Archive for September, 2007

News You Can Use…

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

By Dean Whittaker

For Your Reading List

Leadership is one of the keys to success for organizations. A humorously illustrated booklet written to emphasize this important topic is The Ten Commandments of Community Leadership by Maury Forman and Michelle Harvey. It is a good reminder to boards about the key role they play in their communities and how to improve their efforts. This would be a good tool to engage board members in the organization’s efforts and to orient new board members.  Copies can be ordered through the Washington State Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development (www.cted.wa.gov).

The Entrepreneurial Society by David B. Audretsch describes the shift that has occurred in the United State as we have moved from the model of large corporations employing thousands for a lifetime to more nimble (but less secure) small firms that now make up the bulk of the U.S. economy. The author goes on to point out that 85% of the new jobs being created in the U.S. economy are being created by small companies. Professor Audretsch’s view lends credibility to the “grow your own” strategy of many economic development organizations.

On the Web

Getting the “skinny” on demographic information by zip code is now much easier thanks to a new web2.0 tool. www.zipskinny.com allows the user to quickly gather, display and analyze key demographic information by single or multiple zip codes (up to 20).  Take a look at education attainment by zip code to find where those holding advanced degrees live.

The role of iTunes and the iPod is changing the entertainment industry. Now it is impacting education, too. A number of universities including MIT and Stanford are now using iTunes to offer education content.  Take a look at Steve Job’s 2005 commencement address at Stanford University at iTunesU>Stanford>Campus life>Commencement video.  His remarks are fascinating, especially since he was a college drop-out.

For those of you who enjoy ideas, go to www.ted.com and watch the 20-minute videos of “big thinkers” discussing their concepts at the annual TED (Technolology/Entertainment/Design).  Be prepared to spend a few hours, as you will find the thoughts being shared intriguing.  Concepts such as the iPhone came out of the intersection of these three domains–technology, entertainment and design.  Consider the possibility of holding a local “TED”-type conference to focus on innovation within your region’s areas of expertise.

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Determining Labor Availability Within the Unemployed

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

By Jim Edmonson

Last month the New York Times released some great information about the unemployed.  In a hardly noticed brief by Phyllis Korkki, the Times examined the composition of the 37 million Americans aged 20 to 64 who do not work, according to data collected in 2004.  The data revealed that those unemployed at the time were not working for the following reasons:

  • Taking care of others……………………………………………………… 26%
  • Chronic illness or disability……………………………………………..25
  • Retired …………………………………………………………………………….14
  • Going to school………………………………………………………………. 10
  • Unable to find work…………………………………………………………..8
  • Not interested in working………………………………………………….5
  • Other…………………………………………………………………………………4
  • On layoff…………………………………………………………………………… 4
  • Temporary illness or injury……………………………………………….3
  • Pregnancy/childbirth………………………………………………………… 2

Using this information, we can easily draw some general conclusions about how many individuals are truly available for work and when your community has reached full employment.  A word of caution: these figures reflect a national snapshot, so you will need to factor local current conditions into your estimate. But it’s still a good non-scientific indicator. The first significant observation is that a large percentage of the unemployed are simply not available to work—add up the percentages of those taking care of others, suffering from chronic illness or disability, retired, going to school and not interested in working.  It’s 80%.  Including those individuals who are temporarily unavailable, such as those with a temporary illness or injury or those who are pregnant brings the figure up to 85%. Thus, even if your current unemployment rate is a substantial 10%, it helps to understand that only 1.5% of your workforce is truly available for full-time employment.

Apply this logic to actual unemployment counts and you can speculate about realistic workforce availability.  Remember that unemployment rates didn’t always take people unavailable for employment into account—that helps explain the progressive creep of rates from 2% to as high as 6% by many demographers.  I think that even without the benefit of a detailed and expensive investigation you can generally accept the fact that your community has reached full employment if your unemployment rate is 5% or below.

