This-Above-All

Gene Patents a laymans informed advice to legislators, Author M. Crichton's end-notes in his book NEXT

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0000

In my last post in my blog " No_Holds_Bard " entitled "Top Quotes-Quotes from novels - Mickael Crichton's thriller entitled NEXT_Realistic vs Dishonesty

I referenced Crichton's end notes on Genes Patenting. I believe this to be a serious enough issue to reproduce Crichton's well thought through main point conclusions. Of course he fully develops arguments in detail at the end of his thriller, NEXT.

Crichton's 5 point advice on gene patenting and tissue ownership.

1. Stop patenting genes!
2. Establish clear guidelines for the use of human tissues.
3. Pass laws to ensure that data about gene testing is made public.
4. Avoid bans on research.
5. Rescind the Bayh-Dole Act.

No_Holds_Bard: Top Quotes-Quotes from novels - Mickael Crichton's thriller entitled NEXT_Realistic vs Dishonesty

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:53:00 +0000

No_Holds_Bard: Top Quotes-Quotes from novels - Mickael Crichton's thriller entitled NEXT_Realistic vs Dishonesty

Humour - Systems of Gouvernement, Economic Systems, Companies Described in few sentences,

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:39:00 +0000

Conversation Starter - No offence intended, Comments, Criticism suggestions fully welcomed

How true do you rate the following definitions?

Humour: rate 0 to 10

Truth: rate 0 to 10

Fire Away - Read on

SOCIALISM

You have 2 cows.

You give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM

You have 2 cows.

The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM

You have 2 cows.

The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM

You have 2 cows.

The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM

You have 2 cows.

The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away.

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM

You have two cows.

You sell one and buy a bull.

Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.

You sell them and retire on the income.

ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (VENTURE) CAPITALISM

You have two cows.

You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows.

The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company.

The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.

You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States , leaving you with nine cows.

No balance sheet provided with the release.

The public then buys your bull.

SURREALISM

You have two giraffes.

The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.

Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you

want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.

You then create a clever cow cartoon image called a Cowkimona and market it worldwide.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.

You decide to have lunch.

A SWISS CORPORATION

You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.

You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You have 300 people milking them.

You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.

You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION

You have two cows.

Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION

Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.

You tell them that you have none.

No-one believes you, so they bomb the ** out of you and invade your country.

You still have no cows, but at least you are now a Democracy.

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

Business seems pretty good.

You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION

You have two cows.

The one on the left looks very attractive.

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources Ranked_Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, energy security_Information Overload Mastered

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources Ranked_Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, energy security_Information Overload Mastered

Top 10 surprising results attributed to global-warming Slide show from Live Science

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:35:00 +0000

One example of influential slide shows brought to us by Live Science in their Countdown series

Top 10 surprising results attributable to global-warming

Fight Climate Change or Adapt to it? - I for one surmise that an intelligent mix is of great urgency and amply justifies and echo in this blog "This Above All"

USA's National Center for Manufacturing Sciences practises what many already believe "that collaboration is innovation's incubator"

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:49:00 +0000

LINK:

Conversations-on-Innovations: USA's National Center for Manufacturing Sciences practises what many already believe "that collaboration is innovation's incubator"

Bookmark Herrmann Brain Dominance Concepts,Tools

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:58:00 +0000

Bookmark Herrmann Brain Dominance Concepts,Tools

Together with Jeff Rhodes' Effective Intelligence. tools, HBD is considered top of the cognitive management systems and tools available to assess how an individual thinks.

Bookmark Herrmann Brain Dominance Concepts,Tools.

My blog posts on Effective Intelligence started around 27 Sept 2010 " with a post
Six Strategic Mental Attitudes Part II - Strategic Mental Attitude N° I - BENCHMARKING

This series of 6 posts was hindered by my PC loss (stollen). This will be rectified in the days and weeks to come; I trust readers will appreciate this perseverance.

