Wednesday, April 15, 2015

"El Liderazgo" por Edwin Conrado Rivera, MPH *

Crisis económica y de liderazgo mundial:  “¿Quién dijo eso?”

Somos todos de la misma raza o no?  Todos somos hermanos; por lo tanto no nos tenemos que matar para sobrevivir los retos económicos que confrontamos desde nuestros respectivos países y que afectan tanto al núcleo familiar como a cada uno de sus integrantes en la realización de sueños y metas profesionales.

Ante todo de cualquier tiempo y desasociego deben prevalecer los valores básicos de las relaciones humanas y sobre todo el AMOR al prójimo. Superar con entereza y mantener una elegante verticalidad creativa ante la adversidad nos crece como nación y como ciudadanos responsables.
Haciendo esto nos convertimos en líderes y hasta en líderes que otros desean emular.

La Virtud de Liderazgo, es una virtud que todos debemos alcanzar para sentirnos realizados y por ende, para dirigir personas eficazmente.

Debo recordar que La Virtud de Liderazgo comienza conmigo “en casa”, luego con mi familia, vecinos y amistades antes de salir a tratar de dirigir a otros en nuestras empresas.  Cuando desarrollamos esta Virtud a nivel personal, profesionalmente nos iremos realizando como persona y por ende como potencial Lider a seguir.

Si logramos este cambio, les aseguro que vamos a desarrollar tolerancia social.

La tolerancia social es el respeto hacia las ideas, creencias o prácticas cuando son diferentes o contrarias a las propias y a las reglas morales. Es el aprecio a la diversidad de ideas y de opiniones.  Ese aprecio está ligado al desarrollo de Liderazgo Mundial,

El concepto de Tolerancia Social es el motor que todo dirigente inteligente debe utilizar para anteponer los beneficios del pueblo a sus propios beneficios.  Esto a su vez redunda en beneficio mutuo, ya que cuando el país está bien y se vive en sana convivencia, la sociedad se desarrolla y evoluciona económicamente saludable y sus habitantes viven más felices.

Para que el mundo cambie tenemos que comenzar con nosotros mismos
  
Como yo sé que ustedes quieren ser parte del Nuevo orden mundial, y en función de tener una mejor calidad de vida, quisiera que consideren algunas actitudes que tenemos hacia nosotros y hacia los demás. 

Espero que estas 12 funciones para desarrollar Liderazgo Mundial le sean de utilidad.

