Business Management, Dialysis, Technology

Find the RIGHT Technology to Grow Your Business

July 14, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

Drs. Tellis and Sood (USC and Emery University, respectively) discuss the need for management to choose and back the “”right” technology to grow their business. Their premise is that management often fails to discern among different levels of technology (and, therefore, miss the boat); it believes in the orderly path for technology development (as opposed to random path); and, management feels Â that consumer taste is directed by whim (but, the authors correctly state this is untrue- consumers are motivated by existing innovation and changes).

Continue reading Find the RIGHT Technology to Grow Your Business →

Share this:

Business Management, Economy

The Facts of Unintended Circumstances

July 13, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

I am going write about an institution that is the butt of many of our jokes.Â I, too, have many problems with the institution since moving to Northern Virginia; until that event, I loved the institution.Â But, once I opened an office on Princess Street and the postman decided to skip our office delivery three or more times a week (â€œsince we are the only building on that street portion), my admiration for the institution dissipated- immediately.Â But, that is not the point of this missive.

Continue reading The Facts of Unintended Circumstances →

Share this:

Business Management

Control your problems. Stay nimble with Paradoxes.

July 11, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

We’ve worked with our clients for years to discern the differences between a problem and a paradox. It’s a critical function for leaders. Problem solving methodology involves defining the issues, investigating its causes, developing solutions, and implementing the best choice. The object is to maintain control of the issue. Unfortunately, that is not so straightforward for paradoxes. There are no correct answers. We can’t use the methodology for problem solving; rather one must blend the competing tendencies together and not succumb to one pole or the other. Should the leader fail to manage the paradox, the long-term viability of the enterprise is at risk.

Continue reading Control your problems. Stay nimble with Paradoxes. →

Share this:

Business Management, Economy

The Great Recession has eradicated middle class gains of the past 25 years- except for the top echelon.

July 9, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

Last Thursday, the Pew Research Center, released a report entitled “How the Great Recession Has Changed Life in America“. According to this research, we have just undergone a major change (as one would suspect from its title) on our outlook on life. One point not mentioned: our children our going to have to find new methods of finding jobs- including working for firms in other countries (unless we finally band together as a nation and GROW our country).

Continue reading The Great Recession has eradicated middle class gains of the past 25 years- except for the top echelon. →

Share this:

Medicine

Dopamine is indicted in our food cravings and our inability to move on after love is lost…

July 8, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 3 Comments

I first blogged about dopamine on 1 June. Now, there’s more research demonstrating other aspects of our lives that it affects. However, some of the researchers were not looking at the issues from a dopamine point of view. [Their loss is my gain- or yours in your quest for knowledge.]

Continue reading Dopamine is indicted in our food cravings and our inability to move on after love is lost… →

Share this:

Medicine

Unregulated foods, devices, and drugs – just the adjective should let you know there are problems!

July 7, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 3 Comments

Americans pay a steep price for “brand name” drugs, yet our generics are among the cheapest in the world. But, we also have know that our very same “brand name” drugs are cheaper when purchased almost anywhere else in the world. As the internet (some of us really were around when it began- when you had to know a series of what seem like arcane numbers to reach your destination) grew and got simpler, we found that we could buy those drugs for less money than we could from our local pharmacy. But should we?

Continue reading Unregulated foods, devices, and drugs – just the adjective should let you know there are problems! →

Share this:

Medicine, Technology

Surrogate markers never provide the whole picture. What to do about cholesterol and statins…

July 6, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 5 Comments

For the last two decades, Americans have been taking statins, among the most widely used drugs in the world, with the aim of getting their cholesterol numbers down to target levels. Right now, some 24 million Americans are prescribed statins at a cost of some $ 14 billion annually. Statins are considered useful therapy because they block liver enzymes that produce cholesterol; there may be ancillary actions from taking statins, as well.

Continue reading Surrogate markers never provide the whole picture. What to do about cholesterol and statins… →

Share this:

Business Management, Technology

Time Management- and Vision, Mission, and Goals

July 5, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 2 Comments

I just had the wonderful experience of having two of my three children, my son-in-law, and my fifteen month old grandson sharing a baseball game (his very first, I might add) with me. While I love baseball (ok, maybe just the Phillies), I love my children more- much more. And, my 15 month old grandson reminded me of something very important during that game. Of course, as is true for every parent and grandparent, I recognize that my grandson is very smart. He has an extensive vocabulary. While he pointed out “ball”, “flag”, among his many other words, he saw something I forgot was actually found in center field. “Tick Tock,” he said. No one really knew that he knew the word for clock- but he recognized what it was.

Continue reading Time Management- and Vision, Mission, and Goals →

Share this:

Medicine

Healthcare.gov is LIVE today

July 1, 2010 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

Today is the First of July- so that means that another part of the healthcare insurance reform that was passed this year starts to provide benefit.

Continue reading Healthcare.gov is LIVE today →

Share this: