Latest posts
Red Flag Acts
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Also called 'Locomotive Acts', these pieces of legislation - there where three in total - were passed in the UK in the late 19th century to control the use of 'mechanically propelled vehicles' on public roads. Mechanically propelled or self pro...
Small print does not build trust
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The other day, I received an email from Avis, in which they informed me about a new service: For EUR 9,90 one-way, they offered to deliver the rented car everywhere. Everywhere? This special offer was printed in bold type and had an * a...
Efficiency, an enemy of innovation?
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Operative efficiency is of course a must, but once efficiency becomes a strategic imperative, things often turn problematic. Optimizing existing processes and continuous cost-cutting, often at the expense of jobs - but that is another story - aim...
Your voice matters in more ways than one
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Last Sunday, State elections took place in the Saarland, a small German state bordering France. With 61%, the voter turnout was rather low -> 39%, i.e. almost 2 out of 5 having the right to vote, chose not to exert that right. The CDU (Christia...
We are all customers
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That's right, each and everyone of us is a customer! Wikipedia defines a customer as "a recipient of a good, product or service from a seller, vendor or supplier for a monetary or other valuable consideration". One side demands, the other side sup...
A silent majority is no majority
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It's true in politics and it's true in business. Unfortunately we often choose to forget that, when sitting in our recliners and complaining about the injustice in this world. And the occasional outburst of anger in the Internet won't change the worl...
No to the yes-man
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... but that doesn't mean yes to the no-man. We all know yes-men, corporations are full of them. They're obedient, but not necessarily loyal - there's a big difference. Dictators happily surround themselves with yes-men, modern leaders shouldn't.
Youth unemployment and political failure
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Yesterday's article 'Youth unemployment crisis sparks Davos leaders into action' in the Guardian caught my attention. For those interested, here's the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jan/28/youth-unemployment-crisis-davos-actio...
On trust, distrust ... and the indispensable consequences
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In the latest Edelman Trust Barometer 2012 for Germany, a dismal 34% of the respondents trusted business, that is minus 18% compared to last year. Only 21% found CEO's to be trustworthy. Together with financial analysts (22%) and government officials...
On producers and consumers
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The nouns 'producer' and 'consumer' are expressions of a two-class materialistic view of the world. I personally think that the downgrade of a human being to the status of a 'consumer' is discriminatory. Looking at the adjectives rather...
High labor costs .... and low retail prices
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Labor costs are one factor influencing production costs. High labor costs are often cited as one major reason for moving production abroad: It has become too expensive to manufacture domestically. This does of course not apply to all products, l...
Opportunity makes a thief
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We all know this saying made famous by Francis Bacon in a letter written to the Earl of Essex back in 1598 (if I'm not mistaken). The quote has been used by criminologists to describe how opportunity is one - but not the only - cause of crime. Sin...
Dinner for One
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'Dinner for One' with the English comedian Freddie Frinton was produced for German TV back in 1963. The sketch has been aired on every New Years Eve since 1972 in Germany. It has become a classic. Now there seems to be a politically inspired remak...
Books, Books, Books
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I have quite a few important - at least I think so - projects coming up next year. The scope of work requires me to take a time-out from my consulting work. It also requires me to do a lot of reading. Books are a great source of inspiration and enlig...
Merry Christmas
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Greg Lake: I Believe in Father Christmas Enjoy this classic and think about Greg Lake's observation: 'the Christmas we get we deserve' Permalink | Leave a comment »...
'Die Zeit' - An Update
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In my post dated December 16, 2011 -- 'Die Zeit' - Chronology of a Failure -- I outlined how one of Germany's leading newspapers had utterly failed in terms of customer service. I also mentioned that I cancelled my subscription on December 9, 2011, b...
EU Biggest Hits: A Recap
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... and the 10 best - at least in my opinion - songs for the first compilation are: Queen: Another one bites the dust AC/DC: Highway to hell Pink Floyd: Money Supertramp: Dreamer Europe: The final countdown The Rolling Stones: You can't alwa...
'Die Zeit' - Chronology of a Failure
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Some of you may be surprised that I'm writing about 'Die Zeit' again, but apparently this newspaper is full of surprises, unfortunately negative ones! So, here's what has happened so far: 11.11.2011 - I subscribe to 'Die Zeit' and the subscr...
Legally Correct vs. Morally Incorrect
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A few days ago, the press reported that the German President Wulff had received a private mortgage loan - 500.000,- at 4% - from the wife of a business man, who also happens to be one of his personal friends. He had gotten the loan when he was still...
Ethical Values?
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Today, Neelie Kroes, the European Digital Agenda Commissioner has " invited Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a former Federal Minister of Defense, and of Economics and Technology, in Germany, to advise on how to provide ongoing support to Internet users,...
