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Friday, January 24, 2014

Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Free Webinar Series) XINE001

Free Webinar

Wednesday, January 29, 2014
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Pacific 
12:00 p.m.- 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Description

The art and science of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship drives the success of business, education, nonprofits and government. This begs the question, can someone learn to be an entrepreneur and if they can, what is it that they need to learn and how do they start? In this one hour discussion, Professor Tom Byers and his special guest, Chi-Hua Chien, investor at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and named one of the Top VCs Under 35 by VC Journal, will draw on their wealth of experience with Silicon Valley ventures and entrepreneurs and share the secrets of entrepreneurial thinking.

Speakers

Tom Byers, Stanford University
Professor
Chi-Hua ChienKleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Guest Speaker 

Presented By

For more information about the Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate, visit create.stanford.edu

Steps to Register

  1. Scroll down to the course section at the bottom of the page
  2. Click on the red "Enroll in this Section" button
  3. Click on the gold "View Cart" link located in the upper right-hand corner
  4. Continue with the checkout process by filling out the required information

Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Gift Economy

Gifting Economy - bonus

The reason it spread so fast is because, as I alluded to above, the Gift Economy changes the entire business relationship. Instead of a situation where the client is skeptical and fears getting ripped off because they don’t understand web design and yet are being asked for a 50% deposit up front, causing the client to argue for the lowest possible bid to lower their risk, the Gift Economy places all the risk on me. I built many of my websites this year without any deposit at all, and when I was finished I turned the entire site over to the client 100%. Always, and without any strings attached. - source


The illusion of otherness is keeping us from reaching our potential. We are one with the universe. Independence and individualism is the foundation of consciousness, but to transcend the self is enlightenment. Infinite growth in a finite world consumes the resources of survival, creating scarcity and injustice. The systems are falling apart. Everything is significant. End the illusion of separation, join the flow. We control our future. We have free-will. Serve yourself, but define yourself correctly as part of the greater universe, and you will transcend the illusions.

Jugaad Innovation - the mother of invention is scarcity

Jugaad is practiced by almost all Indians in their daily lives to make the most of what they have. Jugaad applications include finding new uses for everyday objects—Indian kitchens are replete with empty Coke or Pepsi bottles reused as ad-hoc containers for dried legumes or condiments—or inventing new utilitarian tools using everyday objects, like amakeshift truck cobbled together with a diesel engine slapped onto a cart (interestingly, the origin of the word jugaad, in Punjabi, literally describes such makeshift vehicles).
The word jugaad is also applied to any use of an ingenious way to ‘‘game the system.’’ For instance, millions of cellphone users in India rely on ‘‘missed calls’’ to communicate messages to each other using a prearranged protocol between the caller and receiver: think of this as free textless text messaging. For example, your carpooling partner may give you a ‘‘missed call’’ in the morning indicating he has just left his house and is on his way to pick you up.5 Hence, theword jugaad carries a slightly negative connotation for some. But by and large, the entrepreneurial spirit of jugaad is practiced by millions in India simply to improvise clever—and completely legitimate—solutions to everyday problems.
In this book, we delve into the frugal and flexible mindset of thousands of ingenious entrepreneurs and enterprises practicing jugaad to creatively address critical socioeconomic issues in their communities. Jugaad innovators like Mansukh Prajapati view severe constraints, such as a lack of electricity, not as a debilitating challenge but as an opportunity to innovate and overcome these very constraints.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

WageMark: the new standard

WAGEMARK 8:1
Make your mark for smart business

Wagemark is a new international wage standard used by companies, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to certify that the ratio between their highest and lowest earners is competitive and sustainable. Organizations choose to become Wagemark-certified to demonstrate their commitment to paying competitive, responsible and sustainable wages.
The Wagemark Standard builds on an important and growing body of research concerning the economic and social costs of income inequality and makes it possible for organizations to respond constructively by committing to operate within a wage range that supports greater competitiveness, workplace morale and social equity.
Wagemark compliance is certified by the applicant’s preferred chartered accountant or auditor, and does not require the disclosure of either maximum or minimum earnings — only the wage ratio between the top and bottom decile of earnings within an organization.
Wagemark-certified organizations are committed to ensuring that the wage ratio between the highest earner and lowest decile of earners within their organization does not exceed 8:1.

Manifesto

Wagemark Foundation is about establishing a new moral standard for companies and organizations that want to see a better world and are prepared to put their money where their mouth is
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The Wagemark Standard is based on a formula for calculating the ratio between top and bottom earners within an organization. This formula is calculated and certified by a third-party chartered accountant, and compares the total earnings of the highest paid employee with the average pay of the bottom decile of earners within an organization. This decile is based on the proportion of full time and part-time employees within the organization. Earnings include all tax-reported income and benefits. Wagemark-certified organizations must achieve an 8:1 or better wage ratio.