Hindsight-Foresight-Insight and from Insight to Action

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:49:00 +0000

　Hindsight-Foresight-Insight

Since these key concepts "Hindsight-Foresight" are fundamental to the preoccupations of this blog it is fitting that a little more insight be given to the underlying meanings which these concepts may conjure-up.
-Hindsight obviously conjure up the notion of experience, age…
-Foresight conjures up the attractive idea of mapping the future, reducing uncertainty and anxiety maximizing profit minimising loss etc...

Here the solution is in the concept of Insight.

Two references are quoted:

1. Soft and rather poetic.
2. Harsh_the harshness and anguish of seeking insight in response to the 9-11 terrorist attack.
First an interesting and rather poetic approach to the opposing hindsight-foresight dilemma which we shall see can be transcended as all dilemmas must be if solutions are to be found.

One can ask "what is more important"?

The looking backwards that comes with hindsight, or the looking forward that comes with foresight?

V.P. Mosser of learnthelessons.com explains as follows:

"I found that I'm able to learn lessons from past experiences by using hindsight, however, I'm also able to foresee future potential road blocks and pitfalls by using foresight."

Mosser’s Straight Board Analogy.

The ridged thick board cannot be bent the board. "The board is like the dilemma in the question "what is more important, hindsight or foresight"? It's one board with two different ends." (ie. holistic approach ) And goes on to explain "that one needs a balancing point, a point where you can see both ends, or both points, simultaneously." What Mosser recommends, is insight; and which he goes on to define as "vision in the moment, that's the transfer point between hindsight and foresight. Insight is neither hindsight nor foresight, yet it is of both."

"The focal point, or in other words, the point of balance in the middle of the teeter-totter that makes the ride possible is like insight. That focal point makes it possible for hindsight and foresight to transfer their energy and wisdom between one another. This point is also the birthplace of the two endpoints because it is the only spot that isn't a part of the past or a part of the future. What you do at this point of insight becomes your past, and what you do here at this point of insight determines your future. So, my friend, you might say that the balance point is insight-and the board represents hindsight at one end and foresight at the other. Just as the balance point transforms a simple board into a fun ride as a teeter-totter; so does insight effect our lives when we use the balance point of insight."
"To paraphrase:
You see, insight operates in the moment, it's instantaneous-it's not of time-it's simply a marker between the past and the future; another way to explain it would be as a porthole between the past and future. Insight is a transformational ( transcendental?) point in which life happens when one is completely attentive to each moment, to the present, which is where we live our lives, moment by moment.

The problem we so often experience is that we give our attention to the past or the future, at the expense of attending the all-important present moment. We worry about our past or fret about our future and in that process we give up our opportunity to exercise any influence we have in our lives, which can only happen in the here and now.

More from learnthelessons.com

2. Harsh_ The harshness and anguish of seeking insight in response to the 9-11 terrorist attack.
In composing this narrative we have tried to remember that we write with the benefit and the handicap of hindsight. Hindsight can sometimes see the past clearly - with 20/20 vision. But the path of what happened is so brightly lit that it places everything else more deeply into shadow.

Commenting on Pearl Harbor, Roberta Wohlstetter found it "much easier after the event to sort the relevant from the irrelevant signals. After the event, of course, a signal is always crystal clear; we can now see what disaster it was signaling since the disaster has occurred. But before the event it is obscure and pregnant with conflicting meanings."

Insight for the future is thus not easy to apply in practice. It is hardest to mount a major effort while a problem still seems minor. Once the danger has fully materialized, evident to all, mobilizing action is easier—but it then may be too late.
The methods for detecting and then warning of surprise attack that the U.S.
government had so painstakingly developed in the decades after Pearl Harbordid not fail; instead,they were not really tried.They were not employed to analyze the enemy that, as the twentieth century closed, was most likely to launch a surprise attack directly against the United States.
In guise of a conclusion from the 9-11 Commission Report:

From Insight to Action requires Exceptional Insight and Action comes at times of Exceptional Circumstances: The following is quoted the 9-11 C report.
"The Millennium Exception
Before concluding our narrative, we offer a reminder, and an explanation, of
the one period in which the government as a whole seemed to be acting in
concert to deal with terrorism—the last weeks of December 1999 preceding
the millennium."

