Analysis by S. al Matwi, S. Arora, and MK Rahman.

Synopsis.Prior to the finale of season one of the show, “The Apprentice”, the remaining four candidates of the initially selected sixteen, Bill, Kwame, Amy and Nick, take part in a series of round robin, one-on-one interviews with Trump's trusted advisory board. Based on their feedback, Trump fires Nick and Amy leaving Bill and Kwame to compete for the title of becoming Trump’s first apprentice. The following day, Kwame and Bill are given their final respective tasks. Bill is made in charge of running a golf tournament whereas Kwame is assigned to organizing the Jessica Simpson concert. Trump gives them the authority to handpick a team made up of previously fired candidates to aid them in their final tasks on the show. In the beginning of the finale, both Kwame and Bill find themselves over their head as they run into problems and face complications. Jessica Simpson is nowhere to be found and Bill is given a hard time about storage facilities by the golf course officials. Furthermore, Bill also has a hard time locating a banner of one of the major sponsors of the tournament and at Kwame’s end; the breakfast with the star turns out disastrous. Also the frost delay situation, and Omarosa’s persistent lies and denial of responsibilities do not help their cases. However, both Bill and Kwame, come out strong in the end accomplishing their designated tasks. After severe critiques and many valid arguments, Trump finally makes his decision and says "You're Hired" to Bill.

Theory. Leadership is defined as an attempt to use influence to motivate individuals to accomplish some goals . Leaders can be identified by specific traits (physical, mental, personality) associated with leadership success and leader effectiveness. These traits, primarily in terms of leadership abilities, personality traits and motivation, are primary tools of defining actions of effective leaders. Abilities: Possession of certain technical, interpersonal skills, and supervisory abilities enabling effective job performance. They can include entrepreneurial skills as an attribution of cognitive skills. Personality traits: Effective leaders portray high levels of alertness, energy level, stress tolerance, emotional maturity, personal integrity etc. to get jobs done. Motivation: Effective leaders constructively use power within the system to accomplish socially desirable outcomes. Their actions are driven by a relatively high need for achievement, which distinguishes them from their subordinates . These above mentioned traits or characteristics determine the level of a person’s leadership potential and efficacy. Leadership behavior analyses two important foci; what leaders do in relation to accomplishing the task and to maintaining the effort of people doing the task . There are two schools of thought for assessing leadership behavior; job-centered leadership and employee-centered leadership. The former defines a leadership style where people closely supervise and observe the work of their subordinates, which can be associated with a micro-managerial approach to effective leadership. The latter school of thought, however, relates to people only supervising the work of others generally, and permitting employees/ subordinates to experience autonomy and support .

Continue reading "Leadership Traits in The Apprentice, Season 1" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Analysis by S. al Matwi, S. Arora, and MK Rahman.

Synopsis.Prior to the finale of season one of the show, “The Apprentice”, the remaining four candidates of the initially selected sixteen, Bill, Kwame, Amy and Nick, take part in a series of round robin, one-on-one interviews with Trump's trusted advisory board. Based on their feedback, Trump fires Nick and Amy leaving Bill and Kwame to compete for the title of becoming Trump’s first apprentice. The following day, Kwame and Bill are given their final respective tasks. Bill is made in charge of running a golf tournament whereas Kwame is assigned to organizing the Jessica Simpson concert. Trump gives them the authority to handpick a team made up of previously fired candidates to aid them in their final tasks on the show. In the beginning of the finale, both Kwame and Bill find themselves over their head as they run into problems and face complications. Jessica Simpson is nowhere to be found and Bill is given a hard time about storage facilities by the golf course officials. Furthermore, Bill also has a hard time locating a banner of one of the major sponsors of the tournament and at Kwame’s end; the breakfast with the star turns out disastrous. Also the frost delay situation, and Omarosa’s persistent lies and denial of responsibilities do not help their cases. However, both Bill and Kwame, come out strong in the end accomplishing their designated tasks. After severe critiques and many valid arguments, Trump finally makes his decision and says "You're Hired" to Bill.

