02/18/2009
I get some interesting information from time to time from a variety of consumer behavior websites and demographic resources. Here are some interesting recent findings:
- Percent change in average household spending on cable service, 2000 to 2006, after adjusting for inflation: +43.
- Percentage of American women who pray at least once a day: 68.
- Percentage of men who favor requiring a police permit before a person can buy a gun: 73.
- Householders aged 55 to 64 spend 25 percent more than the average household on women’s shoes, more than any other age group.
09/26/2008
Whenever I tell folks that our center is located in the MU College of Engineering, I get some quizzical looks in return.
“The College of Engineering? What are you doing there?”
It’s a logical question, especially from individuals who are unfamiliar with engineering or entrepreneurship. But the explanation is just as logical.
The first connection is in the mindset of the two disciplines. It’s a mindset that we’ve discussed in this column before. Both entrepreneurs and engineers are known for their problem-solving ability. Both are “idea people.” These are the folks who want to make things better, faster, stronger, more efficient, easier, more environmentally friendly, less expensive, more value-added”the list goes on and on. They are the “what if?” people. And thank goodness we have them, or we would be missing out on nearly all of the products we enjoy today. (Just stop and think of everything you have used today that required the work of an engineer, from the alarm that woke you up, to the air conditioning you will sleep under tonight. You’ll be amazed.)
This natural connection is behind a national movement to educate more engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset, professionals who possess not only solid technical expertise, but also the additional qualities of inventiveness, risk-taking, opportunity identification and a sense of adventure. This is a change in engineering education, and it’s a far cry from the preparation enjoyed by the engineers of the Cold War era, who were immersed in a narrow technical discipline, with the anticipation that they would work their entire career for a manufacturing concern, often of a defense-related nature. In a primarily product-oriented economy, the work of engineers was more narrowly focused, related to specific projects within a large corporate engine. (more…)
