Great article to read - wherever you may be along your career path - from Guy Kawasaki - see:
David
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RefBan
Thursday, June 24, 2010
New Spirit Airlines Ad: Does It Try and Make a Point at the Expense of the Gulf Coast?
Hmmm, this is an interesting one that might draw some discussion here on the blog. Spirit Airlines has come up with a new ad campaign, and some think that it goes a bit too far in making light of the situation facing residents and businesses all along Gulf of Mexico.
Here's two video news stories to watch and a Yahoo News piece to read on the controversy:
Spinning the spill, for fun and profit
So, whadya think?? Start the conversation below by commenting and discussing.
David
P.S. Many thanks to my Southeastern student, Farrah Laciura, who tipped me off to the story. If you ever run across something that you'd like to see featured on my blogs (and get a "shout-out", too!), email it to me at dwyld.kwu@gmail.com - thanks Farrah!
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BP Oil Dotting Gulf Coast Beaches, Beachgoers' Feet (VIDEO)
Image via Wikipedia
As more and more videos like this are posted from the Alabama and Florida coasts, I'm sad to say that the tourism industry that drives this part of the country is taking a fast nosedive - and at the worst possible time. It is sad too for the many, many folks such as us who know that this is - or at least was - one of the most beautiful stretches of beach anywhere in the world. Now, the questions are going to come about how do you get one, giant company to pay damages for crippling the economy of an entire multi-state region. I'm afraid there's simply not enough of BP to go around to truly come close to making everyone "whole" in this coastal area.
Thanks, BP! Heckuva job, Tony!
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Summary and Review of The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
This book summary and review of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was prepared by Amanda Wells while a Business Administration student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Executive Summary
Superhero is the word to describe William Kamkwamba. He does not own a cape. The closest he has come to flying would be taking a leap in the air to come right back down. He does not have super strength or telekinesis. There is no fancy spandex uniform for him to put on every day. The only thing which would classify him as a superhero is his desire to save the world. He is saving the world one windmill at a time.
This superhero was not born on some alien planet. He comes from a village in Africa most people in the United States probably don’t know exists. Malawi has its own share of problems. The absence of electricity seemed to be the least of them. William and his family were living life the only way they knew how. Farming was what put food in their bellies and money in their pockets. Trading and growing maize and tobacco was more than an occupation, it was a way of life. With what seemed to be consistent misfortune for the area, a super hero was needed. The climate and government of Malawi were anything but forgiving for William as he grew up. The area was struck with flood, drought, famine, and corrupt political leaders. Not to mention the area was already poor enough as it was. How could one get by? William’s family and friends did everything they could to simply survive during this period. There seemed to be no hope as heartbreak overwhelmed the area. Death was all around. If famine was not enough malaria, cholera, and infections from blisters were killing people by the day. No one could seem to make the situation better for this country. The birth of a superhero was more than necessary.
The modern day superhero was a modest one. William’s family had little money to send him to school. Once the famine hit William received the heartbreaking reality he could not attend school any longer. Minimal education did not stand in the way of his thirst for something better. He pushed on surviving reading the only science books he could get his hands on. The birth of the superhero emerged with the birth of his many ideas to do something about the turmoil so many had experienced. What if one little person could make a deference? A half starved young man from Africa seemed to be an unlikely prospect. William read about windmills and taught himself how to go about possibly making one. It seemed like a crazy idea that might just work. After climbing many obstacles to acquire the knowledge and supplies needed our superhero learned to fly. He made his dream a reality after constructing one of the most resourceful windmills ever created. From old batteries, PVC pipe, an old bicycle generator, and other materials one man saved the people. He did not save them from a burning building or a giant gorilla. He saved them from starvation and from the economic hard times. By building a windmill to bring irrigation to crops, William was truly a savior. He truly has the story of a modern day superhero saving the world from the real dangers of changing times. The real dangers being the effects of economic downfalls.
The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
1. Employees may have crazy ideas on how to improve the workplace. Every idea no matter how crazy it may seem deserves to be acknowledged. One may never know what innovation can come out of it to better the good of the organization.