Theory. A group can be defined as a collection of individuals in which behavior and/or performance of one member is influenced by behavior and/or performance of other members . Groups and teams are equally, if not more important than individuals in workplaces, organizations and projects. The applied theory corresponds to the “characteristics of groups” from chapter 8 of the textbook. Upon completion of the various stages of development, a group begins to exhibit –

Structure: Group members are differentiated on the basis of expertise, aggressiveness, power and status. Status in formal groups is usually based on position. The pattern of relationships among the positions constitutes a group structure. Status differences among positions create a hierarchical group structure.

Status Hierarchy: The status assigned to a particular position is typically a consequence of certain characteristics that differentiate one position from other positions.

Roles: Each person in the group structure has an associated role that consists of expected behaviors. In addition, there are perceived role and an enacted role. The perceived role is the set of behaviors that a person in a position believes he should enact where as the enacted role is the behavior that a person actually carries out.

Norms: Norms are the standards shared by the members of a group. Norms are accepted in various degrees by group members and may apply to the entire group or to some group members.

Leadership: The leader exerts influence over group members and within a formal group has the right to exercise legitimately sanctioned power. He/she can reward or punish members who don’t comply with directives, orders, or rules.

Cohesiveness: The closeness or commonness of attitude, behavior, and performance shared amongst group members can be referred to as cohesiveness. In other words cohesiveness is, “strength of group members' desires to remain in the group and their commitment to the group”.

Combination of these components classify as the characteristics of groups .

Continue reading "Groups and Teams in The Apprentice, Season 1" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Synopsis.Hell’s Kitchen is a show in which the world famous chef Gorden Ramsey, who is the host of the show and the owner of the restaurant “Hell’s Kictchen”, puts 12 young chefs through a distressing challenge to win the restaurant of their dreams. Moreover, in the last episode (episode 11) of season 1, chef Ramsey puts the two last contestants, which are Ralph and Michel, into the final test. In the final test, which is a 60 hours test, chef Ramsey splits Hell’s Kitchen into two parts. Then, he puts the two contestants head to head with their own restaurants so that he will designate which one of the contestant is going to be the winner of the restaurant. In this episode, the test begins when the two contestants design their restaurants, write up their own menu, come up with a name for their own restaurant, and choose their staff from the former competitors who were eliminated in the previous episodes. After that, the competition of running their own restaurants and giving the best food and service begins. In other words, the two chefs constraint mostly on managing their group in the most efficient way in order to produce good food and service that will satisfy their customer. Finally after the final test is over, chef Ramsey depends on the evaluations of the customers and his own judgment of the performance of Ralph and Michel to decide over who wins the restaurant. At the end of the episode, Michael won the competition.

Theory.Stress can be defined as a feeling of tension, anxiety and worry that result from an action, situation or event that places special demands on an individual. These occurrences are referred to as stressors. According to the model of Stressors, Stress, and outcomes provided in Organizations: Behavior, Structures Processes, stressors are divided into four levels including: individual, group, organizational, and nonwork stressors. On the individual level, stressors include quantitative role overload (It is the result of having too many things to do or insufficient time to complete the job), role ambiguity (uncertainty about the role), responsibility for people, and pace of change.

On the group level, stressors include Intragroup conflict (Conflict occurring between the members of the same group), and lack of cohesiveness. On the organizational level, the organization's culture (whether the organization adopts autocratic, democratic or laissez-faire leadership style, or it might refer to the principles adopted by the firm) is a potential stressor. Additionally, stressful situations result in individual and organizational outcomes. Individual outcomes include psychological (like anxiety and aggression), cognitive (like poor concentration and decreased attention spans), or physiological outcomes (like increased heart rate, or elevated blood pressure).

Organizational outcomes include the stress effect on the performance of the firm. Moreover, Stress moderators (such as personality traits and characteristics) affect the nature of the relationship between stressors and stress outcomes.

