Trend Watch List

The Self Tending Mushroom Award is given to individuals, companies, entities and even countries who choose the dark over the truth. I was surprised when I stumbled upon this month’s STeMie recipient who displays a subtle but deadly mindset that may spell the end of this internet giant. This month’s STeMie is awarded to Yahoo for perpetuating a decade-old business style that goes from product development to leadership strategy...not an ill-conceived style, but one that has not evolved with the times and is the root of Yahoo being slowly but surely left in the dust of their competitors. Yahoo emerged successful because of their unique product that catered to what people wanted at the time. Leadership was novel as well. Leaders sought to listen, so navigate the information age, and to develop products that helped their customers navigate the information as well. Times change, however, and Yahoo has not changed. Yahoo has, however, with the installation of a new and pedigreed CEO, Carol Bartz, embarked on a new brand campaign. A bright shiny wrapper on what is otherwise the same organization same unimaginative products and last-decade leadership. In a press release for the campaign, Ms. Bartz notes that, “Today the Web and your world are inseparable...Hundreds of millions of people use Yahoo! (R) to get the information they need.” I suspect real authenticity and innovation are hiding within the brilliant minds working at Yahoo, but the old leadership style is so information focused that operating at the pace of the social media age is just not in the cards. In the Economist’s World in 2010, Ms. Bartz puts forth her management philosophy as, “Information will be the greatest opportunity for business leaders in the coming years—and perhaps our biggest headache.” She suggests a solution for handling the situation: “... listening... [and] identify and mentor thought leaders.“ Again, it is not wrong...it is just a decade out of date and in Yahoo’s world, good but old adds up to failure as your world leaves you behind. So join me in awarding this STeMie to Yahoo for staying safely in place with what worked in the 90s while their entire business environment passed them by. Lessons within this STeMie are many. You need not operate at the speed of light, but stay ahead of the pace of your business environment. Assess your business. Update yearly (or quarterly if your industry dictates). Lastly, when introducing new leadership, ensure modern styles are coming on board. Consider it well and the advantage will be yours.

Globalization has reached, perhaps, a new phase - a sophomore stage. Overall, the trends affecting your global business environment over the coming years speak to a larger blurring of lines - between country and company, emerging market and THE market, companies and foundations, access and vulnerability, local and global. First and most blindingly, it’s not just about the United States anymore. China, India, and to an increasing extent, Africa, are no longer emerging markets. They are THE markets. In the coming year we will explore what this means for businesses of all sizes, and innovative ways to enter these markets on a path of least danger and highest reward. At the same time, it is becoming harder to tell the difference between companies and countries. The ramifications go beyond negotiations with states and countries and will affect how you navigate markets worldwide, including your home market. Even more blurred is the line between company and foundation. In the next year, we will explore the full extent of what corporate foundations provide back to their parent companies and how any size business can achieve a similar effect. Holding you back amid such vast opportunity may be the marked increase in regulation of online access in certain countries. In the coming year, we will explore where, how and how much countries are regulating online access for citizens and companies alike; how to prevent strategic damage and actually create competitive advantage within these markets. The internet and advances in other low cost communications has brought about the age of the small but global business. We will consider how these businesses create competition for each other and larger businesses and what your organization needs to do to turn your competition into competitive advantage, no matter the size. All of these trends together speak to the larger changes within the business world that are not relegated to a single location, country, company, industry or sector. Stay tuned to tune your strategies for maximum advantage.

>>>> NOTE TO READERS: Trend Watch List is evolving and joining forces with Trend POV to become the way that forward thinking executives access the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage. See and share what we are planning for the big launch January 1st at http://www.New.TrendPOV.com. <<<<

This month, we continue to turn our attention towards the powerful combination of trends from each category that are converging to bring revolutionary change to the global economic and business environment. In this article, we cover how social media, evolving alliances, and trends in global innovative capacity are converging and how you can use the opportunity to your advantage. The initial capability of social media to connect people has become a capability for those same people to not just find each other but to conduct business, capitalize on innovation, learn from each other and much more. When the emerging global economy was spiked with the potent brew of social media, the evolution accelerated. What is a country in this global business environment but an affiliated company with the people as shareholders (we hope). We invest in countries as much as we invest in companies. Evolving alliances around the world can come in many varieties. As a business you must become politically and economically savvy about who you deal with and how you deal with them. At the same time, global innovative capacity is increasing and certain countries are taking the lead: Singapore, Sweden, The Republic of Korea , and Barbados have all begun a surge forward towards regional and global economic innovative dominance. The convergence of social media, evolving alliances, and trends in global innovation have resulted in a global innovation economy with as many dangers as opportunities. Terrorism and unhealthy alliances are the greatest dangers but the opportunities are boundless...and border-less. To turn this convergence of trends into an advantage, consider the following: You are who you surround yourself with. Do not trade away your innovative capacity for anything in the world. Individual countries offer enormous potential for fruitful partnership. Shop the world for what you and your organization would profit from the most and dive in! Avoid counties likely to succumb to unhealthy alliances and economic warfare. Don’t allow yourself to paint any one region in a negative light based on a few problematic entities. Put these lessons and tactics together and enjoy the accelerating global innovation marketplace. The advantage will be yours, and it will be global.

