OK. This is rant time. Corporate profits are doing fine- even if we (the consumer, the population) are not. A lot of this profit is due to the fact that workers are not being paid well, or that there are not enough workers (i.e., corporations are “running lean”, often meaning there are too few workers for the tasks at hand).
There is a growing realization that high growth for many nations is no longer in the cards. Oh, if you live in one of the developing nations of Africa- you can say this is wrong. But, even in China, which is slowly entering that state of economy that includes Israel… While neither which is officially a “First World” nation, they are, for all intents and purposes, there- and their growth rates are so demonstrating. Robust growth- growth over 3-4% over 5 years or more- is something that will only occur in those states that are becoming industrialized, not for those with existing corporate/services infrastructure.
Continue reading Knock, knock….Is anyone listening out there?
I was a man on a mission. I “learned” early on that, if you wanted to make a name for yourself in science or engineering, you had to get it well on the road by the time you were 30. It was never clear if the home pressures were the issue or the fact that one would be immersed in an educational environment at those ages that made this possible. Whatever it was, even Albert Einstein bought into this by proclaiming: “A person who has not made his great contribution to science before the age of 30 will never do so.”
Continue reading We were wrong!
OK, so I’m still catching up on my reading. Between the novels and technical reading that I do (about 150 journals and four books a month, plus tables of contents of a hundred or two other journals), I try to read non-fiction. And, I don’t always get to the books when they first come out.
Continue reading Low-hanging Fruit?
I’ve been asked by some of you, by my kids, and by my students: What skills or talents does a good designer possess. I wish I had all the answers- but I have amassed a few findings over the years. I call these observations the four I’s- inquire, involve, interconnect, and intrust.
Continue reading Four Eyes? Or Four I’s?
Creativity is at least half due to an inherited trait. Given that fact, you want to hire creative folks, since that gives you better odds to having creative new ideas within your organization. But, being creative does not mean the creative one can convert those ideas into a useful product or service. So, is there really an advantage in hiring those creative types? After all, it’s not like you can call me up tomorrow and say “Can you have that creative new invention for me by 12 noon? I need it for my press conference.”
Continue reading Got a better idea?
There’s a new program at the US Food and Drug Administration. One designed to afford innovative devices a speedier review process. This Innovation Pathway 2.0 program is designed for pre-market evaluations of medical devices, expediting the process without reducing the need or quality of safety and effectiveness reviews. And some 30 years ago, there was a similar process for smaller companies- it worked, then, too. (I know, we used it- twice!)
Continue reading Dialysis is the FDA hotbed, once again
We know that manufacturing jobs are being exported. But, now the R&D is being exported, too. Not only because the US is not producing fantastic scientific and engineering talent, but to afford corporations the ability to tailor their products to the overseas markets…plus, this curries favor with foreign governments by opening R&D centers in their lands. 
The US National Science Board (part of the National Science Foundation) reported that US multinationals have grown their R&D employment tallies overseas- with 85% of all new jobs being located outside the US. Right now, the total employment in US R&D activities is 73% of the total overall (down from 84% in 2004). Before you jump up and down, consider this fact- more than ½ of the engineering degrees being awarded are from Asia (56% in 2008) and only 4% graduate from the US- and that does not include the fact that more than ½ the PhD degrees granted in the US are awarded to foreign students (57%).
Continue reading Whither R and D? Or, is it wither R &D?
I get very annoyed when folks keep saying that we are in the post-industrial age. I consider that the industrial period has changed- as I have written here, agreeing with Dr. Neal Spence that we are in the third century of the industrial era. And, the news of late has shown this to be true- America is getting back to work again, due to its large manufacturing sector; still the largest one in the world.
Continue reading Stand up and Cheer
We need to innovate! Are you tired of hearing that? I am- not because the sentiment is wrong, but because those saying it often have not a clue as to what to do- or, in many cases, what is innovation. I discussed this, as have many others. (Innovation needs innovators, Go and Create, Innovation is the key, among others of my posts that cover this topic. Use the search feature on the right of my blog, looking for ‘innovat’ and you will find many more.)
Continue reading Innovation needs…