Continue reading "Stress and Stressors in Hell's Kitchen" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Analysis by M. Larcom and H. Smith

Synopsis. Deadliest Catch is a Discovery Channel documentary series detailing the life of six fishing vessels and their crews during an intense crab fishing season. On the Bering Sea, rough weather, elusive crab, demanding manual labor, and long, sleepless nights create a dangerous work environment that levels on the brink of disaster. Each boat launches several hundred eight hundred pound pots (complete with bait) connected in groups by a “string” and buoys. After the strings are left to soak in the water, they are reeled in by an expectant and exhausted crew. Male crabs more than six and half inches wide are kept, while smaller crabs and females are tossed back into the sea. The crabs are sold for five dollars a pound, bringing in about twenty-five to thirty-five dollars per crab. Crab can be an extremely profitable industry which is what attracts most crew members. However, only if the vessels can find the crab can the crews attain their long anticipated success. “Long, Sleepless Nights,” episode two of the first season, depicts the beginning launches of the fleet’s pots in all six vessels: the Sea Star, the Saga, the Northwestern, the Western Viking, the Lucky Lady, and the Fierce Allegiance. Group dynamics begin to emerge as the initial pots are reeled in and the beginning of the crab season is deemed successful or unsuccessful. The greenhorns (first year fisherman) are initiated into their respective crews, and the captains have big decisions to make about their ultimate fishing locations.

Theory.Job Analysis is an important aspect of job design. Job analysis provides an objective description of the demands, activities, and skills required for a particular job (Organizations: behavior structure processes 374). To construct a comprehensive job analysis, it is essential to assess job content, job requirements, and job context. Job content recognizes the specific activities required of a job. The functional job analysis (FJA) is a method to determine job content in terms of 1) what the worker does in relation to data, people, and jobs, 2) what methods and techniques the worker uses, 3) what machines, tools, and equipment the worker uses, and 4) what materials, products, subject matter, or services the worker produces. The criteria used in the functional job analysis define job activities and job performance. Job requirements on the other hand define the education, experience, licenses, or personal characteristics necessary for an individual to execute the job content. Job requirements can be obtained from the position analysis questionnaire (PAQ), which considers 1) information sources critical to job performance, 2) information processing and decision making critical to job performance, 3) physical activity and dexterity required of job, 4) interpersonal relationships required of job, and 5) reactions of individuals to working conditions. The final aspect of job analysis is job context. Describing the environment in which the job is performed is the job context, including physical demands and working conditions, degree of accountability and responsibility, the extent of supervision, and the consequences of error (Organizations: behavior structure processes 374). When assessed comprehensively, job content, job requirements, and job context provide a thorough overview of a particular job, also known as a job analysis.

Continue reading "Job design in Deadliest Catch" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Analysis by M. Larcom and H. Smith

Synopsis. Deadliest Catch is a Discovery Channel documentary series detailing the life of six fishing vessels and their crews during an intense crab fishing season. On the Bering Sea, rough weather, elusive crab, demanding manual labor, and long, sleepless nights create a dangerous work environment that levels on the brink of disaster. Each boat launches several hundred eight hundred pound pots (complete with bait) connected in groups by a “string” and buoys. After the strings are left to soak in the water, they are reeled in by an expectant and exhausted crew. Male crabs more than six and half inches wide are kept, while smaller crabs and females are tossed back into the sea. The crabs are sold for five dollars a pound, bringing in about twenty-five to thirty-five dollars per crab. Crab can be an extremely profitable industry which is what attracts most crew members. However, only if the vessels can find the crab can the crews attain their long anticipated success. “Long, Sleepless Nights,” episode two of the first season, depicts the beginning launches of the fleet’s pots in all six vessels: the Sea Star, the Saga, the Northwestern, the Western Viking, the Lucky Lady, and the Fierce Allegiance. Group dynamics begin to emerge as the initial pots are reeled in and the beginning of the crab season is deemed successful or unsuccessful. The greenhorns (first year fisherman) are initiated into their respective crews, and the captains have big decisions to make about their ultimate fishing locations.

Theory. A decision is a means to achieve a result or solve a problem; it is the outcome of a sequential process and is influenced by many forces (Organizations: behavior structure processes 459). Problems often occur when there is a gap between an organization’s goals and execution of these stated goals. The text describes a decision-making model that represents the process of 1) establishing goals and objectives, 2) identifying problems, 3) developing alternatives, 4) evaluating alternatives, 5) choosing an alternative, 6) implementing the decision, and 7) controlling and evaluating. For infrequent problems surrounded by uncertainty and risk, the decision-making process is usually necessary. Establishing goals is essential for understanding the results an organization desires to achieve, and therefore for recognizing when an organization has deviated from said objectives. If an organization falls short of its goals, it is necessary to identify the problem, typically classified as an opportunity, crisis, or routine problem. Developing an alternative to the identified problem is a search process for potential solutions; the search can be limited by time and cost constraints. After the alternatives are evaluated based on certainty, uncertainty, and risk, and alternative is chosen to remedy the problem and bring the organization closer to its original objectives or goals. Implementing the chosen alternative involves communicating the new course of action to the entire team and thereafter keeping track of progress and success (i.e. evaluation). The decision-making process describes the actions involved in identifying, assessing, and solving problems to better the progress of an organization.

