Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Cadillac Inspired Motorcycles Auctioned to ... - Automotive Discovery
The Discovery Channel?s ?American Chopper? series challenged the competitive father-and-son Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutu Jr. of Orange County Choppers fame to a contest of builiding and designing the best Cadillac inspired chopper.? The end result is that although they both look very different, they are both obviously inspired by Cadillac.
?When we were asked to build a bike for Cadillac, we immediately gravitated toward the CTS-V. It?s exactly what we do with motorcycles? said Paul Jr.? ?The Cadillac CTS-V has the lines, the power, the looks, so a lot of our design cues were pulled from the CTS-V.?
?The wheels, lights, grilles are identical to the car,? Paul Sr. said during the unveiling. ?Because the CTS-V has a 560-hp supercharged engine, we made the air cleaner into a ?super-charged? intake and added fuel injection.?
Duchenne is the most prevalent form of muscular dystrophy, and affects one in every 3,500 male births worldwide. Approximately 20,000 boys and young men are living with the disease in the United States and many will not survive their teenage years.
?Cadillac?s support has been nothing short of incredible,? said Debra Miller, president and CEO of CureDuchenne.? ?They have put CureDuchenne on the national radar in this country and that has helped mobilize a volunteer base that all want the same thing as we do ? to find a cure for this devastating disease.?
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Strategy's strategist: An interview with Richard Rumelt ? First ...
Richard Rumelt
Here is an excerpt from an interview of Richard Rumelt co-conducted by Dan P. Lovallo and Lenny T. Mendonca and featured by McKinzey & Company?s McKinsey Quarterly (November 2007). To read the compkete interview, please click here.
*???? *???? *
A giant in the field of strategy ruminates on strategic planning, diversification and focus, and the role of the CEO.
Source: Strategy Practice
As a mountaineer Richard Rumelt, a professor of strategy at UCLA?s Anderson School of Management, has achieved a number of first ascents. The same holds true in Rumelt?s academic career. In 1972 he became the first person to uncover a statistical link between corporate strategy and profitability, finding that moderately diversified companies outperform more diversified ones?a discovery that has held up after more than 30 years of research. Rumelt also challenged the dominant thinking with his controversial 1991 paper, ?How much does industry matter?? His study, published in the Strategic Management Journal, showed that neither industries nor corporate ownership can explain the lion?s share of the differences in profitability among business units. Being in the right industry does matter, but being good at what you do matters a lot more, no matter what industry you?re in. This study was one of the first entries in what has since become a large body of academic literature on the resource-based view of strategy.
Rumelt holds the Harry and Elsa Kunin Chair in Business and Society at the Anderson School. Recently, he met in San Francisco with McKinsey director Lenny Mendonca and Dan Lovallo, a professor of strategy at the University of Western Australia.
The Quarterly: Richard, you?ve been teaching about, researching, and consulting on business and corporate strategy for 35 years. What changes have you seen in that time?
Richard Rumelt: Some of the biggest changes have been in the process of generating business strategies?what I call ?strategy work.? Around 1980 the received wisdom was to decentralize into business units, which would each generate a strategic plan. These plans were then amalgamated up the hierarchy, in some portfolio way, for senior management. That approach has all but disappeared, and we?ve seen a dramatic recentralization of strategy work.
The Quarterly: Last year the Quarterly?s survey on strategic planning found an enormous amount of dissatisfaction among executives. Many of them feel that they are wasting a lot of time on strategic planning. What advice would you give them?
Richard Rumelt: Most corporate strategic plans have little to do with strategy. They are simply three-year or five-year rolling resource budgets and some sort of market share projection. Calling this strategic planning creates false expectations that the exercise will somehow produce a coherent strategy.
Look, plans are essential management tools. Take, for example, a rapidly growing retail chain, which needs a plan to guide property acquisition, construction, training, et cetera. This plan coordinates the deployment of resources?but it?s not strategy. These resource budgets simply cannot deliver what senior managers want: a pathway to substantially higher performance.
