Federal #Science and Ideology: #DC and the #Valley

In a largely historical op-ed in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, Michael Lubell of CUNY and the American Physical Society lambastes the current parties for their inability to agree on the priority of science funding – in marked contrast to earlier efforts over the past generation when, despite differences of emphasis, bipartisan collaboration led … Continue reading

#Apple CSR #Strategy – #Risk risk risk

Triple Pundit has just published a strong critique of Apple’s approach to corporate social responsibility. The leadership point is especially telling (see my post earlier today), but in general what this sharp series of points suggests to me is that with the passing of the baton a fresh approach is being explored that has yet … Continue reading

#Apple and #China sweatshops and #CSR at #Foxconn

I have written before and at more length about the Apple-Foxconn- Fair Labor issue. Once again these companies, locked in a commercial embrace, are in the spotlight, as another organization reports on working conditions and claims to have interviewed scores of Foxconn employees. https://nigelcameron.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/values-and-the-value-chain-apple-foxconn-and-the-new-csr/ Three observations. 1. Apple’s decision to sign on to Fair Labor was … Continue reading

#Facebook again: And Biz Models

Doc Searls has taken the critical analysis of Facebook’s value to another level, by pointing out the fundamental weakness of its ad-supported revenue model. His argument is worth serious reading. Put a somewhat different way: We assume too readily that exponential pressures mean we can just draw lines up graph paper from anything that has … Continue reading

#Facebook the Biz Model #socent #privacy #advertising

The brilliance of Facebook in idea and execution needs to be reiterated as, finally, its emergence as a huge public company is leading to serious critical assessments of its business proposition. Whatever privacy concerns we may have (and the evidence is that a majority of its users have doubts as to its trustworthiness in the … Continue reading

#Facebook being dumped, says Reuters: What’s the real issue? Well, there are 3.

US STOCKS-Wall St rebounds, but investors dump Facebook | Reuters.   Whether Facebook is “worth” $100bn or (as one serious voice suggests) $30bn is neither here nor there – unless, of course, you bought your stake on Friday. The P/E ratio is way out of whack with comparable companies like Google – though, as can … Continue reading

The #CSR Business: Alignment and Transparency in C21

In the old (pre-Murdoch) days, The Times of London, which then had a fair claim to be the world’s premier newspaper, promoted itself for years with the tagline, “When The Times speaks, the world listens.” But in the 1960s when I first began reading it the entire front page was still filled with classified ads. … Continue reading

Of #Work and Its #Future: #workplace #design humans and exponential #change

UNWIRED :: WORKTECH 12 New York. I’m unpacking my thinking after one of the most stimulating days in some time – Unwired’s NYC version of their WorkTech conference that is offered around the planet. The future of work and the workplace brings together people from real estate, architecture, interior design, human resources, and assorted other … Continue reading

#Klout me out

A neat post from @samfiorella sets out a damning case against Klout and the gamification of influence. Can You Be Influential While Under the Influence? – Sensei Blogs. I’ve two things to add. First, my take on influence assessment mechanisms like Klout has been to see them as a form of eugenics; digital eugenics. For … Continue reading

#California and Destiny: #Valley #DC #China #Innovation #Singularity #TED et al.

As news keeps coming in of California’s decline – budget, public schooling, even the UC system –  some strategic stock-taking is in order. I have written before of the disastrous divide between the culture of Silicon Valley and that of Washington, DC. Here’s a sample: https://nigelcameron.wordpress.com/risk/the-valleydc-divide/ Part of what I note is that one thing these two … Continue reading