Continue reading "Decision-Making in Deadliest Catch" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Analysis by M. Larcom and H. Smith.

Synopsis. Deadliest Catch is a Discovery Channel documentary series detailing the life of six fishing vessels and their crews during an intense crab fishing season. On the Bering Sea, rough weather, elusive crab, demanding manual labor, and long, sleepless nights create a dangerous work environment that levels on the brink of disaster. Each boat launches several hundred eight hundred pound pots (complete with bait) connected in groups by a “string” and buoys. After the strings are left to soak in the water, they are reeled in by an expectant and exhausted crew. Male crabs more than six and half inches wide are kept, while smaller crabs and females are tossed back into the sea. The crabs are sold for five dollars a pound, bringing in about twenty-five to thirty-five dollars per crab. Crab can be an extremely profitable industry which is what attracts most crew members. However, only if the vessels can find the crab can the crews attain their long anticipated success. “Long, Sleepless Nights,” episode two of the first season, depicts the beginning launches of the fleet’s pots in all six vessels: the Sea Star, the Saga, the Northwestern, the Western Viking, the Lucky Lady, and the Fierce Allegiance. Group dynamics begin to emerge as the initial pots are reeled in and the beginning of the crab season is deemed successful or unsuccessful. The greenhorns (first year fisherman) are initiated into their respective crews, and the captains have big decisions to make about their ultimate fishing locations.

Theory As groups progress in their development, several characteristics can be observed. These characteristics include structure, status hierarchy, roles, norms, leadership, cohesiveness, and conflict (Organizations: behavior structure processes 440). Group structure is the way in which group members are differentiated according to the position they posses; it focuses on the chain of command within the group. Factors such as expertise, aggressiveness, power, and status often influence an individual’s position in a group. Similarly, status hierarchy refers to an individual’s position in a group, but it is based solely on assigned status based on perceptions. Job seniority, age, or ability can affect a group member’s status, possibly having little to do with the formal hierarchy of the group. Norms are the standards of individual and group behavior that have been developed by the group as a whole. While norms are important to the daily operations of the group, they may not be accepted to the same degree by all members. Moreover, leadership is an essential part of any group. Leaders can exert some influence over members as well as exercise legitimately authorized power. As mentioned in the book, leaders must encourage members to participate as well as intervene when necessary to accomplish group goals. Cohesiveness refers to the strength of group members’ desires to belong in the group and measures their commitment level. This depends on the attractiveness of a group which can be determined by its goal clarity and specificity, the presence of a charismatic leader, the reputation of the group, the size of the group, and the support provided by group members to others. Lastly, conflict arises in the development of any group as members experiment with roles and advice offered by other members. The interdependence of group members often sparks confrontation on a number of levels. These characteristics combine to provide a clear pictures of a group’s fundamental organization.

Continue reading "Group Characteristics in Deadliest Catch" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Motivation “is the concept we use when we describe the forces acting on or within an individual to initiate and direct behavior” (p. 132). The need hierarchy model is a theory proposed by Abraham Maslow. He states that a satisfied need is not a motivator, and that their needs depend on what they already have. Therefore they are motivated to move one stage up the hierarchy in order to attain a need that they haven’t satisfied. Once that need is attained, it’s no longer a motivator. Furthermore, Maslow imposes that a person attempts to satisfy the most basic needs before attempting to satisfy upper-level needs. The human needs are defined in five stages (from the lowest level needs to the highest level needs): psychological needs, safety and security needs, belongingness, social, and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

The Moth, which is episode 7 from season 1 of the show Lost, is what’s being used for analysis. The episode revolves mainly around Charlie, a young drug addict who used to be the base player in a popular rock band. Locke is the only person on the island who knew about Charlie’s addiction, and makes it his task to help him recover. Another event that takes place is the search of the network triangulation, which was led by Said. His mission requires 3 people standing very far apart to form a triangle, and they would then all need to switch on their devices in order to establish a network. Distance is an obstacle in this event, because it made it hard for the 3 people to know when everyone was in place in order to switch on the device.

