2010年8月14日 星期六

How To Write a Business Plan for a Mobile Gaming Company

How To Write a Business Plan for a Mobile Gaming Company
The rise of reality-based gaming via social and mobile networks makes it easier than ever to enter the market. Here's how you can start a gaming business.

By Lou Dubois | Jul 27, 2010



Managing Technology

How to bring your business online, plus hardware, software, and telecom

With the release of Apple's iPhone, mobile gaming has clearly become a major moneymaking industry (just as social gaming on Facebook has turned the industry on its head—see Farmville and its 100 million users). The next hot thing on the mobile gaming market seems to be the Android, but it's all about designing games that capitalize on the original addictive nature of gaming, to keep users coming back.

"Thanks to the rapid evolution of mobile technology, smartphones have transformed the real world into a giant game board, allowing users to interact and compete in ways that were science fiction a decade ago," says David Griner, a social media strategist for marketing agency Luckie & Company in Birmingham, Alabama. "Whether you're fighting to be Foursquare mayor of your favorite coffee shop or searching posters for hidden QR codes to reveal hints about a new movie, it's clear that businesses have more ways than ever to engage their fans and make day-to-day life more fun."

If you're looking to start your own mobile gaming company, your best bet is to leverage existing games and platforms, to figure out what people are already consuming, and then to try to beat the market there. Regardless of the platform or game idea, here are the steps you can follow as you put together your business plan.


Business Planning for a Mobile Gaming Company: Why You Should Start a Mobile Gaming Business

When Mark Zuckerberg set out to design Facebook, he certainly never envisioned it would be the No. 1 gaming platform on the web. And Apple surely didn't plan on games being the main driver of their app store revenue. Games have become mainstream entertainment, and are certainly no longer a basement-only activity.

Whether it be executives playing BrickBreaker while they travel, a senior citizens Wii tournament, New Yorkers playing solitaire on their subway ride, or a family night built around "Rock Band," everyone is playing games in some capacity.

"There are games now for pretty much every age, every demographic," says Jesse Schell, instructor of entertainment technology at Carnegie Mellon University. "More and more women are going online. It comes down to everybody is playing games. Games are just evolving like species in order to fit into every little niche of our lives."

In fact, about 40 percent of gamers today are women, and 68 percent of homes in America either own a console or PC used for interactive entertainment, according to the Entertainment Software Association's 2010 Essential Facts report. Additionally, the report notes, 42 percent of heads of households say they play games on wireless devices such as cell phones or PDAs, up from 20 percent in 2002.

"We're in a place where consumers are constantly consuming content over platforms all in the course of a day," says Matt Story, the Los Angeles-based director of Denuo (and former head of their gaming division, Play). "We've been playing games for 20 years with the sole purpose of getting a higher score than our opponent, and now that's just become a part of our everyday lives."

Dig Deeper: Should You Create an iPhone App?


Business Planning for a Mobile Gaming Company: Find Your Niche

As noted above, it's all about finding a blank space in the industry and filling that hole. Try to focus on a single platform early on and then if and when you grow, you can look to expand and broaden your product. Finding your niche is not specific to planning a business based around mobile gaming, but it is perhaps one of the most important factors you can consider. Just as nobody expected the iPhone and Android to become gaming hubs, there are likely devices that are being overlooked as future gaming devices. Is that the Kindle? Or is it just as simple as designing something new for smartphones?

Dig Deeper: How to Make Money on iPhone Apps


Business Planning for a Mobile Gaming Company: Test Your Product

"Perhaps better than any other industry, the gaming industry is really good at getting a product out there for consumers to use, get feedback on and see what they think," Story says. "If you think about some of the biggest products like a Halo, there are playable beta versions before the final product. The traditional model of holding back a product doesn't work in gaming, so feedback is key in helping you to avoid mistakes early on."

The beauty of mobile and social gaming's rise in popularity is that is has made it considerably easier to enter the gaming market as a small company, with limited capital. While the big studios like Electronic Arts, Rockstar Games and Activision may spend $50-100 million and employ an army of engineers, technicians, artists and more on their biggest titles (think Madden, Halo, Grand Theft Auto etc.), they are all based upon realism. With the success of games like Farmville and other Zynga offerings, the groundwork has been laid for the success of smaller, cheaper games.

"Perhaps due to the economic situation, we've learned that gamers are willing to sacrifice quality for cost," says Story. "It's gotten to the point where a few guys can sit in a room and bang out a game in three weeks for a relatively low cost, and then it's all about making that game social."

