Robots Taking Over Business & Workplace Tasks

Traditional Skills Becoming obsolete
Investigative reporter Don Bartlett recently warned about the public’s lack of awareness about robotics in the workplace during his appearance on C-SPAN.

Although I knew about robot controlled vacuum cleaners & the growing use of robots in factories, I have to admit I had no idea how widespread the technology had become until several days ago when 60 minutes ran a segment on the subject.

The changes affect traditional workers, white and blue collar, and provide potential and pitfalls for aspiring and established entrepreneurs.

Warning: For several seconds, the 13 + minute video has a graphic glimpse inside a surgical operating room.

References
60 minutes
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50138922n

Robot Companions Blog
http://www.robotcompanions.eu/blog/tag/mit/




Investigative Journalism

Useful Controversial Niche

Imagine the commotion at an outdoor garden wedding if two baby skunks suddenly strolled out of the bushes and into the backyard among the waiting guests.

It’s a similar reception given to many investigative journalists.

In the Afterwords video, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Donald Bartlett and James Steele explain why their profession is controversial and often unpopular among population segments.

The pair discusses business-related topics, such as Rubbermaid, the vise grip pliers, and Apple Computer, within the first 34 + minutes of their interview.

For potential entrepreneurs, understanding the political landscape and how decisions in Washington could influence and disrupt their plans to start and operate a small business in specific industries is not to be overlooked.

The journalists explain in simple terms how media hype, deregulation, outsourcing,  and other government policies affect and influence the majority of the U.S population., and they can communicate in ways that even many young adults or preteens can understand.

Reporter with microphone in a crowd

References
October 2012
C-SPAN Afterwords  Length 100:57
Barlett & Steele
https://www.c-span.org/bookTv/

InDept C-SPAN
Approx. 3 hours
Barlett & Steele
https://www.c-span.org/bookTv/

“It’s time to kill Investigative Journalism.”
February 11, 2012 / Blog Post: Yukon dispatch

Summary: Speech given by reporter at Canadian University Press National Conference January 14, 2012, in Victoria, BC. Talk outlines the profession’s ethics, industry changes, the downside,  daily activities, and the repercussions of going after specific stories.
The viewpoint of a small-town reporter:
http://ykdispatch.blogspot.com/2012/02/its-time-to-kill-investigative.html

The IRE Journal, award-winning magazine of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc: http://ire.org/publications/ire-journal/

History of IRE Organization
http://www.ire.org/about/history/




Free Business eBook Resource

Nolo’s*  Legal Reference Information Center
Full texts of Nolo’s publications are available through their search engine.

The company’s mission is to provide practical information for non-lawyers, but Nolo also specializes in business books. Titles are primarily focused on the legal and tax aspects of starting-up and running an enterprise.

Some titles may be useful for those seeking inspiration. For instance, Running a Side Business, or, Retire and Start Your Own Business: Five Steps to Success, or The eBay Business Start up Kit.

eBoook Database
http://tinyurl.com/axtkdfs

*Formerly Nolo Press

Instruction:
Above the search box, click the tab labeled publications to reveal book titles.


Reference
San Francisco Public Law Library
http://www.sflawlibrary.org/index.aspx?page=25

 

 




Humor & Startup Entrepreneurs

Using Laughter to Market Products & Services
In a previous post, I wrote about different niches in the humor industry. Recently, I discovered two businesses that incorporate offbeat humor into their products and services.

The first example involves an antitheft lunch bag. I have to admit that I stared at the sandwich and its headline for several seconds trying to process what I was seeing then I started laughing…

And the wacky history lesson from the offbeat restaurant chain Laughing Planet Café is one I’ll probably never forget. I had no idea that the Aztecs invented the burrito…

Some aspiring entrepreneurs are able to succeed with humor in the business world while others crash and burn…

Those who succeed are using their sense of humor as an authentic expression, but those who are merely creating a marketing ploy to drum up business may sometimes create unintended consequences, which are far from funny.

Humor is serious business…sorry….
Think through your humor-related strategies carefully before startup.

References
Previous post 
Niches in the Humor Industry
https://nichecreativity.com/the-business-of-humor/

Anti-Theft Lunch Bags
http://www.thinkofthe.com/product.php?name=anti-theft-lunch-bags

http://www.thinkofthe.com/about.php

Laughing Planet
http://laughingplanetcafe.com/about/history/

Portland Business Journal, December 2012
Laughing Planet sold to employee investors
http://tinyurl.com/bergdnb

Boston Globe, June, 2012
When using humor in a message, tread carefully
Examples of business blunders
http://tinyurl.com/akjt9xs

Humor and Public Relations 
http://prinyourpajamas.com/humor-pr/

PowerPoint
Facts and statistics about the use of humor in the business world
www.public.asu.edu/~dnilsen/documents/humor-business.ppt




How Some Entrepreneurial Career Changers Assess Skills Without Tests

Card Sorting: An Overlooked Resource Tool

cards-627168_640
Countless would-be entrepreneurs have trouble identifying
their values, motivations, and occupational interests. However,
there are more than two hundred factors involved, according
to career development expert Richard Knowdell, so indecision
is understandable.

Testing is one solution, but some people dislike tests while others
find conventional methods incompatible with their learning style
, a circumstance that hampers achievement of accurate results.

To address these issues, Richard Knowdell MS, developed a simple, inexpensive, non-testing method: a card-sort game that would help people from different age and socioeconomic groups rapidly identify and rank their priorities, and assess their knowledge and occupational interests. Using a playing card format removes testing-related barriers and allows for stress-free, game-like discovery, according to user feedback.

Richard Knowdell has taught at the University of California, and San Jose University, and established one of the first successful corporate career development programs in the U.S., and directed a Silicon Valley corporate training and employee development division.

He also started an executive outplacement-consulting firm and served as an executive coach. President Clinton later appointed Richard Knowdell to the Board of Examiners of the United States Foreign Service.

Card Sort Profiles
Occupational Interests

Discover how to rank and identify appeal factors in 110 fields.
Details on knowledge and skills needed and entry requirements
are included with a manual

Career Values
Lists and describes 54 areas of work satisfaction

Motivated Skills
Identifies 51 possible transferable skills
Motivated Skills Worksheet
Completed PDF Sample

Note: Beginning in 2009, I enrolled in two separate college classes for credit: first, a vocational assessment class at a Los Gatos, junior college, and second in a comprehensive personal development psychology course at a nonprofit university.  An array of assessment tools were provided, but neither class mentioned the Knowdell system.

While the academic instruction was helpful,
my independent research uncovered invaluable
information about overlooked alternative assessment resources.

Dee Adams is the author of
Finding Your Niche: Discover:…
https://nichecreativity.com/finding-your-niche-ebook/

References

Knowdell Career Values Card Sort
http://tinyurl.com/ct372zs

Knowdell Motivated Skills Card Sort
http://tinyurl.com/cepkbc5

Knowdell Occupational Interests
http://tinyurl.com/d2h6hwc

Richard Knowdell
http://www.notjustapaycheck.com/experts/dick_knowdell.html

Board of Examiners American Foreign Service
http://tinyurl.com/5zvsw

Required Junior College Vocational Textbook
The Career Fitness Program
http://tinyurl.com/afktvn3

Required Textbookn for University Lass
Personal Psychology Development Textbook
http://tinyurl.com/a7y4jga




2013

Peace & Prosperity for your New Year!