  1. Crear una Visión Inspiradora y Compartir los ValoresHellen Keller dijo     “La única cosa peor que ser ciego es tener la vista, pero no tener vision”.             Cuando se desarrolla una visión de vida, al mismo tiempo creamos los valores por los cuales vamos hacer viva nuestra visión.  Siempre le preguntaba a mi hijo, “que te gustaría ser cuando seas grande”? El siempre me contestaba con un,      no se.  Hasta un día que comprendió lo que le preguntaba. Ese día me dijo, “papi, yo quiero ser ingeniero de sonido”.  Como resultado, hoy día es ingeniero de sonido.  Le pregunto, ¿qué usted quiere ser cuando sea grande?
  2. Liderar el CambioEl lider es aquel que aunque tenga miedo al cambio es el que se enfrenta a sus miedos y camina hacia la implementación de dichos cambios.  Alguien tiene que hacerlo, y es el lider el que esta llamado a realizarlo. Solo quisiera que tenga en consideracion que el liderazgo mundial comienza en casa.  Si en su casa no tienes mayordomía, como pretende liderar a los de afuera.
  3. Liderar por el EjemploPara aprender a liderar por ejemplo me gustaría que piense en lo siguiente: Mire a su alrededor y verá muchos llamados lideres pidiendole a la gente que hagan cosas que ellos no estan dispuesto hacer.        Peor aun, en muchas ocasiones se dará cuenta que lo que pide a los demás,    ellos no lo saben hacer, ni quisieran saber.  Por lo tanto para liderar por ejemplo, yo enseño una fórmula infalible que es: Boca + Corazón + Acción = Resultados. Cuando lo que dice sale del corazón y le pone acción para alcanzar los resultados, la gente que siempre esta observando se van a dar cuenta que has ganado el derecho de liderar por el ejemplo. La próxima vez que le pida a alguien que haga algo, piense si usted está dispuesto hacerlo también.
  4. Demostrar Confianza -  Ser indeciso y poco útil al participar en una reunión       o al tomar decisiones le hace ver inseguro. Comprometerse con las decisiones y dirigir a otros lo pone en una situación de liderazgo. Por tanto, demuestre confianza en si mismo y en sus habilidades. Expresa convicción, incluso si no está seguro de los resultados. Hay un dicho en Oratoria que puede ser mal entendido porque puede caer en arrogancia y no en seguridad y confianza.  “Aparenta seguridad y confianza hasta que lo logre”. Al final cuando no le quede mas remedio, aunque tenga miedo, tendrá que hacer el trabajo que la gente espera de usted.
  5. Inspirar & Energizar a la Gente Sabemos por experiencia que nadie motiva a nadie hacer nada.  Si podemos inspirar a la gente a ser mejores y a que se esfuerzen por desarrollar al máximo sus capacidades y talentos.  El lider eficaz es aquel que conoce las debilidades y fortalezas de su gente y las utiliza a su favor para que su gente alzance la excelencia en todo lo que hagan. Le recuerdo que la próxima vez que vaya a inspirar a alguien hacer algo diferente, piense primero cual va a ser el resultado que quiere alcanzar con esa persona.
  6. Empoderar a la GenteHace varios años atrás se hablaba de empoderar a la gente.  Los que promovían esa filosofia administrativa se olvidaban que para empoderar a la gente tiene que darle también algún grado en la toma de decisions; algo que los Dueños, Gerentes, CEO’s y Presidentes se negaban a compartir.  Hoy día no es diferente, con la única excepción que sabemos de una metodología que logra empoderar a la gente, sin que los Dueños, Gerentes, CEO’s y Presidentes pierdan el control de los trabajos y sus resultados.
  7. Comunicación Abierta y SinceraVemos como muchos lideres no son sinceros ni genuinos y menos abiertos cuando esconden sus agendas personales.  Es una pena que quieran llegar a la cima a cuesta de hacerle daño a los demás, sin tener ningún grado de sensibilidad.  Cuando el lider es primeramente sincero y honesto con el mismo, no tiene que preocuparse por lo que piensen los demás, ya que su conciencia esta en paz.  De esta manera las comunicaciones son mas eficientes en todos los niveles administrativos en toda empresa.  Tarde o temprano, la verdad siempre sale a relucir.
