Lots of people talk about “thinking global, acting local”. This guy does a good job of putting it into practice. He paints a clear picture that runs from the strategic rise of China to the practical need for better education, less regulation, more environmental responsibility, and more socially-inclusive wealth creation.
Author archives: Permabusiness
Big Picture — December 2011
When the managing director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, issues warnings like this: “There is no economy in the world, whether low-income countries, emerging markets, middle-income countries or super-advanced economies that will be immune to the crisis that we see not only unfolding but escalating.” [Source] it is time to take stock of where we are …
What Should I Do With My Life?
Companies don’t grow because they adopt a six-sigma methodology. They don’t grow because they increase productivity by 37.2%. They don’t grow because they exceed sales targets in three quarters running. Companies grow because they provide meaning and value to the people who choose to engage with them. The article below argues convincingly that the deepest, …
Mapping the terrain
When we set out on a journey it is important to be clear about the kind of terrain we shall be travelling through. Similarly when planning for a business, it is important to be clear about the environment the business will be travelling through.
How (and why) to rebuild a rainforest
Permabusiness exists to do three things: 1) show the problems with the current ways of doing business 2) show a vision/visions for what a better way(s) might look like 3) share tools for taking first steps that take us from where we are to where we [you] want to get to. The video below describes …
Sir Stelios sets up short term car hire club
Depending which way you want to look at it, a new entrant to the car hire industry, or a substitute for buying a car, has just been announced by Sir Stelios Haji-Iaonnou and Brent Hoberman (co-founder of lastminute.com). Their new service, called Zipcar, will rent cars by the hour and will be test launched in spring 2012. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68d4cba2-249d-11e1-bfb3-00144feabdc0.html
Building blocks of a disruptive business model
When we start to see customers as part of our business model (see previous post) interesting, disruptive, and beneficial things can happen.
In search of financial safe havens
While the financial crisis marches on, and investors frantically seek out safe havens for their money, it is worth asking what a ‘safe haven’ would look like.
Organic can feed the world
As we switch our focus for a while from problems to solutions, organic farming may seem an odd place to start. But having enough to eat is a strategic requirement for any future business. And farming is a business too. So, with falling stocks of natural fertilisers, and escalating prices for the fossil fuels used …
Choices
Late last night we were sent two links. The first is a video describing “How to use the Internet to make $1m in 18 months”. The second is a page describing how the latest CO2/climate data shows that the 2 degrees climate change we thought was ‘safe’ isn’t,