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Muzzy

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

By Joel Burgess

MUZZY, is a children’s language course designed to help children develop a second language by watching, listening, and imitating what they see and hear.

MUZZY is designed to use a multi-sensory approach (visual/spatial, verbal, kinesthetic, musical, and/or logical/mathematical) to stimulate a child’s natural learning style and engage the senses. No teaching is required, and the idea is that your child will learn a second language through their everyday activities. Early exposure (ages 1-12) will allow the learning of a language to happen naturally and effortlessly.

For example, according to the website, toddlers can quickly comprehend that cat and chat and gato mean the same thing in English, French, and Spanish.  That single comprehension happens naturally and turns into a powerful basis for learning.

Benefits of Early Exposure
In addition, scientific evidence suggests that early exposure to a foreign language could do more for your child than simply teach him a second language – it also stimulates neurons in the developing brain and expands a child’s learning capacity for a higher level of proficiency achieved by younger language learners.

Researchers at University College London recently discovered that speaking a second language builds up the grey matter in a child’s brain the way lifting weights builds muscles.  Brain scans of bilingual adults who learned a foreign language as children showed greater brain density than those who spoke just one language.
Benefits to early exposure are linked to:

  • Higher IQ – Some studies show that babies and toddlers exposed to the sounds of another language tend to read earlier and have higher IQ scores later on in life.
  • A bigger, richer vocabulary – Little ones who learn the colors, shapes and numbers in a second language have these concepts reinforced in English at the same time.
  • Improved test scores in English and math – Evidence suggests that learning a second language stretches a child’s cognitive ability, leading to better performance in many subject areas.
  • Greater self-esteem – Children are able to communicate in another language – imitating, play-acting, and sharing what they know.
  • Admission to top universities – Higher test scores and greater competence in a foreign language may open the door at your child’s university of choice.

To learn more visit: http://www.early-advantage.com/

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How to Work a Room

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

By Jami Miedema

As a business major at a local university, I’ve been to my fair share of seminars, social events, and development activities aimed to help students transition into the professional sphere.  While the information I’ve learned is of value, I’ve had limited opportunities to put it in action.  Recently, I attended a seminar called “How to Work a Room.”  Instead of listening to a lecture, the participants were given pointers, and then we were able to practice our skills by “working the room.”  I found this exercise beneficial, and I’m confident the knowledge I’ve gained can be utilized at business conferences and economic events.

Many seasoned veterans may already know all the tricks of networking at large social gatherings, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of a few key strategies.

  1. Be prepared – Know your objectives.  Dress appropriately.  Bring business cards, a pen, and mints.
  2. Practice your introduction – Use a firm handshake.  Look your new acquaintance in the eyes.  Offer your name and a fun fact about yourself that pertains to your purpose for attending the event.
  3. Work the room – Exude enthusiasm.  Make an effort.  Be energized.
  4. Plan an exit – There are many people and limited time.  Don’t get stuck talking to one person.
  5. Be courteous – Allow others to join your conversation.  When receiving a business card, glance it over before storing it away.  Do not bring up controversial subjects such as religion and politics.
  6. Smile!

These are just a few of the many pointers that I received at the seminar that helped me network with over 80 individuals, including an important client, vendor, and the three event directors.  The night definitely proved to be a success.

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Biography

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

By Mario O’Connell

Maria recently began work for Whittaker Associates in September. As a part-time research analyst, her responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data, and speaking to key representatives of target companies in order to predict movement.

When she is not working at Whittaker Associates, Maria is involved in an array of other activities. She is a volunteer leader for Young Life, occasionally substitute teaches for Holland Christian Schools, tutors Spanish, and is an avid member of Hope College’s Pew Society.

Maria moved to Holland in 2004 to begin undergraduate work at Hope College. She is passionate about traveling, people, and Spanish. During her career as a student, Maria did AIDS education work in South Africa, and studied for four months in southern Spain. She is currently completing her final semester at Hope College, graduating in December with a degree in Communication and Spanish.

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