2. There are many brilliant people with no formal degree or education. When interviewing someone do not judge them right away for not having formal training. Experience can be the best education someone can learn.
3. Everyone can find themselves in times of despair. Be sensitive to people who are having economic troubles. Many people work very hard with little compensation to show for it. Knowing a manager understands an employee’s strife can keep morale steady.
4. Do not think problems will solve themselves. The second president to rule over William’s land was very blind to the problems of his country. I feel if he had acknowledged the food crisis earlier more lives may have been saved. If a problem arises address it immediately and begin to search for solutions. Problems that are unaddressed can lead to bigger problems.
5. Exhaustion can make work unproductive. As William and his family were experiencing the famine, he was still expected to work all day tending to the crops. He suffered from hunger and exhaustion. Workers must always have time to rest and recuperate. If overworked a manager will find the quality of work will not be up to par.
6. Always encourage critical thinking. The interest in science was a stepping stone for William Kamkwamba which led to great achievements. A manager should motivate workers to always strive to be better, to constantly learn more about their profession, and to keep asking “how does this work?”
7. Do not allow bullying in the work place. Everyone deserves the same respect. William I feel growing up did not get this respect from his peers.
8. Stay active in helping the community. By influencing co workers to better the environment of the organization, a manager is taking a small step to help better the world.
9. Actively pursue better ways to use energy more efficiently. By conserving energy we can help the less fortunate attain it.
10. Do not take luxuries for granted. While sitting in an office appreciate the communication networks, air conditioning, electricity, and modern technology. Many people are not as fortunate to have these things that seem to be a given in our society.
Full Summary of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
I. Introduction
To make magic someone must first understand it. William Kamkwamba was raised in a culture were magic and superstition ran parallel to religion. At very young ages he recalled being afraid of magic wizards, bad karma, and curses. It seemed amusing someone could be so afraid of things no one can see when obvious dangers were in plain sight. However William recalls a happy time as a young child. The area where he resided had rich stories of times long before. The stories of real history and some legend were handed down from generation to generation. William’s family was no exception. These stories of superstition and religion molded the very culture and way of life for everyone.
II. Family Traditions
The family William was born into was a strong one. He tells many stories of the two people he looked up most to. Those two people were his grandfather and his father. His grandfather was a wise strong figure who was once a lion hunter. His grandfather had seen the hard times of the land. The environment was a dangerous one and his grandfather understood. His father was the most influential person in William’s life. In his own way his dad was a local celebrity known for his strength. His father molded William into leaving his superstition behind and rely on Christianity for answers.
III. The Man Behind the Legend
William’s father had a very interesting life story. He was very strong and as a young man was known for fighting. Like most young men his father was a fan of drinking. His occupation was a trader and he spent most of his time traveling to villages. In his experiences he was a frequent visitor to bars there. His feisty nature got him into many fist fights. Many of these were victories for his father. Despite his love for drinking, William’s father did not participate in the use of prostitutes. For a strong young man of his area this seemed odd to many. He earned the nickname of “the Pope” for his resistance to participate in such activities. Everyone has to settle down at some point. William’s father did just that after falling in love at first sight with his mother. After his family came along William’s father cleaned up his life and turned into a family man.
IV. The Early Years of Innovation
William spent most of his childhood interested in the way things worked. With the strong desire to learn about science William could not wait for secondary school. In the meantime times were getting hard for everyday life. William “ghetto rigged” contraptions that acted like sling shots to kill birds to have something to eat. He also found interested learning about how radios worked. He spent some time as a child repairing broken radios which seemed amazing for his age. What seemed to be passing the time for people was time for William to discover his resourceful qualities.
V. Adolescence
As William grew older times were growing tougher. William was starting to experience firsthand the side effects of the inconsistent climate on his area. The very crop which was more than an important of the diet of his people was getting hit hard. Bad farming conditions and new government leaders changing policy on agricultural aid started to drastically affect the area. The time for the “dark ages” of William’s life were approaching swiftly.
