Archive for December, 2008
Who moved my Cheese? – by Johnson, Spencer
Friday, December 26th, 2008 | Book Reviews | 1 Comment
This is a short, but clever story about two mice and two midgets living in a labyrinth looking for CHEESE all the time. The mice following their basic instinct – hunger – which is motivating them snooping and being teeming in hope to get new and more 
CHEESE. The two midgets, provided with intelligence more conscious in their decisions.
One day, both couples discover a warehouse of CHEESE at a time. The CHEESE is delicious and there is more of it than you need in a life-time! Happy about their finding, the two midgets are resting, eating the CHEESE not thinking about the future - enjoying the feeling of security. The mice are keeping on being on the lookout for CHEESE, not thinking about future and hoping to discover new sorts of more CHEESE!
After a while, the CHEESE warehouses are dispelled – all the CHEESE is gone – nobody knows WHERE and WHY! The mice, as well as the midgets have to fight for their livelihood again!
Now the strategies of the two couples are drifting apart.As usual, the mice are running around trough the labyrinth, looking out for NEW CHEESE. The midgets are sitting around – appalled, frustrated, angry – trying to understand who and why had suddenly taken THEIR CHEESE away from them! Time is passing, the two are speculating and puzzling about the present situation. Nobody is motivated to go out in the large and dangerous labyrinth to look out for NEW CHEESE. This is just too unfair and stressful to start from the beginning, not even knowing about the success of the new quest!
Eventually, one of the midgets takes the risk and goes out into the labyrinth, hoping to find a new warehouse of CHEESE. His partner preferred to stay and wait for CHEESE at the usual place – safe but hungry…- hoping somebody bringing him back HIS CHEESE.
Did you recognize yourself in one of the characters – `cause this is the point of this short-story, which is visualizing and simplifying diverse tricky situation out of our life. It makes us think about our own strategies to deal with problems and to solve them. The CHEESE – a picture of our values in life, our secret disires and hopes. The labyrinth – the difficulties we meet with, while trying to achieve a target.
This book probably helps you to find out the right strategy, offering ten strategic directions to the reader . Read it – and find out!
Retail in Transition – Case Study Prague
Sunday, December 14th, 2008 | University | No Comments
In terms of my thesis, which is in process right now, I`ll introduce the theme to you in this new series of upcoming posts!
During the economic transition in the Czech Republic since 1990 there`ve been started reforms on several levels. Restructuring processes in policy, economics, society as well as administration have been initiated by Vaclav Klaus and the so-called “Shock-Treatment”. This transition methodology should guarantee a fast transition from a centrally planed- into a market economy.
A significant role played the restructuring of the retail sector, which is very sensitive to economic changes. It`s sudden expansion had several impacts on real estate markets as well as the city structures. Most important processes if the transition in retail are first, a creation of a estate market, second, a diversification of city functions, third, a scarcity of land in the city. The logical consequence of this development is a dislocation of retail to the periphery of the city (“Greenfield Site”) and therefore a declining buying power in the city.
Parallel to structional changes in the retail sector, an alteration process started also on the state-administration level. The abolishment of socialistic planning ministries and the formation of new governmental bodies led to several administrative gaps, which diminished just years later. Deficiency of competence and force of achievement as well as the absence of a city development plan gave international investors plenty of rope in their location decision strategies.
In the course of reform consolidation and elaboration of a strategic city development plan for the next two decades until 2020, the line-up of stakeholders in Prague retail began to change.
In the context of those developments the exiting question of distribution of power and competence in terms of location decision processes in Prague retail sector will be analyzed and partly answered in my theses.
By means of 4-5 retail projects out of different phases of transition (break, growing, orientation, modernization) shall be exemplified the formation and change of stakeholder line-up as well as their location decision processes.
Changes of the spacial retail allocation structure (city vs. periphery) and its importance in terms of city planning strategies are further aspects of transition of retail in Prague.