"In the period between December 1999 and early January 2000, informa-
tion about terrorism flowed widely and abundantly.The flow from the FBI was
particularly remarkable because the FBI at other times shared almost no infor-
mation."
More...cf. reference 2 below whose conclusions I strongly recommend.
Indeed balance is ever necessary be it individual or big gouvernment-organisations!

There is much to be said for the poetic approach to personal focus, balance and 'thinking outside the box' for creative thought and depth of insight.

References.
1. More from learnthelessons.com

2. THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT [pdf]

LINK _Project Portfolio Management _Foresight-Hindsight in Materials Science and Engineering

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:09:00 +0000

LINK

Foresight-Hindsight in Materials Science and Engineering _Project Portfolio Management

TRUE or FALSE QUOTES and COMMENTS: "For the super rich, money is the universal super powerful detergent, the universal clean all"

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:44:00 +0000

TRUE or FALSE QUOTES and COMMENTS: "For the super rich, money is the universal super powerful detergent, the universal clean all"

Let me share some thought raising "pearls of wisdom" quoted from my current passion for Detective and Thriller Fiction.

The present quote is due to Harlan Coben in his novel "Temps Mort" in French-(my interpretation of the french, Original title in English "One false move". There are a number of others in the same work, which I may manage to bring to my readers attention and in doing so encourage bloggers and blog readers to share my taste for Detective and Thriller Fiction such as Coben among others.

Believe it or not, there is no conscious reference to current event in French and International affaires.

Geoffrey West On the Scale and Unity of Life from Cells to Cities

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:11:00 +0000

New video added to my vodpod video wall

Just as dimensional analysis [pdf] is a fundamental tool of engineering in getting the right units and checking phenomena so too is scaling fundamental to coming to grips with complex systems.

In this video Geoffrey West of the Santa Fe Institute helps us come to grips with such complex systems as life the ultimate biological mystery.

Join the discussion

The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy - Harvard Business Review

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Window to HBR-Harvard Business Review

Let me share this window to HBR, from a publicity banner on Linkedin.

The current link recalls, The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter and figuers an excellant video of an extensive interview with Mike Porter himself.

The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy - Harvard Business Review

Well worth a visit.

Enjoy

Power and corruption by any name?

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:17:00 +0000

This Economist article entitled "How to curb your legal bills " gives yet again an enlightening and unflattering view of the US governing and judicial system - a near closed shop system. It gives some basic facts to on which to base ones militant actions. It is a good conversation starter. I for one now understand better how one private individual - a militant lawyer, did far more to protect US consumers than any elected senator or state governor, his name? Ralph Nader

However for readers are seeking recipes to curb lawyers fees, one should consult readers comment at the end of the article.

Value for money - in a recent operation here in France, I would place the following over-rated fees as follows
1. Estate Agencies minimum 5000 euros for lower valued property, increasing with sales price - very little effort involved.
2. Lawyers fee - at least much higher skill level
I placed State agency

Shame on such professions compared to the skill and physical effort made by our father and son micro enterprise team who
A. pulled-out the obsolete electrical wiring and fuse system and put in brand new one respecting modern legislation standards.
B. Transferred a partial but brand new kitchen unit plus completed the missing elements + working surface new modern sink unit pluming+wall tiles-.
C. fully tilled the bathroom and separate WC. Installed new bathroom hand washing unit. Removed ancient wall paper on all rooms and painted walls and woodwork.
Our externally imposed delays-roughly 1 month to get the job done- imposed a very tight schedule on our team which remained unruffled throughout-true professionals!

Price: of the same order of magnitude as the above "Named and Shamed".

Of course my wife and I did some manual labouring support throughout.

This is written in a context where subsidised unemployed persons are finger pointed - Were Banks today not "subsidised, were car manufacturers in France not subsidised..Energy and transport lobbied too. The list is too long.

