...Transien Achieving a sustainable competitive edge is nearly impossible these days. A playbookfor strategy in a highvelocity world by Rita Günther McGrath 62 Harvard Business R ARTWORK Tara Donovan, Untitted (Styrofoam Cups), aoo8, Styrofoam cups •and glue, installation dimensions variable SPOTLIGHT ON STRATEGY FOR TURBULENT TIMES Each month we illustrate our Spotlight package with works from an accomplished artist. We hope that the lively, cerebral creations of these photographers, painters, and installation artists will infuse the pages with additional energy and intelligence and amplify what are often complex and abstract concepts. This month we showcase Tara Donovan, a Brooklynbased artist known for her large sculptures and installations. Donovan, whose work is composed of everyday objects like pencils and toothpicks, has explained, "It's all about perceiving this material from a distance and close up and how the light interacts with it." View more of the artist's work at pacegaUery.com. S R T G IS STUCK. For too long the business world an inflection point. Thefieldof strategy needs to acT AE Y has been obsessed with the notion of building a sus- knowledge what a multitude of practitioners already tainable competitive advantage. That idea is at the know: Sustainable competitive advantage is now the core of most strategy textbooks; it forms the basis exception, not the rule. Transient advantage is the of Warren Buffett's investment strategy; it's central new...
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...n Karma Project 4/16/12 Firehouse & Christian Caring Center For my karma project I decided to visit with a couple of semi-local volunteer organizations. Of course this was by no means a routine event for me, so I was a bit on edge about the tasks I may have had to complete but everything ended up being copasetic. Aside from the fact they had me participating in extensive physical labor, the experience turned out to be quite memorable. Friday mornings I had hot dates with the Christian Caring Center. She fed me well, which was always a happy ending I just had to work for it. Wednesday nights, and weekends I got a chance to put on my handyman hat at the firehouse. Cool experience where I got a chance to establish there are a lot more positive people in the world than I could have ever imagined. In a way, it’s almost like they only present themselves to those who seek them. This project has given me a chance to reconnect with an intention I’ve set for myself a long time ago. Today I feel as if the path I’ve procrastinated taking for so long is no longer under construction. The first time I stepped foot into the Christian Caring Center I met a few ladies that took down my information and gave me “The word”. I actually felt a little bad for thinking they came off a bit excessive, until I heard a homeless (Muslim) lady chew them out for down talking on her and her beliefs. Anyway, after I was settled into their system I was sent downstairs to help in the kitchen. I stepped...
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...draft My Responsibility Becoming the best person in life is your own personal responsibility. What you say, think, or do is a part of being a human, but you are accountable it’s your responsibility. Getting an education is my personal responsibility to become a better person. Having a preliminary plan is the key to success in education and everyday life. Our mind is like a sponge it observes everything and it’s our personal responsibility to choose the right path of life. Taking responsibility for ones actions and the consequences behind is personal responsibility in my opinion. It is all about you and the choices you choose in life, even if it’s good or bad. In life we all go through that stage where we want to fit in with the cool crowd. We have to go through things to find out that being a follower is not all that it seems. The time comes when being ourselves is all that matters; it’s a part of personal responsibility. Continuing my education is my personal responsibility and not putting it on hold anymore is a responsibility. Having to go to college and not get a job in that field can be so discouraging. It made me not even want to try again at the college world. Having to work jobs that only paid bills, and barely did open my eyes up to going back to college. I told myself that maybe that wasn’t my career path it was my responsibility to see what was. Setting a good example for my three boys that education is the key to success. Having a preliminary plan for my...
