunderstanding over types and flavors of chocolate may seem inconsequential, but as Rose fass points out, the lack of clarity over misunderstood messages can spell disaster to an organization.

Rose Fsss demonstrates how companies in the process of a merger or acquisition, or one seeking to make internal change, can be derailed by failed communications. The author offers a comprehensive blueprint for finding clear and concise conversations that not only are interpreted correctly, but engage everyone involved in the process as well. The author provides the following overview of importance of understanding the implications and consequences of misunderstood chocolate conversations, and how to transform them into clear messages:

* Death by chocolate: Unwrapping chocolate conversations
* Mergers and acquisitions: A petri dish for chocolate conversations
* Addicted to relevance
* It starts with you
* Why good people have bad conversations
* Go there
* Message discipline
* Extending your reach
* Change is bittersweet

For me, the power of the book is how Rose Fass combines a complete analysis of the problems resulting from misunderstood communications, with a practical guide to establishing clear and effective conversations at all levels of the firm. The author presents an excellent overview of the challenges faced by leaders and teams when bad communications results in damaging misinterpretations. Rose Fass makes clear that great leaders are also great communicators, and shares proven ideas for enhancing communication skills. With a challenge for leaders to improve their own conversational abilities first, the author demonstrates how leadership takes place within the conversation itself.

Through two way conversation, that includes at least equal proportions of listening to the other person, a leader increases their message clarity and effectiveness of the team. Rose Fass practices clarity within the book itself, through the use of graphics and drawings to illustrate the concepts. At the same time, the author also invites the leader to ask themselves some probing and challenging questions to strengthen their own communication skills.

I highly recommend the clarity building and relationship strengthening book The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business by Rose Fass, to any leaders seeking a concise and hands on guide to improving communication competencies within themselves, and for all employees of the organizations. This book will create more meaningful and effective conversations within the company, deepen trust levels, and strengthen the overall organization.

Kamis, 25 April 2013

Green Beans & Ice Cream by Bill Sims, Jr. - Book review




Green Beans & Ice Cream

The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement


By: Bill Sims, Jr.

Published: October 15, 2012
Format: Paperback, 144 pages
ISBN-10: 098602130X
ISBN-13: 978-0986021305
Publisher: GreenBeanLeadership Publications












"Many people assume that culture is what it is, and can never be changed. At best, they will say that culture change requires I long time. I beg to differ", writes speaker, behavior-based recognition program facilitator, and President of The Bill Sims Company, Inc., Bill Sims, Jr., in his engaging and human behavior based book Green Beans & Ice Cream: The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement. The author describes how, through an clear vision of how people behave, and by applying positive reinforcement to improve performance, very real attitude and cultural change is the natural outcome.

Bill Sims, Jr. understands that they cultural change is not only possible, but is inevitable with the proper incentives and positive reinforcement. The author provides evidence that when a person's behavior changes, their attitude will change as well. If the behavior change is reinforced with a positive message, a nurturing and engaged culture will become the organizational norm. Bill Sims, Jr. cautions that a culture can be either toxic or engaging, and the form of reinforcements utilized by leaders and managers will determine the form taken by that culture. Through the science of behavioral analysis, the author provides the readily applied tools and practices to transform any organizational culture to one of high performance and motivated employees.



Bill Sims, Jr. (photo left) recognizes that behavior must change prior to any real transformation in attitude. To change the behavior of employees, the author emphasizes that only positive reinforcement is effective over the long term. Negative reinforcement and punishment doesn't result in long term behavior change, and most certainly doesn't change the culture. Bill Sims, Jr. offers the positive reinforcement prescription to change behavior, and to build an engaged culture.

The book is a guide to establishing a culture of positive reinforcement that changes behavior. When people behave differently, they become more engaged and the culture thought previously to be fixed, becomes a very different place to work. While training and other system and process changes cost money, time and resources, it costs nothing to share positive reinforcement with staff members.

Bill Sims, Jr. strives to change the actions of managers and supervisors who say nothing when an employee exhibits excellent behavior, but articulate dissatisfaction when the employee makes a mistake. The negative culture of fear and punishment is not effective and has lower productivity, and the book makes this condition clear to the reader.

For me, the power of the book is how Bill Sims, Jr. combines the concept of positive reinforcement with the practical tools and practices to not only change individual employee behavior, but to rebuild the overall organizational culture. The author creates an even more engaging book through the addition of short vignettes that illustrate the concepts. The book also includes the neuroscience behind the power of positive reinforcement to alter the brain, and create new neural connections following the behavior change. These changes in behavior then trigger a change in the person's attitude, and those alterations can be seen in the brain itself.

When the individual's attitude is changed, the overall organizational culture is reinvented and becomes a more positive and motivated workplace. The result is higher overall performance. While some employers may still prefer negative reinforcement and punishments, Bill Sims,Jr. demonstrates conclusively that approach is not only ineffective but also counterproductive. To build a higher performing company, the only effective means is through the transformational power of positive reinforcement.

I highly recommend the clear and concise book Green Beans & Ice Cream: The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement by Bill Sims, Jr., to any business leaders, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs seeking a practical and hands on guide to pinpointing the desired behavior in employees, and rewarding it positively and immediately to achieve the desired change in employee behavior. This book will change forever the way you think about the power of positive reinforcement and and its ability to develop and maintain a fresh and engaged organizational culture.





