Why are we having such a hard time fighting global warming?

New reports from Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal indicate that one of the world's largest polar caps is likely to thaw out by 2100. T'he report took into account more than 350 researchers and policy experts, 185 organisations, 210 authors, 20 review editors and 125 external reviewers. Why are we having such a hard time understanding and tackling global warming?

I can break this down into two reasons. Lack of coordination and lack of industry interest. 

1. Lack of Coordination: We don't have the mechanism to force all countries to adhere to new standards. In many cases, it is voluntary and such countries are more interested in economic growth than something a few decades down the road. 

2. Lack of Industry Interest: Some companies get the message and are doing the right thing. Many others are putting their fingers in their ears because they hope to make some money and reduce the possibility of legislation and regulation. 

http://www.icimod.org

Anchor Your Business in Ethics

All businesses should have some ethical stance that guides employees to making the right choices. Ethics is a system that people compare and contrast possible outcomes against to ensure that their behavior is sociably acceptable. When the ethical system is not open or easy to follow people begin to skirt such ethics in their own self interest.

Ethics, values, and societal harmony come together. Sharing is inherent when we can receive the benefit of receiving when we are in need. Biologically we are designed to need status among our peers and support of our friends.

Because society is full of people we don't know and often don't connect with, we may not feel any real obligation to follow the rules. As long as we don't break the law or people know about our behaviors then we can break all the ethical rules. Add in court battles and everything seems ok.

The problem is that as soon as we do this we also reduce the need for others to follow the rules as well. We cannibalize ourselves as each person takes more than their fair from the system. The brightest can't come forward because the selfish have blocked the paths. To run a smart business means enforcing ethics and encouraging other businesses to do so as well.

The way in which we can do that is through making ethics part of our system. We talk about it, enforce it, promote in part on it, and expect it from everyone. All the people of an organization exist under the same ethical rules. Keeping ethics helps manage an organization without the constant need for oversight.

Keep Your Body Moving Throughout the Day-10 Minute Sessions

We sometimes think that the only way to get into shape is to work out at the gym every morning. While this is great in order to get it done it doesn't necessary mean that it is the only way to get your workout in. Some people can simply workout throughout the day and receive the same benefits. Here are a few benefits of working out in 10 minute sessions.

1. Burning calories is an additive process. You don't need to burn them all at once.

2. People with responsibilities, kids and short time frames might not be able to work out all at once.

3. Walking up stairs, leg lifts at your desk, high knees around the house, push ups and sit ups while your listening can all be done through the course of your day.

4. It is wise to get up 5 minutes an hour from work. If you can have your workout while getting your blood flowing helps your body and brain function better. 

Keeping Your Home Together with Duck Tape

Last week I was walking around the beach and came across an interesting RV that was duck taped together. I believe this truck may have ran into an overpass and had much of its cabin ripped apart. The owners decided they would rather keep it running than retire the truck. Duck tape was used to keep the air out.

In the end, I'm surprised the car is still in use. It takes a special kind of person to use this car in this way. I'm not knocking it...I'm just saying WOW.

Why Research is Fundamental To University Contribution and Image?

Research in today's world is hugely important as companies seek to be innovative and generate new and unique ideas. Research is often out of the reach of the average person and is typically completed in business or in academic settings. Encourage universities to conduct research based on the needs of the market can help push innovation in society.

Universities have something to say. Incorporating research into a professors responsibilities helps to develop the full purpose of the university system to increase knowledge. That is difficult unless new knowledge is being generated. While not all professors must do research they should be contributing to their fields in some way.

Industry-University partnerships can help in the development of specialized knowledge that furthers a particular industry. This could be a new method of plastic injection or anything else. It is using the researchers abilities applied to specific problems that have practical utilization.

While we think of research as only contributing to the body of knowledge it also creates greater brand image of the university itself. Conducting research is important for disseminating useful information to the rest of society. Each article, research study, news spinet, press release,etc... gets hits on search engines that leads to greater overall image.

No Need to Fill Out Those Long HR Application Forms

Having enough information to make a decision is important. Companies are selling all types of information management systems out there that have pages and pages of fields that get you all the right information! Right? Wrong! Such systems are bulky and lose as many candidates as they catch. No one wants to spend 6 hours filling out a form for a job they may not even have a chance to obtain!

Sure it separates the really motivated people from the not so motivated. Not really either. People who are busy and have a good sense of time and effort don't want to fill out forms and waste time. They want to apply within a reasonable time and move on.

A better way to manage such systems is to upload a cover page and resume and let the system do the work. There are plenty of excellent resume scanning software out there. There are also plenty of ways to obtain access to Linked-in and online profiles that save time and money.

No need to fill out those forms!  Long forms are useless. Employers should seek enough information to make a decision to seek additional information. It is not necessary to hire the person in the first round. It is much better to use the time to build a little report with the candidates through information requests and discussions.

Why are "Up Front" Disclosures on Information Important

The amount of data in the world is massive. It is so massive that foreign governments are taking this information, from a variety of sources, and creating profiles of important figures in society. Companies are collecting information without your permission to improve sales and then keeping it in an unsecured way that leads to data theft.

We are weak human beings sometimes. If we have a love for some product we have a hard time not buying it. Yet if a company puts lots of ads in front of us targeting our interests we may make even more purchases. Data and information can be useful for marketing but also can be destructive.

One of the biggest problems is that people don't know how much data is really out there. Companies collect this data and then use it for many types of purposes. Even if they were only using this information for sales it is hackers and others that collect this information for devious purposes.

Let's say that someone really wanted information about a politician or notable figure. They could hack their credit cards, hack social security, etc... If they also get access to your purchases they would be able to know just everything about you. Perhaps they know more about you then you know about yourself at some deep psychological level!

As of yet we don't know of hackers with that capacity. However, we do know they sell this data and someone who has the money and time could collect and dump that into a cross referencing data analysis tool and then start picking out your information. While this may not be important to you it may be important to others.

Disclosures on what companies are collecting and how long they keep this information is important for improving the overall privacy of that information.