There are only two ways to get that. One, you can invent your way to success. Unfortunately, you can?t count on that. The second path is to exploit some change in your environment?in technology, consumer tastes, laws, resource prices, or competitive behavior?and ride that change with quickness and skill. This second path is how most successful companies make it. Changes, however, don?t come along in nice annual packages, so the need for strategy work is episodic, not necessarily annual.
Now, lots of people think the solution to the strategic-planning problem is to inject more strategy into the annual process. But I disagree. I think the annual rolling resource budget should be separate from strategy work. So my basic recommendation is to do two things: avoid the label ?strategic plan??call those budgets ?long-term resource plans??and start a separate, nonannual, opportunity-driven process for strategy work.
The Quarterly: So strategy starts with identifying changes?
Richard Rumelt: Right. Let?s take an example. Right now, the advent of 3G [i.e. third generation] cellular technology makes it possible to deliver streaming video over mobile phones. Cell phone makers, cellular carriers, and media companies all need to develop strategies for exploiting this change. Even though these changes have long-term consequences, companies need to take a position now. By ?take a position? I mean invest in resources that will be made more valuable by the changes that are happening.
For example, I think high-bandwidth opportunities are being overhyped in this 3G game. As Clayton Christensen has pointed out, technologists often overshoot consumer demand. I tend to think this is happening in the 3G arena, so I am much less interested in the higher-bandwidth applications, like streaming video, than in lower-bandwidth opportunities, like streaming audio and mobile search. Give me a cell phone that combines voice recognition with location-filtered search results and you have a product that a wireless company can differentiate.
Now, speculative judgments like these are the essence of strategic thinking, and they can be the starting points for taking a position. Can you predict clearly which positions will pay off? Not easily. If we could actually calculate the financial implications of such choices, we wouldn?t have to think strategically; we would just run spreadsheets. Strategic thinking is essentially a substitute for having clear connections between the positions we take and their economic outcomes.
Strategic thinking helps us take positions in a world that is confusing and uncertain. You can?t get rid of ambiguity and uncertainty?they are the flip side of opportunity. If you want certainty and clarity, wait for others to take a position and see how they do. Then you?ll know what works, but it will be too late to profit from the knowledge.
*???? *???? *
Dan Lovallo is a professor at the University of Western Australia, as well as an adviser to McKinsey; Lenny Mendonca is a director in McKinsey?s San Francisco office.
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Monday, August 8, 2011
Herbal remedies escape EU law
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Public release date: 8-Aug-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Paula Gould
p.a.gould@leeds.ac.uk
44-011-334-38059
University of Leeds
Many herbal remedies available over-the-counter in pharmacies and health food shops are still lacking important information needed for safe use, according to University of Leeds researchers.
In April this year, a new EU law came into force regulating the sale of traditional herbal medicines, such as St John's wort and Echinacea. These products must now contain clear information on possible side effects, how they could interact with other prescribed medicines and whether people with existing illnesses should take them or not. They are clearly marked with the THR logo showing they have 'Traditional Herbal Registration'.
However, a number of popular herbal remedies, such as Asian ginseng and ginkgo, may not be covered by this law and could be missing key details on their safe use. Also, existing stocks on the shelves of shops and pharmacies, produced before the law came into force, can still be bought and will not have the new clear safety information.
An investigation by University of Leeds researchers, published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine, revealed that prior to April 2011, the majority of over-the-counter herbal products did not contain any of the key information required for safe use. But despite the change in the law, there is no guarantee that the situation will be radically different now, according to Professor of Pharmacy Theo Raynor, who led the study.
"The best advice to consumers is 'buyer beware', as it always has been," said Professor Raynor. "Many people believe herbal medicines are somehow different to other medicines because they are 'natural'. However, any substance that affects the body no matter where it came from has the potential to do harm if it is not taken correctly."
During the investigation, the University of Leeds researchers bought 68 different preparations of five commonly used remedies (St John's wort, Asian ginseng, Echinacea, garlic and Ginkgo) at two well known health food stores, three large chain pharmacies, and three pharmacies at supermarkets. All of the products are known to have potentially harmful effects for some people.