Rabu, 24 April 2013

Jeff Klein: Working For Good - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Entrepreneur, CEO of Working For Good, and author of the visionary and personal integrity based book Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, Jeff Klein, describes how to become a conscious entrepreneur who creates positive social change while operating a profitable company. Jeff Klein presents the concept of engaging others whild focusing your own humanity and values through embodied awareness. Jeff offers guidance for building a growing business while maintaining your values through a firm foundation of principles and ethics. Jeff shares who to create rich and positive experiences within and away from work through connection and collaboration with others. Jeff Klein demonstrates how to establish a company that performs social good while creating profit through a commitment to values and principles.

Jeff Klein is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, April 25, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Entrepreneur, CEO of Cause Alliance Marketing™, and author of the visionary and personal integrity based book Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, Jeff Klein, describes how to become a conscious entrepreneur who creates positive social change while operating a profitable company. You will learn:

* What it means to create and run a company based on social issues and principles

* How to become a successful and dedicated conscious entrepreneur

* How to deeply engage others in expressing humanity through embodied awareness

* Why a socially conscious business is also a profitable business model



Jeff Klein (photo left) is author of It's Just Good Business, CEO of Working For Good, activates, produces and facilitates mission-based, Stakeholder Engagement Marketing™ campaigns and Conscious Culture development programs.

Jeff is a trustee and member of the executive team of Conscious Capitalism, Inc. and producer of the annual Conscious Capitalism CEO Summit. He authored the award-winning book, Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living and hosts a weekly radio program called It's Just Good Business.

Jeff serves as executive director of BeingHuman.org and executive producer of Being Human events.

My book review of Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living by Jeff Klein.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with entrepreneur, CEO of Cause Alliance Marketing™, and author of the visionary and personal integrity based book Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, Jeff Klein, as he describes how to become a conscious entrepreneur who creates positive social change while operating a profitable company. Jeff Klein presents the concept of engaging others whild focusing your own humanity and values through embodied awareness. Jeff offers guidance for building a growing business while maintaining your values through a firm foundation of principles and ethics. Jeff shares who to create rich and positive experiences within and away from work through connection and collaboration with others. Jeff Klein demonstrates how to establish a company that performs social good while creating profit through a commitment to values and principles on Blog Business Success Radio.

Senin, 22 April 2013

Working for Good by Jeff Klein - Book review




Working for Good

Making a Difference While Making a Living


By: Jeff Klein

Published: September 1, 2009
Format: Paperback, 264 pages
ISBN-10: 1591797268
ISBN-13: 978-1591797265
Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated











"This book is about the life we choose to create for ourselves within our work, the businesses we bring to life, and how we relate to ourselves and each other in the process", writes entrepreneur and CEO of Working For Good, Jeff Klein, in his visionary and personal integrity based book Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living. The author describes how a business based on personal values and self actualization will not only be a force for positive social change in the world, but be a very profitable company as well.

Jeff Klein understands that a socially conscious business will provide the deepest personal commitment and motivation for the entrepreneur, the employees, the customers, and the entire community. For the author, a business is not a separate entity from the life of the entrepreneur and everyone connected to the company, but is an integral part of the internal and external worlds.

The author presents the alternative business model of the conscious entrepreneur, whose guiding principles are unshakeable social commitment, personal relationships, and strong ethical core values. With this total personal awareness, and sense of self actualization determined to make a real difference in the world, and to improve people's lives, a business will be highly successful. At the same time, like minded people of integrity will flock to support the company and its values.



Jeff Klein (photo left) recognizes that establishing an entirely fresh approach to business, based on integrity and self actualization requires a complete personal commitment to social chage and personal relationships. To enrich the entrepreneur's understanding of their own personal vision, he shares a guide to understanding one's own personality and values. The author also offers a series of empowering exercises to establish a sense of inner peace and strength of conviction.

Jeff Klein presents a complete blueprint for building an authentic business based on values to engage in social change. The social change values offered by the author are as follows:

* Awareness
* Embodiment
* Connection
* Collaboration
* *Integration
* Return

For me, the power of the book is how Jeff Klein combines a comprehensive road map for establishing a business rooted in social change, with the practical steps and personal exercises necessary to make the company a successful force for good. The author presents a tremendous guide book to building a business based on integrity, ethics, and social values.. Instead of the now outmoded idea that business and personal principles are parts of two separate worlds, Jeff Klein demonstrates conclusively that that values and business success are fully integrated and entwined.

The holistic conscious entrepreneurial model represents a collaborative approach that moves past the idea that people, actions, and events are separatee and apart. Instead, Jeff Klein creates an entire business ecosystem where every element has an impact on everything else. The author includes an important series of self evaluation and energy building exercises that enhance the entrepreneur's personal well being, and provide actualization to a success filled business based on values.

I highly recommend the deeply personal and globally empowering book Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living by Jeff Klein, to any current or future entrepreneurs seeking a clear and concise guide to building a socially conscious company based on living one's deepest personal values. This book demonstrates that it's not only possible, but indeed preferable, to build a successful and profitable company that will change the world for the benefit of everyone.

Chuck Wall: Customer CEO - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Marketing adviser, founder of Customer CEO, and author of the revolutionary and empowering book Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers, Chuck Wall describes the importance of embracing the new reality of customers wielding the real power in the marketplace. Chuck Wall provides evidence that the standard business viewpoint that they control the customer and the customer's buying habits and behavior is simply an illusion,. Despite the collection of large quantities of data about the customer, Chuck Wall points out that companies still are unable to measure the crucial customer experience. Chuck offers an alternative approach that embraces the power of the customer to discover their ideas for innovation, product development, and better customer experiences. Companies must listen to their customers or risk losing them to their competitors. In an age when so much information is readily available, organizations that fail to realize they no longer have control risk becoming irrelevant in the marketplace.

Chuck Wall is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday,April 23, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Marketing adviser, founder of Customer CEO, and author of the revolutionary and empowering book Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers, Chuck Wall describes the importance of embracing the new reality of customers wielding the real power in the marketplace. You will learn:

* Why companies no longer have control of how their customers buy or behave

* Why Big Data is not enough as it fails to capture the customer experience

* Why companies must break free of the control illusion and embrace customer control

* How to utilize the power of the customer as a competitive advantage



Chuck Wall (photo left) is the founder of Customer CEO, the customer thinking company. Customer CEO teaches companies how to profit by engaging the power of their customers through insightful customer research and customer focused marketing. Customer CEO also delivers both online and live executive education events to help companies discover how to better engage their customers.

Chuck believes that the most important business opportunity for most companies is hidden in plain sight: knowing their customer. Companies that truly understand their customers increase revenue, grow market share, save money, strengthen relationships and drive profit. Chuck speaks and writes about what he calls “customer thinking.” Customer thinking is the process where companies merge big data with big insight in order to gain the “big picture” perspective about how to best help customers accomplish the jobs they need to get done. He’s an expert in understanding the unmet needs of customers, having interviewed and surveyed over 100,000 of them. Chuck’s book, Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers (Bibliomotion) was published in the spring of 2013.

Chuck is a serial entrepreneur, with a deep understanding of business, entrepreneurship, strategy and marketing. Prior to launching Customer CEO, he started seven other enterprises across multiple industries including manufacturing, media, technology, marketing, and insurance.

Chuck speaks and leads workshops frequently for companies, business groups and organizations about customer insight, innovation, business growth strategy, business model innovation, branding, marketing and contemporary storytelling.

Chuck is active in non-profit work. The Governor of Texas appointed him to serve as a board member of OneStar Foundation, which promotes volunteerism throughout the state.

Chuck is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and lives in Austin, Texas.

My book review of Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers by Chuck Wall.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with marketing adviser, founder of Customer CEO, and author of the revolutionary and empowering book Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers, Chuck Wall, as he describes the importance of embracing the new reality of customers wielding the real power in the marketplace. Chuck Wall provides evidence that the standard business viewpoint that they control the customer and the customer's buying habits and behavior is simply an illusion,. Despite the collection of large quantities of data about the customer, Chuck Wall points out that companies still are unable to measure the crucial customer experience. Chuck offers an alternative approach that embraces the power of the customer to discover their ideas for innovation, product development, and better customer experiences. Companies must listen to their customers or risk losing them to their competitors. In an age when so much information is readily available, organizations that fail to realize they no longer have control risk becoming irrelevant in the marketplace on Blog Business Success Radio.

Minggu, 21 April 2013

Customer CEO by Chuck Wall - Book review




Customer CEO

How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers


By: Chuck Wall

Published: April 30, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 1937134377
ISBN-13: 978-1937134372
Publisher: Bibliomotion











"If you want more profitable growth and a consistent pathway toward innovation so you can stay ahead of the competition tomorrow, you must gain a deeper understanding of your customers and future customers today. Customers are in control because of an unstoppable force: the free flow of information", write marketing adviser and founder of Customer CEO, Chuck Wall, in his revolutionary and empowering book Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers. The author describes how the commonly held idea in boardrooms that companies can know best about their customers is wrong, and that customers are really in charge of innovation, product development, and marketing.


Chuck Wall recognizes that companies possess and continue to gain vast amounts of data and information about their customers. While this trend toward Big Data does reveal much about customer demographics, buying habits and product and service preferences, the data is silent on the personal experience of the customer. Chuck Wall presents the idea that not understanding or ignoring this critical aspect of the customer relationship can reduce the company to irrelevance.

In pace of the panacea of Big Data and its mountain of information, the author provides an alternative approach to understanding the customer through discovering key insights into their overall experience. Thought this important insight, companies can incorporate both positive feedback and real criticism into designing and developing a superior customer experience.



Chuck Wall (photo left) understands that the crucial insight, feedback, and criticism factors are not under the control of the company. These areas of the customer experience are entirely in the hands of the customer, who the author refers to as the Customer CEO. This concept flied directly in the face of the standard company view that they control their customers and their behavior.

Chuck Wall shares the following guide for navigating this new customer controlled business landscape successfully. The author offers advice for understanding the following aspects of customer power:

* The power of me
* The power of value
* The power of performance
* The power of the heart
* The power of simple
* The power of yes
* The power of the platform
* The power of rebellion
* THe power of purpose

For me, the power of the book is how Chuck Wall combines a complete analysis of why companies have ceded the real power to customers, with a comprehensive road map for transforming that customer control into a real competitive advantage. The author makes the important observation that customers have gained control of the marketplace, and are exercising that power in many different and important ways. This new landscape has frightened many companies, and the idea that they no longer control their customers and their behavior is one they either dismiss or ignore. Instead of clinging to their customer data collections, the author recommends firms embrace a customer insight methodology.

