OECD's "Education at a Glance"

Well, it takes more than a mere glance to exploit the data in the OECD report, but if you are in the business of education or e-learning like one of my customers in Luxembourg then it's well worth poring over this document.
Download 2007_OECD_EducationAtAGlance.pdf

Something I found quite interesting is the break-down between capital expenditure and current expenditure in primary and secondary education in a bunch of countries studied by the OECD (click on chart for details). Interestingly the US, Norway, Greece, South Korea, Luxembourg and Turkey are allocating significantly over 9% (about the OECD average) of their spending in capital expenditure. I wonder whether that means that these countries are investing more seriously in computing and networking equipment for educational purposes, which I would find great. Now of course the question remains whether these countries have a strategy for national education and R&D and I think Singapore is a great role model for that. If you want to get a feel for the clarity and thrust of their plans regarding education, this page of Singapore's Ministry of Finance is quite interesting to read. Probably an example to follow for several European governments.

New life for old stuff

There's been quite a lot of content produced to show how the adoption of affordable multimedia devices and the advent of a multimedia online environment such as today's Internet are key enablers for creating and distributing new content. Sometimes though these means can be used to give new life to existing and sometimes forgotten material, which can be quite excellent. This Schweppes ad with John Cleese is a good example, which also shows that contrary to what was happening in the old world of media, today
content has a staying power (and that has enormous implications for specific forms of online marketing and for the business case behind certain types of campaigns such as those delivered by BuzzParadise) because:

• once made available on a major platform it remains available,



• it becomes searchable and reusable,



• thus enabling further creative production.

In fact it is almost as though we were building a huge virtual mind on a global scale that is capable of keeping track of almost everything that ever went through it and to use that material to generate new stuff. And of course, the antiquated copyright system is an obstacle to such productivity, which is one of the reasons why I think Creative Commons is also a great enabler of creativity.

Trends in future Foreign Direct Investment

The trends in FDI over 2007-2011 are quite intriguing as among the top 10  recipient areas 8 are developed OECD countries, while China, Russia and Brazil together are expected to capture 12.9% of world total FDI, i.e. less than the US alone.

clipped from www.economist.com At a glance Foreign direct investment Flowing Sep 5th 2007 From Economist.com FOREIGN direct investment will increase markedly from 2007 to 2011, according to a report released on September 5th by the Economist Intelligence Unit. In 2007, global inflows are set to reach $1.5 trillion, above the record total of $1.4 trillion in 2000. Asia looks rosy to investors, despite political risks. China is the most attractive market, with forecast yearly inflows of $86.8 billion over the five-year period, the third-biggest global recipient. Inflows into India will grow, but to just $20.4 billion, thanks in part to inflexible labour laws and poor infrastructure. And Asia's biggest economy, Japan, punches far below its economic weight, with inflows of $13.3 billion a year. Cultural factors are a big hurdle. Many companies resist foreign takeovers for fear of harsh restructuring, and foreign investors say they struggle to find managerial talent. Jupiter Images

Thought of the day

These last few days I am having a lot of discussions with one of my customers who is transitioning from the early stages of business growth, where growth is highly correlated with the ability of a business to seize opportunities rather than with that of executing a strategy. His company is now of a size that makes it tricky to be changing directions too often, while as a business owner he still prizes his freedom to tinker with the business too much to make a credible commitment to a growth strategy. He is still ready to jump on opportunities and particularly on the opportunity to sell his business even though that is probably not the best way for him to derive long term value out of the business he helped launch. Interestingly in this case, the sale of the business may even destroy value for the company...
Several lessons to be taken there:

1. strategy without commitment to it is worthless crap



2. the confusion of roles (owner, director, manager, employee) is not conducive to value creation



3. early stage entrepreneurs are not necessarily the best people to drive value creation at later stages because what makes them strong in the early stages becomes a performance killer later on



4. focus on personal wealth may not be the best way to make a business prosper (that's what one of my friends would call the "greed distortion", which is tricky to control)



5. execution gives meaning to great thinking (one of my frustrations insofar as my influence on a couple of my projects may be quite limited)

Quote of the day

"Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you  cannot visit,

Not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you,

For life goes not backwards, nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children, like living arrows, are sent forth.

The Archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

And He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the Archer's hands be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."

The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran

Meet Sophia!

A special day

Expecting the birth of a child is quite an experience. Since this is the first time I find myself in such a situation I guess it adds a bit of spice to the whole thing... What analogies can be drawn from the way humans come to life in order to be applied to bold quests in business? I wonder. I don't think I'll explore that just now :-)
Anyway, while I am taking part in my most fascinating "project" ever and with a key milestone just hours away, allow me to offer a quote for today, which I hope will also be good food for your thoughts and mediation:

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

More in a few days...