I trust this wiki will help stimulate some common sense in "value analysis"
in reference to:

"How to curb your legal bills"
- The price of legal services: How to curb your legal bills | The Economist (view on Google Sidewiki)

Iodine-131, Xenon 133, Cesium 137 Northern hemisphere - radiation | FLEXPART: dispersion model_This Above All

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Nolonger hearing about the FUKISHIMA radiation cloud on the news in France, I finally got around to looking up the current cloud dispersion data via Internet.

The full chart shows Xenon-133 dispersion 27 March 2011 for the northern hemisphere:

The following charts are from the UK site, Weatheronline and can be followed day by day:

Iodine-131 Northern hemisphere - radiation | FLEXPART: dispersion model

Xenon-133 - Northern hemisphere - FLEXPART: dispersion model

Caesium-137 - Northern hemisphere - FLEXPART: dispersion model

I have also added a video to my wall above my posts.

Learn more on radioactivity via wikipedia:

Radioactivity

Ionizing Radiation

Xenon

Naturally occurring xenon is made of nine stable isotopes, the most of any element with the exception of tin, which has ten. Xenon and tin are the only elements to have more than seven stable isotopes.^[61] The isotopes ¹²⁴Xe, ¹³⁴Xe and ¹³⁶Xe are predicted to undergo double beta decay, but this has never been observed so they are considered to be stable.^[62] Besides these stable forms, there are over 40 unstable isotopes that have been studied. ¹²⁹Xe is produced by beta decay of ¹²⁹I, which has a half-life of 16 million years, while ^131mXe, ¹³³Xe, ^133mXe, and ¹³⁵Xe are some of thefission products of both ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu,^[60] and therefore used as indicators of nuclear explosions. Ref Wikipedia

Caesium

¹³⁷Cs with a half-life of 30.17 years is one of the two principal medium-lived fission products, along with strontium-90, which are responsible for most of the radioactivity of spent nuclear fuel after several years of cooling, up to several hundred years after use. It constitutes most of the radioactivity still left from the Chernobyl accident. ¹³⁷Cs beta decays to barium-137m (a short-lived nuclear isomer) then to nonradioactive barium-137, and is also a strong emitter of gamma radiation. ¹³⁷Cs has a very low rate of neutron capture and cannot be feasibly disposed of in this way, but must be allowed to decay. ¹³⁷Cs has been used as a tracer in hydrologic studies, analogous to the use of ³H.

Iodine-131

Iodine-131 (half-life 8 days) is a beta-emitting isotope, which is a common nuclear fission product. It is preferably administered to humans only in very high doses which destroy all tissues that accumulate it (usually the thyroid), which in turn prevents these tissues from developing cancer from a lower dose (paradoxically, a high dose of this isotope appears safer for the thryoid than a low dose). Like other radioiodines, I-131 accumulates in the thyroid gland, but unlike the others, in small amounts it is highly carcinogenic there, it seems, due to the high local cell mutation due to damage from beta decay. Because of this tendency of ¹³¹I to cause high damage to cells that accumulate it and other cells near them (0.6 to 2 mm away, the range of the beta rays), it is the only iodine radioisotope used as direct therapy, to kill tissues such as cancers that take up artificially iodinated molecules (example, the compound iobenguane, also known as MIBG). For the same reason, only the iodine isotope I-131 is used to treat Grave's disease and those types of thyroid cancers (sometimes in metastatic form) where the tissue that requires destruction, still functions to naturally accumulate iodide.

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Topics for discussed_Renewable Energy in India, 5th May 2011 - Step towards achieving Climate Change Goals

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:33:00 +0000

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Topics for discussed_Renewable Energy in India, 5th May 2011 - Step towards achieving Climate Change Goals

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Who's Who in Renewable Energy in India, 5th May 2011 - A step towards achieving Climate Change Goals

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:32:00 +0000

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Who's Who in Renewable Energy in India, 5th May 2011 - A step towards achieving Climate Change Goals

Link-A Banquet of Consequences: Systems Thinking and Modeling for Climate Policy-Dire Warning

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:17:00 +0000

A Banquet of Consequences: Systems Thinking and Modeling for Climate Policy-Dire Warning

KTN- Knowledge Transfer Network, UK - Video Streams on Environment sustainability

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:59:00 +0000

LINK to post and video access - KTN-Knowledge Transfer Network-video stream
Also available via the above video wall.