Chuck Wall presents an alternative viewpoint to this wrongheaded corporate position, or the author, this alleged sense of control is only an illusion, and clinging to it will result in lost customers and profits for the firm. In the bold new approach offered by the author, a company that embraces the customer as the driver of the marketplace, will possess a distinct competitive advantage. While the very idea that giving up the mistaken concept of control may be counter-intuitive to many organizations, the paradox is that company will come out ahead in the creation of a superior customer experience.

I highly recommend the ground breaking and transformational book Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers by Chuck Wall, to any business leaders, decision makers and CEOs who are serious about truly understanding their customers, and in establishing the best possible customer experience. This book will change forever the viewpoint that the company has control of the actions of the customer, and replaces it with the exciting and profit building concept of the Customer CEO.

Rabu, 17 April 2013

Karen Phelan: I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Consultant, former engineer, co-founder of Operating Principals, and author of the straight talking and provocative book I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution, Karen Phelan describes why the most common management models fail in the real world. Karen Phelan provides evidence that the standard systems, as recommended by management consultants, are doomed to failure because they fail to take people into account. Karen shares a more human oriented approach to management, based on talking to people, asking them questions, and engaging them in the process. Karen presents a scathing analysis of what is wrong with the most popular management systems, and explains why they don't do what they are purported to do. Learn how to engage your employees, and avoid the costly mistakes that result from a poorly thought out application of the latest management fads.

Karen Phelan is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, April 18, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Consultant, former engineer, co-founder of Operating Principals, and author of the straight talking and provocative book I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution, Karen Phelan describes why the most common management models fail in the real world. You will learn:

* What is wrong with the most common management models in the real world

* Why consultants offer the equivalent of fad diets with their recommendations

* Why including and empowering people is a better solution to problems

* How to engage and ask employees to solve problems and work together



Karen Phelan (photo left) has over twenty years of experience in IT, operations, and organizational learning and development. She has held management roles in Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson and different consulting roles at Deloitte & Touche, Gemini Consulting and her own consulting firms. Conversant in IT, NPD, and Supply Chain, she prefers to work in the people side of a company.

Karen holds both a BS and MS from MIT and likes to write books in her spare time. She's written a humorous look at business in Who Moved My Holy Hand Grenade? and her most recent book is I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution. She's also got a skewed sense of humor.

My book review of I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution by Karen Phelan.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with consultant, former engineer, co-founder of Operating Principals, and author of the straight talking and provocative book I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution, Karen Phelan, as she describes why the most common management models fail in the real world. Karen Phelan provides evidence that the standard systems, as recommended by management consultants, are doomed to failure because they fail to take people into account. Karen shares a more human oriented approach to management, based on talking to people, asking them questions, and engaging them in the process. Karen presents a scathing analysis of what is wrong with the most popular management systems, and explains why they don't do what they are purported to do. Learn how to engage your employees, and avoid the costly mistakes that result from a poorly thought out application of the latest management fads on Blog Business Success Radio.

Senin, 15 April 2013

I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company by Karen Phelan - Book review





I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company

When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution


By: Karen Phelan

Published: January 7, 2013
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1609947398
ISBN-13: 978-1609947392
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers










"I would like to be very clear about my purpose. The point of this book is to debunk the conventional business wisdom and not add to it", writes consultant and co-founder of Operating Principals, Karen Phelan, in her straight talking and provocative book I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution. The author describes how the most popular and widely applied management practices are ineffective as they ignore the crucial human element within the organization.

Karen Phelan recognizes that the most frequently used and highly regarded management practices, and the consultants who recommend them, are often treated as if they were laws of nature. Instead, the author provides strong evidence that the most common management practices are not only ineffective, but do severe harm to the organization as a whole. Karen Phelan compares these standard recommendations as being the equivalent of a fad diet.

The methodologies solve one problem but will create another, causing a vicious cycle of one partial remedy after another. For Karen Phelan, the common denominator of these failed solutions is at their core is an attempt to dehumanize the workplace and the employees within it. Without consideration for the human factor, and real human emotions and behaviors, the latest management practice will be doomed to failure.



Karen Phelan (photo left) understands that the foundation of every organization is its people. Without taking into consideration the emotions of the employees, as well as their actions and behavior, a consultant's recommendation is not likely to succeed. Not only does Karen Phelan consider the most popular management theories to be flawed, but their lack of consideration for the human element makes them wrongheaded as well.

Karen Phelan addresses and deconstructs the best known management practices, and exposes their obvious fatal flaws:

* Strategic planning can't predict the future
* Make sure you re-engineer the people too
* Metrics are the means, not the ends
* Standardized human asset management is a SHAM
* I am a managers, and so can you
* Stop perpetuating talent management on people
* Great leaders don't fit the models
* Out of the boxes, charts, and spreadsheets

For me, the power of the book is how Karen Phelan combines a rigorous analysis of the fatal flaws inherent in the standard management models, with an alternative human based approach to operating a company. The author places the emphasis on the organization's people, and establishes a much more effective alternative to the traditional consultant model. Karen Phelan takes what should be the most effective way of managing, through talking with the people and asking for their input, and transforms it into a viable management alternative. The usual management theories are systematically debunked by the author, and exposed for the ineffective panaceas they are in the real world.