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...Joshua 11/18/13 After school essay There are many things that different people like to do when they get home from school so today I will be telling you guys about the many different things I do after school and all of them will fall under three categories: Outdoors, School and last but not least, Friends. So let’s get started with Outdoors. Outdoors is one of three categories of things I do after school there are many different things I do that are outdoors but for you the readers sake I will name a couple, Scouts is the first one now I have been a scout for 4 years now and I always enjoy it we do a lot of cool trips and campouts, Now scouts has been something that I find interesting it’s a combination of sports and physical labor and learning half of scouts is about learning like you learn a lot about different things for example I have learned a ton of different things in scouts that I would have never learned in school like in scouts I learned CPR which is part of the first aid merit badge and also its required in a couple other merit badges, I have also learned many different poisons plants and trees and berries and also a couple of edible ones, mainly we learned how to survive in a lot of scenarios like storms and animal attacks, also in outdoors I love to go on hikes if I have the time because I love to be able to see all the nature in its purest form I have seen a lot of different ecosystems and different big landmarks. School the one topic that is going to be...
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...The Syntax Error—hala uyy !! Princes Grace E. Santoyas I was sixteen years old then, a fourth year high school student of General Santos City National High School. I could still remember the first time we became friends of the Syntax Error. It was one hot afternoon when our teacher moved our sitting arrangement and I did not follow her instruction because I was afraid of something—I knew no one except Hervin, so, I remained sitting beside him. He was my only friend in the classroom at that time because I knew him since he was my classmate before when I was third year. I come and go out in the classroom together with him every day. There was a time that I took courage to look back and found out if there was a vacant chair because I am not comfortable anymore of those murmurs I heard from my classmates, that I am his girlfriend and he was my boyfriend which is not true. There was a group of girls at the back who approached me, so, I took my bag with me and sat beside them. Hervin did not wonder anymore because first and foremost he knew my reason. Then one day, we need to group ourselves for our MAPEH to perform an advertisement. I did not group myself with my seatmates, who are Beah, Joan, Carol, Rhona, Naide, and Jeannette. Instead, I go with Hervin’s group. My seatmates grouped got the first place even though they performance is like a big error but it is quite entertaining. A week after the performance, Beah and the other members of the group adapted...
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...on the 'likes' we get on social media for approval of things we wish to do in life? We might be getting 100s of likes on our posts and pictures but since we've raised the bar so high, imagine the plight of those people who fail to get 'likes' on their pictures and posts- their self-esteem and confidence will be shattered. If they don't get 'likes' on their pictures/posts which in 'their opinion' is the best (no one would put up something which in their opinion isn't good), they'd start hating themselves and might also run into depression. They start copying the so-called 'cool people' on facebook who get 100s of likes on their posts/pictures and in this process, they also run the danger of losing their own individuality and identity. They try to be someone else. In this sense, we're breeding herd mentality among our youth through Social Media. I always tell people, being part of the crowd can be all 'cool and fun' but the crowd always follow the ones who stand out. Through this post, I wish to give voice to those so-called 'average people' on facebook who might not have 100s of likes on their posts and pictures but have beautiful, energetic young minds full of new ideas. Be what you are! You don't need a handful of 'likes' to get the society's approval. Be original and add 'your' value to the world, we have enough 'copies' around. We don't need to beg for 'likes' through personal messages, friendly calls or texts- realize that you were...
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...Kristen’s Cookie Co. – Katherine Fanola Individual Assignment Question 1: Draw a Flow Diagram Question 2: How long will it take to fulfill a rush order? The answer is 26 minutes. First, the customer will order which will not take any time. Then, Kristen begins by washing and mixing which will have a cycle time of 6 minutes. Next, spooning will take Kristen 2 minutes, leaving a finish time at 8 minutes (6 min+2min). Then Kristen’s roommate will heat the oven which will take 1 minute leaving a finish time of 9 minutes (8 min+1 min). The cookies will bake for 9 minutes leaving a finish time of 18 minutes (9 min+9 min). Time for the cookies to unload and cool down will then be an additional 5 minutes leaving a finish time of 23 minutes (18 min+5 min). Last step is for customer to pay and for the money to be collecting taking a total of 3 more minutes and leaving a finish time of 26 minutes (23 min + 3 min). Therefore, total time to fulfill a rush order is 26 minutes. Question 3: How many orders can you fulfill in a night, assuming you are open for 4 hours each night? The answer is 22 dozen cookies. Operating for 4 hours in a night is equivalent to operating for 240 minutes. If each order size is one dozen cookies, then order completion time for 1 batch will be 26 minutes. Then, the time for every additional dozen of cookies after that will take 10 minutes. It will take 236 minutes for 22 dozen cookies to be ordered in this case, and it will take 246...