Cheers and enjoy viewing and participation in the live stream debates.

UK University Business Schools Rank - 2010 Final. Check it out.

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:16:00 +0000

UK University Business Schools Ranked

Check the UK University Rank and Ranking criteria here:

Faculty satisfaction with the ranking methods are very variable - Tell us more.

All comments, criticism, remarks etc. are most welcome. Please feel free to vent your thoughts, affinities and feelings.

1st Basic Rule of Good Management, Leadership must have credibility.

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 19:18:00 +0000

1st Basic Rule of Good_Management: GOOD LEADERSHIP NEEDS CREDIBILITY: "Walk the Talk, Time Gentlemen Please!*

If the talk is all about austerity and the in thing is budget restrictions, it is not to say that our ministers happily apply the famous principle: "Do as I say, not what I do.
"Despite the crisis, therefore, the executive members have some difficulty in giving the facilities offered to them by the Republic. Spending it is difficult to know, as if he was still indecent to demand accountability on the use of public money.

Journalists break their teeth on these issues. But politicians, (as peers) and as part of their function (Job Specification) have proceedures which allows them to seek clarification. Of the thousands of French parliamentarians, there is one, Rene Dosière, who decided to use the powers that are given by its function. This member of parliament (related to the Socialist Party) for the Deprtment of Aisne has been for some years now the expert on these sensitive issues which anger the executive.

The two appartments of Mr. Estrosi, Minister for Industry.

An executive who is obliged to provide answers to the "honorable" member. Even if these responses are sometimes slow to come (a few weeks to a few years ...!) And sometimes intentionally inaccurate or incomplete. Even inaccurate.

Take for example the question asked in late May on staff accommodation attributed to the ministers and state secretaries. The answer appears to be exhaustive, however the response concerning Mr Christian Estrosi (Industry) appears only one mention to his apartment in the rue de Lille, while he himself admitted to benefitting from two staff houses, one where he lives, rue de Lille, the other at Bercy, he "used the latter when he ended his days work." Paris is a big city ...

Answers to take with some relative distance, but which nevertheless give a reasonable idea of the volume and use of public subsidies for those who are responsible.

Un-necessary work programmed on Residence formally attached to Matignon annexed by President Sarkozy and the work envisaged billed to Matignon (Prime Minister Fillon's allocated budget)

We learn for example that French President M. Nicolas Sarkozy, not content to attach the residence of the Lantern (an annex of the Palace of Versailles with gilding, paintings by masters and park but also with a pool and tennis), vested up Prime Minister in 2007, did a cost of "adjustments." Work that has not really started yet the budget of the Elysee (110 million) since they were essentially supported the President's request, by Matignon, for the modest sum of 390,000 euros over three years. A sum which, unlike the work done at the Elysee Palace may not have intended to "improve working conditions" of staff, since it is only a secondary residence.
80 000 euros of private aircraft for the Ministry of Culture

We also learn that our President is not alone in having a taste for travel. Take for example the Ministry of Culture, whose too Parisian side is often a source of criticism from some ill intentioned spirits.[sarcasm] He, instead, spent lavishly to disseminate knowledge in the provinces and abroad.

In 2009, according to official figures he has just given the "air travel in France, overseas or outside the office of Minister of Culture and Communication" amounted to 403 000 "Taxes".
A sum which includes travel by commercial airliner and those operated with aircraft from the former Glam (now Etec, depending on the Air Force). A fleet that does not seem sufficient to the needs of Culture admits that about 80 000 trips in 'private plane. " Rigor? You said rigour?

*Glossary: Time Gentlemen Please! is the barman's call warning UK Pubs closing The preceding call is " Last drinks, gentlemen".