Instead of dehumanizing the employees, as is the not so subtle message of the standard systems, Karen Phelan transfers the focus directly to the organization's people. Instead of the top down approach, with its built in mistrust of the human element of the firm, the author proposes the sensible and more effective idea of actually talking to the people and asking for their input and help. Helping the people work together more effectively, achieve their goals more productively, and engaging them in the planning and execution of the ideas is a superior model in every way.

I highly recommend the iconoclastic and people oriented book
I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution by Karen Phelan, to any organizational leaders, decision makers, managers, and consultants, who are seeking an approach to finding workable, realistic, and lasting solutions to the most pressing problems within the firm. The author shares timeless and empowering ideas that will engage and inspire the employees, and avoid the latest fads and acronyms at the same time.

Jewel Fryer & Blog Bloke: Maintaing Your Social Media Reputation - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne HurlbertLink on Blog Talk Radio



Social Media Practitioner and Community Manager, at Social Media Farm, Jewel Fryer and long time blogger and recognized online reputation spokesperson, BlogBloke describe the importance of maintaining your social media reputation for your business and career success. Jewel Fryer and Blog Bloke provide ideas for establishing a positive online reputation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn And Google+. They offer advice for creating solid and effective profiles that evoke confidence from clients or employers. They share ideas for avoiding the mistakes in posting text and photos that can derail a business, career, or potential employers. They will point out how employers routinely look up current or potential employees on social media sites, and how a bad impression can spell the end to a promising job or career. Learn how to keep your social media profiles looking their best.

Jewel Fryer and BlogBloke are my internet radio show guests on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, March 19, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Social Media Practitioner and Community Manager, at Social Media Farm, Jewel Fryer and long time blogger and recognized online reputation spokesperson, BlogBloke describe the importance of maintaining your social media reputation for your business and career success. You will learn:

* Why social media reputation is critical to your business or career

* How to maintain social media reputation during a crisis

* How a new graduate should maintain their social media presence correctly

* How to understand the plus and minus of various social media reputations sites


Jewel Fryer (photo left) is social media practitioner and community manager at Social Media Farm.

Jewel doesn't buy likes. I build loyalty. Her goal is to help Individuals and business's market and communicate online. As a community manager her job is to improve your social media presence.

Jewel is a Wife, mother, organic farmer, community organizer and social media marketer. She is also a blogger and is active on Twitter and Facebook.



BlogBloke (avatar left) has worked in journalism and as a programmer in the computer industry before most had heard of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. A crusader at heart, he switched to law and soon made a name for himself as a successful litigation expert and mediator, helping folks who under normal circumstances can't afford justice.

A geek in every sense of the term, he carried his passion for helping others and computers into blogging that he helped pioneer. In those days there was no such thing as Wordpress or RSS newsfeeds for blogs. Having created the "Blog Tips" niche, his blog is an outstanding resource for helpful blogging tips and how-to tutorials. He has a reputation for being a straight shooter, his sharp wit and an outspoken champion for online ethics. He is bullishly pro blogging, social media, an outspoken advocate for online rights, security and technology issues.

Tech Editor and Author, BLOGBloke has been quoted in the Washington Post, New York Times and CBS News. Here are just a few of the comments that his readers have made:

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with Social Media Practitioner and Community Manager, at Social Media Farm, Jewel Fryer and long time blogger and recognized online reputation spokesperson, BlogBloke describe the importance of maintaining your social media reputation for your business and career success. Jewel Fryer and Blog Bloke provide ideas for establishing a positive online reputation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn And Google+. They offer advice for creating solid and effective profiles that evoke confidence from clients or employers. They share ideas for avoiding the mistakes in posting text and photos that can derail a business, career, or potential employers. They will point out how employers routinely look up current or potential employees on social media sites, and how a bad impression can spell the end to a promising job or career. Learn how to keep your social media profiles looking their best on Blog Business Success Radio.

Jumat, 12 April 2013

Norman Birnbach: Media Trends 2013 - Interview



Public relations and media expert Norman Birnbach, President of Birnbach Communications, Inc., was kind enough to take the time to discuss media trends in 2013. He describes what is happening with television, newspapers, ebooks, publishing, and online media. He also shares a few surprising trends that will be appearing in 2013 as well.

Norman also blogs at the popular and highly regarded public relations blog PR Back Talk.

Thanks to Norman Birnbach for his time, and for his intriguing and comprehensive forecasts in the fascinating fields of media and technology.

What was the background to creating this list of Top Tech, Business, and Media Trends for 2013?

Norman Birnbach: Each year, we help our clients plan their media and social media plans for the following 12 months by looking at industry, business and media trends to help identify “hot” areas of discussion that they can participate in and be aware but stay away from other topics that aren’t relevant or appropriate for them. We’ve been compiling annual lists since 2001, and then compile a report (http://www.birnbachcom.com/news/tr_2012_track_record.shtml) in December to see how we’ve done. We generally perform quite well; last year, we got an A-/B+.

We often hear that story telling is important but rarely do we hear what that means for social media. What is happening with story in 2013?

Social media clearly has changed the way we interact. I just read a fascinating article in the Wall St. Journal, "from Talkies to Texties" that made the point that movies are shifting the way characters communicate with each other. You can't show people talking on their smartphones when they rarely use those smartphones to make phone calls. So social media and smartphones are changing the ways stories are told but they're not changing the fact that people are interested in narrative. We think the story remains more important than ever; what's changed is how, where and how often you tell the story.

You describe the importance of corporate values and personality. What do you mean by that?

