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Monday, March 27, 2023

Americans Pull Back From Values That Once Defined U.S., WSJ-NORC Poll Finds



Embracing change and shedding old skin: America's journey towards a brighter future.


Three-point executive summary:

  1. American values, including patriotism, religious faith, hard work, and having children, are receding in importance to Americans, as per the Wall Street Journal-NORC poll.
  2. The country is divided by political parties over social trends such as racial diversity in businesses and the use of gender-neutral pronouns.
  3. Only money was cited as very important by 43% of respondents in the new survey, up from 31% in 1998.
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Greg's Opinion:
 
As one of the few people who voted for Ronnie Raygun, it the results of the survey are not surprising.  

The self-loathing of a nation has been eroding foundational values since the 60s.

And that's okay.

There will be a tomorrow and America will be there, leading to way.  For all the angst, all the fabricated and false shame, we are the nation that leads - we lead in tech, we lead in societies, we lead in business and we lead in change and we are always growing.

Unfortunately, constant growth equates to continuous growing pains.

GPT summary of WSJ article, "Americans Pull Back From Values That Once Defined U.S., WSJ-NORC Poll Finds: Patriotism, religion, and hard work hold less importance"

US Businesses Call for Employees to Return to the Office as Remote Work Becomes Rare



GPT Summary of WSJ article, "Work-From-Home Era Ends for Millions of Americans":

The majority of US businesses are calling for their employees to return to the office, as remote work becomes increasingly rare a few years after the pandemic caused millions of Americans to work from home. 

According to a Labor Department report, 72.5% of business establishments said their employees worked on-site rarely or not at all last year, up from 60.1% in 2021. 

A survey by recruitment firm Robert Half found that 92% of managers prefer their teams to work on-site. Several large firms, including Walt Disney Co., Starbucks Corp., and Meta Platforms Inc., have said they expect employees to report to work in person more often. The shift comes as recession fears prompt an increased emphasis on worker productivity.

Five key points to note from the article:

Sunday, March 26, 2023

The Impact of China-Taiwan Turbulence on the Office Technology Industry



In the March 22, 2023 edition of the Wall Street Journal(paywall), Simone Gao expresses his opinion on the latest moves in China like the newly enacted Law on Reservists which delays the retirement age for reserve officers to 60 from 55.

The region will play a key role in the next technological wave and has relevance for Office Technology providers because of the number of FABs in Taiwan.  A FAB (or fabrication plant) is a facility where integrated circuits (ICs) or microchips are manufactured. 

FABs require a high level of precision and cleanliness, as even tiny contamination can affect the quality and functionality of the chips produced. FABs are typically very expensive to build and maintain and are a crucial component of the semiconductor supply chain.

We've used the opinion piece to generate the following.

Enjoy.
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Guarding Global Tech: Navigating the Taiwan Strait Tensions for Office Technology's Future


Executive Summary:

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Greg Walters, Incorporated
greg@grwalters.com
262.370.4193