Work Rhythm Conundrum

Is it possible to change a lazy bastard into a raging workaholic? For example, if an extremely relaxed citizen from Jamaica (you know what that means) accepted a job offer in Japan, would he increase his personal risk of "karoshi"?

I'm sure that one's possible, because either willingly or unwillingly, the expatriate always absorbs a part of the culture, and therefore his work tempo may increase. But is it likely?

What if, let's say, he came from a European capital and was now working in Sub-Saharan Africa? Would you say his rhythm would decrease or increase? Most people would say decrease, I would have said it myself 2 weeks ago.

The thing is, a workaholic isn't just someone who works too hard, it's those people who are really addicted and believe their world will collapse if they stop working. So I guess it has more to do with the level of responsibility you have and your life goals, and not so much about the surrounding culture.

World's Most Expensive Cities

According to the biannual survey, recently released by the Economist Group, Tokyo no longer ranks as number 1 in the list of the most expensive cities in the world. Japan’s recent recession, weakening Yen and Deflation have contrasted strongly with the high consumer confidence and investment levels and low interest rates is Oslo – the ranking’s new leader (a city where I paid an amount equivalent to a significant part of my daily salary for a cheeseburger and an orange juice). The most expensive American city, New York, fell into a tie for 27th (23rd last year) place with Düsseldorf, Germany.

Here's the Top 10*:

10 (10 in last year's rank) - Helsinki, Finland - Index: 115

9 (8) - Geneva, Switzerland - Index: 116

8 (6) - Zurich, Switzerland - Index: 123

7 (7) - London, UK - Index: 125

6 (5) - Copenhagen, Denmark - Index: 127

5 (4) - Paris, France - Index: 130

4 (2) - Reykjavik, Iceland - Index: 130

3 (8) - Osaka/Kobe, Japan - Index: 135

2 (1) - Tokyo, Japan - Index: 136
1 (3) - Oslo, Norway - Index: 140

*Index New York (100)

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit

Accounting: Random or Accurate?

Corporate Cannibalism

Corporate Cannibalism, according to Investopedia:

- An act of self-infringement upon market share by corporations through the issuance of new products
- Occurs when companies introduce new products into a market in which these products are already established. In effect, the new products are competing against their own incumbent products.

Is corporate cannibalization a waste of company resources?

John A. Quelch and David Kenny warn us in “Extend Profits, Not Product Lines” (Harvard Business Review Sep-Oct 1994) that introducing brand and product extensions can cause trouble when it doesn’t lead to more consumption, by a) confusing the customer; b) weakening the brand; and c) carting hidden costs that penalize the company’s profits.

On the other hand, Mathew Bishop warns us in “Essential Economics” that “Eating is people is wrong. Eating your own business may not be”. Why? Because some markets are ripe for innovation – markets in which a new product destroys the market for an existing product (Whatever happened to the type-writer? And maybe the video really did kill the radio star). According to Bishop, “the best course in action for successful firms that want to avoid losing their market to a rival with an innovation may be to carry out the creative destruction themselves”.

Eat or be eaten.

(This post was inspired by “Let’s Eat" – an article published in the February 2007 edition of Harvard Business Review).

The Expatriate: Friend or Foe?

The realization that he is white in a black country, and respected for it, is the turning point in the expatriate's career. He can either forget it, or capitalize on it. Most choose the latter.
Paul Theroux

It is a mistake to expect good work from expatriates for it is not what they do that matters but what they are not doing.
Cyril Connolly

I know my own deficiencies, one of which is that I had lived away from America for such a long time. It's called expatriate.
James Hillman

The times are they a-changin'?

Cartoon source: www.punch.co.uk