However, Said managed to think of a plan involving fireworks so that distance would no longer be a problem. Meanwhile, Jack, Charlie, and another man went to search for a water supply. They went in a cave which then collapsed, leaving Jack stuck inside while the other 2 people managed to escape safely. With their leader, Jack, in moral peril they begin to panic. Charlie sets off to call for help. Michael, who has construction experience, led the way to Jack’s rescue. However, it was Kate, who has a close relationship with Jack, who then took charge. Since Michael seems to have lost hope when Charlie went in after Jack and the cave collapsed again. Jack and Charlie managed to escape in the end, but not without injury. Jack happened to dislocate his shoulder while they were inside the cave, but he had Charlie relocate it for him.

Continue reading "Motivation in Lost, Season 1, Episode 7" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Analysis by R. al Muftah and A. Darwish

“Leaders are agents of change, persons whose acts affect other people more than other people’s act affect them” (p. 313). Based on the research carried out that defines the trait theory of leadership, leaders appear to have specific traits that are associated with their leadership success. These characteristics include the abilities, personal traits, and motivation of the leader. Interpersonal, cognitive, and technical skill are the abilities that effective leaders exhibit. The personality traits that are associated with leadership effectiveness include energy level, stress tolerance, self-confidence, emotional maturity, and integrity. Finally, effective leaders possess characteristics of motivation that includes socialized power orientation, strong need for achievement, weak need for affiliation, and persuasiveness. Along with traits that leaders possess, their behavior contributes greatly to his/her success. There are two leadership behaviors, initiating structure (job-centered) and consideration (employee-centered), when performed in high degrees lead to the most effective results. Initiating structure is when responsibilities and job tasks are structured for the followers. Consideration is defined as the supportive concern shown by leaders towards their followers.

Continue reading "Leadership Traits in Lost, Season 1, Episode 7" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Analysis by A. Darwish and R. al Muftah

Job design is “the process by which managers decide individual job tasks and performance” (p. 368). There are a number of outcomes from result from job performance, these include: objective, personal behavior, intrinsic and extrinsic, and job satisfaction outcomes. One way to analyze a job is through its range and depth. The range of a job refers to how many tasks a person is required to perform while doing their job (more tasks means a greater job range). While the second characteristic, job depth, is defined as the amount of freedom an individual has when deciding how their job would be performed (more freedom means a greater depth). A person with high job depth and range usually has a highly despecialized job, while a person who has a low job depth and range is said to have a highly specialized job.

Continue reading "Job design in Lost, Season 1, Episode 7" »

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Forbes lists the ten sports franchises in the US most likely to go on permanent road trips.

What do the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Islanders and basketball's New Orleans Hornets all have in common? Dreary stadiums they don't own and stalling businesses eager to rake in more cash. In other words, they're all ripe for a move. And that means city or state governments around the country can expect them to come calling for help financing a new venue.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just got this from a colleague and it makes we wonder: how bad can things be when people can make up jokes this good?

Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the
run on Northern Rock in the UK , uncertainty has now hit Japan .

In the last 7 days the Origami Bank has folded, the Sumo Bank has gone belly up and the Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

Yesterday, it was announced that the Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in the Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived.

While the Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, the Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black.

Furthermore, 500 staff at the Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at the Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Take the quiz and find out.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you were, then two questions are appropriate: (1) how would you handle an interview like the one below where a 12-year old walks in and begins to question you and (2) what does this video tell you about working as a consultant for Deloitte?

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Random House Unabridged Dictionary provides three definitions for "hatchet man"

(1) a professional murderer.
(2) a writer or speaker who specializes in defamatory attacks, as on political candidates or public officials.
(3) a person whose job it is to execute unpleasant tasks for a superior, as dismissing employees.

In a shocking and very sad story out of India today is an instance where the first and the third met and the third was the worse off for it The first had a name, Lalit Chodhary and he was the CEO of the Indian operations of an Italian auto parts manufacturer that recently dismissed quite a few employees.