  8. Escucha, Apoya, AyudaSolamente cuando el lider aprende a escuchar más que hablar, comienza a conocer cuales son las necesidades de su gente y es cuando puede apoyarlos en sus metas y les ayuda para que alcancen sus propios sueños. Dios fue sabio al darnos dos oidos y una boca, imaginate si fuera lo opuesto, aunque yo se que hay lideres que hablan hasta por los codos.  Al final, se quedan solos por que la gente se cansa de escuchar la misma bobería una y otra vez.     Por lo tanto, si quieres de verdad desarrollar liderazgo mundial, dedíquese de ahora en adelante a escuchar más a la gente y sobre todo a escuchar lo que dice el corazón de la gente y no lo que sale de su boca.
  9. Involucrar a todos, utilizando el enfoque de equipoHasta ahora yo no conozco a nadie que pueda hacer un trabajo solo, excepto sus descargas humanas personales.  Un buen lider involucra a todas las mayores personas que tiene disponible en su empresa, en el gobierno, en sus suplidores inclusive con sus competidores.  Imagine una mesa redonda con 5 personas y todos son especialistas en hacer biscochos y su empresa le ha pedido que desarrolle un plan de negocios para vender mofongo.  Que creen que va a pasar en esa mesa. Lógico, nada.  Se necesita otro tipo de profesional con experiencia en cocina, uno que sepa comprar los platanos en su punto máximo para freir, un distribuidor del mejor aceite de oliva, un representante del mejor chicharrón,  el representante del mejor y más gustoso ajo, y por supuesto un gran chef que sepa armar todos los ingredientes para un mofongo suculento y por supuesto, necesitas al que conoce los trucos finales para la presentación en la mesa.  Por tanto, cuando vayan a crear a su nuevo equipo de trabajo, consideren la experiencia, los talentos y los resultados de su gente.
  10. El Mentor (Coach), saca lo mejor de su genteSer mentor es saber de Sicología, de Emociones, de Sensibilidad, de Amor, de Valores, de Respeto,    de Comunicacion  Eficaz y  Relaciones Humanas, de Liderazgo, de Ventas,  de la Vida, de los Hijos, del Universo y de Dios para mencionar algunos.  Hoy día vemos en las redes sociales que todo el mundo es “Mentor”.  Me acuerdo en un “Networking”, de una persona que estaba a mi lado y le pregunte que hacía y me dijo “Yo soy Coach/Mentora”. Le pregunte cual era su experiencia y me asombre de su contestación. Me dijo que una amiga le recomendo que dijera que era Mentora, porque había dinero en esa actividad comercial.  Quedé anonadado con su respuesta. Lo triste es que este tipo de persona prostituye el mercado con precios y trabajos desastrosamente deficientes.  La próxima vez que una persona le diga que es Mentor, pregúntale cuales son sus cualificaciones y experiencias, así sabra su procedencia.
  11. Fomenta la Decisión de GrupoGanar enemigos es fácil cuando no incluye a todos sus colaboradores en las decisiones de grupo.  Yo se que en algunas ocasiones no puede o debe pedirle a todos su opinión.  Lo que si le recomiendo es que trate de hacerlo mas constante y rote las decisiones grupales para que todos de alguna manera u otra participen.  La gente que mas sabe en una empresa son los que estan directamente trabajando en las operaciones, y muchas veces son los menos que le preguntamos su opinión.  Le recuerdo que la base de la pirámide empresarial siempre es la más solida.
  12. Monitoree el Progreso, pero NO haga MicromanejoLas aves de rapiñas son las expertas haciedo micromanejo, no déjàn a su presa sola hasta que la limpian por completo.  Esto lo vemos en algunos gobiernos alrededor del mundo.             El supuesto lider carece en su mayoría de seguridad y confianza y sobre todo cuando el lider perdió su norte por falta de saberse organizer, ni saber hacer planes de trabajos eficientes, no saber hacer “coaching”, ni lo mas esencial saber delegar eficientemente.  Si a usted no le gusta que su jefe este encima de usted, mirando todo lo que hace constantemente; ¿Por que lo hace con sus empleados?   Si nunca ha asistido a un curso de liderazgo, le recomiendo que lo ponga en sus metas urgentes de este año.
* El autor de este artículo es Contador y tiene más de  25 años de experiencia como Entrenador Internacional y Coach (International Trainer and Coach),  además de ser autor del libro: La Diabetes: El Árbol de las Enfermedades. Lo puede conseguir en:  EdwinConradoRivera@gmail.com


Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Want more money and job satisfaction? These are the skills you need (TechRepublic)

A poll of more than 25,000 developers reveals the technology jobs that pay big bucks, that are fun and those that plain suck. 

Finding a role that is both satisfying and well-paid can be challenging, especially in a field as fast moving as software development.
To keep pace, developers typically have to refine their skills and learn new technologies throughout their careers, so knowing where to focus their efforts is important.
The programming Q&A site StackOverflow polled more than 26,000 developers worldwide about which computing roles are financially and intellectually rewarding, and which are less so. The results seem to be weighted towards web technologies but the sample size is large enough to throw up some interesting results.
When it comes to the programming languages most widely used among coders, web favourite JavaScript (JS) is the most common - with the JS framework AngularJS and the server-side JS environment Node.js among the few technologies whose popularity has increased over the past two years.
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The most popular technologies and programming languages in 2015
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The most popular technologies and programming languages in 2013.
As might be expected in a market that relies on supply and demand, the languages most widely used by developers are not those that attract the highest pay and perks. Competency in Objective-C, the language used to code iPhone apps among other things, remains the most highly-rewarded skill among the popular languages, with an ability to work with the relatively new Node.js environment also generously compensated.
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Compensation by technology in the US
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Compensation by technology in western Europe
The truly big bucks are reserved for know-how relating to more niche technologies, generally used in the fields of big-data analytics and cloud computing.
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Top paying technologies
The web appears to provide employment for most respondents - with the most common occupation listed as "full-stack web developer" - a role that requires working knowledge of front-end browser-based technologies, server-side languages and databases. Overall, the proportion who class themselves as web and mobile developers was up, while desktop developers fell.
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Breakdown of occupations in 2015
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Breakdown of occupations in 2013
Somewhat surprisingly, it seems executives are among the most satisfied with their roles, with CTOs, CIOs and the like rating their job the highest on a scale of one to five. Interestingly, being an iOS programmer is not only one of the best-paid jobs, it also scores highly for satisfaction. When it comes to thankless tasks, product managers top the list, with graphics programmers and data warehousing experts also less content than their peers.
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Most satisfying job
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Least satisfying job
The programming languages and technologies that generate the most excitement among developers tend to be the more recent creations, such as Apple's Swift and Mozilla's Rust, although the venerable C++ also scores highly. The cloud-based CRM platform Salesforce is the technology that developers most loathe working with, alongside Microsoft's Visual Basic programming language and the blogging platform WordPress.
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Most-loved technologies
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Most dreaded technologies
There's good news for those who want to work with computers but don't have formal training. Almost half the respondents don't have a degree in computer science. System administrators were the most likely to be self-taught, while machine-learning developers and data scientists are over 10 times more likely than other coders to have a PhD.
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Breakdown of developers by education
All graphs are crops of the originals from the Stack Overflow developer survey and provided under the following Creative Commons licence.

Monday, April 13, 2015

The secret shame of the Android ecosystem (TechRepublic)

After using Android Lollipop on both an HTC M8 and Nexus 6, Jack Wallen illustrates how third-party intervention could possibly ruin the end user Lollipop experience. 
Android Lollipop