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Trend Watch List and Trend POV are all about helping businesses create unique advantage from emerging trends. We want to hear from you about what you like, what you don’t like and how we can serve you better. Follow this link to take our 10 min survey and get a free copy of this month's extended article on converging business trends: “Smarter, Faster, More - Converging Trends Driving The New Business Environment”. We value your opinion and look forward to being a part of your strategic point of view.

Economic, and more recently, financial warfare has become increasingly in vogue among nations worldwide. In this article we explore how countries profit through economic aggression, whether it is all just a nation-sized version of hardball business and what it means for business owners and executives in today’s climate. It is time to up your game to prevent your business from becoming collateral damage.

Economic Warfare, including the more specific Financial Warfare may include blockades, preferential purchasing, bank account seizures, trade sanctions, industry-specific laws, media coverage of financial issues, and much more. With economic warfare, one state can actually profit while the other collapses and all the while maintain cordial relations in the court of world opinion.

In the Fall 2007 issue of Orbis, Paul Bracken, Professor of Management and Political Science at Yale University, suggests that, “Financial warfare is likely to be an increasing form of conflict because it lies at the intersection of powerful long-term trends in technology, networks, and finance.”

But just how wide-spread is it today? The Fauklands are accusing Argentina of economic warfare and Argentina openly admits it. At the same time, The People’s Bank of China is calling for a new “super-sovereign” currency to take the place of the dollar in the global financial system. The mere suggestion temporarily dropped the value of the dollar. Was that deliberate? The brilliance of economic warfare is that you will never know. For most actions you would not be able to prove that the offending country was not simply acting in their best interest - because they are.

The reality may be that the US is already under attack. According to Howard C. Whetzel, recent article The War No-One Is Talking About, “...we are paying for our own demise. As China and Russia are some of our biggest debt holders, our own treasury is paying for the purchases and foreign policy funds they are using to reduce the US economy to lower and lower levels.“

If another business puts out a product that is better than yours, specifically to take your market share, you have no legal recourse. You can, however, become better at the game and produce another product or strategy to reverse the trend. Is it warfare? Is it aggression? Or is it just business and they all need to grow up a little and stop whining.

Whether your business is large or small, local or global, business owners and executives must become more globally, politically and economically savvy. Consider whether your overseas and domestic locations and partners alike are in zones of potential economic conflict or ripe for financial attack and who would “win”. Cordial political ties do not imply economic bliss.

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Everyone is talking about innovation. The economy itself is evolving to embrace innovation over information as a basis for revenue generation. In this article we explore existing and proposed ways to measure innovative capacity and which may be the most effective for your own organization.

Innovation is the process of creating new solutions, brands, processes, products or concepts in response to opportunities, needs and demands. Several organizations have begun to put forth measures of innovation. One of the most prominent is PRO INNO Europe. The offer two different analyses - the Innobarometer, and the Innovation Index (not to be confused with the Business Week Innovation Index of stocks).

PRO INNO Europe’s Innovation Index, in contrast to the Innobarometer, is more of an actual measure of the innovation performance of individual countries. Their measure is based on seven specific dimensions in three categories: Enablers , Firm Activities, and Outputs.

Another measure of innovative capacity is the Global Innovation Index by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The scores for the Global Innovation Index are based on a total of twenty four factors in six categories: Fiscal Policy , Other Policies, Innovation Environment, R&D Results, Business Performance, and Public Impact.

Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and Scott Stern of Northwest University and the Brookings Institution have also produced a candidate measure in their paper, “National Innovative Capacity.” Their measure of innovative capacity is based on four sub-factors derived from twenty four measures: proportion of scientists and engineers, innovation policy, cluster innovation environment and linkages.

What is the same about each of these efforts is the focus on not only what goes into creating innovation, but the ability to turn that innovation into growth. What is lacking, is a focus on the individual business firm or organization. To turn this trend into an advantage, take the time to develop the right measure for your organization. Consider the specifics about the people, infrastructure, money, training, time and other factors that affect your organization. For each, devise a measurable factor. Keep your measures relevant and growth-ready. Lastly, weight each factor based on importance. Now you have your own organizational innovation score.

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The Spotlight Award is given to those who demonstrate a keen understanding of emerging trends and turn those trends into a distinct advantage. This month we spotlight the secret jewel of the western hemisphere: Barbados. In this article, we detail how this innovative island nation of less than 300,000 has moved to a place of regional domination in the emerging innovation economy while diversifying to survive and thrive. Perhaps more impressive than their growth in patents filed, is that fact that the average number of patents filed per person in Barbados is three times that of the United States and just barely below that of Japan.

Help is not far away for the innovative Barbadian. According to the 2008 year end report from BIDC, “The Innovation Support Programme continued to assist clients in realizing the commercial viability of their ideas.” While several of Barbados’s regional neighbors have fallen prone to sometimes unhealthy political and economic relationships, Barbados itself has remained strong and has avoided potentially negative alliances such as Petrol Caribe. Barbados also recognized the need to maintain their strengths in banking, manufacturing, and agriculture. Services as an industry is not ignored in Barbados and has produced a more than doubling of foreign investment. The final piece of the puzzle is leadership attitude. Barbados has enjoyed a series of leaders employing a command without control management style that is honest, transparent, and based in strong belief in the power of their people.