Read also on Rue89 and Eco89 ref below
► "The Budget Ministry is the department that are the best paid '
► stampede of journalists in apartments Estrosi

REFERENCE and Supporive links for the above claims below (in french)
http://www.rue89.com/argent-elus/2010/10/22/de-la-difficulte-de-savoir-combien-nos-chers-elus-depensent-172447

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Protect your laptop - Here I lacked Foresight

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 21:03:00 +0000

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: Protect your laptop -

NB all critical pass words now protected - if any concerns arise please contact me

Six Strategic Mental Attitudes Part II - Strategic Mental Attitude N° I - BENCHMARKING

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:04:00 +0000

I. BENCHMARKING.

In simple management terms, benchmarking is the best and arguably the easiest

method to initiate change to improve organisational performance. It consists in using the experience, of other organisations. Why re-invent the wheel? Why not seek ideas and practice of others which may help improve productivity or quality? By comparing one’s organisation al methods with those of the most performing in a sector of activity, using similar working processes. The benchmarker can identify practice which leads to better results and adapt them to his own needs.

This concept is probably the oldest. Indeed it has long found a place in common language. It consists in measurement, measurement to prepare working to size or to a standard. Measurement of the task to be performed, be it cutting a material to size where the tradesman marks the required size on the work-bench or in a wider sense, measurement of performance to be improved, both from internal organisation practice and importantly against relevant external performance such as that of competitors activities.    So it is certainly the easiest concept to understand. communicate and find adhesion within a performance improvement (change) project.

A quick glance at the table of qualities valued in benchmarking reflects as expected the predominance of percentage the objective qualities: logic and information, (almost total implication-effort rated 90% each) The subjective quality: communication is next in call for resources (50% implication) . Of secondary importance are Ingenuity: introspection and reorganisation and Values: conviction and motivation (30% each) (admit that improvement is necessary and possible objectively and conviction and motivation are of course necessary for any successful project outcome.

Today benchmarking has evolved. Once the precise measurement technique described above, it has evolved into a strategic management method and approach. Rather than or building upon the stricter narrower approach of adoption and imitation now the accent is given to the wider values of adaptation and innovation. The process of development (durable-sustainable) and holistic learning are privileged over the earlier constrained vision of products and markets. Benchmarking is no longer a short-term problem oriented project but a continuous process. In the past, the benchmarks, here, the effective measurements of comparative performance were the most important. Today focus is given to the key factors, processes and activities which lead to optimum performance and achievement. Benchmarking is no longer a punctual project but has become an integral part of the long-term commercial strategy.

Benchmarking is often associated with industrial companies but has now shown itself to be equally useful in non-industrial organisations. The following example is taken from the experience of First Chicago Bank, at the time, the biggest bank in Midwest USA. First Chicago Direction wished to improve their human resources management.

The direction identified ten important areas which could help the bank progress and decided to launch a benchmarking project. During the initial phase, two critical factors to ensure the banks success, were identifie.

2 Critical Factors:
1. Responsibilisation.
2. Autonomous Team Working.

A project team was formed to study all publications on theses two themes.

After intense discussion between team members a list of critical questions, relative to benchmarking, was drawn-up. It included measurement of the team-work in practice and of progress in responsibilisation as well as the results likely to be achieved.

The team rapidly understood that there was little to be learned from the First Chicago itself nor from the rest of the banking industry. Therefore it did not orient it’s research on it’s competitors but instead, turned towards partners who have more to offer in these two fields.

Fourteen companies of which only one was a bank were chosen as benchmarking targets. These partners were contacted individually in order to set-up the indispensable co-operation required for all benchmarking.

Data was gathered from the partners during visits, meetings and telephone conversations. The methods and performances were studied and documented on the basis of the previously determined benchmarking questions. The final analysis was presented to the board in a written report underlining the role of the board in the two critical areas of responsibilisation and team work. The report also treated other points such as; training and support, the key elements for implementation, the importance of compensation and recognition and of the results and risks associated with diverse activities.