In the early days of gaming, the developer was involved in almost all of the testing. And as a small startup, that may still be your best bet as well. Rely on your instincts that you've developed as a gamer for guidance on what is working and what is not. Achieving broad appeal requires that some aspects of the game are engaging to the hardcore gamers, while other features appeal to the casual gamer. Once a playable prototype has been created, play it every day internally and make adjustments based on testing, thereby creating new versions quickly, evolving the game in the process

Larger test groups provide valuable testing feedback and create games of wider mass and social appeal. But the reality is also that unless your game is addictive and easy to share via existing mobile social networks, your success may be muted. As games become more complex, a larger pool of quality assessment resources are often required, but as a start-up you don't have to focus on this early on. Use your network of friends, colleagues, and potential marketing partners to explore more opportunities on the testing level. With no proper or required reference to a complete and reusable test strategy, game testing follows a game-specific test approach. This ranges from completely ad-hoc and exploratory testing to a semi-structured approach based on testers experience, scale, complexity and production delivery date of the game. It's really up to you and what you want to get out of it.

Dig Deeper: Industry Profile – Self-Published Video Games


Business Planning for a Mobile Gaming Company: Find Marketing & Distribution Partners

Creating a game and then approaching potential advertising partners can be the wrong process, particularly in this industry. Gamers are some of the smartest consumers, so if you give them a product early on that is free and doesn't have any branding or advertising tie-in, when you try to retroactively add that in, gamers will typically balk.

A better way to approach your company is to find a marketing partner to help alleviate cost and raise awareness of the games. Not only will you not have to pour as much of your own money into the product, but you'll reap the benefits of having a marketing agency and access to larger brands at your disposal from an early stage. It's often difficult to get advertisers behind a product early on, particularly if you don't have something for them to see (this is again why testing your product is so vital), but if there is a great opportunity in an untapped arena, marketers would be more likely to partner up to help both parties.

Additionally, finding a distribution partner with reach and access from an early stage can bring about the social awareness that you'll really want with a new mobile startup.

Dig Deeper: Google's Play on Gaming


Business Planning for a Mobile Gaming Company: Make Your Game a Seamless Part of Daily Life

"I believe gaming technology will evolve to integrate into a player's daily life so that even their most mundane routines become meta-games in a grander scheme," Dan Greenwalt, the Game Director at Turn 10 Studios, told IGN when asked about the future of gaming. "Imagine an RPG where going to work and sitting at your office actually gains you experience points in-game, or going on a date in real life actually accomplishes a quest or a mission. By 2020, players will go from an always-connected lifestyle of today to an always-gaming lifestyle of tomorrow."

Greenwalt puts it very succinctly, as what it comes down to if you're looking to enter the mobile gaming market is finding a way to relate your game to everyday habits and lifestyle of your consumers. You can expect that if you succeed, your game will be successful for 6-12 months at best (even the top big studio games rarely remain relevant more than a year), so it's all about garnering social relevancy, conversation and keeping users coming back with new features and add-ins.

Dig Deeper: Industry Profile – Mobile Application Design

2010年8月13日 星期五

日常生活輔具對銀髮族的重要

日常生活輔具對銀髮族的重要

蔡建志

依內政部社會司的統計,截至93年2月份為止,全台已有210萬的老年人口,佔人口總數的9.29%;也就是說,台灣已步入高齡化的社會;單就臺北市的老人人口至九十四年底便已達295,301人,且持續增加中。面對“銀髮世紀"的來臨,身為銀髮族的長輩們,或是肩負家庭生計與照顧責任的青壯年家庭成員,可曾想過未來的生活,將受到多大的衝擊?

這應該不是危言聳聽:預估2022年,台灣人口轉為負成長,2051年,老年人口將高達 39%;剛剛度過的2004年,每 8 位年輕人得扶養1位老人,預估2051年,每 2.5 位年輕人得扶養1位老人。即便是現在,長輩們能夠有晚輩隨侍在身旁照顧的便已經不多;未來的銀髮族生活, “自立更生”、“兩老相依為命”的情形相信是普遍存在的。在不至於大幅降低生活水準的前提之下,如何幫助銀髮族們在生活中,“因獨立而能維持自尊;因自由而能享受生命",觀念上的調適是非常要緊的。

首先,能不依賴他人是一種福氣;但能適切地使用日常生活輔具,才絕對是智慧的表現。既然生活輔具對於銀髮族可說是一個密不可分的好朋友,它能增加長者們的生活獨立功能,提升其生活便利性,也可預防併發症,甚至減緩疼痛。既然輔具如此重要,您可能會問:什麼是輔具?哪些東西算得上是輔具?

