APRIL 10, 2009

5 Forces Summary 4/10/09

Hope everyone is having a great Friday! Here are some recent articles that represent the 5 Forces – Globalization, Innovation, Im(migration), Saturation, and Personalization. See you back at Undercurrents on Monday!

• Globalization

Obama glides into old Europe with new U.S. image from The Christian Science Monitor

Globalization is often described in amoral terms, as if an interconnected world of trade and media is value-neutral. But Obama has been seeking to give moral content to the idea of globalization, saying that what is good for people in one nation is good for everyone.

• Innovation

Skype iPhone App Downloaded One Million Times In First Two Days from Boston.com

Since March 31, the Skype iPhone application reached a record of one million downloads and counting! (That translates to approximately 6 downloads per second, in case you were wondering.) The software allows consumers to hook up to alternative phone services, bypassing their cell carriers.

• Im(migration)

Ineligible Bachelors: Indian Men Living in U.S. Strike Out from The Wall Street Journal

Indian parents used to think it a plus to marry off their daughters to Indian men living in wealthier countries, including the U.S. and Britain. But as India has grown more affluent in recent years, the demand for overseas Indian grooms has been fading. While India’s economy is also slowing down, it is still growing, and layoffs aren’t as widespread as in the West.

• Saturation

Are You a Twit if You Don’t Want to Twitter? from MSNBC

Sociability fatigue is not just being felt by older folks who have lived most of their lives without the Web. As social networking grows, from stream-of-consciousness Twitter to buttoned-up LinkedIn, even some of the younger generation who’ve helped drive the growth of these sites could use a break.

• Personalization

Boomers Make Social Networks a Place of Their Own from USA Today

Social networking is fast becoming a staple for a growing number of adults as Web use surges. One-third of adult internet users have a profile on a social networking site, up from 8% in 2005, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.