• ‘CONTINGENCY PLANNING’ FOR DISASTER – INCLUDING THE EARTHQUAKE which experts say is coming sooner than later – is prudent business strategy, and not overwhelmingly complicated. The objective is to ensure that if/when your systems are down and/or workforce can’t get to the office your company, as best possible, can stay in business. The most critical elements of a ‘backup’ plan are having: (1) offsite access to company and client records; (2) alternative communication processes with digital addresses/phone contacts for employees, clients & key vendors; (3) a pre-developed and rehearsed program for delivery of communications and critical services – meaning formalized teams & tag-team responsibilities; (4) emergency supplies at your premises and offsite, particularly water, flashlights, gloves, first-aid kits & toiletries; (5) secured and accessible offsite software apps, banking & accounting records, along with important company documents, stationary, marketing materials, etc; (6) a stockpile of cash – since, in a disaster, banks may likely be out-of-operation. DCG can assist you in efficiently developing an effective contingency plan.
  • THE TREND TO ‘OPEN WORKSPACE’ AND SHARED VERSUS PRIVATE OFFICES is proliferating, with companies anticipating better teamwork and productivity as well as cost saving. Average square footage per person has declined steadily – over a third in the last five years – to now around 135 sq.ft. with average desk-sharing ratio of 2.3 to 1. “Even in the most uniform and open workplans, executives generally still get private offices which can breed ill will among those who’ve been cast out into what feels like a wilderness… So getting good results from a major office overhaul involves more than choosing the right furniture; it requires strong leadership… from leaders who are able to communicate what the company is gaining, to set policies as needed to help people adapt to it, and to model the behavior they are expecting to see.” DCG can help. [CFO – Dec 12]
  • 3-D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY HAS ADVANCED TO THE POINT OF PRODUCING HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS, a major step “towards the creation of artificial organs… with the potential to become any type of tissue in the body… or ‘cloning’ a patient’s own genetic programming.” Advancement by British scientists means that made-to-order hearts, kidneys or other organs may soon be available “for transplant on demand, without the need for donation and/or problems of immune suppression and potential organ rejection.” Additionally, 3D structures will allow for “reliable, animal-free drug testing… on more accurate human tissue models.” [THE DAILY TELEGRAPH,U.K. – Feb 5, 13]
  • PAPER BOOKS ARE PHASING OUT, BUT READING IS ON AN UPSWING. On average American adults have been reading a book every three weeks, but last year hardcover sales increased over 8% and paperbacks over 5% from 2011, while children/young adult sales increased 12%. “In music, it’s a truism that technology liberated creators and listeners in magnificent ways but more or less ruined the industry in the process, as even big names have struggles to adapt financially. But the world of writing has escaped this mess… The e-reader is creating a new market…and a massive process of literary rebirth is underway…as self-publishing has lost most of its stigma and small presses have never had an easier time disseminating their products… It’s a golden age for writers.” [ESQUIRE – Dec 12]
  • GEEZERS OVER 60 NOW REPRESENT WELL OVER A QUARTER OF MOTORCYCLISTS ON THE ROAD. A Brown University study has found that while this group only comprises 7% of traffic accidents, they are three times “more likely to be hospitalized after crashing,” and have a 250% higher risk “of being seriously hurt – sustaining far more fractures, dislocations and internal-organ injuries, including brain damage… Researchers speculate that worsening vision, balance and reaction times make older riders less able to avoid dangerous collisions,” and that brittle bones combined with lost muscle mass contribute to seriousness of injuries. [THE WEEK – Mar 1, 13]
  • THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: While the President is on tour warning us that any federal spending reduction next year will be “catastrophic” for Americans – ignoring mention of his shameful political decision to allocate reductions to the myriad of programs which have minimal impact on citizens, versus arbitrarily cutting welfare, releasing prisoners & illegal aliens in detention, closing hospitals, and so forth – the top four too-big-to-fail banks (JPMorgan, B of A, Citigroup & Wells Fargo) are allowed to privately ‘hold’ combined assets of nearly $15 trillion (equivalent to 93% of last year’s Gross Domestic Product) instead of infusing the economy, without a single word from our great leadership.