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Tag Archive for 'Ideas'
The July / August 2008 edition of the Trendwatching Trend Briefing is now online, covering INNOVATION AVALANCHE, including no less than 41 new business ideas, many of them begging to be introduced to the Dutch market. So get your act sorted and gear up into action mode!
Dutch designer Greetje van Tiem (Graduate Design Academy Eindhoven) has an intriguing idea.
Turning old newspapers into yarn that can be woven into carpets, curtains and upholstery. A great example of maximising value!
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Onitsuka Tiger, the Japanese sports brand, launched a sneaker vending machine on Carnaby Street today. Sneaker vending isn’t entirely new-it’s been done in Japan, off course, by Reebok. Onitsuka Tiger, on the other hand, put some effort into custom-building their machine, which can sell 24 pairs of shoes at a time, in 6 sizes.
Following its London debut, the machine will travel across the UK to bring convenience-buying to the rest of Britain. Fun bit of brand promotion; “What, these shoes? I just got them from a vending machine down the street.” Nevertheless, other unconventional vending machines have been reported in the past such as machines that vend umbrellas and hair straighteners.
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The Northern Europeans are the happiest, according to a biannual European social survey conducted by Corrado & Aslam, Cambridge University.
The Danes are topping the list while Italy is on the bottom. The Dutch are fifth which is quite representative I guess! The sample size of the study was 20,000 responses spread over 15 European countries.
The major factors influencing happiness according Corrado & Aslam (2007) are the quality of social interactions with others and confidence and trust in national government and institutions. Check out this website for more technical information on the European happiness survey.
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One of my favourite WebPages on the net “ChangeThis“. It publishes (controversial) ideas on daily topics. Amongst other my favourite publications are “25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself” and “The Personal MBA: Mastering Business Without Spending a Fortune”
The Personal MBA idea recommends an array of books to read in order to gain the essence of business thinking. Off course the idea is arguable. For me as well, as I’m a strong advocate and believer of personal interaction in the classroom to versatile your knowledge on a certain subject. However, the recommended books are still a must read for anyone interested in getting a MBA degree.
Here are the 25 ways to distinguish yourself, download the entire presentation for a detailed elaboration on each element:
#1 Care as if it’s your own
#2 Do your daily work with passion!
#3 Build strong relationships
#4 Dream big!
#5 Set the right expectations
#6 Ask for help
#7 Celebrate small victories
#8 Set higher standards
#9 Know your values
#10 Pursue right memberships
#11 Help people help themselves
#12 Be a reader
#13 Plan by outcomes
#14 Think long-term
#15 Embrace uncertainty with ease
#16 Ask the right questions
#17 Engage with a coach
#18 Be relevant
#19 Get back on your feet fast
#20 Lead a volunteer effort
#21 Balance innovation and continuous improvement
#22 Learn to sell
#23 Learn systems thinking
#24 Walk away from free
#25 Influence the influencer
BusinessWeek’s section “Innovation” features a report on architectural wonders around the world. You now may wonder what Design has to do with business? Well, increasingly “design thinking” (user-centred approach) is becoming the centre of stage to evolve the customer experience. Even during the last World Economic Forum designers were invited to emphasise on the connection between business and design.
Here a short overview of the architectural wonders as highlighted by BusinessWeek:
The prospect of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games have created an explosion of new buildings and dynamic renovations in The City of London.
From times immemorial, Italy is know from its innovative structures, built during ancient times, whose design still inspires plenty of architects. Currently, many high-profile architects are turning their sight on Italy which results in new contemporary architectures across Italy.
As oil reserves are shrinking, Dubai is shifting its focus from an Oil power to a hot spot for tourism. To become a highly attractive tourist destination Dubai is building new breathtakingly architectural tour the forces. Including many world’s first seen architecture as well, such as an underwater luxury resort.
As China climbs up the economic ladder and the Being 2008 Olympics and the 2010 World Expo are in foresight it is steadily working on its appearance before the global audience tunes in during these two events.
More information on business in relation to design is written in the article “The Power of Design” by the FastCompany and “The Creative Corporation” by BusinessWeek. A podcast on this topic can be found here. For now, keep in mind that “design” goes far beyond letterhead.
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