ISAGA - International Simulation and Gaming Association Strategic Management Society - Home Ethos Ethos, a powerful new documentary hosted by Woody Harrelson, is an investigation into the flaws in our systems, and the mechanisms that work against democracy, our environment and the the common good. With a stunning depth of research and breadth of analysis, this film delves deep into the inter-connected worlds of Politics, Multi-National Corporations and the Media. Most of us have wondered at some point how we have arrived at a situation where democracy is touted as having created an equal society when all we see is injustice and corruption. Politicians openly deceive the public with the support of major corporations and the mainstream media. Wars are waged, the environment is destroyed and inequality is on the rise. But what is the source of these institutional mechanisms which - when we scratch the surface - are so clearly anti-democratic, so contradictory to the values we hold in common and yet so firmly embedded that they seem beyond discussion? Watch the full documentary now

ABSEL.org The Global Competitiveness Report 2014 - 2015 | World Economic Forum - The Global Competitiveness Report 2014 - 2015 The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016 will be launched on Wednesday 30th September The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015 assesses the competitiveness landscape of 144 economies, providing insight into the drivers of their productivity and prosperity. The report remains the most comprehensive assessment of national competitiveness worldwide, providing a platform for dialogue between government, business and civil society about the actions required to improve economic prosperity. The different aspects of competitiveness are captured in 12 pillars, which compose the Global Competitiveness Index.

U.S. Birth Rate Falls to a Record Low; Decline Is Greatest Among Immigrants By Gretchen Livingston and D’Vera Cohn The U.S. birth rate dipped in 2011 to the lowest ever recorded, led by a plunge in births to immigrant women since the onset of the Great Recession. The overall U.S. birth rate, which is the annual number of births per 1,000 women in the prime childbearing ages of 15 to 44, declined 8% from 2007 to 2010. The birth rate for U.S.-born women decreased 6% during these years, but the birth rate for foreign-born women plunged 14%—more than it had declined over the entire 1990-2007 period. The birth rate for Mexican immigrant women fell even more, by 23%. Final 2011 data are not available, but according to preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the overall birth rate in 2011 was 63.2 per 1,000 women of childbearing age. In addition to the birth rate decline, the number of U.S. births, which had been rising since 2002, fell abruptly after 2007—a decrease also led by immigrant women. Both foreign- and U.S. A majority of births to U.S.

Academy of Competitive Intelligence Aireal: Interactive Tactile Experiences in Free Air Disney Research, Pittsburgh AIREAL is a new low cost, highly scalable haptic technology that delivers expressive tactile sensations in mid air. AIREAL enables users to feel virtual objects, experience dynamically varying textures and receive feedback on full body gestures, all without requiring the user to wear a physical device. AIREAL is designed to use a vortex, a ring of air that can travel large distances while keeping its shape and speed. AIREAL is part of our long term vision for creating large-scale computer augmented environments which can deliver compelling interactive experiences seamlessly, everywhere and at anytime. [Press Release] Research Paper AIREAL: Interactive Tactile Experiences in Free Air Sodhi, R., Poupyrev, I., Glisson, M., and Israr, A. Demonstration Sodhi, R., Poupyrev, I., Glisson, M., Dauner, J. and Rothera, A. Team and Credits The AIREAL project has been developed at Disney Research Pittsburgh by Rajinder Sodhi, Ivan Poupyrev, Matthew Glisson and Ali Israr.

Institute for Competitive Intelligence - institute-for-competitive-intelligence.com INSEAD Global Indices In focus: Launch of the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2014 Report "Growing Talent Today and Tomorrow" 20 January 2015, Davos, Switzerland The 2014 GTCI report focuses on the role of talent growth in enhancing countries' competitiveness. The Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) The Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) is an innovative, annual benchmarking study, encompassing 103 countries. of Singapore (HCLI), and in partnership with Adecco, the world's leading provider of HR solutions, to offer an academically rigorous, yet practically relevant policy tool to business and government, guided by a distinguished Advisory Board and Academic Council. INSEAD's Global Innovation Index has now become a globally recognized benchmarking publication in the area of innovation and is launched annually. The World's Most Talent-Ready Countries 2014 by INSEAD Knowledge

PEST & PESTEL Analysis Definition “PEST analysis – an analysis of the political, economic, social and technological factors in the external environment of an organization, which can affect its activities and performance.”[1] “PESTEL model involves the collection and portrayal of information about external factors which have, or may have, an impact on business.”[2] Understanding the tool PEST or PESTEL analysis is a simple and effective tool used in situation analysis to identify the key external (macro environment level) forces that might affect an organization. These forces can create both opportunities and threats for an organization. Therefore, the aim of doing PEST is to: find out the current external factors affecting an organization;identify the external factors that may change in the future;to exploit the changes (opportunities) or defend against them (threats) better than competitors would do. The outcome of PEST is an understanding of the overall picture surrounding the company. Figure 1. PEST variations

Smartbiz.nu An external analysis can be defined as “the process of scanning and evaluating an organization’s various external environmental sectors to determine positive and negative trends that could impact organizational performance”(p. 66, Coulter 2005). A company’s strategic decisions can be influenced by a number of factors. The external environment can be one of those things and should be closely monitored. The benefits of conducting an external analysis are that it helps to generate profits, helps to support change, helps to cut costs, and increases knowledge and supports learning. Opportunities and threats are two things that a company is constantly looking for. So how do you actually go about to do an external analysis? Analytical Tools There are several tools you can use to conduct an external analysis, some of them are: • PEST(EL) analysis (macro environmental influences) is a very useful environmental model used by a great number of companies. Links and Further Readings Swedish links Books