Consider the many capabilities of Barbados. Review your options carefully, then dive into those relationships that will benefit your business the most. Most importantly, learn from Barbados’s story. The potent combination of education, agility, modern leadership, and calculated growth are a lesson for every organization large and small. Just because you are smaller than your competitors does not mean you have to settle for a smaller piece of the pie. Organizations of all sizes can dominate their markets, and diversify to fantastic results.

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The world is understandably preoccupied. Things tend to happen, however, where and when no one is paying attention. In this article we detail political and economic alliances in the western southern hemisphere and some surprising emerging forces worthy of your best attention.

Central America, South America, and the Caribbean currently house some of the most actively emerging political and economic communities in the world. Countries within this region are reaching out, forming global alliances, regional alliances, emerging service and innovation based economies, and more.

Case in point - global alliances are finalizing between Venezuela, Cuba, China, Russia and Iran. In a 2008 article by Howard C. Whetzel, a former US Army Officer and Intelligence Specialist, he notes that, “Mr. Chavez of Venezuela and the premier of China have different but cooperating agendas ... Mr. Chavez, in order to spread anti-Americanism, under the tutelage of his mentor Fidel Castro, has deftly used oil, and oil revenues to sway elections, buy politicians and gain control over the economic futures of many of the small island nations of the Caribbean.”

At the same time, other countries within the region are forming more local alliances and global capabilities.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has 15 member nations and dependencies and 15 community institutions for various purposes. One of these is the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) established in 2001. Other regional alliances of interest are many including the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Caribbean Tourism Organization, The Latin American Economic System, the controversial Petrol Caribe and many more.

In terms of global capability, Argentina is hosting an emerging services economy that will soon be on par with that of India. The well educated population is finding a niche in outsourced technical services such as market research, statistics, technical support and more.

With a well educated population and previously high unemployment rate, Barbados might have been tempted to enter the technical services market. However, with more than 1400% growth in patents filed over the past decade, Barbados now dominates the region, placing itself in a prime position in the innovation economy.

According to Adrian Sealy, an Invest Barbados representative, “The legislation has been rewritten in the last year to facilitate new business in patents and intellectual property so people are taking advantage of this flexible legislation.” When asked what people should know about Barbados as a player in the innovation economy of the future, he states that, ”We are very transparent and comfortable in our actions.” With a very modern leadership and business perspective, Barbados is one to watch and will be highlighted in detail in next month’s Spotlight Award.

There is no shortage of advantage to be found in these trends. Individual countries offer enormous potential for lower priced outsourcing, lower priced innovation capability, best in class offshore (and clean) banking and more. Toss those countries aside and focus on those with the right attitude, the right capabilities and the right price points to make your agenda their own.

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The Self Tending Mushroom Award is given to those who keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own rich propaganda-laden fertilizer. This is an intervention on a global scale as we award this month's STeMie to Italy in the category of Global Trends. A co-dependent relationship with the Russian Federation threatens to stunt Italian innovation while imparting a dangerous control mentality. Italy is honored with the STeMie because they tell themselves this abusive relationship is the best thing that ever happened to them.

Look closely at the patent filing patterns of these two countries. The Russian Federation and Italy both display the same pattern of sharp bursts of success with an inability to sustain. Moreover, They are nearly exactly opposite of each other. When Russian innovation soars, Italian innovation takes a nose dive and vice versa. There is a co-dependence and a very unhealthy one for Italy.

According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Over recent years relations between Italy and the Russian Federation have evolved to a level of absolute excellence, to the point of justly deserving the designation of “privileged relations”.”

Italy is becoming to the Russian Federation what China once was to the United States...a disposable source of cheap labor, goods and manufacturing. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation is becoming Italy’s indispensable source of energy, the one thing they cannot do without.

There are two critical lessons for any individual or organization. First, you are who you surround yourself with, bad habits and all. Second, understand that the future economic growth of organizations and countries will be built on innovation. Do not trade away one ounce of your own innovative capacity for all of the energy or any other commodity in the world.

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Everyone is talking about innovation. We need to be more innovative...innovation is the key to success...but how? In this article, we will detail how to turn innovation into revenue and your organization into an innovation engine. Innovation is the art and science of applying knowledge in new ways. Your organization may innovate new processes, new products, new business models, and more. Innovation results in intellectual property including product and process and method.

The question then, is how to capitalize on innovation. To turn intellectual capital into revenue, you need social capital and financial capital (the old fashioned kind) and motivation. In other words, you need people and money...but not just any people and not just any money. That brings us to the missing element...Motivation. Motivation comes from many sources and is wildly different between any two people. When selecting your social capital (to include your financial capital) each individual’s motivation must be taken into account.