所謂輔具,就是可以幫助使用者完成日常生活中的各種活動,提升使用者生活品質的輔助用具。適當的輔具可以改善一個人在所處環境中的功能,也可以影響他的運動表現、認知能力和精神反應;相反地,若是選擇了不適用的輔具,對於銀髮族來說,對其生活可能會形成累贅,也可能阻礙正常功能發展。所以選擇適當的輔具是非常重要的。

廚房和浴室,是每個人每天幾乎都得報到的場所;偏偏它也是意外發生最頻繁的地方。老人家的反應、記性,以及感官的靈敏性,或多或少總有些大不如前,以往年輕時做得到的事,現在可能會有點吃力;例如廚房中的切、洗、烹飪,浴室裡的盥洗、沐浴,很可能獨自一人操作會感到相當不順利,即使是仍算健康的老人,也常因手滑或施力不當而造成損失或效率大減;要是因中風或糖尿病等常見的老年疾病纏身,有單側或下肢甚或四肢的動作障礙,“獨自生活”便成了每天的“超級大冒險”!這時,科技的協助能幫助老人家擁有自信與維護安全。例如:可固定食物的鉆板,能讓只有單手的中風患者也能為自己甚至另一半準備食物;固定於流理檯邊的毛刷可以只用一隻手便將杯、碗、瓢、盆徹底刷洗乾淨;洗澡時坐在特製的長椅上淋浴不用擔心跌倒;起身有貼心的扶手陪伴著離開浴室,地上的防滑墊減少滑倒的機會;另外,加大尺寸的電源開關,對比強烈的裝潢配色,都稱得上是銀髮族每天生活中不可或缺的好幫手。

再者,輔具的使用,就像“書到用時方恨少”。大部分的輔助器材,小則如前述的傢具配件,或是餐桌上的餐具小改變,多半需要稍作練習或習慣適應;大則像自動爬梯機及無障礙升降機,需經過安裝或操作上的訓練;筆者從事日常生活輔具諮詢與設計多年的經驗裡,常有家屬反應老人家抱怨沒能早些做正確適當的規劃,新屋才完工沒多久,卻被告知要解決問題非得大興土木;或是原本規劃的輔具還沒取得,老人家便發生跌倒的意外;其實,一些如拐杖、便器椅、長柄取物夾,或是沐浴輔助的清潔刷、洗澡椅等日常生活輔具,在歐美或是日本等先進國家早就是銀髮族常用甚至必備的配件,不僅隨處可購得,價格亦因數量穩定成長而趨於合理;反觀國內的市場狀況,銀髮族們不知去何處購買或是補充需要的輔具或配件,有時還得透過不算專業的代理商,從海外購買其實是大陸甚至台灣出口到歐美的各式輔具。銀髮族消費族群對輔具的不了解與沉默,也是影響今日輔助器材不易取得與價格高居不下的因素之一。

使用輔具至少有以下的優點:

1、減少意外災害的發生。

2、降低醫療支出的花費。

3、減少照顧人力的浪費。

4、提高銀髮族的生活機能。

5、增加銀髮族的機動性。

6、提高照顧者與銀髮族長者同住的意願。

若是站在社會經濟的觀點,提高老年人口的生存能量,等於直接提昇整個社會10%(2004年)~40%(2051年)的生存能量。鼓勵老人家使用科技輔具,缺點少、彈性大,能夠節省家庭以及社會的開支,又能提高整個人口的活力。

既然輔具如此地重要,我們現在就來瞭解一下輔具的種類:

一、擺位輔具:

擺位輔具主要的功用在於改善身體載重力量的分布,減少褥瘡的發生,幫助肌肉痙孿的放鬆,預防畸形,維持正常的姿勢,並維持治療後的效果。正確的擺位對於中樞神經系統或肌肉骨骼受傷的患者是一種張力控制的治療,可矯正不良姿勢,避免發生變形。常見的器具有:臥姿、坐姿、站姿輔具,例如站立架、楔形墊及擺位軟墊…等等。

二、移行輔具:

移行輔具主要的功用在於協助肌力較弱的使用者,減少身體重量的負擔,延緩疲勞的發生,可增加移動時的穩定度,減低疼痛,預防畸形,對增加銀髮長者的自信心與社會互動很有幫助。如:滑板,爬行器,手推車,手杖,拐杖,助行器…等等,皆屬於移行輔具的範疇。