Norman Birnbach: As a part of branding, corporate values have always mattered -- what a company stands for. For example, people bought Newman's Own salad dressings and pasta sauces not just because of the taste but because the profits were donated to charity. But corporate personality wasn't always as important as its values. You know there difference between McDonald's and Burger King but can you really tell the difference between their corporate personalities? Because of social media, we're seeing corporate personality as another way to differentiate yourself and connect with your customers.

Apple may have ignited that focus on corporate personality with its "I'm a MAC" campaign, and corporate personality has been important in selling cars. But you can now see the importance of corporate personality in what otherwise might seem like commoditized sectors: insurance branding in advertising seems to be all about each company's personality -- you don't need to be a psychologist to grasp the differences between Geico, Progressive, All-State and Liberty Mutual.

Social media is multiplying the impact of values and corporate personality. Companies need to be prepared to communicate not just their selling proposition but also their values and personality as they engage with customers via social media.

There is a line of thought that social media is not that effective for Business to Business companies. Has that older point of view changed for B2B companies?

Norman Birnbach: Absolutely. A few years ago, a B2B company we spoke to didn't think its potential customers -- engineers -- were using social media. At the time, Facebook had about 600 million users, and I thought but didn't say, "Of those 600 million, none of those users are your customers?" Last week, I met with the new marketing executive there, and he asked us for a plan that includes a blog and social media. B2B companies need a social media strategy because their customers are online, whether as part of their personal or professional lives.

Social media didn't make sense for B2Bs when it consisted mostly of telling your friends about what you're having for lunch or sharing the latest LOL cats clip. But social media is where people go to get and share information. B2B companies that have been reluctant to engage on social media are realizing that social media provides them with the opportunity to reach customers in ways that ads in traditional print publications are not doing.

You present a concept called the battle for the living room. What is that battle and why is it so important to understand?

Norman Birnbach: Reporters love to add drama to the stories they're writing by writing about them as corporate battles. We think there still be a number of "battles" that the media will write about, the two most important ones are the battle between Apple and Samsung for smartphone and tablet supremacy and the battle for the living room, which is focused on which company can supply the highest of the ultra high definition TVs.

Unlike Apple vs. Samsung, the battle of the living room is important because it involves a range of technologies from a broader group of companies that can appeal to a wide range of users. If the battle between Apple and Samsung is about the way we consume entertainment and information while we are out and about, when we're mobile, the battle of the living room is important because it's about the other way we consume entertainment, when we're home, when high def small screens are not as important as ultra high def screens that span 84 inches. At a time when mobile anything is all the rage, it's important to realize people use different technology when they're at home.

Streaming is becoming ever more important. What are some of the most critical changes in streaming?

Norman Birnbach: For decades, consumers have felt they were locked in by the cable industry because there were rarely alternatives to your cable operator (which often held legal monopolies to cover particular service areas -- and when there were alternative providers, there were few differences in terms of price, service and offerings.

Now, with streaming, and the ability to watch "Mad Men" or "Game of Thrones" on your smartphone and tablet, consumers are no longer held captive by cable operators. They can find lower cost, fully mobile ways to get video content. Those choices are proliferating but so is the complexity because no one service (currently) offers the convenience of cable. All the cable-alternatives require some amount of McGyvering -- using bubblegum, string and other on-hand supplies to create what seems like a patchwork alternative.

Until last year, the battle of streaming was basically one between Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and iTunes. This year, the market got more crowded, as even cable and satellite companies now offer streaming video as a perhaps last-ditch effort to stem the loss of the five million households that have dropped cable or satellite service and are now known as Zero TV households. Just don’t expect prices to drop from around $5 to $10 per month.



Norman Birnbach (photo left)

Is there a continuing battle for attention between large companies and why should people take notice?

Norman Birnbach: Large tech companies used to have fairly distinct operations that limited true competitors. For example, Oracle used to be database company that competed against other database companies and some software companies. HP, which makes other products, mostly used to competed against Dell. Google was a search company. But now the lines have blurred. Microsoft makes hardware, competing against Apple, Samsung and HP while Google is in the operating system business, competing against Microsoft and Apple.

This represents a significant change. In Fast Company, tech writer Farhad Manjoo called this "The Great Tech War Of 2012." making the case that "Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon battle for the future of the innovation economy." It's a smart article but Manjoo or the headline writer got one thing wrong: As technology continues to converge, the tech war didn't end in Dec. 2012. It's an ongoing war. And given the size of the companies involved, I'm not sure there will be a lot of attrition -- even as HP makes a lot of missteps. Interesting the war added a new tech giant: Samsung, which in recent weeks has been reported battling Apple and Google.

Look, I don't know if people should take notice but I think most will because the media continues to report about it in breathless prose, making it all but impossible to ignore. The downside of all this attention on a handful of giant companies is that it may not leave much room for small but innovative companies.

Who are some of the emerging or continuing leaders in the internet world?

Norman Birnbach: We're seeing a big change in terms of what innovation means to the average consumer. Innovation used to be about how fast your computer is and how much RAM it came with. For a while, innovation used to be about the Internet. But we live in a Post-PC world where computers aren't as important as smartphones and tablets. As for the Internet, it's still important but there seems to be more innovation among app developers.

That said, we see Facebook continuing to lead the way on the Internet though we expect to see some Facebook fatigue among users who stop posting as frequently as they once had -- similar to the falloff we've seen on Twitter.

