July 6th, 2009
Fingers crossed
As discussions rage as to the shape of the latest economic predictions, Greenshootsblog.com continues to enjoy the nuggets of good news as they happen.
Nationwide reports that it has seen house prices rise another 0.9% in June and observes the “three months rate of change turns positive for the first time since December 2007″.
Proof that there may indeed be some economic life out there.
June 23rd, 2009
Now even those of you who are as interested in politics as the contents under your sink can’t have failed to notice the drama around British politics. Firstly the action in inaction of people not turning up to vote due to complete disgust over the expenses and the worrying tendencies of those who did – two seats to the BNP says it all (although my personal favourite was a UKIP voter who voted BNP as he couldn’t unfold the ballot paper properly). Then terminator Gordon Brown, is there nothing this man can’t survive?! However I am standing firmly on the side of the positive on this one. James Purnell fantastic resignation, and the recent vote into the Commons for the new speaker with all candidates giving speeches and a blind vote are great indications of an about face to the actual electorate. Whilst the more cyncial would point to Speaker Bercow’s appointment as a spite from Labour, there can be no denying the strong possibility of change he offers. Right now is a exciting time for change in British politcs and I’d urge even the uber apathetic to get involved and get informed.
June 4th, 2009
Calmer horizons?
Blueskies recruitment, this week released the results of a poll, suggesting that expectations for marketing agencies are looking up. Although by their own admission the poll was only intended as a snapshot, rather than a rigorous study, it does seem to echo (at least in the anecdotal experience of this writer) a cautiously improving optimism amongst agencies compared to the beginning of the year.
They found that some 47% were feeling more positive against the 44% who were feeling less positive than they were at the start of 2009.
There are two reasons this cheers us up. Firstly – and there’s an interest to be declared here – for those who work in agencies, it’s just plain good to hear. More altruistically, it can herald a wave of increased marketing activity, many of the results of which will have a positive impact upon businesses, and then confidence generally.
Blue skies ahead all around? Signs of hope, at least.
June 2nd, 2009
There’s nothing like some perspective to pull people out of their introverted, stressed out world. Recent evidence suggests that our moral compasses have gone haywire due to an overload of information and that we are increasingly choosing to participate in black and white judgment calls, a la “Britain’s Got Talent” as that’s all we can process. However I’d argue that it’s a question of what we make ourselves look at; whilst I’m not above the “tune out” factor when needed, maybe sometimes we need to look elsewhere for the tune out. There has been a recent spate of interest again in the Hubble telescope and the images being relased by it; the sheer expanse and wonder of the images are the sort of tune out needed and highlight the issue of choice. Much as the direction needed for optimism, perspective and where we get it needs to be driven by a choice from what we have available and being brave enough to tune out in a more positive way.
May 11th, 2009
It’s easier to be cynic than an optimist. It’s all to easy nowadays to accuse optimists of being naive and whilst there are warnings of being naive over the ability of our economy to spring back from the forces of recession, there does seem to be an expression of a desire for hope seeping through into popular culture. Look at the popularity of the new Star Trek film – shooting straight to the top of the North American charts and taking more than double of Wolverine at second post. Yes Sci -Fi is any easy guarantee at the box office, but could there be a bit more? Star Trek was originally an idea seeded in JFK times, when hope and an excitement at what lay before pervaded daily US culture and soon swept the rest of the world along with it. There are obvious parallels with a president who represents not just national but international hope. Debate if you will if that’s getting carried away, but here’s hoping that we’re moving towards a time when it’s possible to say we hope, we dream and not be embarrassed to do so.
Author: Guilliana Castle
Source: The Times
May 7th, 2009
Looking up?
We were more than pleased to hear how this piece of good news isstarting to spread.
The Daily Telegraph featured this story in their business section: that markets are showing signs of less negativity, which was also picked up by the Today Programme.
The feature said that markets “continued to rally…after a wave of upbeat corporate news and positive economic data” lifting hopes “that the worst of the UK recession may be over”.
Spread the good news.
April 5th, 2009
Mmmmmmm.....
After a week off from work, and a healthy (?) number of culinary treats, it was refreshing to read an article in today’s Sunday Times that celebrated both the happiness to be had from a good pud, and the resulting positive business impact.
We hear the food & restaurants director of Selfridges proclaim that “indulging in food can play a great role in making people feel happier about life” as well as April Preston, the head of product development at M&S confirming the rise in popularity of the pie.
And on the business side we’re seeing custard sales up by “almost 20%” and by a staggering 140% at the aforementioned M&S.
Proof that pudding is good for you AND the economy – so tuck in!
