Management

Amazon wants to become Walmart before Walmart can become Amazon – TechCrunch

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Source: Amazon wants to become Walmart before Walmart can become Amazon | TechCrunch

Source: Amazon, the Death of Brick & Mortar, Buys into Brick & Mortar | Wolf Street

Source: Amazon’s Grocery Ambitions Are Far Bigger Than Whole Foods

Three interesting viewpoints…

Make that four.

Source: “Major Deflationary Disruption” Says Cramer About Amazon Purchase of Whole Foods | MishTalk

Amazon did not just buy Whole Foods grocery stores. It bought 431 upper-income, prime-location distribution nodes for everything it does.

Dennis K. Berman

How These Remote Workers Convinced Their Bosses And Clients They Can Work From Anywhere

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“Managers know who is a high performer and who is not—it’s not a secret.   If you have people that you’re afraid if they’re working out of your sight, then they aren’t getting work done, why are they working for you in the first place?  That’s not a ‘work remotely’ problem. That’s a management problem.”

Erica Warren

Source: How These Remote Workers Convinced Their Bosses And Clients They Can Work From Anywhere

Lunch Traffic Lowest in Four Decades: Out for Lunch a Dying Tradition? Demise of the “Gourmet” Burger? — MishTalk

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“I like Five Guys, but I can buy ground beef and one onion and get pretty close to the same burger for half the cost,” said Mr. Cockerline, who rarely goes to Five Guys anymore. “A hamburger, to me, is not a luxury,”

Brian Cockerline 20 years young Rutgers University student

Source: Lunch Traffic Lowest in Four Decades: Out for Lunch a Dying Tradition? Demise of the “Gourmet” Burger? | MishTalk

Clearly what we have is the End of Affluence.  When I was a kid going out to eat at a restaurant was the occasional treat.  Not many families could afford eating out more than once a week.  The family cooked and ate most of our meals at home.  I’ve lived in Oklahoma for a while now.  We have basic burger platters for around $10.  But when you add in drinks and tip the cost starts to add up.  Eat out five days a week and you’re incurring substantial expense.

I’m hardly surprised at the traffic numbers.  Despite government statistics the economy is anemic.  Today’s kids are graduating from college with massive debt and a job market that is unkind.

What’s next?  Car sharing?  Multiple roommates?  Tiny homes?

IBM’s Remote Work Reversal Is A Losing Battle Against The New Normal

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In both a 2014 white paper by IBM’s Smarter Workplace Institute and in a conference panel the company hosted just weeks ago, its own experts suggested that remote workers tend to be happier, less stressed, more productive, more engaged with their jobs and teams, and believe that their companies are more innovative as a result of flexible work arrangements.

Source: IBM’s Remote Work Reversal Is A Losing Battle Against The New Normal

Memo to IBM:

Why?

The End of Employees – WSJ

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Never before have American companies tried so hard to employ fewer people. From Google to Wal-Mart, the outsourcing boom is cutting costs for firms and job security for millions of workers.

Source: The End of Employees – WSJ

I told my children when they were leaving education that they would be well advised to look for customers not bosses.

It’s been exactly seven years since I read Charles Handy’s The Age of Unreason.  And if you are familiar with Handy’s work the WSJ’s article should not come as a surprise.  The surprise is how long it has taken for companies to figure out how to outsource effectively.

I hope you read books.