Josh Gentry

Strategy Pure and Simple provides a lot of value in the way the author defines and differentiates between strategic thinking, strategic planning, operational thinking, and operational planning. Strategic thinking is the process of thinking that helps determine what an organization should look like in the future. Strategic planning is the foundation of strategic and operational planning. Strategic thinking is the process of thinking that gives you an idea, but the strategic planning is the process that helps one choose how to get there.

The first chapter brings up a very interesting point about what is a unique strategy and what is not. Many companies have been practicing Imitation Strategy since their inception, but do not realize it is not a successful strategy. Imitation strategy does nothing for the long term goals. It only produces positive results for a certain period of time, then negative, then positive again, and the cycle continues. “Imitation strategy is to duplicate your competitor’s strategy and then attempt to outmarket, outsell, outmanufacture and outservice these competitors (Robert, 1997).” The author describes the imitation strategy as a “race with no finish line”.

A company can only gain when it creates a unique strategy that changes the rules of the game towards the company’s favor. This leads to the statement “If you are not the leader, don’t play the game according to the rules set by the leader” (Robert, 1997). The company will only lose because the leader obviously knows those rules better, since they created them. If a company can change the rules of the game, it will neutralize or paralyze the leader of the industry. The object of competition is not to have an even playing field, but to have a field that is tilted to your advantage (Robert, 1997).

Robert, M. (1997). Strategy Pure and Simple II. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Posted by Josh Gentry at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The book China Inc. by Ted Fishman presents many similar ideas to the text The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. The worldwide economy is becoming affected by growing players throughout the world. The United States is no longer in a league of its own with no competition. More cost effective materials and labor can now be found all over the world, especially in India and China. China is the most rapidly changing world economy. China sells more clothes, toys, and shoes than any other country. China is also becoming the world’s largest producer of consumer electronics.

No other country has ever made a bigger step forward in hundreds of markets than China. Part of the reason for this tipping of the scales internationally is because of China’s population. There are more cities in China with more than one million people than anywhere else in the world. The United States only has nine cities with more than a million people. China’s population is near 1.5 billion people.

The productive might of China’s workers along with their consumer hunger for more is considered to be a huge natural resource. The reason for this huge growth is because of the number of peasants that are leaving the countryside and moving to the urban areas for low wage manufacturing jobs. American companies cannot compete with wages that are as low as 25 cents per hour for producing the same products. Fishman offers a few solutions to the United States to help mitigate losing so much economic development to China. These include revitalizing education in the US, as well as close the world trading gaps

Posted by Josh Gentry at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The former Dictator of Chile, Augosto Pinochet Died in a military hospital on December 10 at the ripe old age of 91. Pinochet had a heart attack a few days prior to his death.During his life there were only a few attempts to assassinate him. The military leader came into power in a coup on September 11 1973 when his forces bombed the presidential office while the socialist leader Salvador Allende Gossens was inside. It is believed that Allende committed suicide with a gun given to him by Fidel Castro.

Response to the death of the former dictator has been mixed. Some are crying in the streets with signs, while other are burning barriers they placed in the streets and starting riots of celebration.

During Pinochet's rule from 1973 to 1988 there were many violations of human rights. There were an estimated 3,000 people who died during his rule. Many more were detained and tortured, raped, and beaten. The current president of Chile, Michel Bachelet, is one of the living survivors of being detained and tortured.

Part of the reason Pinochet came into power was to oust the socialist movement in Chile because many feared it would succumb to Communist movements. Communism, if it even took place, was defeated but a dictatorship replaced it. The angering part of the story is that Pinochet never paid the price for the lives he took. Upon leaving office he made certain provisions so that he could never be tried in Chilean courts, nor would he lose his lifetime seat as a member of the Chilean military and government. There were a few attempts from other countries to take Pinochet to trial but he was found to be too weak in his medical condition to defend himself.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/12/10/pinochet/index.html

Posted by Josh Gentry at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The European Renaissance was a time of great awakening and learning through many art forms such as literature and architecture. One man who contributed greatly to the proliferation of education during the Renaissance was Manuel Chrysoloras, a great teacher.

Chrysoloras was most famously known for introducing Greek literature to Western Europe. Chrysoloras did a large part of his teachings in Bologna, Italy, which is also known as the "city of letters". Chrysoloras was an emissary to the Greek Emperor. He was selected for that post because of his intelligence and diplomatic skill. When Chrysoloras came to Italy he was contracted by the Florentine Republic to teach Greek to anyone who wanted to learn it.

Chrysoloras was believed to have authored the very first textbook designed specifically for teaching a language, called Erotemata Civas Questiones.

In the year1400 at the University of Bologna, Chrysoloras and his followers created a society for mutual protection against the tyranny of Baldassarre Cossa, the governor of Bologna.

This idea along with the ideas of teaching would later create the foundations of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Chrysoloras
Bononia Docet. 1992. Charlottesville, VA. Kappa Sigma Fraternity

Posted by Josh Gentry at 12:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

But what ELSE are you doing? What kind of projects are you involved in BESIDES the class projects? Those of us in the CICS program will all graduate with the same degree. Mine is no more special than yours or anyone else's. The key differentiator between CICS graduates is their resume. The only way to build on that resume is to do projects. Employers don't want to know what class projects you did because every other student in the program did that too. What did YOU do?

I recently spoke to an alum and he told me his biggest regret from studying at CICS was that he did not get involved in enough projects. I for one do not want to reflect on the whole experience on graduation day and think of things that I could have done and didn't do.

Don't get me wrong, grades are important. But what good are grades if the only technologies you have ever worked on were in a lab. What good are grades when the only knowledge you have came out of a text book or some junk you found on wikipedia. There is a BIG difference in technology fields between lab experience and REAL WORLD experience.

Go out there and get your hands dirty. Employers are looking for well-rounded individuals who have some education, but also know how to do a thing or two. Maybe someone could join my projects so I can delegate some work...

Posted by Josh Gentry at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)