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by Bertie

The curse of recycling bins

April 3, 2013 in behavioural economics, Smart thinking, User experience

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Here is a very special case of the law of unintended consequences. Reported in the Roberto Cialdini’s newsletter, Influence.

I quote in full:

“Jesse Catlin from Washington State University’s Business School, together with her colleague Yitong Wang from Tsinghua University in Beijing wondered if this ‘licensing’ effect might also occur when it came to encouraging environmentally protective behavior. For example, in an attempt to make it easier to recycle paper could providing recycling facilities actually cause people to use more paper than they ordinarily would if recycling facilities weren’t available?

In order to test this idea two studies were designed. In the first study participants were told that they would be evaluating a new brand of scissors. Part of the evaluation process required them to rate how good the scissors were at cutting out shapes (such as triangles and squares) from a stack of approximately 200 sheets of plain, white paper. Half the participants tested the scissors in a room where there weren’t any recycling facilities, only a trash can. The other half completed the task in a room where recycling facilities were available in addition to a regular trash can. The participants were purposely not given any specific instructions about the sizes of the shapes or the amount of paper that they should use in the task. Instead they were simply told to dispose of any scraps in the receptacle(s) provided and then complete a ‘green attitude’ questionnaire that asked them about their beliefs and attitudes towards the environment.

The results were quite simply staggering. Participants who evaluated the pair of scissors when recycling facilities were available used nearly three times more paper than the group who didn’t have recycling facilities. Interestingly this increase in the use of resources occurred regardless of how positive the participants’ ‘green attitudes’ were as measured in the post study questionnaire.”

Read the full newsletter here: http://www.influenceatwork.com/how-you-can-sabotage-your-own-good-intentions/

This is quite the reverse of Adam Smith’s invisible hand where selfish interests lead to common good. We so often forget the evil of good intentions.

 

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by Bertie

A different view

November 8, 2012 in Strategy, tablets, User experience

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…on the war of the operating systems from mine in yesterday’s blog was voiced by Arthur Goldstuck (of World Wide Worx, and Editor in chief of Gadget.co.za) in an article on fin24.  A regular commentator to this blog, kindly sent me the reference.

Goldstuck eulogizes Acer’s new Ultrabook and interprets that Microsoft now has an advantages with it’s identical interface across all devices. In passing he remarks about Apple that the one gap in Apple’s offering is its ” lack of a unified experience across all devices.”   If Goldstuck had said Apple lacks an identical interface across devices, he would have been spot on!  Yes, it’s not identical, but surely unified!  As I myself, a recent convert to the system after having been a Microsofter all my computer life, and most everyone who like me converted from the iPad backwards to iPhone to Mac, attest.

Here is what I wrote: “In this regard Apple clearly has the advantage, OS covers all the major devices and as those of us that have aligned our entire device system on OS will attest, what a joy! ”   Aligned, for sure!

The intriguing strategic issue is, how many large organisations will now ditch their PCs with Windows 7 or earlier – I still see XPs around!  Or will employees as consumers now start buying WIndows8 phones and tablets – if Windows8 is not compatible with their old operating systems on their laptops!  Fact is now to buy an Acer Ultrabook, I need to make two decisions, (a) to buy the Ultra and (b) to switch to Windows8 with the implication of opting for  a third interface to cope with next to my office laptop with Windows7 and  my mobile phone and tablet running on either Android or OS.  Let me rephrase my question of yesterday, I’m not sure that I would invest in such a buying process. But it is not the decisions of individual consumers who will make this a success. It will be corporate buyers.

Office is the real treasure; will the availability of Office be enough to entice to a Windows 8 tablet? Then to buy the Windows8 phone and then wait for your employer to change over to Windows8 for your laptop?   The key is probably what will happen in IT departments at the large corporations, and probably it will come down to the decisions of the CIOs.   And we know that Microsoft always knew how to market to them. But it would be interesting to see at a gathering of CIOs what brand of mobile phones or tablets they take from their pockets. I think there’s the rub.

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by Bertie

No excuses anymore!

November 6, 2012 in Media, tablets, User experience

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No excuse like “I haven’t got time to read.”   Tafelberg, an imprint of NB Publishers, South Africa’s largest publishing house, has launched a new venture, a series of short eBooks that you can read on the hoof on tablet or smart phone. You need more than a newspaper Op-Ed but much less than a business tomb.