What does the future hold for the much discussed Apple TV?

Norman Birnbach: Just as consumers have felt they've been held captive by cable operators, they're also feeling captive to the old ways of watching TV. We have more channels than ever, hundreds of them, but In a pinch-and-swipe world, the idea that we still have to click all around the dial when we're searching for something to watch is outdated. We're frustrated by an interface that was invented decades ago, which is fueling desire among some that Apple can figure a way to make the viewing experience much less frustrating.

Despite Apple’s persistent denials that it is not developing its own TV set, we expect to see more articles about Apple's effort into redesigning a TV set for how we watch today. We also expect to see continued articles that speculate about the implications from a programming and TV set-manufacturing perspective.



Are automated homes and smart appliances about to be everywhere?

Norman Birnbach: The concept of automated home and smart appliances received a lot of hype in January, following CES, but I don't think we're going to see Americans in droves buying Internet-connected refrigerators and ovens. At least this year. One reason is that people tend to hold onto refrigerators for a long time (because they're big and expensive), and they don't expect to replace them every few years, as they replace cars, computers, and smartphones.

If that refrigerator-buying behavior remains unchanged, appliance makers will need to find ways to make the displays and the software running the smart appliances to be easily upgradeable because what makes a device smart today won't appear too smart a decade from now. Another challenge for smart appliances is going to be the lack of interoperability – the ability for one smart device to be able to communicate effectively with another smart appliance.

If you buy one brand of toaster, will it be able to “talk” with your refrigerator? If they can’t, you basically have a Kitchen of Babel. Appliance manufacturers will need to make sure their appliances can talk to each other (and not just to the apps on your smartphone).

One of the hottest topics is 3D printers. Are they about to take the world by storm and be found everywhere?

Norman Birnbach: Again, I don't think 3D printers will be as popular as the media coverage about them has been. The technology enabling 3D printers has matured significantly but it still seems somewhat of an early adopter item. If people have problems with paper jams in regular printers, just imagine the potential problems with 3D printers.

We think that obstacles to purchasing 3D printers, for most households, include limited use for most households, the learning curve on how to use it, costs of the necessary supplies to create 3D replicas, and the need for technical support. We do expect that media and blogger coverage of 3D printers will focus on how cool it is, and that the business press will look at the implications for U.S. manufacturing.

What are the three most important trends for 2013?

Norman Birnbach: To paraphrase the three most important things in real estate, the three most important tech trends in 2013 are: mobile, mobile, mobile. More than anything else, what’s driving innovation is the need for mobile access. The great enablers of mobile include: Increased wireless network speeds and the increased push of cloud computing.

It's in developing the latest apps to serve the latest tablets, smartphones and hybrids. PC manufacturers that have killed development of their handheld or mobile units could be in big trouble over the next few years because interest is so strong in mobility and interconnectedness. We don't necessarily want to use our phones to speak to other people but we want phones that have apps that allow us to communicate with our appliances (even if we're not home), to allow us to work (even if we're not in the office), to shop for and pay for items (whether we're in the store or at the beach), and to access information we need with no connectivity or bandwidth issues.

This focus on mobility, along with the interconnected issues, will continue to define the rest of the decade. Also important is mobile ads and mobile search.

What is the future of the cloud in 2013?

Norman Birnbach: Because it is a big driver of mobile computing, we expect that more companies this year will turn to cloud-based solutions to provide access to proprietary information that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. And while the benefits of cloud computing includes lower cost, there could be a backlash about hidden costs as consumers realize that over time they may be paying out more than if they relied on portable storage devices, which are less convenient but offer a one-time cost.

We think the cloud brings some risks, including security and privacy, and that there will be a few outages this year but that they won't have much impact on the cloud's momentum. We also think that resistance to the cloud is futile.

Are there some trends that will continue despite many forecasts of their demise?

Norman Birnbach: There are always some people who like to predict what we call the Premature DeathWatch of technology that people still use, like PCs and cable TV. While I think both are in decline, I think we're a long way off from when mainstream populations don't own PCs or subscribe to cable TV. We've seen predictions of e-Readers' demise (supplanted by tablets) and GPS (either built into new cars or available on smartphones), too. In entertainment, Blu-ray machines and DVDs have also been marked by death -- except by those who own dozens of movies on DVDs as well as radio.

Funny thing is that radio was supposed to have died years ago. Landlines and cellphones that aren’t smartphones continue to hold on. What's interesting is that, for a lot of people, the reason they still have a landline is because of packages offering combined phone, Internet and cable. (The landline is probably the cheapest communications service most of us use.) Some people have claimed press releases are dead but, even now that the SEC has said it's okay for public companies to use social media to distribute material news, it can be difficult to communicate important information in 140 characters or less.

My favorite Premature Deathwatch has declared the Office (not the NBC sitcom) as dead because technology has enabled us to work from anywhere we want. Look, people love to hate their offices, and the articles that often depict an officeless future are more wish fulfillment than actual transformation. That said, current technologies like cloud computing and videoconferencing do facilitate working from locations other than from an office, and we’ve seen a steady increase in telecommuting and working from home, leading to articles about tech in bed – but for a lot of jobs, an office will remain necessary.

Paper has also been declared dead, but almost 40 years after BusinessWeek published an article called “The Office of the Future,” in 1975, modern offices are still overwhelmed with stacks of paper.