For established organizations, this same entrepreneurial model applies. For example, suppose that some brilliant person within your organization has an idea for a new product, or perhaps a process improvement. If you are like most businesses, nothing happens. But if your organization is an innovation engine, this idea’s story will play out quite differently resulting in vastly improved product, process or method and more revenue for the organization.

Each organization has unique human capital that can translate into intellectual capital. Social media will give you the tools to create the social capital required; and your organization (or another) is the financial backer. Create an environment for innovation and be prepared to reward and capitalize on that innovation. The advantage will be yours, and it will be global.

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The spotlight award is given to individuals, organizations and entities that stand as examples to be followed.

We are living in a time where the innovation economy sees the lines between company and country blurred. Emerging markets make or break global conglomerates and yet the future of emerging markets is hard to predict. If we treat countries even more like companies, however, some of that difficulty goes away...In the innovation economy, ideas are the basis for economic growth. In that sense, patent data can read like a stock market ticker. I considered that ticker recently and came upon one to watch.

This month’s Spotlight Award goes to the Republic of Korea. They are on the cusp of either massive economic growth, or simply a place in the top five. I like those odds. Innovation begins with ideas. For the time being, patent records are a great way to track idea development and the record shows some surprising trends.

You can almost see the classic entrepreneurial story unfolding in these numbers. Granted patents are one aspect of innovation. One that shows solid educational foundation and loads of great ideas. But great ideas alone are not enough. The question for any rapidly innovating country is: can you turn all of those great ideas into economic growth?

When I look at their graph, I see a critical point in time for Korea. IF they have grasped the process of the innovation economy, they will soon outpace the rest of the world in terms of both ideas AND the economic growth they will bring. If a practical innovation engine is not in place, however, we will see another downturn as they learn once more what it takes to make it in this new age.

In the DEMOS report titled South Korea: Mass Innovation Comes of Age, Molly Webb writes, “Korea can teach us all something about the future of innovation simply because it is one of the best-connected, best-educated societies in the world. It is at the leading edge of experimenting with ubiquitous, connected, collaborative innovation.”

I could not have said it better myself. So I am pleased to name the Republic of Korea as a Trend Watch List Spotlight Award recipient for Global Trends. The world will be watching!

To turn Korea’s trend into your personal and professional advantage, consider several avenues: investment, collaboration, and study.

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Terrorism is not new. It has existed in some form or another as a method for getting your way for as long as toddlers have thrown temper tantrums. The only difference is that big boys and girls have access to weaponry when they throw their tantrums. A single uppity terrorist is no global threat but a network of terrorists really concerns us. In this article, we examine how human nature is at the root of developing terrorist networks, is the reason we seem to focus on one terrorist in particular, and at last is the reason for their consistent and eventual disintegration. There is advantage to be found.

In a report from Audrey Kurth Cronin titled “How al-Qaeda Ends,” she notes that “Terrorism, like war, never ends; however, individual terrorist campaigns and the groups that wage them always do.” All people, no matter the culture or religion or upbringing, harbor greed, desire, want, need, and the like in some amount. It will always lead to war or terrorism as a means. Moreover, we need to put a singular name, face and character on everything that we love or hate. So we buy in to the hype of Al-Qaeda as a single monolithic entity and Osama Bin Laden as its single commander.

Those same base human frailties that drove people to join Al-Qaeda will also be their undoing. It is already happening. Given some level of success in 2001, we see a splintering of sub-groups within the organization. Some splintered for geographic security, but most broke away to some extent out of localized agendas based on these core human elements. Al-Qaeda’s actions down to every last video, assassination, bomber and image will be used by their own people as proof that their separate agenda is justified.

As Cronin notes, those who oppose the organization can help speed this process. But help is not necessarily required. It will happen quite naturally via the unstoppable force of human nature.

To turn this trend into your advantage, begin by letting go of fear. Recognize and appreciate that human nature is true and powerful and largely good. Having that, reconsider potential emerging markets that you previously passed by. As this organization continues to decline, many of the affected areas will foster new growth and new opportunities. Be prepared to create advantage in those areas when the time comes.

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This month, I am proud to unveil the very first Trend Watch List STeM Alert! This distinct honor, aka the STeMie™, goes to individuals and organizations that refuse to face reality in some way and choose instead to keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own brand of fertilizer. They are the Self Tending Mushrooms™. Everyone knows someone who refuses to see trends, refuses to see where they are going, and wants nothing to do with the reality around them. The classic STeM stays in their office (or cave as the case may be) and tells themselves that everything is going great and the world is the way they wish it were.

The point behind the STeMies is balance. Trend Watch List is about recognizing and harnessing trends. As we have the Spotlight Award for those who do that particularly well, we must also have recognition of those who run in the opposite direction. Examples of what not to do are often useful and this case is no exception. STeMies and Spotlights are both opinion based with factual evidence and may be quite controversial. For example, a high profile figure may be a STeM in one area of their professional life and get a Spotlight Award in another. Why? Because none of us is perfect, and we should not ignore lessons from successful people no matter how we may feel about them personally.

For our first STeM alert honoree, we needed a particularly prime example, so I have chosen one from the world stage that you will no doubt recognize: Osama Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda for choosing to ingest the same fertilizer.