三、日常生活輔具:

日常生活輔具數量眾多,功能差異頗大。主要的功用在協助個案進行日常生活自我照顧的活動,提升生活品質。日常生活輔具包含的範圍相當廣泛,以下僅針對幾個常見的項目解釋如下:

1、 移動轉位輔具:幫助個案自行轉位或由他人協助轉位所需之輔具,如:轉位板,轉位帶…等等。

2、 餐飲輔具:協助進食或飲水的特殊輔助用具,可幫助進食或飲水有困難的人安全而迅速地完成自我照顧。

3、 穿著輔具:在衣物或配件上稍做修改,以符合個案的肢體功能,如:修改袖釦、排釦,加大拉鍊扣環…等等。

4、 衛浴改造:以安全舒適,無跌倒之虞為原則,如:浴室扶手,沐浴床…等等。

5、 文書作業輔具:如自動翻書機,閱讀架,口含操作桿,擴視鏡…等等。

6、 環境科技輔具:包括環境遙控系統,改良式電腦,無障礙升降設備…等等。

7、 休閒輔具:如點字撲克牌,超大撲克牌,撲克牌持牌器,地板籃球…等等。

四、復健矯治輔具:

主要是保護及預防關節形變,增加肢體動作的穩定性,減低疼痛的發生。如:手支架、副木、足托板、支架鞋、矯正鞋…等等。

看了以上的說明,相信您已經對輔具更有概念了。原來輔具的應用這麼廣泛!其實,日常生活中常見的眼鏡、電器遙控器…等等,都可以算是增進生活效率的輔具。所以大家應該可以多用心觀察,努力思考,未來可以研發出更方便、更有用的生活輔具;一方面可以造福人群,等到自己老了,更可以直接對自己的生活品質盡一份心力。

聰明時尚的銀髮族,善用輔助科技,輔具便是我們的好幫手!千萬不要抱持錯誤的觀念,以為使用輔具便是「服老」,便是「認輸」;銀髮新世紀居家生活的品質與尊嚴,要靠自己來維護。期待我們日漸高齡化的社會,仍能夠隨時充滿著朝氣與活力。

(本文作者為歐緹斯特職能治療所 主任治療師、本會教育訓練專業講師)

文大長春課程 為銀髮族量身定做

生命力記者/張元齡報導

 「我們在這裡很happy(快樂)!」「我們可以kill time!(消磨時間)」這是由文大推廣教育部長春系列課程中英文基礎班的「老」同學們口中說出來的,他們都是已經年近六十的快樂銀髮族。

 文化大學推廣教育部開設的課程五花八門,其中「長春系列」是專門為銀髮族量身訂做,設定為專門給四十歲以上長者所上的課程。負責長春系列課程的行銷中心組長蘇晉賢表示,長春系列自一九九二年即開始,成立已有十年。文大推廣部對於課程的規劃十分謹慎,有專門的企劃中心在規劃每一個系列的內容。

 長春系列的課程大略可分為語文、休閒、藝文、健康養身和公益講座五個類型。語文類型有英語、日語兩種,各個程度的課程都有,從初級班到新聞英語會話班一應俱全;休閒類型包括建築欣賞課程、古蹟巡禮、觀察自然生態….等等,這些課程幾乎都是在教室外上課,十分活潑;藝文類型的課程包括卡拉OK、書法、繪畫…等等,很適合老人家們培養空閒時的興趣;健康養生類型的課程就像太極拳、氣功、藥膳、中醫的課程;公益講座的內容十分多元化,有時候是講健康方面的知識,有時候是講和年輕人的相處之道,有時候是提供一些稅務方面的處理辦法。

 蘇晉賢說,其實每一類型的課程都很受到銀髮族的喜愛,可能是因為課程比較活潑的關係,其中又以休閒和藝文兩類型更受大家注意。

 文大推廣教育部的長春系列課程會受歡迎的原因之一,就是因為鄰近的大安森林公園提供給老人們一個良好的休閒環境,很多老人們都是早上到公園運動,等到九點多時,就過馬路來上課。但是,蘇晉賢說,他們最大的特色是「服務」。當銀髮族們發現自己已經沒有生活重心的時候,長春課程提供銀髮族一個可以培養興趣的地方。