Many important lessons were learned from the exercise and several interesting methods were discovered from benchmarking partners. However the First Chicago studies were complex and did not allow the team to find an optimal practice to use within the bank in order to attain the two principle aims: 1. responsibilisation and 2. The setting-up of team practice. On the other hand, 1st Chicago benefited from the experience of it’s benchmark partners in order to choose diverse concepts and techniques amenable for adoption in the context of the commercial objectives and the company culture of the bank.

Good benchmarking follows a point by point approach and names a benchmarking project team which assumes the direction and management of the project. The team is put in charge of; drawing up the outline of the study, finding benchmark partners, observation and documentation of partners work-flow and processes, identification of dysfunctions and of their fundamental causes and of choosing the optimal practices which may be adopted and put into practice within the organisation.

3 points to be remembered in undertaking a benchmark project.

1. Construct a programme which justifies benchmarking as seen from the viewpoint of the board and the principle shareholders, one which meets the overall aims and objectives of the organisation.

2.Guarantee the support of the benchmark study by choosing powerful sponsors, by building a competent team and by ensuring proper training.

3. Support the project throughout it’s duration by presenting it’s successes and it’s evolutions, by maintaining the benchmarking operation’s visibility within the organisation and by recognising and compensating the best efforts of benchmarking.

Six Benchmarking Check-list Questions:

1. Do we know how to draw up the list of products and processes, set them side by side and compare them in a fair and equitable manner?

2. Have we defined the aspects to be compared?

3. Are we certain that we are carrying out comparisons at equivalent and adequate levels?

4. Do we know how to and where to find the critical information which we require that is
capable of distinguishing that which is specific and essential in other organisations and of applying it to our own case.

6. Have we examined each optimal practice identified in order to check if it truly is applicable to our case.

MORE NEXT WEEK...

World Future Society - Thomas Frey-Futurist, His blog and some videos

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:41:00 +0000

A quick introduction to themes raised by Thomas Frey :

I have added a few videos to my "Hindsight-Foresight" video wall, see above.

Thomas Frey's blog

Check some themes from Fray's blog list:

Paradigm-Breaking Books

Artificial Islands are Floating in Our Future

Cycling would be good for your health ... and financial health, follows Walking is good for your health

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:35:00 +0000

Cycling would be good for your health ... and financial health
(Translated from French using Google toolbar Translator)

"According to an article from Reuters , reprinted in extenso and in the same way , by the sites of theExpress and Point ( almost identical to the photo .. ) the bike would be good for health .

The study by the Altermodal - Indiggo was made for Hubert Combed , Interdepartmental Coordinator for the development of cycling. It is not a scoop but the study put a cost saving figure to well-known qualitative experience.
According to Nicolas Mercat co - founder of Altermodal Indiggo - project leader of this study and great fan of cycling before the Lord (he committed two books on the theme of travel by bicycle ,Successful political cycle - Practical Tools for Effective Communication and Greenways : Attendance and impact )

POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS:
With 87 kilometers on average per inhabitant per year , the French are far from the Dutch, who are 800-1000 , but also of " Platoon " where there are particular Germans , Belgians and Swiss, credited 250-500 km per year ... . Based on a Danish study based itself on a WHO methodology , it is estimated that 5.6 billion euros the impact of cycling on health in France ... . ' to finish on an optimist " With 350 km cycling per year per capita, there is no hole for Social Security "

Related Post:

Walking works, is good for your health and for business -Universities and CollegesTop brains look at Sustainability_EAUC Confs"

References on Cycling studies:

WHO-World Health Organisation Physical Activity,Health and Disease

WHO-Cycling,Health and Overweight

Do the Health Benefits of Cycling Outweigh the Risks?

More?
"A study authored by Professor David Bassett Jr. from the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and three other researchers was published August 19 in the American Journal of Public Health, concluding that communities with more walkers and cyclists are healthier than those where people must rely on cars to get around"

ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2010) — Want a slimmer, healthier community? Try building more sidewalks, crosswalks and bike paths.