Although there are some things that he does well, in justifying his efforts, Osama Bin Laden is a consummate STeM. The lesson at hand is about telling yourself and your followers any random thing to keep them on your side while ignoring the fact that a few minutes spent looking up the facts will topple your house of cards.

We see Bin Laden going the way of all STeM leaders in the decline of his organization. When a business has a STeM for a leader, you will see some moderate growth in the beginning followed by declining revenues, mass talent exodus and the eventual failure of the business. In this case, it looks like Al Queda has turned the corner towards lost revenues.

In a January 9th 2009 audio tape, Osama Bin Laden turned his campaign speech into an infomercial with a pitch for funding. He notes that “tithes from any of the great Muslim or Arab traders” would be enough to carry out his efforts on many fronts. But wait! There’s more! …

So if falling revenues are at hand, the next stage of decline for the Al Qaeda organization will be mass exodus of their better talent. That is bad news for Al Qaeda but good news for anyone craving their decline and likewise for anyone looking for some good technical and public relations talent. Isn’t it interesting that the latest Bin Laden statement came across with such lower production quality than we are used to? Could it be a sign that some of that talent is already gone? But I digress….

In conclusion, it is my honor to hand our first STeMie to Osama Bin Laden and the parts of Al Qaeda that are still with him. May you display it proudly and may your shovel never tire.

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I recall when the internet was first widely used. Back when computer screens were two-color (black and green) and when the five and half inch floppy disk was a hot commodity. Little did I know back then that it was the dawn of a new age and a new economy. Back then, it was the beginning of the information age, which spawned a knowledge economy. The knowledge that resulted became an economic model that worked and worked well. Now we live in a time where knowledge is everywhere. This pervasive knowledge is fueled by social media; which interestingly enough is the next stage of the internet.

The next economic revolution is afoot. It is one that organizations worldwide are taking to heart, and to wallet…The Innovation Economy. Now that knowledge has become plentiful, innovation is becoming an economic basis.

Several countries around the world are leading the way in the Innovation Economy. Singapore and Sweden are prime examples of countries to watch. These countries place an importance on collecting a mixture of intellectual capital, social capital and venture capital among other resources.

This trend towards an innovation economy can be a major advantage to any organization. Decide how your business or organization will change to meet this new economic basis. What services or products will you uniquely innovate in a market hungry for new ideas? Then take it even further. Once you know the kind of innovations that you want to pursue, create a plan to capitalize on that innovation that goes beyond patents and licenses all the way to your brand equity and the next big idea. Turn your organization into an innovation engine.

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With everything happening in the world today, there are several interesting trends to watch in 2009. Globally, the knowledge economy is morphing into an innovation economy; and several countries are taking the lead…I will give you a hint…it is NOT the US! I will be tracking the countries that are leaping ahead of the rest of us into the innovation economy and detail what they are doing right, and where they fall short.

As the war on terror rages across an increasingly large front, there are signs of the end of Al Qaeda and the end of many naïve assumptions along with it. In 2009, I will be tracking trends in terrorist activity and analyzing what it means for you and for the world.

Lastly, globalization on massive scale is quickly taking hold thanks to the social media age. In 2009, I will be analyzing why, how and how you can take advantage of this unique time in our world for yourself, your family and your career.

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Link: http://www.TrendFactorPress.com/CharityEvent

When the economy is down, we tend to dwell on how hard it is for our families and us. Although it is true, it can be easy to forget how fortunate we truly are. We also tend to forget that the power to make an impact is within each of us individually; and I am going to PROVE IT right now, in what I hope will become an inspiration to people nationwide.

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Trend Factor Press is small publishing company, but we have joined forces with First Book and Community of Hope to make a big point – The Pen Is Mightier than Poverty. Through the end of October, we are hosting an online charity event that will positively impact the lives of thousands of children nationwide – an event driven by you and people like you passing on the message via the power of social media.

We are opening up our catalog for this event, including three new books launching at the beginning of November and one in January. For every book sold or pre-ordered from ANY series, Trend Factor Press will match it, book for book, with the donation of a brand new Early Math Series book to First Book AND with a monetary donation to Community of Hope. You get great books for the children in your life, for holiday gifts, for your business, and more; the children you help will get a critical early learning book just for them – their first new book.

I cannot sum it up any better than the 4-year old First Book child who said, "I love to read the books you gave us. I love when somebody cares."

Join me, and be a part of the movement

1. FIRST, Take this message and PASS IT ON! Email it, blog about it; post about it on your favorite social media site.
2. THEN, follow this link to our online store where you can make a purchase to make a difference.

On behalf of the children and families nationwide served by these great organizations, I want to personally thank you for choosing to make a difference.

Sincerely,
Dr. Amy Vanderbilt
Owner – Trend Factor Press
Publisher@TrendFactorPress.com
www.DrAmyVanderbilt.com

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About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs.

About Community of Hope
The mission of Community of Hope is to improve the health and quality of life of low-income, homeless, and underserved families and individuals in the District of Columbia by providing health care, housing with supportive services, educational opportunities, and spiritual support.