Corporate India is in shock after a mob of workers bludgeoned to death the chief executive who sacked them from a factory in a suburb of Delhi. Lalit Kishore Choudhary, 47, the head of the Indian operations of Graziano Transmissioni, a manufacturer of car parts that has its headquarters in Italy, died of severe head wounds on Monday after being attacked by scores of laid-off employees, police said. The incident, in Greater Noida, followed a long-running dispute between the factory’s management and workers demanding better pay and permanent contracts. ... Mr Choudhary, who was married with one son, had called a meeting with more than a hundred former employees who had been dismissed after an earlier outbreak of violence at the plant. He wanted to discuss a possible reinstatement deal.

Workplace violence happens wherever there is work, but India seems to have a particular problem of late with angry protests against its auto and other heavy industries:

A spokesman for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry said: “Such a heinous act is bound to sully India’s image among overseas investors.” The murder has stoked fears that outbreaks of mob rule risk jeopardising the sub-continent’s economic rise. Thousands of violent protesters recently forced Tata, the Indian conglomerate that owns Land Rover and Jaguar, to halt work on a plant being built to produce the world’s cheapest car, the £1,250 Nano. The move could result in £200 million in investment costs being written off. The billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani said that the Nano crisis showed how protesters were creating “a fear psychosis to slow down certain projects of national importance”. Other companies, including Vedanta, the London-listed mining company, have encountered similar problems in India.

It's hard for an outsider to know if these are angry ex-employees engaging in grassroots protests or whether this is the rent-a-mob/shakedown industry looking for a bigger piece of the action. The statement released by the late Mr. Choudhary's employer hints at something even darker:

In a statement issued from Rivoli,Italy, Graziano said that some of Mr Choudhary’s attackers had no connection with the company.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Daily Tech's Science Blog, the melting of the ice caps could prove very beneficial. First the science- paleoclimatology to be precise:

Recent short-term gains in Arctic ice coverage indicate nothing about the eventual state of the Arctic. Answers to the long-term status of the region lie in the realm of a scientific branch known as paleoclimatology. What does it tell us?

The Earth is currently in the geologic epoch known as the Holocene. This began nearly 12,000 years ago when the last ice age (more precisely, the Weichsal glacial) ended. Temperatures warmed, glaciers began to retreat, and the Arctic began to melt. This began what is called an interglacial: a warmer period between glaciation. We tend to think of the poles as immutable, but geologically speaking, permanent polar ice is a rare phenomenon, comprising less than 10% of history. Icecaps form briefly between interglacials, only to melt as the next one begins -- this time around will be no different. So we know the Arctic will eventually be open water. The only question is how it will affect us.

And now the economics:

What's at stake is nothing less than millions of square miles of territory, with some of the richest resources known. 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,700 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lie in the region. An ice-free Arctic also means access to other mineral resources, and access to rich new fishing grounds. Analysts have hesitated to put a figure on the total worth. But that's not all. Just the ability to safely navigate the region is itself valuable.

First navigated in 1905, the famed Northwest Passage allows ships to cross between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Currently this requires a trip through the Panama Canal, a lengthy, expensive voyage that is barred to the largest "post-Panamax" class of ships. The permanent opening of the Northwest Passage will shave thousands of miles off each crossing, saving millions of barrels of diesel fuel annually, boosting trade and cutting shipment costs for a wide variety of imported and exported goods.

Nearly as important, the Northeast Passage is vital for parts of Northern Europe and Russia. First navigated as far back as 1879, a permanent opening will not only reduce shipping costs between Russia and Northern Europe, it will be a boon for thousands of tiny coastal communities that are currently cut off from the outside world for most of each year.

But what about the Polar Bears?

Recent research indicates that the species is significantly older than first thought, about 120,000 years old. This means polar bears have survived at least one interglacial before, and therefore doesn't depend on permanent polar ice.

Almost sounds to good to be true.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The International Herald Tribune reports that China detains 19 in baby formula scandal.

China said over the weekend that 19 people had been detained by the police as part of an investigation into how baby formula had become contaminated with an industrial chemical. The formula is implicated in the death of one infant, and at least 432 others have been afflicted with kidney problems. The government also said Saturday that the Sanlu Group, China's biggest producer of milk powder formula, had first received complaints about its powder in March and had recalled some products but delayed reporting the problems to the government or the public.

