culture

7-Eleven House Wine Taste Test: My Mom Takes a Spin Down Yosemite Road

Tyler Gray — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:23:27 -0500

I don't know about the chardonnay, but if Yosemite Road Cabernet, 7-Eleven's house brand, were a song, it'd be "Red, Red Wine." Not Neil Diamond's original. Or even Tony Tribe's excellent rocksteady version. It'd be the UB40 cover, because it's obvious, completely inoffensive, and in this case, on heavy rotation in my mom's place.

Why Values Trump Rules and Regulation

Dov Seidman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:59:36 -0500

Everywhere I travel, I hear the same refrains: "We need more regulation," or on the flip side, "If we hadn't deregulated, we wouldn't be in this financial mess."

It looks like the White House is of this mind-set. Citing Wall Street for helping to create a "culture of irresponsibility," President Obama wants to impose more rules on the financial industry by, among other things, creating a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

BlueBeat's Hank Risan: That's Not the Beatles, It's a "Virtual Cover Band"

Tyler Gray — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:04:20 -0500

If you thought that was AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles you streamed for free or downloaded this week for $.25 from BlueBeat.com, it's an understandable error. The music sounded identical to songs by those artists.

'30 Rock' Ends Product Placement Speculation, Writes Cisco Into Last Night's Episode

Tyler Gray — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:13:06 -0500

Cisco got one hell of a pitch man in Jack Donaghy.

Beatles Label EMI Slaps Former Huffington Post Blogger, BlueBeat Owner With Federal Lawsuit

Tyler Gray — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:17:00 -0500

Get your Beatles downloads from BlueBeat.com while they're hot--as in stolen, according to a federal copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the site and its owner by EMI records, which distributes the Beatles music, in Los Angeles Wednesday.

On second thought, be careful what you're buying.

Weezer Snuggie: Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Marketing Since the ELO Hockey Puck

Tyler Gray — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:09:56 -0500

Let's face it, your Magic the Gathering "wooby" is full of holes and smell's like last year's Cool Ranch Doritos. Time to bundle up with your laptop, a sweet Bluetooth headset, some good internationally scattered first-person shooter "friends," and, of course, the Weezer Snuggie.

CHANGING? YOU FIRST……….!

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:16:28 -0500

It is an open door to talk about all the change that is necessary and all the change programs that are work in process.

However, there is also plenty of evidence (McKinsey, IBM) that the majority of the changes do not deliver the required results. There are two main reasons for this issue.

BlueBeat Defiantly Selling Beatles, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin Right Now for Cheap

Tyler Gray — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:52:05 -0400

WHAT KIND OF INNOVATOR ARE YOU?

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:59:51 -0400

In the book ‘Old Masters and Young Geniuses’ by David Galenson there are two types of innovators researched. His analysis of the life cycles of creativity has considered painters, sculptors, poets, novelists and movie directors.

HOW TO CLOSE THE CORPORATE GAP? BRIDGE BUILDERS NEEDED!

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:33:37 -0400

It looks like the gap, the divide is getting bigger instead of getting smaller.
Which gap? Well, between on one hand the Corporate leaders and managers who are not open to change, who continue to do business as they have done for many years now and on the other hand mostly the consultants, bloggers and entrepreneurs who know that the 21st century requires a new way of doing business.

So, what is needed are bridge builders. People who can bridge the gap and thus connect the merits of both approaches.
What is needed to be a great bridge builder?

HIRING FOR AWESOMENESS OR FOR AVERAGENESS

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:00:13 -0400

Most recruiting companies list in their job requirements exactly what experience the candidate should bring. They prefer to hire someone who has done exactly the same job in another company, but in the same industry.

They think that they play it safe in this way. When there is a fit, they think that there is hardly any risk, as the person has done that particular job before.

MARKET SAVVINESS IS CRUCIAL FOR A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:15:01 -0400

On one hand it is clear that changes are speeding up, in business, technology, the market, legislation, demographics and so on. It is a challenge to keep up to date with all these new developments.

On the other hand there is an increased focus on the inner workings of an organization. Most of the attention is directed towards restructuring, lay-offs and financial survival.