About Trend Factor Press
Trend Factor Press publishes unique books from expert authors that turn global trends into your personal and professional advantage. Shop our online store today!

The Early Math Series - Fills the gap in the early learning genre with higher order math fiction for 0-10 year olds; planting the seeds of a smarter generation TODAY. This teacher-endorsed series makes it easy for parents and teachers at every level to introduce critical concepts to newborns, toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary age children.

The Lean Proposal Series - Develop complete, compliant and competitive proposals with the least amount of time, effort and resources. Builds on proven best practices to produce proposals and any other critical document FAST even if you are not an expert. Great for small to medium sized businesses and for large businesses learning to compete in today’s environment

The Management & Leadership Series - Bringing new perspectives on management, leadership, and running your business in the social media age.

Link: mailto:drv@dramyvanderbilt.com

A CORPORATE DREAM: NEW ANALYSIS METHOD HELPS ADVERTISERS CRACK THE CODE OF CONSUMER DECISIONS...AND CHANGE THEM.

Vanderbilt Consulting founder Dr. Amy Vanderbilt unveils a new way to analyze market research data that not only unlocks consumer minds, but shows advertisers how to change them. In today's increasingly competitive market, it can make the difference between success and failure; and between election and loss.

Have you ever wondered what makes people want to buy a product or vote for a certain candidate? For decades advertisers have turned to market research – surveys, polls, and focus groups – to tell them whether a product will sell, how to craft their next ad, or how to get voters to favor their candidate. Until recently, the best way to analyze this research was a combination of statistics and intuition. Like reading tea leaves, statistics even in its most advanced forms would often leave much to be desired. The question of what consumers really want to hear in order to sway their opinion has been largely left up to the gut feel of expert pollsters and analysts.

But one D.C. area firm is changing the face of advertising by unveiling a new analysis method called Nonmonotonic Analysis, or NMA. NMA is a blending of new artificial intelligence techniques and proven probability and statistics that reveals the exact strengths and combinations of messages advertisers can use to encourage or alter consumer decisions. And the best part of all is that the analysis requires no other data beyond the types of market research data that a company or campaign already collects...just apply the analysis!

Although it may sound like something out of science fiction, it is all science fact and it can be used to crack the code of any decision – what to buy, who to vote for, what idea to support or reject, and more. So how effective is it? Recent testing showed that when advertisers used the targeted messages produced by NMA, they gained a significant increase in consumer support by keeping supporters AND swaying 25% of non-supporters. Can you think of any political candidates that could use a 25% increase in votes right now? How about a product that might enjoy a 25% increase in sales? In the world of marketing and advertising, even a quarter of that is a huge gain and can make all the difference in a product or candidate’s survival.

NMA was developed over nearly a decade by the husband and wife team of Scott and Amy Vanderbilt. Dr. Amy Vanderbilt, founder and principal consultant at Vanderbilt Consulting said, "This is a powerful method that gives advertisers and campaign managers what they really want to know: how to solidify or change consumer and voter opinion.".

Consumers may wonder if advertisers would use this to toy with their minds. “Not at all,” says Dr. Vanderbilt, “Think of it this way; advertisers have always worked hard to craft messages that will appeal to people. Now they have a way to take the guess work out of it.” So how can you know if your favorite product or candidate is using this analysis method to sway your decision? According to Dr. Vanderbilt, these ads will not look any different than the ads you have grown accustomed to all these years. And we may never know. She notes that, “We don’t disclose our NMA client list at this time. But we invite you to have fun guessing!”

Link: http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com

The social media age has spawned fantastic advancements in technology and communications. It has also spawned one of the greatest battles for your children’s attention that our society has ever known.

It seems to be getting harder and harder to create, nurture and maintain real communication with your children. Add to that the complexity of up to three wildly different generations within your family (the boomers, Gen X and Gen Y).

In this highly interactive session, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will show you the role of social media and the internet in the war for your family’s attention and how to turn it into your secret weapon. Participants will learn key insights into how our own behaviors led to the creation of social media and the need for a different kind of leadership within the family.

Dr. Vanderbilt will walk participants through case studies and real life examples of how to use social media and the internet to create, nurture and maintain real communication with your children. Worksheets will be provided to help participants plan and tailor these techniques for their own families and create an action plan that can be implemented immediately.

Special cases and scenarios from participants will feed a portion of the presentation on handling difficult and unique situations with new methods and an enlightened point of view.

Learner Outcomes

• Social Media And Internet-driven Techniques That You Can Implement To Keep Your Family Together And Talking
• Behaviors Within Your Own Family That Are Holding You Back
• An Action Plan That Can Be Implemented Immediately For Transforming Your Family’s Use Of Social Media To Create, Nurture And Maintain Communication

Link: http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com

In the age of social media, parents must come to terms with one very important fact: control is a fallacy, but leadership is real and required.

In this highly interactive session, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will detail how the communications age, and subsequently the social media age, has changed the way parents must lead and manage their families and the consequences of being a Self Tending Mushroom. Using case studies and best practices from the military, industry and everyday life; Dr. Vanderbilt will walk you through each step of the family leadership cycle.