For those who want food for thought but don’t have time to read a pages and pages

In the words of Erika Oosthuysen, nonfiction publisher at NB: “We are thrilled to launch Tafelberg Short books, a new series of incisive opinion pieces by top South African commentators and authors. It is a format which allows authors more depth and nuanced analysis than a newspaper article with its limited length. Yet it is quick, convenient and easy to read on an ereader or smartphone. The short ebook seems set to become the genre of choice for readers with little time but who need to stay informed. In the US, sales of short ebooks have passed the 2 million mark and the New York Times heralded ‘what feels like a new genre’.” Six titles launch today:

The first six titles

A Chief is a Chief by the Grace of His People – once we had leaders, Max du Preez

The Zuma Moment – and the road to Mangaung, Aubrey Matshiqi

The Politics of Pregnancy – from ‘population control’ to women in control, Rhoda Kadalie & Julia Pollak

Moments with Mandela – and the challenge of his legacy, Wilmot James

Heart of Dickness – Jacob Zuma & The Spear, Andrew Donaldson

The African University? The critical case of South Africa and the tragedy at the UKZN, RW Johnson

 

On 26th November 5 Afrikaans titles will be released. Then on 3rd December Reconciliation’s Vengeful Echo – Louis Botha, Nelson Mandela and tricky transitions, by Tim Cohen.

And on January 5th my own contribution to the series: “The nightmare of the small business owner – and how to wake up.”  SO, digest all the politics before Christmas and start the new year with a fresh look at your business!

You should know that I am an advisor the parent company of NB books, MIH (Naspers), but hey that doesn’t mean that you can’t trust me on this one!  Get some food for thought, click through to tafelberg:  http://www.tafelberg.com

 

 

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by Bertie

Not Lanseria again!

October 22, 2012 in User experience

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Once upon a time Lanseria Airport was small, convenient and cosy. Now it still is small but inconvenient and suffocating.

Continuing from Friday’s blog of Kulula’s pathetic handling of their IT systems being down… the experience was exacerbated by the poor facilities at Lanseria. Once through security, we of course had to wait another two hours because the flights were delayed because of the manual boarding procedures.  And there you are held captive by Wiesenhof coffee shop.   By now dying for a breakfast huge bread bricks stare you in the face. They clearly never heard of high protein low carbs. Tim Noakes conversion passed them by. We don’t expect them to be health food fanatics, but obesity champions!  Those of us who watched SuperSport rugby had seen Kobus Wiese (=Wiesenhof) expand over the years until now wide wide screen TV screen could accommodate him comfortably anymore. Perhaps the secret is that he partakes of his own high carb fare?

I chose a cheeseburger for the protein, it was heated soggy in the microwave. I left the bread alone and battled through a meat patty that showed fierce resistance.

No choice, no business lounge after security…   farewell with fond memories to cosy Lanseria….

To quickly bring you up to date with the rest of Friday’s experience with Kulula. When we were seated in the aircraft, the hostess announced in an upbeat voice ” And now you may perhaps expect something on the house? Unfortunately the delay was shorter than two hours, so unfortunately we can’t offer you anything.”  I glance at my watch, give or take 3 minutes short of 2 hours!

Well, why not then fly SAA as someone in the queue mooted ” This makes you reconsider SAA!”   Wel,, as I told the guy, you must know that you pay twice on SAA for the same seat, first the price of the ticket and then by subsidy from you taxes. And if you fly outside of the lunch or dinner hour you get those same bread bricks that Wiesenhof offers you at the difference of the price included without an opt-out clause – at the difference with the Kulula ticket some R1,000 or so?

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by Bertie

Oh, dear Kulula!

October 19, 2012 in User experience

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In some industries clients don’t count. Landlords are one such group. Rent office space or retail space in large shopping centre, and see wether any of the normal customs for client relatnships apply. The client is King? No ways, more like Cindirella without the fairy godmother!

Another one is airlines. Kulula this morning.

Their boarding system is down, so they do it manually. Here at Lanseria Airport the queues are endless.

The 9:15 flight to CTN is now set to depart after 11:00.

And all we hear is:”We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate your  patience.”

Of course you think, why do I even mention it? We are sonused to be treated like this.

But not even a cup of coffee offered on the house?

Normal client relationships don’t apply!

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