VI. Becoming An Adult
The troubles of everyday life started to wear down the spirit of William and everyone around him. Finding basic food was the main priority day after day for many of his people. Conditions only got worse. Many of his loved ones ended up dying and people were starving all around him. There seemed to be no hope but to travel for hand outs. With crops running out faster than they could be produced the people of Malawi featured a great depression. William tried to keep busy reading his science books to keep his love for education alive in the hardest of times. He had to help provide for him family by tending the crops with his father. Starvation seemed it would be the end for William and his loved ones.
VII. It Gets Worse
As if famine was not enough, disease and infection became a rising problem for the people of William’s area. Since people were walking great distances for food with inadequate shoes blisters were prominent. Blisters were getting infected and people were dying. Cholera and malaria break outs were keeping hospitals quarantined. Could the people of this area take anymore? Political leaders at this point will still not send sufficient aid for the sick or for the sick crops. The people of the village were left to fend for themselves. William tried to stay as optimistic as possible will his dream of secondary school and sufficient food fading fast.
VIII. An Idea of Hope
Since William was unable to afford school he tried to keep up with his classmates. He began spending his time in the library doing what most people called unproductive. He began reading English science and physics books and began understanding about currents and electricity. He further studied basic physics concepts. He was teased and ridiculed for most of the time he spent here. He picked up a book that would change his life. It was a book about windmills.
IX. An Idea That Might Work
William soon became infatuated with windmills even though he was not sure what exactly their purpose was. After researching further he decided the windmill may be the answer to all of his problems. He read about how windmills were used to generate power. The idea that perhaps he could do the same to fix the problems of his country became realistic to William. He told people of his idea and most people laughed. No one really took him seriously. They called him a mad man. Could he have been a mad man?
I. Making the Dream Come True
After living a life which seemed very unfair to this point, William was ready to do something about it. With the support of his cousin he decided to try and create a windmill. He started with building a smaller version. To his surprise it worked. The next goal was to make the big one. He spent lots of time gathering the materials necessary. He also climbed many obstacles doing this. In the end he proved to be not crazy. The opposite was true. He built a windmill and saved his area. The true story of hope is William’s journey to find his calling.
The Video Lounge
Great interview with the author, William Kamkwamba:
Personal Insights
First, choose one of the following two bullet items to write about (or both if you choose to):
Why I think:
· The author is one of the most brilliant people around…or is full of $%&#, because:
William Kamkwamba is by far one of the most brilliant people I have ever read about. He had an interest in science most people can never appreciate. It seems impossible for someone with minimal education would have the ability, ambition, and guts to create an energy source.He also taught himself how to build a windmill. Many people cannot teach themselves scientific concepts much less apply them.In the world today economical conditions are worsening in many countries. We are truly living in an “adapt or die” time. William has adapted to conditions in his area and brought hope.By bringing energy to his small village he is truly a genius. In my opinion what he has done for his area deserves the same scientific acknowledgement as legends like Albert Einstein. William is truly an inspiration for all who wish to better the world around them. He is also an inspiration for anyone who wishes to reach even the most unrealistic of goals. Reinvention of the self, knowledge, and even the most complex energy sources is now possible for anyone thanks to William.
· With business conditions today, what the author wrote is – or is no longer true – because:
William Kamkwamba understands business conditions today. Many people in the world are experiencing economic disasters. There seems to be a shock wave of hard times for many countries around the world. William experienced one of the worst depressions first hand. He lived and survived through famine. I am sure he can truly appreciate the need for funding of agriculture. Without efforts to help stabilize the agriculture industry around him, William saw firsthand how bad leading decisions can affect an entire nation or organization. He also shows how we must do everything we can to create and bring energy to poor nations around the world. It is more than unfair that people are starving because they don’t have even the most simplest of irrigation systems. By writing this book William has truly challenged the world to do something about this. He can create a windmill from scrap material and make it sufficient to bring energy to his area. Since we live in a developed country there is no reason we cannot use the same resourcefulness.
Then, all of the following bullet-items are mandatory to write about:
· If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:
1. In the book there are many references to the Chichewa language. He explains what many of the words mean throughout his story. After reading for a while it became difficult at times to remember what some of the words meant. I feel like there should have been an insert at either the front or back of the book with the translations of the words to refer back to.