The reminder contained in the last sentence of the paragraph of the story may prove prescient as to how this problem may end:

Last year...Beijing insisted that its food supply was largely safe. The government also started a nationwide campaign to root out food and product safety problems. It even executed the head of the food and drug administration after he had been found guilty of dereliction of duty.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A press release from the Journal of Consumer Research sheds light on the role of advertising rapid transformation of Chinese society from a Maoist workers paradise to a semi-capitalist society.

Comrades to consumers: study of advertising reveals China's startling transformation. From ancient Arabian traders to Marco Polo’s followers, merchants have tried to transform China’s massive population into materialistic consumers. In less than 30 years, millionaires, pop stars, and “Mongolia Cow Yogurt Super Girls” have replaced Mao’s working-class heroes. How did China become a consumerist society in such short order?

A fascinating new study in the Journal of Consumer Research looks at the role advertising has played in China’s transformation. Authors Xin Zhao (University of Hawaii at Manoa) and Russell W. Belk (York University, Toronto) analyzed advertisements in the Chinese media for clues on how sociological and ideological change has taken place in the People’s Republic.

Advertising is the major propaganda vehicle for consumerism, and an excellent arena to explore China’s changing values, explain the authors: “We examine how advertising appropriates a dominant anti-consumerist political ideology to promote consumption within China’s social and political transition.”

The researchers studied advertisements in the People’s Daily, the oldest and largest newspaper in China, as well as additional sources. By taking a close look at the ads, the authors observed the ways advertisers utilized communist symbols and messages. “Throughout the 1980s and even today, sacred political icons such as red stars and red flags, which used to be closely connected with the power and ideology of Chinese communism, have often been co-opted in advertising to promote consumer goods from color TVs to refrigerators,” write the authors.

The research examined how advertisers transformed socialist economic goals of modernization into consumer messages designed to make consumers feel they were a part of China’s transformation.

The authors believe that China’s lessons are applicable to other developing economies. “Never in the course of human history have a larger number of people gained more wealth in such a short time. China provides an unprecedented opportunity to examine the rise of consumerism in the contemporary world and similar patterns likely exist in other societies,” the authors conclude.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wal-Mart is helping to get the vote out in all 57 50 states.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, famous for the eponymous "show about nothing" have teamed up on a series of commercials for Microsoft Vista:

Those left scratching their heads after Microsoft's first new ad may find themselves just as itchy after the follow-up spot. The second in Microsoft's series of new ads airs Thursday night, featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld moving in with a family of "real people" in order to connect with them. The humor seems slightly better to me, but the references to Microsoft's products remain tangential. The ads are the beginnings of an expensive and ambitious effort by Microsoft to try to reclaim the Windows image after letting rival Apple mock it for years. As for the less than direct start, Microsoft spokesman Eric Hollreiser likens it to starting off a business presentation with a joke."It allows you to have a different kind of conversation after you've disarmed (the audience) a bit," he said. While Microsoft isn't saying just when it will get more direct in its sales pitch, the ads are expected to start talking turkey soon. "I know there has been some question about 'Is this it?'" he said. "No."

It's good that Hollreiser recognizes that the commercials will eventually have to say something substantive. Vista was, after all, not mocked without good reason: it is rightly considered by many to be a comedy of errors. And if the ads don't deliver, they'll be remembered as just much ado about nothing.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From RealClearMarkets:

the vast majority of the impoverished in America don’t work and wouldn’t even if we raised wages or created more jobs. They are in poverty because of social or physical problems or choices in life they’ve made which make it difficult or impossible for them to work. Some have simply chosen not to work. It’s not that our economy doesn’t work for most of the poor, but that most of the poor don’t work.