What other ongoing stories will receive media coverage in 2013?

Norman Birnbach: We think there will be a lot of stories from 2012 that will continue to generate coverage this year. Some are obvious -- political topics like the implementation and implications of Obamacare; gun control laws; and the budget. Privacy and security, including cyberattacks, specifically from China, will continue to be big stories -- just as we said last year.

We said that salary inequality would be a big story, and then Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg's book, "Lean In," came out, and that has expanded the story from what women should be getting paid to how women should be treated in the workplace -- that's an important topic for society to address and to improve. On a less serious note, we expect there to be a lot of articles about all things Star Wars, leading up to the release of Star Wars VII in 2015.

What is next for Norman Birnbach and Birnbach Communications in 2013?

Norman Birnbach: I'm personally interested in two trends that are bubbling up but that I see as hitting in 2014: Google Glass and driverless cars. Google Glass, to reach beta users sometime this year, provides hands-free Internet access wherever you go (except, I guess, if you go beyond WiFi coverage). I know people like to be connected but also that we need time to not be connected (just ask any parent of a teenager). So I think how it plays out will be interesting, and wonder what the UV rating on its lenses are.

I also think driverless cars are proving themselves to be reliable -- after some 400,000 miles. But the liability issues around potential car accidents, whether with another driverless car or one driven by a human, will delay mass introduction of driverless cars.

As for my business, we've seen a lot of changes from the time I launched the agency 12 years ago. And a lot of that change has been concentrated over the past five years -- it's remarkable how much has changed so quickly. The discipline of developing an annual list of trends helps us have our finger on the pulse of the times, which enables us to help our clients navigate the complex and ever-changing communications landscape. It's a tough but exciting time, and we feel our insights help us and help our clients.

Kamis, 11 April 2013

Italian Renaissance Art - Understanding Its Meaning by Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier - Book review




Italian Renaissance Art

Understanding its Meaning


By: Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier

Published: March 4, 2013
Format: Paperback, 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1118306112
ISBN-13: 978-1118306116
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell











"We may even discover that there were two 'Renaissances.' One, very small, was the true Renaissance that was centered on rational construction, and the other, much larger, represented the continuation of much older ideas and methods in which the various parts of any given work were not rationally interlocked", writes internationally known art historian and lecturer Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier, in her insightful and revolutionary idea based book Italian Renaissance Art: Understanding its Meaning. The author describes how the historical period known as the Renaissance was really two separate movements, one based on rationality and the other on intuition, that is demonstrated clearly in the works of the artists, sculptors, and architects of the time.

Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier recognizes that the standard interpretation of Renaissance Italy, in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, includes all of the artists, sculptors, and architects creating during that time period. The author provides a fresh interpretation of the meaning of the Italian Renaissance, that moves beyond a mere time based analysis, to one that examines the very nature of the creative processes at work.

For Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier, the basic concept of the Renaissance was the rebirth of the classical concerns with nature, and with expressing artistic endeavors through observation and mathematical means. As a result, very few artists of the period were part of this redefined Renaissance. The majority of the artists were maintaining a conservative style that represented a continuation of medieval styles in the creative arts.



Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier (photo left) understands that the Renaissance was two very separate events, and that they took place at widely different times in various places. Some cities in Italy never experienced a Renaissance as defined by the author.

Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier traces the revised meaning of the Renaissance through the fifteenth and early sixteenth century, across the various cities of Italy, and to its inevitable ending as an artistic style.

Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier considers the following areas of study for how the Renaissance affected each city and time:

* The Italian Renaissance as an idea rather than a period
* What a difference a hundred years makes
* How it all started: Florence and Umbria
* What happened next in Florence
* Searching for the Renaissance: Siena and southward to Sicily
* Searching for the Renaissance: From northern Italy back to Umbria
* Triumph of the intellectual vanguard: The High Renaissance
* The Swan song of Renaissance art
* The break and the new avant-garde: Early Mannerism
* What was the Italian Renaissance: Conclusions in the bigger picture

For me, the power of the book is how Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier transforms the overall examination of the Italian Renaissance from one of time and place, to one of an idea. The author presents a very solid case, complete with visual evidence, that the Renaissance was a more limited concept than has usually been considered by historians.

The author follows the progenitors of the Renaissance, from the artist Masacciothe architect Brunelleschi, and the sculptor Donatello, through to the masters of the High Renaissance Raphael, Michelangelo, and Da Vinci. Their devotion to creating natural and observational based creations formed the Renaissance as an idea.

At the same time, the conservative artists continued with their medieval and Gothic styles, with little or no interest in perspective or naturalism. Indeed, their opposition to naturalism was grounded in their preference for intuition, leading to themselves becoming the avant-garde of the later Mannerism style.

Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier augments her study through a deeper understanding of the political and social background in each of the Italian cities, and describes how and why the Renaissance as an idea either gained ground or made no impact on the artistic community. The book also features a strong set of photographs featuring examples of both the Renaissance and the conservative styles of art. These photographs add a powerful visual element to better understanding the author's main thesis.

I highly recommend the very important and fascinating book Italian Renaissance Art: Understanding its Meaning by Christiane L. Joost-Gaugier, to any historians, art critics, art history and Renaissance history students and academics, and to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the real meaning and currents that were present in Renaissance Italy. This book will transform how you view the art and the artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Italy, and guide you toward thinking of the Renaissance as an important idea and not as a time period.