2. I felt like some the chapters toward the end could have been condensed. When he gets to the part of the story about acquiring parts for his windmill it tends to get a bit redundant for a chapter or two.
3. The beginning of the book was a bit confusing at first. The stories and legends of the land I had to keep reading over. I felt like he would start to explain reasoning behind a story and then jump to another topic before completing the thought. I feel there could have been a better transition. Perhaps it would have been better to explain in chronological order completely and then go back and fill in the details.
· Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:
1. In the United States we take so many things for granted. Even in times of economic slowdown, the conditions in the United States are nowhere near as bad as the conditions in Africa. We have steady crops in the United States and food readily available. We also have the means to keep our agriculture industry going without threats of famine. I have a new appreciation for every plate of food I consume.
2. Energy and electricity are very precious. I use both on a daily basis without thinking how much time and hard work have been invested all over the world to preserve and promote it. I ask for my electricity bill to be low every month. Many people in Africa would die to have that problem.
3. Cultures across the world have more similarities than I initially thought. I was blind to this concept until I read William’s book. I thought villages in Africa would consist of people running around in loin clothes and dancing around fires with tribal paint on. I could have never been so wrong. People in those villages have the same love of food, music, alcohol, and family as any other place in the world. The people also dress in the nicest clothes they own. They are as modernized as they can possibly be. The only thing different in the villages in Africa is the wealth. The people in Africa are victims of living in a poor nation. They do everything they can to get by. It is not their fault that they cannot be on the same level as many in the United States. William Kamkwamba and his people are truly survivors of the unforgiving world we live in.
· I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:
1. I attend to persevere through the toughest of struggles I may face in my future career. After reading how one person can face such struggles in life and still stay optimistic is amazing. Every time I may feel like giving up when I reach a hurdle in my career, I will find the strength to keep going as William Kamkwamba did.
2. I want my thirst for knowledge to never die. After surviving a famine William Kamkwamba still had the desire to better himself and his education. He had such a drive to learn about science and how to improve the world around him. He could not afford school yet he did not let this get in the way of acquiring the knowledge he yearned for. In my future career I hope to always learn more about my chosen field.
3. Appreciation for others is a value I plan to treat with respect in my career. William Kamkwamba could have never succeeded if it were not for support of friends and family along the way. People also teased and bullied William his entire life. He did not the actions and words of others discourage him. I tend to treat anyone I come across in the same respect I would wish to be treated. Teamwork and mutual respect are essential in any work environment.
· Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:
“What others (scholarly and magazine reviews – along with on-line reviews – not simply reviews off the back of the book) have said about the book and its author?”
“An inspiring tale of an African Cheetah — the new generation of young Africans who won’t sit and wait for corrupt and incompetent governments — or vampire states — to come and do things for them. Here is one who harnessed the wind to generate electricity for his village — on his own.”
—Professor George Ayittey, Distinguished Economist, American University
“A rare and inspiring story of hope in rural Africa, a true story of youth challenging and winning against all of the adversity that life throws at it. William represents a new generation of Africans, using ingenuity and invention to overcome life’s challenges. Where so many tilt at windmills, William builds them!”
—Erik Hersman, AfriGadget and White African
Bibliography
http://williamkamkwamba.typepad.com/williamkamkwamba/press.html
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Contact Info: To contact the author of this “Summary and Review of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” please email amanda.wells-2@selu.edu.
Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/summary-and-review-of-the-boy-who-harnessed-the-wind-by-william-kamkwamba-and-bryan-mealer/#ixzz0rnAclArO
BIOGRAPHY
David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).
AN INVITATION TO WORK WITH US, TODAY!
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Summary and Review of Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman
This book summary and review of Hot, Flat, and Crowded was prepared by Jason Synakiewicz while a Management student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Executive Summary
In “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” Friedman explains the reason on why he believes the world is becoming hot, flat, and crowded. He touches on many different factors that have brought us to the predicaments at hand. Some of the factors adding to these problems were the world economy, global warming, word governments, and over population. Friedman goes on and gives excessive details about each of the factors; hot, flat, and crowded; as he rambles through his supporting facts and runs off on tangents. He does drive home the point of each with his repetition.