This is not just the authors assertion. There are facts:

...of the 7.6 million families in poverty in America, more than 80 percent did not contain an adult who worked full time in the past year. In fact, in more than half of families in poverty the householder did not work at all in the last year. The problem was especially acute among single-parent families headed by women, which make up 19 percent of American families but 55 percent of all families in poverty. In only 17 percent of those impoverished families is the household head working full time. Still, even that is better than before welfare reform set time limits on public assistance in 1996. Back in the early 1990s, for instance, only 9 percent of all poor women who headed households worked.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There's a little more soup in kitchens these days and Campbell's shareholder's are the better off for it:

The Campbell Soup Co. said Thursday its profit rose 46 percent from a year ago, as it raised prices on many of its products and got a lift from an extra week in the latest reporting period. Company President Douglas Conant told analysts on a conference call that the company was able to turn in that performance despite unusual inflation for ingredients. "In my 33 year career, I cannot recall a more challenging environment in the food industry," he said. Conant said he expected costs to continue to rise for the company — but for price increases to be enough to offset it in fiscal 2009.

In addition to higher prices and an extra week, there are several other reasons for the higher profits:

Domestic soup sales were also strong during the quarter which covered a part of the year when soup consumption is usually low. ... Campbell's said sales of its condensed soups were up by 6 percent and its ready-to-serve products were up 5 percent. But the company says its beverage sales increased by over 10 percent, partly because of an agreement to have Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. distribute its V-8 and V-8 V-Fusion juices. International sales were up by 17 percent — largely due to a weak dollar that makes exports more attractive and strong sales of its Arnott's brand of biscuits in Australia and the Pacific Rim region.

This is not duck soup.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Via Marketwatch

Russia's sharp equity sell-off continued Thursday, with the RTS stock index tumbling 14% over the last three sessions, as supportive comments from President Dmitry Medvedev did little to calm investors' frayed nerves. In Moscow, the dollar-denominated RTS index fell 2.7% to close at 1,298 points. The ruble-denominated MICEX stock index dropped 3.7% to end at 1,073 points. In New York, the Market-Vectors Russia ETFwhich tracks the performance of the Russian stock market, fell 3.6%. Thursday's stock declines come on the heels of two consecutive days of sharp losses.

Reasons for the sell-off are many:

Investors have pulled money out of Russia in recent weeks on concerns over escalating geopolitical tensions with the West following the military conflict between Georgia and Russia, falling commodity prices and concerns about state interference in the economy. Russian equities have been battered by an ongoing sell-off, with the RTS stock index falling 43% year-to-date.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Grey Lady may have found a white knight, or if not that, then at least a wealthy man who can keep her (for a while) in the fashion to which she has become accustomed. It is none other than Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim:

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim acquired a 6.4 percent stake in New York Times Co., citing the newspaper publisher's ``attractive value'' following a 20 percent drop in the stock this year. The shares rose the most since 1993. The purchase makes Slim the third-biggest shareholder in New York Times outside of the company's controlling Sulzberger family. Slim and a family trust owned 9.1 million shares of New York Times as of Sept. 4, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. They hadn't previously reported a stake in the company, the third-largest U.S. newspaper publisher. The stake is passive, according to the filing. Slim may be buying the shares in a bet that a third party may acquire New York Times, said Hal Vogel, a New York media analyst. The company's largest investor, Harbinger Capital Partners, mounted a proxy fight this year for seats on the board, asset sales and more Internet investment. ``Maybe he's just buying what he thinks is part of a bargain,'' Vogel said in an interview. ``He might be playing it for someone else to take it out.''

"He might be playing it for someone else to take it out." Perhaps he's no knight in shining armor, but rather the Real Slim Shady.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lehman Brothers' shares dropped another 40% today:

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's survival was called into question as its chief executive scrambled to sell assets to cover losses from toxic real estate investments, sending shares down as much as 46 percent. The investment bank's need to raise desperately needed cash, broadly outlined by CEO Dick Fuld on Wednesday, failed to assuage investor concerns. The stock dropped $2.92, or 40 percent, to $4.33 on Thursday after falling as low as $3.88. The steady stream of grim tidings and the dearth of details from the company stoked fears that some of Lehman's clients and trading partners might take their business to more stable firms. Only six months since the collapse and eventual fire-sale purchase of venerable investment bank Bear Stearns, confidence in the Wall Street business model has faded.

In layman's terms: going, going, gone.

Posted by Starling Hunter at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Seattle-area company is selling high heels for babies.

Washington Mutual shares tumble 30% to a 17-year low. An acquaintance tells me that "Last year they had the most lavish convention of any at the Wailea Marriott"

Posted by Starling Hunter at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)