The wait is finally over. After months of checking, one of my many Android devices--HTC's M8--updated to Android 5.0, known as Lollipop. Shortly after that, I was handed one of the coveted Nexus 6 devices. Both experiences were good, but one was clearly superior. Setting differences in hardware aside, I was shocked that the Lollipop "experience" was vastly different, depending on which device I used.
This dive into Lollipop revealed something very clear to me: Manufactures are, in fact, doing Android no favors. I've already posted my take on bloatware, and I stand firm on that with Lollipop. But even minus what most would consider bloatware, manufacturers are robbing consumers of the true Android experience, and Lollipop is a perfect example of that.
Lollipop is supposed to be the biggest leap forward for Android. Magic, I'm told. Unicorns would manage my device, and the joyful tears of angels would flow through the circuitry to make for the single most incredible experience of my digital life. Depending on your device, the reality of Lollipop is not nearly like the fantasy.
Let me explain.
The HTC M8 upgrade came first. After getting the upgrade complete (and then clearing the system cache partition to resolve any lingering problems), everything worked fine. However, everything seemed to be mostly the same old Android. With the exception of the lock screen, notifications, and the app switcher, very little had changed. It was still Android running on the HTC M8. There was little sign of Material Design to be found, and HTC's Sense still had a stranglehold on the interface. Worse yet, there was no sign of multi-user ability (a feature that has been considered a must-have for Android 5.0).
When the Verizon-branded Nexus 6 was delivered, everything changed. First and foremost... wow, what a device. The latest Nexus is powerful, sleek, and every descriptive buzzword you could throw at a smartphone. In fact, if the device weren't so large (it is large), it would already be my go-to device. Setting the power and size aside, the second I fired up the Nexus 6, I realized that this was what the Android experience was supposed to be. Nearly every aspect of the device was touched by Material Design, multi-user support was present, Google Now cards were integrated into the notification system, and so much more.
What I expected was a massive retooling of nearly every piece of the platform. Material Design would bring a totally fresh approach to the aesthetics and interaction of the device. On the Nexus, I got just that. On the HTC M8, it seemed to be the same ol' same ol'. To my surprise, on the M8, Lollipop felt like I'd installed a new lock screen and notification system--and not much more. To compare the difference, take a look at the keyboard for each (Figure A).
Figure A
Figure A
The HTC M8 on the left and the Nexus 6 on the right.
That HTC keyboard is the exact same keyboard I used when Android was at 4.x. The vanilla Lollipop keyboard (found on the Nexus) is so much better designed and easy to use. In fact, outside of a few changes, the only real difference between the HTC M8 running KitKat and Lollipop was a somewhat noticeable bump in performance.
How could this be? Lollipop was supposed to be the biggest update and change to date for Android. Did I miss something? Did the Verizon-branded HTC M8 get a different update than what everyone else was using? No. The HTC M8 got the update it was supposed to get... only it wasn't (as we've come to experience with nearly every device beyond the Nexus line) a pure Android experience.
Prior to this, I was very much okay with the variations on Android offered by different manufacturers. Now? Not so much. Seeing Lollipop in its purest form against the HTC-ified Lollipop brings to light one very simple truth: Manufacturers are watering down Android in their attempt at making it "theirs."
Stop. Please.
There, I said it nicely. The next time I have to say it, however, it won't be so nice.
Anyone who experiences the jump from KitKat to Lollipop should get the platform I had on the Nexus, rather than the HTC M8. After the very long wait for the Lollipop upgrade, some users are going to be disappointed--not because of what Google has done (because what Google has done is brilliant), but because of what the manufacturers have done to the latest iteration of Android.
This is the secret shame of the Android ecosystem--that a third-party can ruin the platform experience for the end user.
Using both the HTC M8 and Nexus 6 felt like two completely different worlds. On one hand (the M8), I felt like I had the same old Android with a few new bits and pieces. On the Nexus 6, everything (quite literally) was improved and had me instantly saying "This is... wow!"
Had I not been given the opportunity to see Lollipop in its purest form, this would not be an issue. I would have accepted the HTC update as an instance of a platform upgrade that had suffered from too much hype. But the real truth is, the hype was dead on. Lollipop is a major evolution in Android. Unfortunately, only users lucky enough to have a Nexus device in their hands will get to truly enjoy all that Lollipop has to offer.
This brings me back to my point. Google should stomp their juggernaut foot and stop the third-party watering down of their platform. The HTC take on Lollipop goes a very long way to prove that point. Yes, the Nexus 6 and the HTC M8 are worlds apart when it comes to hardware, but the platform they run on should not be vastly different.
What do you think? Should Android stop third-parties from rolling their own --or is Android a better ecosystem because of this type of flexibility? Let us know your thoughts in the discussion thread below.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Tesla's Model Upgrade Is a Pure Profit Play (BusinessWeek)

A new study shows giant car batteries are likely far cheaper than automakers let on.


