“Toyota's guru spreads his philosophy of profit - New Zealand Herald” plus 3 more

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• Toyota's guru spreads his philosophy of profit - New Zealand Herald
• Yankee Philosophy: First Skee-Ball, Then The World - NBC New York
• Quiet in Front! Philosophers at the Movies - Earthtimes
• Grassroots Movement Aims To Change America’s Leadership Culture - YAHOO!

Toyota's guru spreads his philosophy of profit - New Zealand Herald Posted: 03 Mar 2010 07:27 AM PST A cafe in the middle of Manukau's industrial heartland sets the stage for the Herald's meeting with Kaizen Institute founder Masaaki Imai - a man who has spent decades spreading Japanese business philosophy around the globe. It is 8am. Imai, born in 1930, has a regal presence at the table where he sits alongside a colleague from New Zealand and another from Europe and sips his tea, before discussing the benefits of the Kaizen philosophy. "In the West, when managers think of improvement, they think it should cost a lot of money," he says. Imai says improving a business through Kaizen will actually save money, keep workers happy, and provide a competitive edge. Over the years Imai has formed a close relationship with the Toyota Corporation, and based one of many books on his observations of the car giant's manufacturing process. He says Toyota used the Kaizen philosophy - quite successfully - to become a market leader. When asked about the mess the company has found itself in lately, with millions of cars recalled, he says: "I still think Toyota is one of the best-managed companies, and its management is committed to producing good-quality products. I have no doubt of Toyota's future strength." Imai says Toyota should return to profitability in two to three years. Toyota used Kaizen methods to recover from a recession that nearly bankrupted the company in the 1950s, and again to weather the stockmarket crash of the early 1970s. He says Toyota came out of those events stronger than any of its competitors, thanks to Kaizen. "The good lesson you can learn from this is - when it comes to quality issues - even the best company can fail." We leave for a visit to Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, where Imai has been invited to tour the factory floor and give advice on how well the company's Kaizen policies are being implemented. In the boardroom we meet Michael Daniel, chief executive of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, along with other members of his team. Daniel gives a briefing on the company's products, which include respiratory humidifier systems and devices to help sufferers of sleep apnoea. He says Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has followed a philosophy of continuous improvement since the early 1980s. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Yankee Philosophy: First Skee-Ball, Then The World - NBC New York Posted: 03 Mar 2010 05:39 AM PST Off-field fun in advance of on-field defense By JOSH ALPER Updated 11:25 AM EST, Wed, Mar 3, 2010 Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK The Yankees play their first game of the exhibition season on Wednesday afternoon so naturally they spent Tuesday fine-tuning their skills so that they were sharp as their title defense got underway. Like any team that means covering first base, hitting the cutoff man and nailing the center hole on the skee-ball track. Huh?  Joe Girardi actually gave his Bombers the day off to hit a local arcade in a second annual team building trip disguised as something teenagers might do when they cut school for a day. In 2009 it was billiards and this year it was contests of skee-ball, pop-a-shot and video game car racing. That means they'll win the World Series in five games this year!  A lot of people can overstate or understate the importance of these trips. Obviously it isn't why the Yankees won the World Series last year, otherwise every team would be in pool halls this spring, but it's a pretty nice thing to do with a group of guys who might not know each other very well. The Yankee teams of the 2000's, for the most part, seemed like 25 ships passing in the night and that would seem like something that could only contribute to the grind of a long season. It can't hurt, in other words, so why not give it a try? As they say, once you've played whack-a-mole with someone, you'll bleed with them.  Or something. Mostly the trip is fun because it generates stories like this one. Curtis Granderson reveals that pitching isn't the only place where Kei Igawa comes up a little short.  "He kept racing up against the wall and damaging his tires. He wouldn't move off of it," Granderson said. "He had his left hand on the wheel and he was just cruising like nothing was wrong. He was doing that for a good three minutes. Everyone was shouting, 'Turn left! Turn left!'"  We'll close by hoping that none of the Yankee veterans went broke trying to set a high score on the love tester -- we're looking at you, A-Rod -- because they have to pony up $10,000. It seems that three members of last year's team received playoff shares that were short and anyone who received a full share of $365,052 has to give some of it back. We don't know which players were shorted, but we'd be disappointed if it wasn't Angel Berroa.   At any rate, it's back to the games that matter on Wednesday and preliminary planning for next year's bowling tournament starts on Thursday.   Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. Copyright NBC Local Media First Published: Mar 3, 2010 8:15 AM EST Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Quiet in Front! Philosophers at the Movies - Earthtimes Posted: 03 Mar 2010 10:33 AM PST STANFORD, Calif. - (Business Wire) Philosophy Talk went live with the Second Annual Dionysus Awards on Sunday morning and is releasing the show to the World Wide Web via the public radio audio exchange PRX.  An annual celebration that is part of the broad media build-up to the Academy Awards, the Dionysus Awards takes a look at the films of 2009 that made us think. Best known as the on-air meeting place for radio listeners who want to think philosophically about everyday issues, Philosophy Talk took a respite from their usual format of topic-focused investigation to lead a wide-ranging discussion on the year in film.  In a nod to the show's burgeoning listener base in the Bay Area, the Pacific Northwest and beyond, the broadcast largely centered on conversations initiated through the calls and emails of their listeners.  