 爺爺奶奶來上課,並不是純粹的休閒而已,很多都是來追求年輕時的夢想,或是趁自己還能學習的時候,多學一些自己真正想要或是有興趣的東西。蘇晉賢認為,老人們對學習的專心度,是遠遠的超過我們的,而且,對學習來說,其實他們的需求並不是那麼高,他們主要是在追求「自我」的部分,希望追求自我的理想。

 但是,也有一些銀髮族來上課是因為其他的因素。學員曾太太說因為孫子上小學,學校有教英文,孫子回來會問「阿媽,『狗』怎麼說?」「阿媽,『貓』怎麼說?」讓她不得不來學些英文好回去教孫子。而巫太太則是因為現在去國外旅遊的機會比較多,讓她覺得國際語言是很重要的,所以才來上英文課。曾太太說來上課之後,她們覺得真的很不錯,因為這是專門給銀髮族上的課,所以在這裡可以交到很多年齡相近的好朋友,而且老師都很有耐心,不懂的地方會一直重複教授,再說大家學習能力都差不多,也不會覺得自己比較不行。巫太太認為,可能學習成效不會一下就有,但是長久下去一定會有進步。

 在這裡上課的銀髮族,很多都不只上一種課程,巫太太說:「我早上上英文班,下午還要上卡拉OK班,以前還有上電腦班。」她說,之前有在別的地方上過課,但是卻覺得還是這裡比較好,除了這裡的選擇性比較高之外,也因為這裡的課程很多都是一貫的,從初級班到高級班都有,而且大家的年齡都一樣,上起課來感覺比較好。

 長春系列課程是專門為銀髮族所設計的,所以在篩選老師、教學內容的選擇方面,都會與一般的課程不太一樣。蘇晉賢說,「耐心」是最重要的,因為在教年紀大的長輩時,通常都要重複很多很多次,所以老師的耐心是一定要的;並且,教學時不能太嚴格,如果過分嚴厲可能會有損老人的自尊心;教學步調要比較慢,讓老人們能吸收;所選擇的內容也都是比較生活化、比較活潑的類型。

 教長春英文基礎班的林于詩老師說,和教成人班比較起來,教銀髮族的時候速度要放慢,玩的遊戲也要比較簡單,不用給他們太大的壓力。而和其他年齡的學生相比,他們學習起來是非常快樂的,也很用功,十分積極、努力。和他們相處時,是很自然的,他們也很喜歡開玩笑,而且不像一般學生還會打瞌睡,永遠是精神飽滿。老人家們都很可愛,也會像普通學生一樣,希望中間下課能夠久一點,希望最後一節課來開同學會,喝下午茶。林老師說,還有的老人更可愛,會在下課時偷偷來跟她說「其實今天上的課,我全部都『霧茫茫』!」。

 六、七十歲的老人們上課時,教室內雖然是輕鬆的氣氛,但大家仍然都全神貫注,努力聽講;到了下課,教室裡就像在開同樂會般,巫太太幫盧太太刮沙,大家一起吃東西、聊天,就像認識了數十年一樣的熟稔。長春課程對銀髮族來說,已經不再只是一個課程而已,而是成為他們生活中的一部份了,而且,上課,也會讓他們找到生活的另一個重心,重拾自信。

2010年8月10日 星期二

十四主星升職加薪開運物品

升職加薪是每個職場人士心中最期盼的事情,可是並非每個人都能得償所願。「科技紫微網」向十四主星推薦一些開運的小物品,幫助你改善職場運勢,達成心願。

七殺星
開運物品:銀色圓形小鏡子
勇氣十足的七殺星敢於向上司說明自己對工作的想法,卻會因為言語直率而頂撞上司。不妨在辦公桌抽屜裡放置一面銀色圓形的小鏡子改善自己的運勢。一來可以讓自己的形象更得體,二來在衝動時,照照鏡子可以自我對照和反省,讓自己迅速冷靜下來。

破軍星
開運物品:魔術方塊
我行我素的破軍星追求變化和新奇,簡單、實用、好玩的東西才會吸引他的目光。可以在辦公桌上擺放一個魔術方塊,閒時拿來玩一玩,不僅有益於增強空間思維能力,還能讓自己的心態保持平和和穩定,工作起來思維也能更集中,更加的專注、認真。

廉貞星
開運物品:黑曜石手珠
廉貞星在職場有著自己的一套生存法則,由於對工作負責盡職、積極進取,很容易得到上司的信任、賞識,只是平時應注意控制多變的情緒,千萬不可因為上司的批評就喪失對工作的熱情。黑曜石手珠具有強大的能量,將它帶在右手上,能趕走你的負面能量,增強你的好運。

