9/18/2020 Recommended Issues: data theater, KFC & determination, African e-commerce
Good day!
Each week we handpick newsletter issues by independent writers you may have missed that provide new or unique perspectives.
If you read last week's and would like to subscribe or leave a review of any of the highlighted newsletters, you can do that here: Power Plays, Fab Fridays, and The Sociology of Business.The narrowSCALE community really appreciates it!
Here's what's worth reading this week...enjoy!
USING DATA RIGHT (AND MORE DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN BETTER)
Data Theatre: Why the Digital Dashboards of Dominic Cummings may not help with COVID in Curious Endeavours by Martin Robbins on Sept 10, 2020
This issue is absolutely worth reading as it really makes you think about data-- but not in the way that your work or text books traditionally say to “look at the data and make data-driven decisions”. In fact, Martin’s point is that to be successful at decision making with data, you need to actually make data-supported decisions-- and that it’s super important to be able to actually figure out what is information in the data vs. what is just noise. If you follow the “data” (inclusive of all the noise) too closely you will end up not only making poor decisions, but you will also change/pivot way too frequently, which can be harmful for myriad reasons. This issue is rich on take-aways that you’ll actually want to keep in your brain and that you’ll be able to apply not only to work (there are some excellent points on dashboards too!), but also to the fundamentals of data in your own daily life, in the news, and just about everywhere. (1059 words; ~4 minutes) Read it...
DETERMINATION & KFC
Digging Deep for Determination in Timeless & Timely by Scott Monty on Sept 16, 2020
This issue on determination seemed quite poignant as we barrel along through month seven-ish of the global pandemic. If you’ve ever been curious how KFC, arguably one of the more recognizable global brands, came to be, Scott offers you a great opportunity to find out now. You’ll be inspired by the resilience and grit someone can have as life whomps them over and over, as well as by Sander’s age when he started KFC (spoiler alert: he was no spring chicken!). While not only an enjoyable read, it makes a compelling case for never giving up, believing in yourself, and continuing to impact the world around you. (1447 words; ~5 minutes) Read it...
CHALLENGES TO E-COMMERCE IN AFRICA
Why B2C e-commerce hasn't yet scaled in African markets in Afridigest by Emeka Ajene on Sept 12, 2020
Speaking of impact: Africa is a HUGE market and it’s going to just keep getting bigger. The population of Africa is growing rapidly, will easily overtake China’s, and by 2100 over half of babies born on earth will be born in Africa*. But, interestingly e-commerce has NOT yet taken off in Africa. If you’re curious at all about the state of e-commerce in Africa, this issue offers unique insights: it asks various thought leaders throughout Africa to comment on the barriers to e-commerce, how they could be addressed, and the time frame before e-commerce is more successful in Africa. It’s eye-opening to hear their answers and fascinating to ponder how some of the challenges can be overcome as well as the local and global effects as e-commerce does take off. You’ll definitely walk away from this more knowledgeable... and perhaps even creatively inspired by all of the intriguing issues.(2731 words; ~10 minutes) Read it...
I hope you found the newsletters thought-inducing!
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Thanks and all the best,
~Jessica
(*Africa population data sourced here from PEW Research)