Tesla's Model S sedan is now more impressive—and expensive—than ever. The company said on Wednesday morningthat, effective immediately, the Model S will come with a 17 percent larger battery and a 6 percent larger price, as the window sticker on a bare-bones vehicle shifts from $71,000 to $75,000.
From an economic perspective, Tesla's upgrade is a no-brainer. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's mantra is that demand is overwhelming, making supply the big problem. The company simply can't turn out cars quickly enough to catch up to orders. Any student of the dismal science will tell you that raising prices is a good way to even out the equation.
But the model upgrade is also brilliant from an engineering perspective. No one really knows how much it costs Tesla to make its batteries, but it's safe to say that expanding capacity of a unit from 60 kilowatt hours to 70 kwh requires far less than the $4,000 price difference Tesla is charging for it. In fact, using a river of electrons to move a few thousand pounds of metal, rubber, and leather may not be as difficult as we think.
Second Day Of The 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show
In a paper published in Nature Climate Change, a pair of Swedish scientists contend that the cost of producing batteries for electric vehicles is two times to four times lower than consumers have been led to believe. What’s more, that cost is dropping fast—by about 8 percent a year, according to the study. “I realized that the costs couldn’t be as high as many companies stated because the entire value of the car would be in the battery,” says Bjorn Nykvist, study co-author and a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute. “Of course, automakers are quite secretive with all of their components, not just batteries.”
Nykvist and his colleague, Mans Nilsson, examined some 80 different studies and forecasts from a range of sources, including manufacturers, scientists, government agencies, and corporate consultancies. Their math—namely the trajectory of costs over time—suggests that Tesla and others are now building massive car batteries for about $300 per kwh. At that rate, the battery in Nissan’s Leaf, the best-selling electric vehicle in the world, costs about $7,200. An upgrade to Tesla's battery takes the production price from $18,000 to $21,000, leaving an additional $1,000 in profit. It's quite possible that Musk's battery wizards are already producing units at well below $300 per kwh.
The prospect of even cheaper batteries looms, particularly as companies build bigger battery factories. Tesla has promised that the giant battery plant it's building in the Nevada desert—the so-called Gigafactory—will ratchet down battery costs by more than 30 percent. Nykvist, however, thinks Tesla is already well on its way to that goal: Engineers are quickly improving how to pack battery cells in a container, recharge them, and dissipate the heat they generate. “Things are really happening quite rapidly with all of this,” he says.
Assuming a cost reduction of 8 percent a year, the expense of making a car-driving battery will be halved within nine years. At that point, an electric power train won’t be any more expensive to make than a gas-powered engine, the much sought-after tipping point among champions of plug-in vehicles.
Nissan declined to comment on how much it spends on batteries. Spokesman Brian Brockman says the company produces its Leaf “in-house” and considers battery costs proprietary information. Tesla didn’t respond to interview requests.
The company has plenty of incentives to stay mum. Crowing about major battery breakthroughs would incite three reactions that would keep Musk and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn up at night: Consumers would demand cheaper cars, competitors would likely speed up plans for their own electric vehicles, and lawmakers would be inclined to put the brakes on subsidies.
Tesla, meanwhile, has promised a “mass-market” version of its super sedan sometime in early 2017, with a window sticker somewhere around $30,000. If the numbers coming out of Stockholm are correct, Musk might solve the equation on such a model far sooner. In the meantime, he has some more profitable vehicles to stamp out.




Thursday, April 9, 2015

En Mi Opinión: "Herradura para un Caballo" (Ricardo Tribín)

"Por un clavo se pierde la herradura; por la herradura, un caballo; por el caballo, un jinete; por el jinete, un reino". 

Este profundo proverbio español nos muestra las cadenas que trae consigo el meter la pata en un determinado punto de un proceso productivo o de vida, momento en el cual, quien la embarra, no tiene a veces ni la menor idea de lo que un error suyo puede significar.

"Agárrese de la brocha que me llevo la escalera" le dice el ayudante al pintor de casas, pensando quizás que este elemento de pintura pende de algún cable que soporte suficientemente los dos pesos desde arriba. Es un chiste, pero que en el presente tiene mucho que ver con lo que a ratos sucede.

Somos una especie de engranaje el que empata con otro para generar la fuerza necesaria para adelantar una actividad y, si esto no se hace con precisión, este paso, no sólo quedará afectado, sino también lo estarán todos aquellos que dé él se deriven.

De lo anterior bien puede concluirse que, como no estamos solos en este mundo ni somos únicos, es importante tener en cuenta las consecuencias que nuestros actos puedan generar, antes de emprender aventuras poco reales.



Miami, Abril 8 de 2015

Monday, April 6, 2015

The Brutal Battle of the World's Most Boring Cars (BusinessWeek)

