Photo from New York Daily News

Recent controversy in Italy highlights the clash between culture and change. Last month, the McDonald’s Corporation launched the McItaly, an all-Italian hamburger served not on a sesame seed bun but on ciabatta-like bread. According to New York Daily News (”McItaly burger sparks controversy for McDonald’s in Italy), Italy’s Agriculture Minister Luca Zai heartily sponsors the McItaly (made with Italian beef, Asiago cheese, and artichoke spread), purporting that farmers will get a much needed financial boost, or roughly an additional 4.8 million per month. McDonald’s flagship restaurant opened in 1986 in Rome’s historic center, the place that also birthed the Slow Food movement, which champions home cooking with locally grown, organic products over the consumption of fast food.

The McItaly takes fast food to another level that some Italians (not just those in the Slow Food movement) believe is antithetical to their country’s long-standing culinary identity. It’s a familiar conflict that all people in business face. Do the ends (economic growth) justify the means?

Photo from New York Daily News

Recent controversy in Italy highlights the clash between culture and change. Last month, the McDonald’s Corporation launched the McItaly, an all-Italian hamburger served not on a sesame seed bun but on ciabatta-like bread. According to New York Daily News (”McItaly burger sparks controversy for McDonald’s in Italy), Italy’s Agriculture Minister Luca Zai heartily sponsors the McItaly (made with Italian beef, Asiago cheese, and artichoke spread), purporting that farmers will get a much needed financial boost, or roughly an additional 4.8 million per month. McDonald’s flagship restaurant opened in 1986 in Rome’s historic center, the place that also birthed the Slow Food movement, which champions home cooking with locally grown, organic products over the consumption of fast food.

The McItaly takes fast food to another level that some Italians (not just those in the Slow Food movement) believe is antithetical to their country’s long-standing culinary identity. It’s a familiar conflict that all people in business face. Do the ends (economic growth) justify the means?

The new federal credit-card law could significantly decrease the amount of fees and interest paid by card holders. WSJ’s article, “Credit-Card Fees: the New Traps,” highlights how the law may affect consumers.

The biggest change is transparency. Credit card companies must publish the hard truth — how long it will take to pay off the full balance with minimum monthly payments. Additionally, the cardholder can only exceed the credit maximum by first acknowledging a penalty fee, and he or she need only pay interest rate increases on new purchases (provided that the account is no more than 60 days late).

But buyer beware — with the new law may come new tricks. Credit card companies may lose up to 12 billion in annual revenue, and they are quickly maneuvering to recover some of this loss by hiking interest rates and adding or increasing other fees (e.g. overseas transactions, annual card fees), which they can legally do as long as they give consumers a 45 day notice. The smartest move by the cardholder will be to stay proactive by learning the rules of the game and avoiding the penalties.

The new federal credit-card law could significantly decrease the amount of fees and interest paid by card holders. WSJ’s article, “Credit-Card Fees: the New Traps,” highlights how the law may affect consumers.

The biggest change is transparency. Credit card companies must publish the hard truth — how long it will take to pay off the full balance with minimum monthly payments. Additionally, the cardholder can only exceed the credit maximum by first acknowledging a penalty fee, and he or she need only pay interest rate increases on new purchases (provided that the account is no more than 60 days late).

But buyer beware — with the new law may come new tricks. Credit card companies may lose up to 12 billion in annual revenue, and they are quickly maneuvering to recover some of this loss by hiking interest rates and adding or increasing other fees (e.g. overseas transactions, annual card fees), which they can legally do as long as they give consumers a 45 day notice. The smartest move by the cardholder will be to stay proactive by learning the rules of the game and avoiding the penalties.

Imagine living in a home where energy consumption is net zero. In other words, the energy used in the home is as much as the building itself can produce or save. Sound impossible? WSJ article, “Builders Zero In on New Goal of Energy-Neutral Housing,” indicates that the future is here.

Such homes are in planning mode or on the market for sale. Nonprofit Rural Development Inc. (Greenfield, Mass.) has finished eight of its total 20 duplex net-zero energy homes. ZETA Communities Inc. (Berkeley, CA) plans to construct a 30-unit net-zero apartment.

Green energy does cost more, up-front. One 3-bedroom home by Rural Development costs about 15% more than a comparable home without net-zero features, according to a Rural Development director. But this net-zero energy home saves in utility costs, helping the homeowner recoup the 15% premium over time.

And the importance of time cannot be overstated. In a world where speedy returns are the norm, the net-zero energy home can prevail when we think about long-term benefits to our pocketbook and the planet.

Imagine living in a home where energy consumption is net zero. In other words, the energy used in the home is as much as the building itself can produce or save. Sound impossible? WSJ article, “Builders Zero In on New Goal of Energy-Neutral Housing,” indicates that the future is here.

Such homes are in planning mode or on the market for sale. Nonprofit Rural Development Inc. (Greenfield, Mass.) has finished eight of its total 20 duplex net-zero energy homes. ZETA Communities Inc. (Berkeley, CA) plans to construct a 30-unit net-zero apartment.

Green energy does cost more, up-front. One 3-bedroom home by Rural Development costs about 15% more than a comparable home without net-zero features, according to a Rural Development director. But this net-zero energy home saves in utility costs, helping the homeowner recoup the 15% premium over time.

And the importance of time cannot be overstated. In a world where speedy returns are the norm, the net-zero energy home can prevail when we think about long-term benefits to our pocketbook and the planet.

Football star Joe Montana once said, “Confidence is a very fragile thing.” The Toyota Corporation is knee-deep in crisis. After over 75 years since its founding, Toyota struggles to maintain the “Toyota Way 2001,” the management credo that stakes company values on two principles — Respect for People and Continuous Improvement.

Six million drivers in the U.S. alone have had their automobiles recalled for safety issues. Mr. Toyoda, President of Toyota, made steps to repair the broken relationship between the corporation and its customers by starting with an apology.

“At his news conference…Mr. Toyoda lamented that an overzealous pursuit of growth had led Toyota to lose sight of its commitment to quality. ‘We so aggressively pursued numbers that we were unable to keep up with training staff to oversee quality. We were also somewhat slow in collecting, analyzing and acting on complaints we received from our drivers.’” (New York Times, “Toyota Takes New Steps to Restore Confidence,” February 17, 2010)

The difficulties of the world’s biggest automaker reminds us that profit is always one goal of business but never the single driver.

Downtown, Auburn

A retired teacher has debunked the commonly held belief that car owners should change out their vehicles every 5 years. Entrepeneur.com highlights Irv Gordon, who has driven his 1960 Volvo P1800 over 2.7 million miles! “Can Your Car Last 1,000,000 Miles: How to get super miles and beyond” notes that more people are going Irv’s way, driving their vehicles past the 200,000 mark.

Consumer Reports estimates that drivers can save $20K by driving the same car for 15 years and 225,000 miles. Obviously just any vehicle will not do. Starting with a well-built product and maintaining it with diligence are essential.

“And by taking care of that vehicle and keeping it alive for another few years–perhaps allowing room in the budget for a vacation or other toys–you might earn superhero status in your own household.”

White picket fence included!

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