March 23rd, 2009
Greenshootsblog.com is delighted to have a guest blog from Gordon Mclean, Planning Director at JWT NY, who gives us a welcome view into signs of positivity in the US…
Working in New York with a major bank that has both a large global footprint and a foot deep in the local US market one could say I’ve been working over the past few months in the eye of the economic storm.
I guess for this reason, amongst others, I’ve been pretty attuned to the gloom drenched headlines, depressing RSS feeds and less than chirpy tweets. The beacons of hope I’ve been drawn to are innovation, generosity and collaboration.
Innovation
With millions of jobs being lost in the US what we are seeing is something of a clearing of the old to make way for the new. The top man is committed to seeing through his ambitious technology and innovation plan. Obama conceived of many of these plans well before the current meltdown. The optimist in me, and others, sees the current economic meltdown as nothing short of a perfect storm and if necessity is the mother of invention this crisis can become the catalyst for a raft of essential innovations that will deliver a triple bill of social, environmental and economic benefits.
I recently came across a research study into the attitudes of US small business owners. I was surprised and heartened to see that over one-third regard the current economy as more opportunity that calamity. If innovation is thinking differently about something to realize an improvement then there’s plenty evidence of innovation at work in amongst small businesses in the US. Many small businesses in the US are re-evaluating their supplier relationships, rethinking their competitive strategies and reconsidering previously discarded market opportunities.
Generosity
While the major theme of recent months has been financial bankruptcy, near or in some cases actual, we’ve also borne witness to a moral bankruptcy on truly epic scale. What we’ve seen is capitalism as a green light to money making at any cost. Barry Schwartz – the author of The Paradox of Choice – spoke at the recent TED conference about a world gone mad with bureaucracy and our loss of practical wisdom . In the course of his talk he touched on the one of the key elements of Presidential Candidate Obama’s campaign appeal: he didn’t just promise prosperity, security and a restoration of America’s rightful place in the world; he appealed directly to our sense of virtue, duty and citizenship.
The new US administration is gradually re-setting our moral compass. This is both welcome and needed after too long a period where selling one’s grandmother for two pence could be excused by the pursuit of prosperity. For the most powerful man in the world to openly chastise the most powerful corporations in the world for their irresponsible, reckless and outrageous behavior is both admonishment and antidote. It’s also sending a powerful and popular signal that greed and one-upmanship is trumped by generosity and citizenship. Trendwatching recently captured this spirit as the emergence of “Generation G” .
Collaboration
If together we’re stronger then this virtuous reawakening is the very thing that’s needed for potent innovation to flourish. One of the hallmarks of this transition from greed to generosity is a simultaneous shift from competition to collaboration. The world-renowned design consultancy IDEO is currently capturing this nicely with their “Open Conversation” on Facebook . Each week they tackle one big question and open it to the floor. Both contributors and readers alike gain something from the collective brainpower and come away with new ideas, renewed vigor and a sense of great possibility that the current economy presents us with when we work with, rather than against, one another.
These are tough times but there are three good reasons to be cheerful: innovation, generosity and collaboration. The chaos of current economy is in many ways providing a powerful catalyst for much needed change. It’s also providing a cathartic release from the belief that greed is good and, in turn, a realization that generosity; moral virtue and civic duty are better. And, in the face of challenging circumstances collaboration is helping many to turn adversity into opportunity. If these three themes do nothing to lift your spirits then perhaps the latest innovation on the menu of the Turkish café in which I’m writing this will – a generously proportioned and modestly priced “Obama Sandwich”.
Nothing short of a fourth reason to be cheerful as far as I’m concerned.
Author: Gordon Mclean
Sources: TED, Trendwatching, IDEO, Facebook
March 3rd, 2009
This blog seems to be leaning towards an obsession with food and drink (I resisted the urge to simply write Masterchef under reasons to be cheerful), and the following note is no different. Not entirely a reason to be cheerful so much as a source for endless debate, the chocolate digestive has been voted the nation’s dunking biscuit of choice. Rich tea and Hobnobs are following up in second and third place respectively. Along with this, recent Mintel Research indicates that tea is set to weather the recession storm, as it is clearly associated with relaxation. Let the great biscuit debate begin…
Source: Mintel
February 19th, 2009
In an attempt to get the “yoof ” of today off their social networked bums, the arts council has teamed up with Metro to present “A night less ordinary”. Targeted at anyone under the age of 26, they are offering up to 500,000 free tickets across more than 200 venues nationally. Just click on the link below where you can enter your postcode and you’re away. For those who miss out on free tickets, they’ll try and provide info on discounts.
Source: Arts Council
It's not all bad news out there: despite what the media are saying. There are plenty of stories to bring a smile to your face. Read more...
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