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...Imagine being 4 years old again, what do u remember most about that time, some people may say they don’t remember too much about it or people may say that they remember watching sesame street, which for me was a little scary at the time. What I remember most about when I was 4 years old was my imaginary friend. Whenever I had to go to my grandma’s house for long boring periods of time you were there. If watching ninja turtle cartons didn’t quite satisfy you were there. The best part was not that you could play with me whenever I wanted you to but I could make as many of you as I wanted, and no matter which one I was playing against I always won, so I thank you for always giving me a good self-esteem. Even when we built something really cool out of Lego’s and showed the parents I took all of the credit. There was nothing that we couldn’t do, you kept me company when my mom was sick of me holding on to her leg trying to hitch a free ride around the house or when my dad wanted to sit down and have a beer after playing catch for hours, which primarily consisted of me running full speed, diving for the ball he was throwing, and not catch it. Although you were short lived it seemed like a lifetime then, I thank you imaginary friend for never winning, never taking credit for things unless it was bad, and for never making me bored until I turned 5. I hope that your 4 year old kids have as awesome of an imaginary friend as I did, so that they will remember life without...
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...The Cool Hunt Youth culture is inter-reliant on the media and marketers. Previously, fashion trends were established by “the big couture houses”, whereupon consumers would try to emulate these styles, but over the past few decades, trends are now determined by consumers and then tracked by the designers. (The Cool Hunt). Using "coolhunters" allows a company to better accommodate its customers by providing more customized merchandise. It obviously is not a perfect tool to establish current trends, but it assists marketers in better understanding its consumers. By distinguishing specific regional, cultural, and age- and gender- related differences that develop the various needs, wants, demands, and desires of different target markets, companies are given the opportunity to provide what it is that these groups are seeking; providing guidelines for what to expect. “Coolhunting is not about the articulation of a coherent philosophy of cool. It’s just a collection of spontaneous observations and predictions that differ from one moment to the next and from one coolhunter to the next.” (The Cool Hunt). Businesses often produce merchandise that has the potential to excel, but because of insufficient research, this merchandise gets directed towards the wrong market. An example of this, given from The Cool Hunt, involves a representative for Reebok. The company’s DMX RXT model was unsuccessful in its originally placed women's department, but after consulting with male consumers, it...
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...Half Way There I had just got home from work this particular day; and walked up to the mailbox just as I had done time and time again. The sun was glaring, my skin warm almost as if I was getting hit by tiny splashes of hot grease. I could not wait to get inside of the house to cool off. But this day was different, I received a letter, but not just any old letter. I received a letter from Old Dominion University. I remember getting very sweaty and it seemed as if my heart was beating right out of my chest. I rushed inside the house and started to think about all of the different possibilities of this letter. My wife then said to me, “Just open it.” To say the answer inside that envelope is important is an understatement. I had waited a very long time and put in a lot of work to get to that point. The letter represented more than just an answer it would solidify all of my hard work and dedication to that point. The time had come and I did as my wife directed, I opened the letter. The letter read something like “Dear Jonathan, congratulations, etc.” I did not have to read any further, I started to smile and tear up all at the same time. My wife instantly knew that I had indeed been accepted at Old Dominion University. That moment of that day will never be forgotten by me. I have embedded that memory into my mind as a reminder of how fulfilling it is to reach a step in the journey to medical school. To understand that although I work full time and have a family...
