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- Save Money on Food - "With the drastic increases in food prices recently a home garden an attractive way to save some money. I have planted a garden for several years"
- Continual Improvement - The improvement process: must be never ending; must focus daily on how any process can be improved; must focus on adopting improvement systemically (not just locally, by one person or team)...
- Deming Internships - "Five eight-week sessions of classroom lectures, seminars and study are linked by seven-week internships at participating firms"
- Businesses Tell the IRS They Are Not American but Executives Stay in USA - "And that isn't all, they don't pay social security or unemployment... taxes since they are "not an American company" when they hire American's to work for the US government in Iraq."
- Paying New Employees to Quit - Training new employees and then paying them to quit, sounds pretty bizarre; Zappos is not afraid of doing things differently.
- Inflation is a Real Threat - An economy can't exist forever by printing money (the government's huge debts) and consumers financing extravagant living by borrowing from foreigners. This will lead to serious inflation.
- Continued Credit Card Company Customer Dis-Service - Some credit unions seem to actually believe in providing a fair service and treating customers with honesty and integrity (though many just outsource credit card service to a company that has no interest in the mission of the credit union to serve members).
- Toyota Execution Not Close to Being Copied - Toyota's innovation is not limited to process and execution. Toyota's long term vision results in very dramatic innovation (that granted is not getting the press today - check back in 20 years, I think you will be reading about it then).
- Personal Finance Basics: Health Insurance - There are certain things that cannot be compromised in your personal financial situation. Health coverage for significant costs is one of the things that is required.
- Overview of 5 Nations Health Care Systems - Germany 10.7% (cost of health care as % of GDP), Japan 8%, Switzerland 11.6%, Taiwan 6.3%, UK 8.3%, USA 16%...
- Inspirational Engineer - "My father was a professor of engineering (chemical, industrial), statistics and business. He was very interested in applying technology and human knowledge to help people have better lives, and I share that interest."
- What Should You Do With Your Government Stimulus Check? - most people should to pay off debt, build an emergency fund, save for retirement or something similar not get another toy. Of course donating it Kiva, Trickle Up, the Concord Coalition or your favorite charity...
- Packaging Improvement - tackling problems directly is not always the best strategy. The packaging doesn't actually change the taste, but really it is not the taste that is likely a concern but rather the perception of taste.
Fed Funds Rate Changes Don't Indicate Mortgage Rate Changes - There is not a significant correlation between moves in federal funds rate and 30 year mortgage rates that can be used for those looking to determine short term (over a few days, weeks or months) moves in the 30 year fixed mortgage rates- Losses Covered Up to Protect Bonuses - Of course the people that take unethical or illegal action are responsible for their actions. But managers that set up poor systems and then get poor results should not be surprised.
- Fed Continues Wall Street Welfare - "The investments have huge leverage and massive negative externalities to the economy. Any capitalist would know this is exactly what the government is suppose to protect the economy from."
- Scientists and Engineers in Congress - A list of Congressmen with science PhDs: Vernon Ehlers, Michigan, physics PhD; Rush Holt, New Jersey, physics PhD; John Olver, Massachusetts, chemistry PhD; Brian Baird, Washington, psychology PhD; and now Bill Foster, Illinois, physics PhD...
- Pleasing Customers - The key is to then take that knowledge and see if you can find improvements that do not add features at the cost of usability. You need to think systemically.
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John Hunter has experience in management improvement (customer focused continuous improvement, process improvement, systems thinking) and related areas. Since 1995, I have used the internet and internet technology to improve the results of management improvement efforts.
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