貪狼星
開運物品:吊蘭
活潑好玩的貪狼星若是在辦公室裡待上八個小時,會變得沉悶而缺少活力。不妨在辦公桌上放上一盆吊蘭,不僅可以美化環境、淨化空氣,還能讓你的心境平和。綠色的吊蘭給你無限的希望,讓你的情緒平靜,耐性更持久,工作的效率自然也就更高了。

紫微星
開運物品:小動物護腕墊
威嚴尊貴的紫微星工作起來十分的嚴謹、細緻,只是親和力還有待提高。若是在電腦旁放上一個小動物護腕墊,不僅保護了自己的手腕,還能讓辦公桌更加的美觀。此外,這個小東西還能提升你的人氣,讓你更受同事歡迎。

天府星
開運物品:水晶花瓶
天性樂觀,喜歡享受生活的天府星,也會把辦公的環境裝點得溫馨而舒適。在辦公桌旁擺放一個小水晶花瓶,在裡面放入五彩斑斕的植物養料,種上幾片綠葉。美妙的小花瓶不僅讓你感受生活的多姿多彩,還能催旺你的事業運和桃花運,讓你事業、愛情都稱心如意。

武曲星
開運物品:三隻腳的金蟾蜍
剛毅堅強的武曲星,對工作一絲不苟、嚴肅認真,期待有朝一日可以實現出人頭地的願望。不妨在電腦旁排放一個三隻腳的金蟾蜍,不僅能讓你步步高陞、財源廣進,還能幫你吸納一些霉運和晦氣,讓你好運連連。

天相星
開運物品:小金魚缸
謹慎踏實的天相星做事有條不紊,盡職盡責。若是能對工作多燃起一些熱情,多一些衝勁和魄力,則升職的機會很大。你可以在電腦旁放置一個小金魚缸,養上兩條小金魚,煩悶時看著那活潑可愛的小魚,可以減輕你的壓力和煩惱。小金魚缸還能給你帶來好的財運和事業運。

太陽星
開運物品:寒梅傲雪圖
熱情積極、坦率直接的太陽星,你的活力可以感染周圍的同事,你的幽默給人帶來無限的歡樂。你工作時若是多些沉穩和實幹精神,定能獲得上司的認可。不妨在辦公室內擺放一副寒梅傲雪圖,提升自己的職場運勢,提醒自己更冷靜、更專注、更沉穩。

巨門星
開運物品:萬年青
耿直明快的巨門星,很容易因能言善辯引起上司的關注,然而言多必失,平時重要的場合要注意慎言,給同事們留下好的印象。若是要提升自己的職場運勢,不妨在辦公桌上擺放一盆萬年青,它象徵欣欣向榮的意思。只是要修剪枯木,及時澆水,讓植物保持生命力,就能保持平順的好運。

天機星
開運物品:仙人掌
天機星工作細緻沉穩,思慮周詳,待人親切,很受同事的歡迎。只是想要在眾人中脫穎而出,顧慮不宜太多,要敢於挑起重任。在自己的辦公桌上放上小型盆栽仙人掌,不僅能吸收電腦的輻射,還可以為自己的職場生活增加一劑強心針,讓自己的意志更堅定,做事更有魄力,從而提升職場運勢。

太陰星
開運物品:寵物玩具猴
個性謙虛的太陰星事事都追求完美,工作時難免會勞心勞力。若是在電腦上擺放一個寵物猴玩具,能增添自己的活力和情趣,工作起來更輕鬆。此外,「猴」與「侯」同音,意味著封侯拜相的含義。這個小玩具能讓你在職場無往不利,事事順意。

天梁星
開運物品:彌勒玉佛
有著慈悲心腸的天梁星可以在辦公桌上擺放一尊小型彌勒玉佛,它能讓你笑口常開、忘卻煩惱,也能保佑你職場平安、順利,不招惹小人。只是要注意時常保持彌勒玉佛的乾淨,莫使它染上灰塵,以免對自己的職場運勢產生不利影響。

天同星
開運物品:玩具小鹿
平易近人、心地寬厚的天同星,若是要在競爭激烈的職場站穩腳跟,獲得豐厚的薪酬和高管職位,還是要增強自己的野心,讓自己更加的上進。在電腦上擺放一隻玩具小鹿,不僅能讓童心未泯的天同星工作更有幹勁,還能增強職場運勢。「鹿」與「祿」同音,意味高官厚祿,好運不斷。

2010年8月6日 星期五

Robin's 73 Best Business and Success Lessons

Robin

You can really Lead Without a Title.


Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.


Give away what you most wish to receive.


The antidote to stagnation is innovation.


The conversations you are most resisting are the conversations you most need to be having.


Leadership is no longer about position - but passion. It's no longer about image but impact. This is Leadership 2.0.


The bigger the dream, the more important to the team.


Visionaries see the "impossible" as the inevitable.


All great thinkers are initially ridiculed - and eventually revered.


The more you worry about being applauded by others and making money, the less you'll focus on doing the great work that will generate applause. And make you money.


To double your net worth, double your self-worth. Because you will never exceed the height of your self-image.


The more messes you allow into your life, the more messes will become a normal (and acceptable) part of your life.


The secret to genius is not genetics but daily practice married with relentless perseverance.


The best leaders lift people up versus tear people down.


The most precious resource for businesspeople is not their time. It's their energy. Manage it well.


The fears you run from run to you.


The most dangerous place is in your safety zone.


The more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.


Every moment in front of a customer is a gorgeous opportunity to live your values.


Be so good at what you do that no one else in the world can do what you do.


You'll never go wrong in doing what is right.


It generally takes about 10 years to become an overnight sensation.


Never leave the site of a strong idea without doing something to execute around it.


A strong foundation at home sets you up for a strong foundation at work.


Never miss a moment to encourage someone you work with.


Saying "I'll try" really means "I'm not really committed."


The secret of passion is purpose.


Do a few things at mastery versus many things at mediocrity.


To have the rewards that very few have, do the things that very few people are willing to do.


Go where no one's gone and leave a trail of excellence behind you.


Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.


Accept your teammates for what they are and inspire them to become all they can be.


To triple the growth of your organization, triple the growth of your people.


The best leaders are the most dedicated learners. Read great books daily. Investing in your self-development is the best investment you will ever make.


Other people's opinions of you are none of your business.


Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.


Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one.


Understand the acute difference between the cost of something and the value of something.


Nothing fails like success. Because when you are at the top, it's so easy to stop doing the very things that brought you to the top.


The best leaders blend courage with compassion.


The less you are like others, the less others will like you.


You'll never go wrong in doing what's right.


Excellence in one area is the beginning of excellence in every area.


The real reward for doing your best work is not the money you make but the leader you become.


Passion + production = performance.


The value of getting to your goals lives not in reaching the goal but what the talents/strengths/capabilities the journey reveals to you.


Stand for something. Or else you'll fall for anything.


Say "thank you" when you're grateful and "sorry" when you're wrong.


Make the work you are doing today better than the work you did yesterday.


Small daily - seemingly insignificant - improvements and innovations lead to staggering achievements over time.


Peak performers replace depletion with inspiration on a daily basis.


Take care of your relationships and the sales/money will take care of itself.


You can't be great if you don't feel great. Make exceptional health your #1 priority.


Doing the difficult things that you've never done awakens the talents you never knew you had.


As we each express our natural genius, we all elevate our world.


Your daily schedule reflects your deepest values.


People do business with people who make them feel special.


All things being equal, the primary competitive advantage of your business will be your ability to grow Leaders Without Titles faster than your industry peers.


Treat people well on your way up and they'll treat you well on your way down.


Success lies in a masterful consistency around a few fundamentals. It really is simple. Not easy. But simple.


The business (and person) who tries to be everything to everyone ends up being nothing to anyone.


One of the primary tactics for enduring winning is daily learning.


To have everything you want, help as many people as you can possibly find get everything they want.


Understand that a problem is only a problem if you choose to view it as a problem (vs. an opportunity).


Clarity precedes mastery. Craft clear and precise plans/goals/deliverables. And then block out all else.


The best in business spend far more time on learning than in leisure.


Lucky is where skill meets persistence.


The best Leaders Without a Title use their heads and listen to their hearts.


The things that are hardest to do are often the things that are the best to do.


Every single person in the world could be a genius at something, if they practiced it daily for at least ten years (as confirmed by the research of Anders Ericsson and others).


Daily exercise is an insurance policy against future illness. The best Leaders Without Titles are the fittest.


Education is the beginning of transformation. Dedicate yourself to daily learning via books/audios/seminars and coaching.


The quickest way to grow the sales of your business is to grow your people.