Presentation will include handouts and worksheets as we work through real life examples and techniques that participants can implement immediately. Special cases and real-life scenarios from participants will feed a portion of the presentation on handling difficult and unique situations with new methods and an enlightened point of view.

Learner Outcomes

• Build And Maintain Highly Effective Communications Within Your Family
• Manage And Lead Your Children Openly To Build Trust And Cohesion
• Develop Your Children Into Great Leaders And Transition Leadership To Them At The Right Time

Link: http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com

The travel industry is affected by a complicated landscape of technological and economic trends.

In this highly interactive session, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will walk participants through technology trends affecting the travel industry from booking to communications and economic trends affecting the travel industry including the recent downturn. We will look deeply at how these trends affect personal and business travel and in turn affect the meetings industry. Some of these trends bolster attendance at your meetings, and some seem to deter it.

Dr. Vanderbilt will offer a holistic view of how these trends interact to produce a total effect on your meeting and how to use them to your advantage. Participants will gain insight into how these trends will evolve over the coming years; how that evolution will affect how business travel is booked, and when it is NOT booked; why these technologies will not decrease business travel, but are actually likely to increase it; and how businesses can take advantage of these trends to survive the current economic conditions and prosper!

Participants will tailor techniques to their own events and specialties using handouts and worksheets.

Learner Outcomes

• Techniques For Surviving And Prospering In The Current Economic Conditions By Taking Advantage Of Technological And Economic Trends In The Travel Industry
• A Plan For Implementing Strategies Within Your Own Events And Specialties

Link: http://www.vanderbilt.paradisenetwork.com

TREND: Higher fuel prices forcing businesses to make tough decisions

EFFECT: Changes in the travel industry - Airlines banding together

SOLUTION IN FOCUS: Pay attention!

Yesterday I found something very unusual in my inbox. In the travel industry, the airlines stand alone. Quite literally. They partner with no one, they offer little to no incentive to agents and generally are not revered by the very customers they serve. They NEVER talk to each other. But here in my email inbox was quite a sight. A letter that serves as evidence that we are indeed going through difficult times. Difficult enough to make the airlines sit down together and talk to each other. WOW.

I rarely ever feel any rise in travel costs because I write all my personal travel off of my taxes and enjoy numerous other discounts. I only ever pay about 30-50% of my true travel costs. But THIS made me take pause and think about the impact that the current fiasco of fuel prices is having on THEM.

The airlines are some of the largest consumers of fuel; specialized fuel at that. Whatever we are feeling at the pump, they are feeling ten times over. That means they will be the first to hit the breaking point and seek a fast solution. And here it is. And a creative one at that. I have posted the letter below and included the link that they suggest will help the problem.

Here it is:

An Open letter to All Airline Customers:

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers. Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.

Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.

Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.

The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem.

We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.

I encourage you to decide for yourself. Myself, I see it as a foreshadowing of what we all might be crying out for when gas hits a little higher and WE hit OUR breaking point. Food for thought.…

Link: http://www.vanderbilt.paradisenetwork.com

TREND: The global mindset

EFFECT: More families will travel abroad this year than ever before!

SOLUTION IN FOCUS: Norway

Oslo, Norway is a glacier carved sight full of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. I find myself minding my manners quite often as they are so much more giving and the average American. My first stop of the day is Oslo Central Station to catch the regional train to Lillistrom for a meeting. In the carriage behind me, a small girl is singing ABBA (too cute given my Scandinavian location) : )

Oslo S hosts a number of different train types including the express and the localtog or local train. There are significant price differences so check the price boards and know where you want to get off before you buy. The local or regional trains are older than the express but are very clean and well kept. Quaint even! Local trains depart one to two minutes after they arrive so make sure you are at the right platform at the right time. Again, most signs are also in English so there is no excuse! You can use a credit card for train tickets at the kiosks. See the very friendly attendants for help if you need it; they really do not mind at all and are eager to assist.

Taxis are on the side of expensive (as is everything here in Oslo) but fear not; although you may suspect they are taking the “long way”; there are a number of one way streets, even in the suburbs and this is really the fastest route.

While I am enjoying my international meetings, my husband takes the kids all around Oslo. And there is no shortage of things to do:

First they went to Akershus Festning, which was built in 1290. The castle guarded Oslo from enemy invasions and was positioned right next to the harbor. It is still an active military facility for the Norwegian armed forces. It also provided some great views of the surrounding islands and downtown Oslo. He made the kids walk around the outside of the fortress which they didn't appreciate until the end of the walk. The facility is open to the public so they were able to explore the fortress inside and out.

Next stop: Oslo City Hall where they hand out the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, after walking past the Capitol building again, they walked past the National Theater. Of course Ibsen is everywhere here and you can even stop in at his favorite cafe...the Grand Cafe in the Grand Hotel. Following the main street they wound up at the Royal Palace.

After drawing silly pictures in the dirt ad gravel, the kids got to see the changing of the guard...and it wasn't just one guard. It was a whole group that eventually traveled out in the King's Guard Bus. The soldiers received a full inspection and performed the attaching of the bayonets. The kids thought that this was the best part of the day.

