August 2010
10 posts
From Dean Beck～Stupid Things I've Done…And What I... →
Grad Student as a Efficiency Mania
During my graduate school years, I had more than one of my professors tell me that I would end up making my “own path through life”; that I probably wouldn’t follow a defined career pattern. And they were right. I’ve always prided myself on being a bit of a maverick. Those professors all knew this about me because they’d watched me pick my way through...
Is Japan, in fact, number one?
This week, headlines in Asia and around the world were that Japan may be dethroned as the second largest economy once the final figures have been tallied for the year.
In many ways, this should not be big news. Demographics are stacked against Japan. While population growth does not immediately and exactly equate to economic growth, in broad patterns the two have been very highly correlated...
From Dean Beck～Stupid Things I've Done…And What I... →
Helping organizations (especially educational institutions) to be more efficient and effective has always been a pastime of mine. I know “pastime” sounds like a strange word to describe something as serious as trying to reorganize a school, but that is how it feels to me — almost like a hobby. I have always believed that organizations should serve my needs and the needs of my friends...
From Dean Beck～Stupid Things I've Done…And What I... →
Leadership Lessons
Ring Leader Leading a Small Gang
I got my first experiences as a leader early on – as the ring leader leading a small gang of troublemakers. When I was only 4 months old, my brother-in-law was killed in an airplane crash. He was never found. After a few months of waiting and hoping that he would show up, my sister moved back in to live with me and our parents. I was by...
From Dean Beck～Stupid Things I've Done…And What I... →
An introduction to some writings from my stint as the Dean of Globis University in Tokyo in 2008…more to follow…
How video games changed the financial world →
By John C. Beck , FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
Quieting Old Storms
The recent conviction of a war criminal in Cambodia and the Rwandan election seem like positive steps in two countries still recovering from the two largest mass murders in my memory (over 3 million people in both countries). By mere coincidence, I first visited each country 16 years after their respective genocides, meeting with prime ministers and working with each country’s development...
Got Game: How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping... →
An Interview with John Beck – by Karl Kapp
The Eight Great Goods: How We Mind Ourselves
I first introduced the concept of the Greatest Goods in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s newsletter Global-is-Asian (cute play on words; and, yes, I do recognize that Global is not just Asian…but I have no power over what they named the newsletter!).
Our brains are limited. The world is vast, yet we as humans have done a fairly good job of using our relatively small...
Welcome
Welcome! I’ve been prompted to join the blogosophere, and I’m excited to connect with people through this forum. I’m currently writing a book titled, The Eight Great Goods. As I’m writing and researching, I’m interested in provoking thought and discussion on the premise of the book.
What if our biggest disagreements in life occur despite people trying to be...