Overall, the U.S. doesn't measure up well.
"European countries with high rates of walking and cycling have less obesity than do Australia and countries in North America that are highly car-dependent," the authors wrote.

Full Article and references:
Link Between Walking, Cycling and Health from Science Dailey

THE ART OF FINDING THE MANAGEMENT STYLE BEST SUITED TO AN INDIVIDUAL AND HOW TO INTEGRATE THIS TO OBTAIN TEAM AND ORGANISTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

noreply@blogger.com (James Alexander) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:48:00 +0000

SIX STRATEGIC MENTAL ATTITUDES I.

This is an introduction to my planned series of 6 posts on Six Strategic Mental Attitudes corresponding to the list of six important and well documented management concepts listed below.

I have chosen to write on this approach due to its originality, its emphasis on mind-sets and personalities which so often play a determining role in team work and management meetings decisional and pre-decisional

(reference translated from the french version a booklet ISBN: 87-90172-10-8 by M. Wiman, Stefan Boéthiusand Per Hamann.)

INTRODUCTION

Management is about thought for organisational action and improved performance.

Management science is a field of many concepts and organisational performance methods.

This ebook will consider in depth, the essentials of six important concepts.

1-Benchmarking to measure and improve performance.

2-Networking and Virtual Organisation.

3-Re-engineering. Re-engineering a company’s work-flow processes for a new start.

4-Learning Organisation to improving the company collective know-how.

5-Key Competence, know-how as competitive advantage.

6-Empowerment, individual responsabilisation.

Underlying principles are brought to the fore in order to make better use of each individual manager’s style-preferred thinking processes individually and as a member of the project management team. It will be shown how to optimise overall project and company performance by integrating the benefits of multiple concepts and methods.

GENERAL-OVERVIEW:

In essence every activity implies the repetition of three [thought] mechanisms:

1. VALID - Choice of orientation. Identify what is available -VALID.

2. TRUE - Understand the situation: requires sufficient knowledge pour determiner what is TRUE.

3. NEW - Evaluate one’s own capacity: keep an open mind in order to seek what is NEW. [what is changing.]

Each of these three mechanisms has in turn two aspects or dimensions:

1. Objective

2. Subjective .

They are two fundamentally differing types of thought:

- Objective thought is rational and realistic. It entails making a good choice of measures which require to be taken, choices based upon sound principles and foundations, sound information and knowledge and capable of functioning in the real world.

- Subjective reasoning is intuitive and affective: delegate tasks, call upon the understanding of others and apprehend the subjective pulsions-automatisms- motivations of the people involved.

These six different management concepts and underlying principles are summarised in Table 1, (2x3) above:

Table 1 allows us to efficiently describe, not only personal mental attitudes, but also the type of reasoning required by a particular situation or task.

Successful action implies an interaction between the six types of reasoning. An effective manager or project of management is capable of evolving between the six aptitudes and to use those which respond best to the characteristics of any situation.

Insights into many modern management concepts may be obtained by referring to the degrees with which the six strategic mental aptitudes are required to achieve a success in practice and also how the concepts or methods are related to one another in order to achieve successful project results.

For example management by objectives is based on intuitive values, a rationality and objective information. Team work, by definition, is an activity based on communication and a group of shared values

Each of the following six modern well known management concepts:

-Benchmarking to measure and improve performance.

-Networking and Virtual Organisation.

-Re-engineering. Re-engineering a company’s work-flow processes for a new start.

-Learning Organisation to improving the company collective know-how.

-Key Competence, know-how as competitive advantage.

-Empowerment, individual responsabilisation.

will be considered in turn, in the six post to follow in the following weeks(approx 1/week). Each concept and associated methodology gives, and in fact requires, a different emphasis, a different blend of the these different mental aptitudes.

The degrees to which the six management concepts listed above may be characterised by different blendings of the six strategic mental aptitudes. These will be illustrated graphically using a grid system, whereby the mental attitudes are the defined colours as shown above in Table 1, and the degrees to which these enter into the Management Concepts and methodology are estimated in percentage given on the vertical axis.