The first key point is the “hot” term. Friedman rants and rambles about this one the most. He stresses global warming and the consequences that it potentially brings. When Friedman starts to support that global warming is a problem he starts to ramble off as much information he possibly can. He makes a good point but its information overload and it’s not even organized. Friedman does make global warming look like a real and scary threat but he also uses it as salvation for the Unites States’ economy. He explains how the United States can grow and make a revolution by making and using “green” technologies.
Friedman uses his “flat” term, one of his three main points of the book, to explain how technology has led the economies of the world to more become more global. Internet and other technologies have allowed companies to complete many task anywhere in the world. This has become a problem for the United States because jobs are now outsourced to people who will do them as well but for less money.
The last key point is the “crowded” term. This term focuses on the overpopulation of the world. The “crowded” term also focuses that more of the world is becoming middle-class. When there are more people in the middle-class there is a greater demand for more products, which puts more stress on the global resources. Friedman really looks at the oil production part of this growing resource use and how it helps the oil Tsars grow more power.
Throughout the book Friedman uses these three key points to show how they have lead to the state of the world’s economy today. This book is an example of how many factors can affect the economy and how the United States can overcome this to rise to the top again. Even though I was not a really impressed with how Friedman supported the three main facts he did have good points and brings it to the reader’s attention in way that is almost like a slap in the face to wake up and notice what’s going on.
The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from Hot, Flat, and Crowded.
1. Successfully getting into the green effort could pay off for a business in the long run.
2. Companies need to be aware of “wasteful” energy use, which could end up saving them money.
3. As the price and use of oil increases we give nations with fewer freedoms more power.
4. Companies can raise innovation by becoming greener. Becoming greener means becoming smarter.
5. The increase of the middle class of the world means that there are opportunities that can be caught in developing countries.
6. With the increase of technology and the use of the Internet there are many ways to find information to reduce cost through the reduction of energy cost.
7. Innovation is the way out of the global warming problems.
8. The U.S. needs another bubble to get out of its current economic problems and going green could be that bubble.
9. The effects of global warming will be easier to see in the future than in the present.
10. The growth of the world population has stressed natural resources and we need to find other alternatives to reduce these stresses.
Full Summary of Hot, Flat, and Crowded
· When the Market and Mother Nature Hit the Wall
o Chapters 1-3
The first three chapters in the version of the book I have is something that was added for the re-released version . In these chapters he sets up the ground work for his book and really sets the tone of the book. His tone is really cocky and he really gives you a lot of information that I wasn’t really sure what is was for until I was about two hundred pages into the book. I did find myself skipping a few pages here and there.
· Where We Are
o Chapter 4
This section starts off with the chapter that explains the trends of the concepts of hot, flat, and crowded. Friedman defines these terms and explains how the three causes the problems to the energy supply, mainly oil, and how they lead to global warming. Also he talks about how these problems affect the world’s economic growth and security.
o Chapter 5
The next chapter is about the energy supply and demand. He talks about how China and India have a growing middle class they are wanting the same things as the American middle class. This growing want and need by these countries increases the level of strain on the natural resources. He also says the United States needs to be the role model for these countries and find more sustainable way for growth.
o Chapter 6
The next chapter in this section focuses on the “petrodicatorship” which the political stance in major oil producing countries. He explains that as the global need for oil grows it puts more money in the pockets of the oil producing countries. He has a great “law” in this chapter that says that as oil prices increases the amount of freedom decreases. I found this very interesting just because the measure of freedom can be very subjective and it depends on what a person’s view of freedom is. He also tries to say that the increase of money in these countries fuels more terrorism. Which is another subjective idea because any country becomes richer would almost everything increase? He uses all these facts to explain why the world, mainly the U.S., needs to reduce the need for oil.
o Chapter 7
The next chapter really focuses on the climate change. He starts to give facts about how this is a real problem, but then he explains that the climate is complex and we are not sure what’s happening. He explains that we don’t have long term modeling of the Earth’s climate but we know it is changing but we are not sure how bad it really is. Friedman talks about how we need to increase awareness of global warming. This was a hard chapter for me to follow.