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...of the mystery shopper service I had applied to a couple months ago. "We have a mystery shopping assignment in your area and we would like you to participate". My first thought was hey this is cool -- I'll get some free merchandise and get paid for just shopping The first thing I discovered is that these people are always in a hurry. They wanted to get the paperwork to me, have me sign and return a confidentiality agreement do the shopping, fill out the paper work and have it back to them in less than a week. Next I found that I wouldn't be getting any free merchandise with this assignment. I was to go shopping for tires and get estimates then return my findings to the research firm. They told me I would be paid $20 for each location and they had three locations in my area. That didn't sound too bad. I'd be paid $60 for visiting three tire stores. I then found out that what was described as "my area" was a little farther than I would have defined. The first one was a 20 minute drive the second one a 45 minute drive and the third one was an hour and a half away. I told the representative that the third one was too far for me. She pleaded a while and then finally offered to pay me an extra $20 to do it. I'm a nice guy so I reluctantly agreed. All went smoothly and I earned my cool $80 for the assignment. Let's see how much I made per hour. I had about five hours of driving time, one hour dealing with the sales people (20 minutes each), and about two hours total doing the...
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...different states along the way. During one of my vacations to Florida, we were driving through Georgia and I realized how much I love the beautiful state. It is warm, there are palm trees, and the landscape is just inviting. While driving one can see a lot of different types of regions and vehicles. My friends brother and dad love to look for fancy cars on the road while traveling. They keep track of how many of each type of car that was on the road. While driving on the freeway I like to look for all of the different license plates. It is so cool to be driving next to a vehicle from a state that is far away from where I have been. When flying on vacation people do not get to see all of the landscape that he/she would get to see if they drove. One does get to see the clouds and the possible thunderstorms while flying, though. I flew to Florida for a 4-H trip, while landing in Orlando we were surrounded by storm clouds, it was cool to be in the middle of a thunderstorm. I had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia and I did not get to see any of the beautiful state, I was a little upset about this. There is more opportunities to get to spend quality time with family while driving to vacation destinations as opposed to flying. On my family trips we spend hours in the car, during this time we get to talk about everything under the sun. I enjoy spending this time bonding with my family while traveling hours in a vehicle. When driving it usually takes longer to get to your destination...
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...i had this really cool thing to do.So there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to do So there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to do So there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to doSo there was this one time when i had this really cool thing to dovSo there...
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..."Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in the magical land of California. Now this girl had everything she could want. She had a pair of loving parents, and to little sisters, who though could be annoying at times, she still loved. She went to nice schools, and had very good friends. She was very happy. One day however, the girl's parents broke up, and a dark cloud reached its morbid hand over the girl's world. As she became distressed by her parents divorce, the girl's life began to fall apart, from her grades dropping to having fights with those who she had thought to be dear friends. Trying to escape her cruel world, the girl slowly began to build a wall of books around her self, pushing herself further and further into darkness and loneliness. By the time she had reached eleventh grade, the girl was completely consumed by her misery, only able to pity herself and be buried in the books that surrounded her. Then one day, a miracle happened. Among her collection, the girl came across a book that she had seen before but had usually skipped. But for reason, this book now had a soft glow surrounding it. Drawn to the book, the girl began to read its tales. As she slowly read the book, the girl slowly moved out of the darkness, with her misery being chipped away in small pieces as she began to learn from this book. When she finished, the girl was shocked to find that she was surrounded by the light that she had abandoned so long ago. Realizing that what...
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...the human body, and that not all of them are cerebral. One is mere entertainment, the pleasurable whiling away of time; another is more important, not intellectual but serious just the same”. Most of the time, I read just to recollect my thoughts after a long day and also as a way to relax. I don’t mind reading most of the books we’re assigned for class but the books I read in my leisure time are not any less intellectual than the ones we are forced to read for class. I think most professors need to understand that. A book I recently finished up is The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer and by far, it is my favorite book. The story is about a 15 year old girl named Jules Jacobson who goes to a special art camp in the 70’s and meets a group of “cool” kids there who call themselves The Interestings. Each kid has a special artistic talent and one night, make a promise to each other that they will follow their dreams and not fall into a mediocre lifestyle. The book alternates narratives and each chapter gives the reader a glimpse into each character’s future and most of them have careers in fields they would have never expected. After reading the book, I realized that everyone has a dream job or aspiration as to what they want to pursue in the future and reality is that 95% of the time, it doesn’t happen the way we think it’ll happen so I think that it is good to follow our dreams but at the same time, have a back up plan in case anything happens. My favorite genre is typically fiction...
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