St John's wort can reduce the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill and Ginkgo can increase the risk of bleeding. Asian ginseng is not suitable for people with diabetes and Echinacea can cause allergic reactions. Even garlic can cause problems for some people because it can thin the blood and interfere with drugs used to treat HIV.
The information provided with these products was compared to safety information, provided by the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and was evaluated for completeness and accuracy regarding precautions, interactions with other drugs, and side effects.
The researchers found that 93% of the products evaluated were unlicensed, and consequently not required to meet any standard of safety information provision, and over half of these were marketed as food supplements. Only 13% contained an information sheet and only three contained an acceptable amount of safety information.
"Consumers need reliable and comprehensive information when buying herbal medicines information which tells them whether it is suitable for them," Professor Raynor said. "I would advise anyone buying a herbal medicine to check that the box or packaging contains the 'THR' logo, which shows that the information it comes with has been approved.
"Herbal medicines should, ideally, be purchased where trained staff are available, so that consumers can have any questions answered. This information should be available from pharmacists. People should also always tell their doctor about herbal medicines they are taking, so they receive the best possible care."
###
For further information: Paula Gould, University of Leeds press office: Tel 0113 343 8059, email p.a.gould@leeds.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Buyer beware? Does the information provided with herbal products available over the counter enable safe use? David K Raynor, Rebecca Dickinson, Peter Knapp, Andrew F Long and Donald Nicolson. BMC Medicine (in press).
2. One of the UK's largest medical, health and bioscience research bases, the University of Leeds delivers world leading research in medical engineering, cancer, cardiovascular studies, epidemiology, molecular genetics, musculoskeletal medicine, dentistry, psychology and applied health. Treatments and initiatives developed in Leeds are transforming the lives of people worldwide with conditions such as diabetes, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. www.leeds.ac.uk
3. The research team at the School of Healthcare at Leeds are leaders internationally in the field of medicines information for patients. Their work has influenced practice across the European Union. Collaborations continue with universities in the US and Australia to research improvements to the medicines information provided to patients across the world.
4. Professor Raynor is Director of Luto Research, a company he co-founded in 2004 which spun out of the University of Leeds in 2010. Luto develops, tests and improves written health information for patients www.Luto.co.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 8-Aug-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Paula Gould
p.a.gould@leeds.ac.uk
44-011-334-38059
University of Leeds
Many herbal remedies available over-the-counter in pharmacies and health food shops are still lacking important information needed for safe use, according to University of Leeds researchers.
In April this year, a new EU law came into force regulating the sale of traditional herbal medicines, such as St John's wort and Echinacea. These products must now contain clear information on possible side effects, how they could interact with other prescribed medicines and whether people with existing illnesses should take them or not. They are clearly marked with the THR logo showing they have 'Traditional Herbal Registration'.
However, a number of popular herbal remedies, such as Asian ginseng and ginkgo, may not be covered by this law and could be missing key details on their safe use. Also, existing stocks on the shelves of shops and pharmacies, produced before the law came into force, can still be bought and will not have the new clear safety information.
An investigation by University of Leeds researchers, published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine, revealed that prior to April 2011, the majority of over-the-counter herbal products did not contain any of the key information required for safe use. But despite the change in the law, there is no guarantee that the situation will be radically different now, according to Professor of Pharmacy Theo Raynor, who led the study.
"The best advice to consumers is 'buyer beware', as it always has been," said Professor Raynor. "Many people believe herbal medicines are somehow different to other medicines because they are 'natural'. However, any substance that affects the body no matter where it came from has the potential to do harm if it is not taken correctly."
During the investigation, the University of Leeds researchers bought 68 different preparations of five commonly used remedies (St John's wort, Asian ginseng, Echinacea, garlic and Ginkgo) at two well known health food stores, three large chain pharmacies, and three pharmacies at supermarkets. All of the products are known to have potentially harmful effects for some people.