2010年8月5日 星期四

透視鏡/銀髮商機 榮景可期

最近與朋友討論老人社會可能的機會,其中有位年近60的企業家說,年輕時很流行一句廣告語,「只要我喜歡,有什麼不可以」,他深有感受!因為到了他這種年紀,「只要他還可以,現在什麼都喜歡!」

雖是玩笑話,但仔細思索亦有其道理。現在醫學進步,人類生命延長,銀髮族退休後還可以做的事情真的很多。根據統計,需要躺在病床上接受醫療照護的老人,約占老人總數15%到20%。亦即有八成健康的老人,在其退休後需要許多食衣住行育樂上的服務,潛在商機驚人。

以日本來觀察,65歲以上人口數占總人口比率大幅成長,1995年以後每年以超過2%的速度快速成長至2020年。根據日本家戶資產統計,2006年60到69歲家戶擁有最高資產額,亦即相較於其他族群具備相對高的可消費實力。

舉例來說,在海外旅遊市場,2000到2006年日本60歲以上年齡層旅客成長比率最高,從1990到2005年一路成長。

在電玩商機方面,任天堂推出號稱具有減少腦部年齡功能的遊戲軟體「川島隆太教授的腦力訓練」,2004年上市後,大受50歲以上熟齡族歡迎,兩個月內銷售即達250萬套,為任天堂DS軟體中最熱賣長銷之遊戲。

焦點轉回台灣,幾個現象及數字值得參考。台灣退休後平均餘年逐年增加,2005年時台灣人退休的平均餘年,超過20年,比其他先進國家皆高。

一般退休後平均餘年增加對於銀髮族消費行為可能有兩種情況:一是退休後平均餘年增加使銀髮族認知需要減少非必要支出以保障老年經濟安全,因而減少消費支出;另外是早有規劃,因此健康、有錢又有閒,因此增加消費。

根據統計,目前65歲以上高齡者主要以子女奉養為經濟來源,因此減少消費支出應是現在大部分65歲以上老人的思考重點;而目前45到64歲熟齡者,已規劃好固定經濟來源者比例頗高,且在已規劃養老經濟來源者中,預期會靠子女奉養比率者變低。

而且相較於目前65歲以上高齡者,55到64歲族群理想老年生活期望,顯著更偏好經常外出旅遊,以及過與自己興趣相符的生活。相信隨著現在55到64歲人數眾多,且資產較高的熟齡世代未來逐步邁入65歲以上,銀髮高齡休閒娛樂市場中以銀髮族獨特「因生活階段改變而來的需要,如排遣寂寞孤單,追求年輕活力等」,及「嗜好傾向改變,如飲食清淡、懷舊,及追求具歷史感的產品等」偏好為訴求之商品/服務市場,會益趨重要。

如果將台灣55到64歲世代電腦使用情況與標竿國家日本銀髮電玩市場的大幅成長相對照,可以推測針對銀髮族需求開發的電腦、網路相關等3C產品/服務未來十年將大有可為,而且能確切滿足銀髮族心理需求的產品與服務需求亦有機會大幅成長,若能提前部署,掌握需求,未來商機可期。

(作者是資策會產業情報研究所所長、台灣亞太產業分析專業協進會理事長)

2010年8月3日 星期二

美調查:入口網站失寵 社群網站正發燒

網路「虛擬大國」崛起!根據尼爾森(Nielsen)調查顯示,美國網友花在臉書(Facebook)、推特(Twitter)等社群網站的時間增加,已超過花在電子郵件、網路新聞和入口網站的時間。


這項在針對6月做的調查發現,美國網友上網時間的23%用在社群網站,平均花6小時上社群網站和部落格,比去年同期(16%)增加7個百分點,是尼爾森調查以來,成長最快速的項目,主要是由臉書帶動的。


瀏覽入口網站的時間從5月的5.5%降到占4.4%,觀賞影片時間只占3.9%,排名第二的是玩網路遊戲(占10%),主要是因玩類似開心農場等遊戲帶動;用在電子郵件的時間占8.3%,顯示雖然網友仍需電郵給親友,但還是比較喜歡在社群網站上和人互動。


尼爾森研究部門副總裁馬丁指出,現在網友以上Facebook展開新的一天,而以前人們多半是登入雅虎郵件和MSN,再到雅虎看新聞。」他也點出,「半數網友上網會做三件事──上社群網站、玩遊戲和發電郵。」


有趣的是,觀賞影片時間雖只占3.9%,但也多虧了社群網站帶動,增加了影片、電影、新聞和運動文章的需求,親友彼此推薦內容,才讓觀影比率增加。另一個值得注意的數字是,社群網站的使用者年齡有增長趨勢,50歲以上人口是18歲以下的兩倍。