Compass Trend (9): Automation, Self Service and Other Matters

We have been briefing you on the effect of automation in our information economy. Some of you could have noticed that the upswing of automation usually come with the negative effect of low labor growth.

The next target of automation is now being implemented in the police department. Due to the current state of the economy, what is the chance that there will be more foot patrol?

Self Service

As mentioned in a previous post, self service is the other "hot" trend. It is only a matter of time where the majority of the fast food companies and the utility companies will be automating most of their services in the various regions. We believed that most of the "one on one" services will be provided by companies that are catered toward the upper middle tier and the upper tier of the social-economic value chain.

Playing the Cyclical Game

The quantity of the quality competition and the supply of a specific item usually determine the price of the demanded item. This rule is one of the many drivers that have pushed the information economy forward.

To gain the strategic positional edge of their grand setting, one must understand the uniqueness of those demand cycles and the dynamic pricing (variable ticket pricing) of their business situation.

Questions to Think about

Have automation, self service and low-wage labor affected your region? Can you see how it might affect you and your company now and later?

Do you have a tangible process that enables you to organizes and prioritizes your objectives and approaches, by connecting it to the Big Tangible Picture(BTP). If so, has it helped you set the pace of your workflow?

Are you utilizing your process to stay ahead of the curve?

To stay ahead of changes and your competition, you have to spend some time reflecting on the causes and the after-effect of your actions.

Ask yourself these three questions:

• Did today's activities assisted you in terms of meeting your long-term objectives?
• Are you ahead or behind the curve?
• Are you still on that path of achieving strategic effectiveness?

Then, use the answers as a foundation for reviewing one's strategic position.

We will discussed more about this matter in a later post.