St John's wort can reduce the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill and Ginkgo can increase the risk of bleeding. Asian ginseng is not suitable for people with diabetes and Echinacea can cause allergic reactions. Even garlic can cause problems for some people because it can thin the blood and interfere with drugs used to treat HIV.
The information provided with these products was compared to safety information, provided by the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and was evaluated for completeness and accuracy regarding precautions, interactions with other drugs, and side effects.
The researchers found that 93% of the products evaluated were unlicensed, and consequently not required to meet any standard of safety information provision, and over half of these were marketed as food supplements. Only 13% contained an information sheet and only three contained an acceptable amount of safety information.
"Consumers need reliable and comprehensive information when buying herbal medicines information which tells them whether it is suitable for them," Professor Raynor said. "I would advise anyone buying a herbal medicine to check that the box or packaging contains the 'THR' logo, which shows that the information it comes with has been approved.
"Herbal medicines should, ideally, be purchased where trained staff are available, so that consumers can have any questions answered. This information should be available from pharmacists. People should also always tell their doctor about herbal medicines they are taking, so they receive the best possible care."
###
For further information: Paula Gould, University of Leeds press office: Tel 0113 343 8059, email p.a.gould@leeds.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Buyer beware? Does the information provided with herbal products available over the counter enable safe use? David K Raynor, Rebecca Dickinson, Peter Knapp, Andrew F Long and Donald Nicolson. BMC Medicine (in press).
2. One of the UK's largest medical, health and bioscience research bases, the University of Leeds delivers world leading research in medical engineering, cancer, cardiovascular studies, epidemiology, molecular genetics, musculoskeletal medicine, dentistry, psychology and applied health. Treatments and initiatives developed in Leeds are transforming the lives of people worldwide with conditions such as diabetes, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. www.leeds.ac.uk
3. The research team at the School of Healthcare at Leeds are leaders internationally in the field of medicines information for patients. Their work has influenced practice across the European Union. Collaborations continue with universities in the US and Australia to research improvements to the medicines information provided to patients across the world.
4. Professor Raynor is Director of Luto Research, a company he co-founded in 2004 which spun out of the University of Leeds in 2010. Luto develops, tests and improves written health information for patients www.Luto.co.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/uol-hre080511.php
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Test Scores and Teacher Evaluation | Education Journal
A current tend blowing across the land in the thinking of education policy makers is alarming and exemplifies their failure to comprehend educational-learning processes. There is a building consensus the failure of the American Educational System can be fixed through improvement in students? scores on standardized tests.
Two areas of the educational program that are held up to the standardized testing torch are mathematics and reading. Written and oral communication is not on the list. Based on the success of students on standardized testing in these two areas, teachers are to be rewarded or put on probation, or removed from their teaching positions.
Recently the National Economic Policy Institute (August 29,2010) reported that some states are actually considering plans to base 50 per cent of their teacher evaluation and monetary compensation on the success of their students on standardized tests. It doesn?t take an Einstein to grasp the stupidity involved in such a plan.
Consider the following possible scenario: A student is disciplined by a teacher and is now mad at him. The student gets his friends together and they deliberately flunk the standardized test. The teacher gets a poor evaluation, maybe even fired. Revenge has struck. True, this may be an extreme case, but students do come together when they feel a fellow student has been wronged. Students have been known to stage protests.
There are many reasons why students do not do well on standardized tests. That is a discussion for another time. It is not always the fault of the teacher. It may be the fault of the system that demands teaching to the tests. The teacher becomes a dispenser of information rather than the manager of the learning processes, or the stimulus for critical thought.
A three-year study released September 22,2010 provides information suggesting that ??even significant bonuses to teachers for raising test scores fails to yield significant results.? The study conducted by Vanderbilt University?s National Center on Performance Incentives certainly casts doubt on the current Race to the Top Program.
If students are not succeeding in school, let us first find out why before pouring more tax dollars into a system that isn?t meeting societal demands.
By: Norman Wilson
Source: http://www.colegiodeagronomos.org/reference-and-education/test-scores-and-teacher-evaluation
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