o Chapter 8
The next chapter focuses on biodiversity loss and he explains how the climate change enhances this loss. Friedman also explains that we can’t keep putting this off till tomorrow we need to focus on this problem now. He explains how the loss of biodiversity affects the quality of life on Earth for humans.
o Chapter 9
Friedman explains the concept of energy poverty in the next part of this section. He talks about how the developing countries have a low quality of life because of the lack of electricity. Also he stresses how the poor stay poor without an electricity supply because they have no way of having or using the technology that brings a higher standard of life.
o Chapter 10
The last chapter in this section explains how the U.S. must take the lead in green technology if we want to keep ahead in the global economy. He stresses that we must have a plan and implement it because we have no other option. He gives several different ways we need to move in on this concept. He wants the U.S. to find a cheap clean energy source as well as practice conservation and he wants the government to place policies and incentives that would help provoke companies to do this.
· How We Move Forward
o Chapter 11
In the first part of this section Friedman lists the amount of different groups jumping on the green train and some aren’t even really going green. He then explains how hard it will be to reach the green goals that we are trying to reach. He also explains the reality of how much money it will really cost to start these projects and how hard it will be to put these changes in place.
o Chapter 12
Friedman then talks about how the mixing of energy technology and information technology. He talks about the power grid and how it isn’t efficient and how power is driven by regulations and not supply and demand. He goes on to tell this future story that was far fetched to me and he states that it sounds that way but then he goes on one of his overkill with facts runs on how it’s not that far off. The future story was most of this chapter and I found myself skipping pages. It just seemed like all filler.
o Chapter 13
The next chapter compares the Stone Age ending because of new ideas to what we are experiencing right now with the energy issues. The major problem is there hasn’t been a major breakthrough in clean energy. He explains how we need to have a carbon tax or some trade caps to level the playing field of green technologies. Once again in this chapter he runs off on a tangent and I had a hard time keeping up with him. He seemed to be unfocused and just started throwing facts out there. It was almost as bad as the story in the previous chapter.
o Chapter 14
The next chapter was about how we need cheaper energy because it is cheaper in the long run. He explains how regulations could lead to more efficient energy use. He says that even though it’s very costly to make this green technology and it can cut cost in the long run. He stresses that transportation needs to be changed to electricity to reduce the emissions that they produce. He talks about making the smarter grids to help this effort.
o Chapter 15
The next chapter is talks about how we need to preserve our natural resources because they have a direct correlation with our quality of life. He gives six ways we can preserve resources which are government policies for conservation, economic opportunities, local government preserving areas, biodiversity assessment, and education programs.
o Chapter 16
In the last chapter in this section he explains that out greening is competitive. We need to adopt a greening strategy because being the cheapest greenest means you can be competitive. He also has a point when he talks about how the world thought that the resources were free. I thought that was a great concept because it is almost like little kids who think something will last forever.
· China/America
o Chapter 17
In this chapter Friedman rips on China for the pollution that it makes from its growing economy. He explains that China cannot take the same path of industrialization that the western countries have. I think that is complete nonsense and not fair at all to China. Of course they should look for ways to grow the economy in a more green way but they shouldn’t be frowned upon for that. The part that shocked me was when he said that the U.S. should lead China to greener ways. That was just thoughtless why would a competitor want help from the competition, and why would they take it? Just a thought I had while reading this chapter.
o Chapter 18
This chapter has some good points and the best one is that we discuss the idea of greening but their little follow through. He rips on Congress for funding the wrong projects and complains about all the red tape and hoops companies have to jump through to build a new power plant. He also points out that if the U.S. doesn’t step up that China will out green the U.S. which I thought was a good point, too bad it was made towards the end of the chapter!
o Chapter 19
In his last chapter he focused on how we need a strategy to get things moving. He realizes that change will be hard and will be a difficult to do. The change would be hard because the benefits would not be felt for many years and we would be doing this for our children more than ourselves. He talks about how the nation’s leaders need to step up and face the problem that is right in their face.
