Bill Gates: A Model for Business?
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By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 2 As a young man, Bill Gates had the idea to make a company. In 1975, he left Harvard University, and he started Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. By 2007, Microsoft employed 78,000 people in 105 countries. Today about 90% of the world’s... Read more
Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect (Step 2)
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ReadOasis Step 2 A manager at a company was interviewing a job candidate. The manager said, “We need a very responsible person for this job. We need someone who can take charge.” The candidate’s eyes lit up, and he answered with great confidence. “Sir, your search ends here! I’m... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit The floor, wall, and windows began to shake violently. “What in the world?” said John as he looked out the second... Read more
By Benjamin Franklin ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Benjamin Franklin By David Martin "The Way to Wealth" is an essay written by Benjamin Franklin in 1758. In it, Franklin focuses on two main ideas. The first is hard work, which he often calls “industry.” For example, an industrious person... Read more
A Wee (Wii) Gaming Machine
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ReadOasis Step 2 Nintendo makes video games and gaming machines. It is one of the largest gaming companies in the world. Nintendo's popularity took off in 2006 with the release of the Nintendo Wii. The portable Nintendo DS is also extremely popular. In 2007, the company had an income... Read more
Get Down to Business in English
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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A Big Decision As usual, the boss spoke clearly and in short sentences. “Okay, it’s decided. This meeting is over. You all know what to do.” One by one, the managers closed their notebooks and stood up. There were no jokes and no laughter.... Read more
By Guy Kawasaki ReadOasis Step 5 The seventh thing is you need to follow what I call the 10-20-30 rule. I have this thing called Meniere's disease. Meniere's disease has three symptoms: hearing loss, tinnitus, which is a constant ringing in my ear, and sometimes I get dizzy or... Read more
The Birth of Levi’s Jeans
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ReadOasis Step 2 Rivets By Rohit Gowaikar (Creative Commons) Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829. At 18, he joined his brothers in America. They had a dry goods business in New York City. At that time, many people were moving to California in search of gold. Levi... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 "I told you that you could do it! You worked hard and got into a great university. And now you have landed an excellent job at a big company! Congratulations on your success! You did it!" "Thank you, father," said Kenya, standing tall in his dark... Read more
Book Trailer by Daniel Pink ReadOasis Step 5 What if everything we knew about sales turned out to be wrong? For instance, we think the only people in sales are the folks who try to get us to buy stuff. That's sales as we know it, and it’s huge.... Read more
By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 3 The world was waiting in anticipation. It had been three years since the death of Steve Jobs. Jobs was the head of Apple Computer. Under his leadership, Apple released many innovative products, including the iPod, the iPhone, iTunes, and the iPad. These products... Read more
A Giant of Business (Step 2)
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By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 2 Black liquid flew out of the ground and towards the sky. It was oil, black gold. And it had the power to light up homes. It had the power to run the engine of the American economy. It had the power to make... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. Pablo Picasso, Artist. It is a basic secret of success. To get skill, we need to do new things. Depending on the task, doing something new can... Read more
Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect (Step 3)
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ReadOasis Step 3 A manager at a company was interviewing a job candidate. The manager said, “We need a very responsible person for this job. We need someone who can take charge.” The candidate’s eyes lit up, and he responded with great enthusiasm. “Sir, your search ends here! I’m... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Tom Carvel invented soft-serve ice cream. Carvel was born in Greece on July 14, 1906, and he moved to America when he was a child. As a young man, he borrowed $15 from his future wife Agnes, and he started selling ice cream from a truck.... Read more
By Tom Peters (Creative Commons) ReadOasis Step 4 He/she who has the best story wins! In life! In business! The White House! Consider the following: “A key — perhaps the key — to leadership is the effective communication of a story.” — Howard Gardner, Leading Minds: An Anatomy of... Read more
Big Time Car Trouble
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ReadOasis Step 2 US car makers are in serious trouble. Their sales fell about 35% in January compared with last year. Ford Motor Company sales dropped 42%. General Motors reported a 49% drop. But Chrysler was hardest hit. Their sales went down 55%. This decline in sales is not... Read more
Book Trailer by Dambisa Moyo ReadOasis Step 5 In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, commodity prices increased 150 percent. Over the last twenty years, rising resource demand and constrained commodity supply have increased global tensions and triggered over 20 wars and conflicts worldwide, with more inevitably to... Read more
By Guy Kawasaki ReadOasis Step 3 The first thing I figured out and learned sometimes the hard way, about entrepreneurship is that the core, the essence of entrepreneurship is about making meaning. Many, many people start companies to make money, the quick flip, the dot-com phenomena. And I have... Read more
Book Trailer by Sheryl Sandberg ReadOasis Step 2 I entered the workforce believing that my generation was going to have equal responsibility and equal opportunity. And it didn't work out that way. Women are getting more college degrees, more graduate degrees, entering the workforce at every level. But in... Read more