They next day they grabbed Oslo passes and hopped on the ferry to the "island" of BygDoy. This is the place where you can see famous and infamous Norwegian watercraft from over the years. They arrived at the island and went directly to the Kon-Tiki museum. This museum houses a couple of the boats that were made of balsa wood and sailed across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans respectively. They also had some replica Easter Island heads because the explorer, Heydahl, was one of the first to excavate the island. He was also the creator behind the Kon-Tiki and Ra boats.

Then they walked a couple of kilometers to the Viking Museum to see some of the oldest Viking boat finds in the world. These three boats, along with the wooden chests and wagons, were found in old grave sites around Norway. The carvings in the wooden handles on the wagons were very intricate and the bead work was very well done...even for 1000 yeas ago. These boats were in much better shape than the ones in Copenhagen, but those were buried underwater.

Next we went to the Folkenmuseet to see the old Stave church built in 1200. This church was made entirely of wood and the detail in the carvings was incredible.

To take advantage of the weather they went to Holmenkollen Ski Jump on the hill outside of downtown. Take the "underground" train that emerges above ground after a couple of stops. Then you go uphill which provides some excellent views of the city. I recommend making the climb to the top. From there you can see all of the Oslo fjord and the city and surrounding area. Down in the museum there is a pair of Viking era skis and replications of the rock carving pictures of skis made during the Scandinavian Iron Age. We also saw memorabilia from the 1952 Olympics held here.

We walked back down and took the train back into town. We transferred to a tram, which Quinn just loved and went to Vigeslandparken. This is a famous landmark in Oslo from the sculptor Vigeland. Many of the statues don't have clothes so I won't post the pictures here! But the art is tastefully done and the park itself is just expansive. It is very big. And of course there was a playground at the end.

Lastly, we tried to find out where Edvard Munch received his inspiration for the “Scream”. After consulting numerous blogs we narrowed it down to two spots, one high and one low. Of course none of the locals know anything about it. So we rode the tram, the kids’ favorite mode of transportation, and went to Ekeberg. This area raises high over Oslo and the Oslo fjord so it provides beautiful pictures of the area. We could see Holmenkollen ski jump, the city of Oslo, and Bygdoy.

We asked at the Ekeberg restaurant and one person seemed to think the inspiration was just up the road. We walked there and felt that the angle was right and the street looked right. Of course the road had been much smaller back then. We took our pictures of the area with Amy and the kids “Screaming” and went back to get ready for the train.

Our next adventure takes us into Sweden by train…stay tuned.

Link: http://www.vanderbilt.paradisenetwork.com

TREND: Families are travelling abroad more than ever

EFFECT: It is increasingly important to make it fun!

SOLUTION IN FOCUS: Making the trip from the car to the airplane enjoyable for everyone.

One of the most daunting scenarios in family travel is moving the family (even an small one) through the airport from check-in to onboard and of course, the endurance of the all night or long term flight; not to mention baggage claim (you hope), and finding your transportation. So we are going to focus now on running the gauntlet – keeping everyone safe, together and well behaved from curb to aircraft and beyond.

Ducks in a Row

I typically advise one adult or teenager per child under 13. That way you can have one on one supervision most of the time. HOWEVER, this is not always an option due to the number of kids to adults, or the airport circumstances. Every parent is terrified of losing a child in an airport (or anywhere for that matter!). Here is a strategy that works for me. Have one adult lead up front, and another from the back. (if you have only one adult, put them at the back and let the oldest child lead). Have every one else form a line - ducks in a row – and proceed. The one in front can set the pace and the one in back will have a great view that will help ensure that everyone is accounted for and not wandering off. This tactic also helps to keep the kids focused on the fact that we have somewhere to be right now and we cannot be stopping to stare at everything. They also find this fairly amusing and will start marching or getting a little goofy. That is OK – let them enjoy this journey in their way and they will look forward to another. This is not such an original idea – teachers at every level have been doing it for hundreds of years; we are just adopting their technique for our own little brood.

Fun and Safety with Hand Signals

Airports and airplanes can get LOUD and DISTRACTING and kids can suffer from “selective hearing loss”. To mitigate all of these, adopt or make up hand signals that you can use to let everyone know what is going on. Create, or adopt from the military, hand signals that will stand for each of the following:

• Stop
• Move out
• Get over to the right
• Get over to the left
• Rally (everyone come to me right now; better known as “round up what you are doing because it is time to go”) – very useful at the playground too
• Are you hungry?
• Are you tired?
• Are you hurt?
• Are you nervous/scared? (yes – kids get nervous, and nervous kids act out)
• And make up others just for fun…

Kids think this method is a lot of fun and you will have the benefit of better control and understanding.

Tag That Kid!

Lastly, tag that kid. Remember those great little luggage tags that the airlines hand out for your bag? Fill out a few more with your name and contact method. Put one on their backpack and another in their pocket. Make sure it is there EVERY DAY. You can put it on their wrist or belt loop, but that may induce embarrassment that will make them seek therapy in later years…stick to the pocket.