Personal Insights
I feel that Friedman rambled and stumbled his way through most of his ideas. At times he would start with a great concept and then added so many random thoughts and ideas that I found myself skipping a few pages here and there. At times the book reminded me of that guy you meet at the bar who has had a few drinks. He has a great, or sometimes brilliant, idea and starts to support it with great facts but then he goes on this wild tangent, which is somewhat related, that makes you lose all interest. Friedman was this guy. He pulled me in with these intriguing ideas and concepts and would start to support them. Then he would tell you about an article he read about the subject. Of course, it was related to the idea but we could have gone without knowing every little detail that lead to this idea. I don’t want to ramble on like Friedman, so I’ll cut to the point. He could have said and relayed the same message with a book that was half the size. I would say anywhere from half to two thirds of the book is rambling.
· If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:
1. First off, I would have kept to the point and not rambled on. I would have stated the key points and supported them and left it at that.
2. I would have explained everything on a global level and kept the ideas very basic. It was really focused on the U.S. and that will not completely solve the problems stated.
3. I would also try to keep in the middle of the road about the subject I was talking about and try to let the facts sway he reader. I felt like when I was reading sometimes he would get very one sided and it pulled me away from some his ideas.
· Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:
1. I will look at global warming a lot differently. I was never sold on it either was but the chapter about the ice cap readings kind of pulled towards global warming. I will definitely be looking more into the subject.
2. I will think differently about the relationship between the price of oil and freedom in oil rich countries that was talked about in chapter 6. Even though freedom isn’t exactly a measurable thing it really made me think about the concept.
3. The book made me also think that we are picking on China for coming late to the game. They are just becoming developed and countries are beating them up about how they are doing it wrong. It’s like the picking on someone because you see potential.
· I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:
1. I will be aware not ramble on about something not matter how passionate I am about the subject. It’s frustrating listening to something without being supported by facts.
2. I will also be aware that something that is given to you, or that just happens to be in your good fortune, you still need to be grounded. The chapter about oil wealth and freedom really hit me hard.
3. I will apply that it’s a global economy and you can’t focus too much on one region because you can lose focus of the picture. Freidman focused on a few countries, mainly the U.S. and China, and lost the fact that these are problems for the world.
· Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:
“Thomas Friedman is about to dive into the green-tech fray. In his latest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, the multi-Pulitzer-winning journalist says everyone needs to accept that oil will never be cheap again and that wasteful, polluting technologies cannot be tolerated. The last big innovation in energy production, he observes, was nuclear power half a century ago; since then the field has stagnated.” Graff
“What will appeal to can-do business types is that Friedman’s book does not dwell, as, say, Gore’s movie did, on describing the problem, but concentrates most on sketching possible solutions. It is in these passages that Friedman’s argument really takes off, allowing him to give vent to his enthusiasm and unabashed idealism. Non-Americans might find his wide-eyed patriotism a touch saccharine if not naïve, but it’s hard not to be carried along by his evident passion.” Freeland
Bibliography
Freeland, Jonathan. Eco-nomics. NYTimes. Oct. 3, 2008
Graff, Garrett. In Hot, Flat, and Crowded, Thomas Friedman Calls for a Green Energy Revolution. Wired Magazine. 08-18-08
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Contact Info: To contact the author of this “Summary and Review of Hot, Flat, and Crowded,” please email W0358871@selu.edu.
BIOGRAPHY
David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).
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Read more:
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Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling
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Who couldn't pull for an underdog like Enron's Jeff Skilling? Hard to figure - except remember the immortal words of Randy Newman - see http://www
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Clash of the Titans: Viacom Loses To YouTube In Landmark Copyright Case
Image via Wikipedia
Hey, if you need a current event for your business class coming-up, let me suggest this big technology-business news story!
This ruling is a victory for all us "littles" - and yes, for Google, too! All media companies will have to wake-up and face the fact that "free" wins (see Chris Andersen's many articles/book on that very subject). Shared content can be used to drive traffic where you want, when you want, and - most importantly - to have eyeballs on adds (and with unbelievable traffic metrics for analysis and even better targeting of one's message/content).
If this does stand on appeal - sure the Viacom legal team (likely the size of the University of Texas home football squad!) will take this to the Supreme Court for a definitive ruling.
For a bit of background on how intense this case has been, watch the clip below:
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