The lively conversation that ensued included contributions from local film critics, and Philosophy Talk listeners from locations as far away as Berlin, Germany. In a year that was rich with philosophical conundrums, moral dilemma, and existential crisis, the show's hosts John Perry and Ken Taylor, two philosophy professors at Stanford University, doled out awards for such dubious distinctions as "Man's Inhumanity towards Crustaceans" (District 9), "The Most Profound Riddle of Existence" (A Serious Man) and even the "Most Philosophically Rich Movie Nominated by Someone More than 5,000 Miles from San Francisco" (for the Czech Film Kawasaki's Rose - a decisive victory won by the caller from Berlin.) In addition to the topical selection of music that is a hallmark of the Philosophy Talk experience, listeners also enjoyed contributions from the Roving Philosophical Reporter, Jill Replogle and the 60-Second Philosopher Ian Shoales. It is perhaps worthwhile to note that the film industry has long been led by creative minds with philosophical training.  Some notable popular film personalities who's work took root in formal study of philosophy include Bruce Lee (Fist of Fury, Enter the Dragon), Ethan Coen (of the Coen Brothers; Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men), Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox), and even the film critic Gene Siskel (Siskel & Ebert). The Second Annual Dionysus Awards episode will be available for download on the Philosophy Talk website as of Friday, March 5, 2010. Philosophy Talk is hosted by two Stanford philosophy professors. The show is produced out of KALW 91.7fm in San Francisco and is broadcast on numerous public radio stations across the country. In 2007 Philosophy Talk was named the 'Best Local Public Radio Show' by San Francisco Weekly. Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6201713&lang=en Stanford University Corrie Goldman, 650-724-8156 corrieg@stanford.edu Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Grassroots Movement Aims To Change America’s Leadership Culture - YAHOO! Posted: 03 Mar 2010 08:03 AM PST A revolutionary philosophy is growing new leaders for new times Minneapolis, MN (Vocus) March 3, 2010 -- Old MacDonald's Ethical Leadership Farm, a grassroots movement already making an impact on Minnesota school children, is growing a new crop of leaders who will challenge the conventional leadership culture in America. The philosophy behind the movement defines a critical difference between past leadership skills and those required in the 21st century. Kids and adults are learning how to be ethical leaders by doing the right things that aren't required to be done. "Based on the behavior of some leaders, it is obvious that past leadership training has been insufficient. We need to teach the ethical aspect of leadership if we are to continue to have a strong country," said Principal Bryan McGinley of Deephaven Elementary School in Minnetonka, Minnesota. "Our school was the first to implement this philosophy because I believe it's essential that our students are positioned to contribute to the positive growth of society." Traditionally, ethics has been defined as doing the right things that are required to be done. By teaching kids and adults to go beyond the minimum requirements, Old MacDonald's Ethical Leadership Farm is redefining the way ethics is taught. While already showing results in classrooms, the philosophy is not limited to schools. It is also a valuable resource for parents and grandparents to teach kids at home. A series of new books available at www.ethicalleader.net detail six core tenants behind the ethical leadership philosophy. 1) Teach and learn from others – Creating an open culture where peers are empowered to share their ideas and insights – a culture where teaching and learning take place collaboratively. 2) Build Parallel Interests – Allowing individuals to share in a group's successes and challenges. This concept entices everyone to perform at his or her maximum potential. 3) Oppose Peer Pressure – Creating a direction and refusing to play by the competition's rules. 4) Be an Architect of the Future – Constructing and clearly conveying a vision of the future, and building a culture that motivates and inspires everyone to work toward achieving that vision. 5) Show, Don't Tell – Opening lines of communication and creating a transparent environment where people are comfortable sharing their thoughts. 6) Be Ethical to a Fault – Focusing on going outside the boundaries of what's required and going beyond the minimums to achieve great things. "I'm energized by the way my students have embraced these concepts," said Jim Becker, a government teacher at Eagan High School in MN, which co-piloted Old MacDonald's Ethical Leadership Farm's school initiative. "Students who never showed much of an interest in holding leadership positions are emerging as influential voices in this class." These are the results the founders of Old MacDonald's Leadership Farm set out to accomplish. As long-time business executives, they noticed that too often job applicants looked at ethics as a list of things not to do or as a set of basic minimums. That misunderstanding inspired them to spread the word about their revolutionary philosophy. "We want to grow leaders who will create a positive change in America's leadership culture," said Bob MacDonald, whose business practices helped Old MacDonald's Ethical Leadership Farm's founders develop this philosophy. "We'll only be successful when these ideas are being taught in every home across the country. We can't rely solely on educators. Parents and grandparents must also take responsibility for growing new leaders for new times." About Old MacDonald's Ethical Leadership Farm: Old MacDonald's Ethical Leadership Farm is based on the business practices of Bob MacDonald, who has had a 41-year career in the financial service industry, serving in numerous marketing and leadership roles. For the last 20 years, MacDonald has been the CEO of major companies and on the boards of numerous large corporations. He's authored three popular books on business philosophy and leadership. MacDonald has twice won entrepreneur of the year in MN. ### Robb Leer 612.701.0608 E-mail Information Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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