Just a few years ago, Japan and the US were global leaders in the efforts to cut down on carbon emissions, use renewable energy sources and reduce the reliance on coal and oil. Now, though, for the first time in history, China jumps ahead of the pack with its new energy-efficiency programs, many of them quite in tune with the country’s love for gadgets, wireless technology and „smart” electronics.
In „Cool Runnings”, the brilliant and light-hearted comedy from the 1990s, a group of Jamaican athletes decide to compete in the Calgary Winter Olympics’ bobsledding tournament, and hit a snag due to not having enough cash to buy gear. The twist, of course, being that Jamaica is not particularly known for its winter sports nor its bobsledders (or, at least, it was not until that movie). You may be forgiven for thinking that Jamaica isn’t really well suited to send its athletes to compete in winter disciplines, but this year, at the upcoming Sochi Olympic games in Russia, another Jamaican bobsledding team is going to try and get the gold. And unlike the four guys from the 1993 Disney film, they don’t have to sing on the streets, hold a kissing booth, arm wrestle or even sell their car. It is, after all, the 21st century – their Olympic performance will be… crowdfunded!
There’s one word in modern business that stands out as a brand that keeps going despite all, one company that seems to embody the never-say-die „lo-fi” corporate culture, a culture that doesn’t rely on tech wonders, software gimmickry or even clever retail channels… That name is Starbucks, and that culture is passion.
It took the company many years and a back-and-forth change in leadership to prove the old adage: if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. In case of the Seattle-based coffee house that meant first losing Howard Schultz, then getting him back.
The end of the year is almost upon us, and with it comes spending bonanza of Christmas, which in the US and elsewhere starts as early as late November. In the US, the traditional Black Friday sales pave the way for the Xmas shopping sprees countrywide. Unsurprisingly, the biggest sellers every year are entertainment products; what is surprising this year, is the specific entertainment items that are flying off the shelves even before the Christmas buying frenzy has set in: videogames and videogame consoles. At a glance, however, the videogame industry might not operate in the same way the other industries do these days…
