Add this to my growing list of things I just don't get (like modern art), and probably never will. This craze started in South Korea, and basically involves someone live streaming a video of them eating a meal. And people actually will pay to watch such videos. Here's an overview of this craze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpiP49HV7fk Twitch, … Continue reading Mukbang: Paying to Watch People Eat a Meal Online →

Enron. Mylan. Wells Fargo. Three successful companies that experienced significant declines in value because they did not recognize the importance of corporate culture. At Enron, the prevailing corporate culture was to push everything to the limits: business practices, laws and personal behavior. This culture drove Enron to dizzying growth, as the company remade itself from a stodgy … Continue reading When Will Companies Learn Their Lesson? Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast. →

As I was coming back from the gym early this morning, I couldn't help but notice how much of a hurry most of the drivers seemed to be. It wasn't quite 6:30, and I was driving down Lancaster Ave. where the speed limit is only 25 mph (which nobody adheres to). Following my driving speed … Continue reading Slow Down, You Move Too Fast 🎶 →

Stories about the relationship between money and happiness always fascinate me, and the latest research on the issue doesn't disappoint. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, one study found that it is not the level of aggregate wealth (investments, pensions, house) that one has that leads to happiness, but rather the amount of money in … Continue reading Money and Happiness, Revisited →

Yesterday we had the chance to celebrate the wedding of my niece down at the Jersey Shore. The bride, the groom, and their daughter were radiant, and the weather was perfect. It was wonderful seeing so many happy people in one place, all sharing in such a joyous event. My wife's sister and her husband, … Continue reading Wedding Bells →

We've all know one or two of them; the co-worker who excels at his or her job, but also excels at being a jerk and creating tension in the workplace. We've also probably secretly wished that the person would fail spectacularly, quit, or be fired, but we often wonder what that would do to the … Continue reading Toxic Employees →

If you're like me, you routinely answer work-related emails once you are home for the evening. However, doing so may be detrimenal to  your health. A new study, authored by Liuba Belkin of Lehigh University, William Becker of Virginia Tech, and Samantha A. Conroy of Colorado State University, found a link between organizational after-hours email … Continue reading Leave Your Work Emails at Work →

That's how long Bruce Springsteen's concert was last night at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia, setting a record for the longest show he has ever performed in North America. (He did a show in 2012 in Helsinki, Finland that lasted 4 hours and 6 minutes). By the way, the time estimate comes from Bob Vetrone, … Continue reading 4 hours, 3 minutes, and 46 seconds →

This week's word comes from a classic New York Times magazine article written by Milton Friedman almost 46 years ago, "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Profits". Before I get to the word of the week, it may be helpful to provide some background on Milton Friedman. Friedman was an American economist who received the … Continue reading Wednesday Word of the Week: Eleemosynary →

Those are the words of Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, after a Labor Day weekend that saw 65 people shot, 13 of them fatally. Johnson believes that the police department is doing its job, pointing to increases in gun arrests this year over last year -- and more than 6,000 illegal gun recoveries so far in 2016 -- … Continue reading “It’s not a police issue, it’s a society issue.” →