The Clash of Generations: Saving Ourselves, Our Kids, and Our Economy
The United States is bankrupt, flat broke. Thanks to accounting that would make Enron blush, Americaâ€™s insolvency goes far beyond what our leaders are disclosing. The United States is a fiscal basket case, in worse shape than the notoriously bailed-out countries of Greece, Ireland, and others. How did this happen? In The Clash of Generations, experts Laurence Kotlikoff and Scott Burns document our six-decade, off-balance-sheet, unsustainable financing scheme. They explain how we have balanced our longer lives on the backs of our (relatively few) children. At the same time, we've been on a consumption spree, saving and investing less than nothing. And thatâ€™s not to mention the evisceration of the middle class and a financial system that has proven it canâ€™t be trusted. Kotlikoff and Burns outline grassroots strategies for saving ourselvesâ€”and especially our children--from what could be a truly catastrophic financial collapse. Kotlikoff and Burns sounded the alarm in their widely acclaimed The Coming Generational Storm, but politicians didnâ€™t listen. Now the need for action is even more urgent. Itâ€™s up to us to demand radical reform of our tax system, our healthcare system, and our Social Security system, and to insist on better paths to investment return than those provided by Wall Street (mis)managers. Kotlikoff and Burns's "Purple Plans" (so called because they will appeal to both Republicans and Democrats) have been endorsed by a whoâ€™s who of economists and offer a new way forward; and their revolutionary investment strategy for individuals replaces the idea of financial capital with "life decision capital." Of course, we won't be doing all this just for ourselves. We need to fix Americaâ€™s fiscal mess before our kids inherit it.
Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Situated Entropy in Optimization of Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg and Robot Workers
Entropy in workplaces is situated amidst workers and their work. In this paper, findings are reported from a study encompassing psychomotor work by three types of workers: human, cyborg and robot; together with three aspects of psychomotor work: setting, composition and uncertainty. The Principle of Least Psychomotor Action (PLPA) is introduced and modelled in terms of situated entropy. PLPA is founded upon the Principle of Least Action. Situated entropy modelling of PLPA is informed by theoretical studies concerned with connections between information theory and thermodynamics. Four contributions are provided in this paper. First, the situated entropy of PLPA is modelled in terms of positioning, performing and perfecting psychomotor skills. Second, with regard to workers, PLPA is related to the state-of-the-art in human, cyborg and robot psychomotor skills. Third, with regard to work, situated entropy is related to engineering of work settings, work composition and work uncertainty. Fourth, PLPA and modelling situated entropy are related to debate about the future of work. Overall, modelling situated entropy is introduced as a means of objectively modelling relative potential of humans, cyborgs, and robots to carry out work with least action. This can introduce greater objectivity into debates about the future of work.
La participacion de los stakeholders en las iniciativas de branding del hospital en las redes sociales: una propuesta de modelo para construir marcas colectivas
Introduction : All health organizations face many managerial and economic challenges such as the consolidation of private and international hospitals, the increasingly interest of society for health education issues or the development of telemedicine. In this framework, many organizations prioritize social media as the main corporate communication tool for building a reputed brand in a collective way along with stakeholders. Objectives : This paper aims to identify a communication model allowing hospitals to efficiently apply branding initiatives on social media in order to build a brand in a collective way with stakeholders. Methodology : We carried out a literature review about corporate communication, health communication, branding and social media; and, then, we proposed the PET Model for Branding Hospitals on Social Media. Results and Conclusion : We conclude that hospitals should create a multidisciplinar corporate communication department, implement management initiatives for allowing health professionals have more time for using social media and integrate health education and patient’s empowerment in every communication initiative.