“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Learning by doing
Learning by doing refers to a theory of education. This theory was expounded by the American philosopher John Dewey. It’s a hands-on approach to learning, meaning students must interact with their environment in order to adapt and learn.
“I believe that the school must represent present life-life as real and vital to the child as that which he carries on in the home, in the neighborhood, or on the playground.” John Dewey in My Pedagogic Creed
It wasn’t raining
“Always plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” – Richard Cushing, Roman Catholic cardinal
John Dewey’s 4 Principles of Education
There are only a few ideas that had as much of an impact on education as those of John Dewey. The American philosopher, psychologist and educator believed children to be active contributors and agents of their learning, and not just passive recipients of knowledge of previous generations.
He believed that for knowledge to be acquired successfully, learning should be an experience. His Experiential Learning approach was based on four core principles.
USA. Immigration.
A state-by-state look at the history of U.S. immigration, showing the leading country of origin for newcomers in each territory, by decade. Fascinating !
Short-Term Thinking Is Poisoning American Business
New York Times. December 2019. Free-market capitalism won’t survive unless it makes structural changes toward long-term investing.
We live in an economy increasingly at odds with this truth. Short-term business practices are polluting our environment and harming our health and well-being for the sake of quick payouts.
Contingency Planning: Family, Business
In the middle of an active, busy (working) life, many families and business owners are reluctant to even consider the possibility of an accident or illness. As a result, contingency planning tends to be neglected. When something does happen, it often turns out there is no general power of attorney or enduring power of attorney for care or healthcare in place, and nobody thought of a living will or final will.
Proactive contingency planning helps to ensure that your family or family-owned business has legal capacity at all times. Our Private Clients experts help you draw up an emergency planning checklist that covers all the key legal and financial aspects.
If a partner or shareholder is incapacitated for an extended period, it could paralyse the entire company, depending on the provisions in the articles of association. Accordingly, (managing) partners or shareholders should draw up a contingency plan that addresses the following questions, in addition to their personal affairs.
Purposes of a plan (USA)
A plan is a systematic and organized approach to achieving specific goals or objectives. In the United States, plans are used in a variety of contexts, including business, government, and non-profit organizations. Some of the main purposes of a plan might include:
- Setting goals: A plan can help identify the specific goals or objectives that an organization or individual wants to achieve. This can provide a clear direction and focus for efforts, and allow for better decision-making and resource allocation.
- Organizing resources: A plan can help identify and organize the resources that will be needed to achieve the goals or objectives. This might include personnel, materials, equipment, and financial resources.
- Coordinating activities: A plan can help coordinate the activities and efforts of different individuals or groups, ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goals in a coordinated and efficient manner.
- Managing risks: A plan
Source: ChatGPT. Question: For Americans what is the purpose of a plan?
Did Short-Term Thinking Harm the Long-Term Success of U.S. Workers?
Aspen Institute. 2015. While the immediate value of reducing these costs is easily seen on the company balance sheet, the lost revenue of reduced worker performance goes uncounted. What’s worse, all of these practices create arms-length relationships between employers and workers, weakening trust and dampening enthusiasm for the work.
This in turn reduces the likelihood that businesses will invest in productivity-enhancing training of the workforce. Recent research bears this out, noting that an “easy hire, easy fire” policy leads to diminished worker productivity and innovation.
Be prepared when ‘what if?’ happens.
Natural disasters. Power outages. Mechanical failures. Events like these may be rare, but if they happen your business could be at risk, potentially costing you millions in lost sales and productivity. In today’s complex world a simple checklist won’t do when ‘what if?’ happens.
Only a thorough contingency plan ensures you have properly assessed your risk and have the right backup systems and strategies in place to activate on a moment’s notice. Trane can help. Our experts work closely with you using a strategic, multi-step approach to identify, prioritize and mitigate the risks you face. You get an action plan to safeguard your critical operations and peace of mind knowing that you’re prepared.