The “New” G.M. Sounds Dangerously Like the Old, Dead Saturn

Adam Hanft — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:20:04 -0400

“The General Motors Corporation today displayed the prototype of a small car intended to someday match similar Japanese cars in cost and match or exceed them in quality.”

So wrote The New York Times on November 4th, 1983. And yesterday, with the withdrawal of Penske as a potential purchaser of Saturn, the “someday” of that distant, gauzy announcement has turned out to be never.

Sustainability: It's Not About Light Bulbs

Dov Seidman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:05:45 -0400

The owner of a McDonald's franchise made news recently by opening an eco-friendly restaurant in Cary, N.C. It has energy-efficient refrigerators, low-flow toilets, tables made from sunflower seeds and even recharging stations for electric cars.

This McDonald's is surely going green. But that doesn't make it sustainable.

LISTENING: THE FORGOTTEN BUSINESS SKILL

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:03:04 -0400

More and more we are busy, very busy. As a consequence we read and write quickly and superficially, because it seems that we are always in a hurry.

Where do you fit with today’s consumer mindset?

Mike Doherty — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:39:04 -0400

Like any other loss, people progress through difficult times like a recession in stages. The first stage is “Distress” which includes feelings of anger and sadness. I think we are past that.

The next stage is “Acceptance” which is eventually followed by the third stage: “Moving On”. While my colleagues and I would assert that consumers are in stage two, we don’t believe anyone will be “Moving On” anytime soon. Given that, marketers should consider how they position themselves for today’s mindset.

HOW TO ORGANIZE AN INTERNAL INNOVATION TEAM?

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:49:24 -0400

More and more organizations are becoming
convinced that innovation is no longer a nuisance, but that it is the only way out of the misery.

Once you have taken the decision the next
step is to think about how you are going to organize that activity (if you haven’t done that already). There are four keys to organizing innovation:

HOW TO ORGANIZE AN INTERNAL INNOVATION TEAM?

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:49:24 -0400

More and more organizations are becoming
convinced that innovation is no longer a nuisance, but that it is the only way out of the misery.

Once you have taken the decision the next
step is to think about how you are going to organize that activity (if you haven’t done that already). There are four keys to organizing innovation:

(UN)PROFESSIONAL SERVICE IMPACTS YOUR BRAND

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:55:06 -0400

(UN)PROFESSIONAL SERVICE IMPACTS YOUR BRAND

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:54:53 -0400

INNOVATION AND CONTINUOUS LEARNING ARE INSEPARABLE

Arnold Beekes — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:52:07 -0400

The enormous amount of change requires an
almost equal speed in learning. Changes are in so many areas like new
technologies, new government guidelines, global markets or social
media/networking. Also it is crucial to not only check your competition and
your customers, but also noncustomers (if you are interested in creating blue
oceans…). Fortunately there is so much knowledge available on or via the
internet.

HOW STIMULATE IDEAS

Arnold Beekes — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:19 -0400

In earlier posts I did mention the
importance of using your own employees as a valuable source of new ideas. They
can for instance come up with ideas for new offerings based upon changed
customer needs, and also ideas how to speed up internal processes.

How can you stimulate ideas?

America's First Internet-Addiction Center Is Open for Business

Cliff Kuang — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:48:55 -0400

Are you restless when away from your Internet-enabled devices? Are you moody or irritable if you haven't checked your email? Do you pass up sex or food or friends to squeeze in an extra five hours on World of Warcraft? Then you just might be Internet addicted. ReStart is here to help.

Creating a Culture of Thank You

Reid Carr — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:17:46 -0400

Undisputedly, employees are the most precious asset of a company. So it’s vitally important for organizations to recognize and communicate their value in a variety of manners. Some ways include giving them public attention while other methods could mean offering a quick, personal “kudos” or simply letting them know that they’ve got a team that has their back. These displays of appreciation can be the incentive staff members need at times to take things to the next level.

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO CHANGE AND/OR INNOVATE

Arnold Beekes — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:22:46 -0400

It was Anthony Robbins who said that people
would only change through pleasure or through pain. Pain is the strongest
trigger of these two. This is the case at the personal as well as on the
organizational level.