Car manufacturers have their work cut out for them at the annual New York International Auto Show this week. They are tasked with quickening pulses, but the big reveals—the new models that car companies want drivers to lust after—are a pretty humdrum bunch.
It’s the spring of the milquetoast, mid-sized sedan. Chevrolet will pull the slip off its new Malibu. Kia is unveiling its latest Optima. And Nissan is rolling out an updated Maxima. Details are still scarce, but rest assured they will all be perfectly fine-looking, well-appointed, and thoroughly boring. If they were on Tinder, you would swipe right and immediately regret it, especially if you are standing near any of the supercar supermodels.
It wasn’t always this way. There was a time when sedans were the car market, and options meant buying a convertible. But vehicles now come in a range of shapes and sizes—from massive SUVs to appliance-sized pods and all kinds of odd things in between (See: Nissan Juke).
Trucks, SUVs, and so-called crossover SUVs have become, by far, the fastest-growing segments. Not only are those the vehicles drivers want, but they give car companies ways to stand out from the pack because designers have more car to work with. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kevin Tynan expects a long, slow swoon in the sedan market. “Over time, you’re going to see this demand migrate over to mid-sized SUVs,” he explained. “It’s just kind of starting now.”
Practicality, however, is a powerful thing. The mid-sized sedan still suits the needs of a wide swath of drivers. It isn’t too big or too small, too inefficient or too unsafe. It’s the most median of products—the most car-ish of cars. That is why the segment still accounts for one in seven vehicle purchases in the U.S., and the segment is still growing at roughly the same pace as the car market overall.
It’s also why every company in the business still feels the need to make one. Drivers in North America these days have almost 20 mid-sized sedans to choose among. “The new Malibu is for Chevrolet, honestly, an extremely important business case,” says General Motors spokesman Chad Lyons. “We’ve been working hard on this car for years, and we’re doing whatever it takes to win.”
Does Kia's new Optima do it for you?
All that competition, however, makes for a brutal business. To stand out, companies need to either pack their sedans with more features or cut prices; neither path is a good route for making money. “Now it’s a price of entry,” says Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forceasting at LMC Automotive.  “There’s not a lot of growth potential, but if you're going to be a full, lineup brand, you need to be in this segment.”
The features on a standard mid-sized sedan these days used to be solely the trimmings of Audis and BMWs. Leather is ubiquitous, as are top-of-the-line navigation systems and such vanguard safety measures as automatic braking and sensors to keep a vehicle from drifting out of a lane.
Pierre Loing, Nissan's vice president of product planning in North America, says the Maxima will even draw a small slice of buyers who are also considering BMW's 3-series or Acura's TLX. "There really are no bad cars in the segment anymore," he says. 
The new Malibu, meanwhile, will have a tech package aimed at teen drivers. Parents can program one of the car’s key fobs to track driving metrics and encourage safe practices. (The stereo, for example, won’t play unless the seat belt is fastened.) Nissan, meanwhile, also made a play for parents in a FebruarySuper Bowl ad teasing its new Maxima.
2016 Nissan Maxima
With an engine that makes 300 horsepower, Nissan is playing up sportiness in its 2016 Maxima.
But software engineers and Big Game commercials don’t come cheap. Not surprisingly, mid-sized sedans offer some of the most paltry profit margins in the business. Last year, U.S. dealerships made an average of just $293 per vehicle. Meanwhile, profit on a big pickup was slightly more than double that amount, and a large SUV like Cadillac’s Escalade added almost $900 to the bottom line.
 It’s an arms race of sorts, and no matter how many expensive features companies bolt on, none can catch longtime market leaders Honda, with its Accord, and Toyota, with its Camry. Of the sedans the world will see this week, Chevrolet's will be most closely watched. For burgeoning brands such as Kia and Nissan, any uptick in market share is a bonus. However, Chevy is a high-volume player that has for years failed to win its share of a high-volume segment. Hyundai's Sonata passed the Malibu in U.S. sales in 2011. Ford's Fusion remains far ahead, and Kia's Optima is closing fast. 
All of that is in terms of sales volume. When it comes to profit, no company really wins. It’s a terrible time to be in the business of selling mid-sized sedans. The flip-side, of course, is that it’s a great time to buy one. A driver who doesn’t need a carbon-fiber chassis, an engine with “launch control,” or a car that will make the neighbors jealous gets a lot for the money these days. And while the new crop of mid-sized sedans isn’t sexy, they are wrapped tightly in leather. Just close your eyes and picture a Mercedes.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Mi Opinión: Ricardo Tribin

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

El yo- yo del ser

Quien no se acuerda del juego del Yo – Yo? Era espectacular verdad?. Uno contra la cuerdita y la rueda que subía y bajaba y se ponía a caminar, a bailar, a temblar, dependiendo todo de la habilidad de cada cual para manejarlo. Hace unos años conocí en Miami a una señora japonesa que fue campeona mundial del yo-yo, y hoy en día me da mucha alegría el verla pues casi siempre que nos encontramos hacemos referencia a tan divertida época trascendiendo a los años sesenta.

Ese Yo- Yo sin embargo es algo que en la parte mental de las personas no es tan agradable, aunque aparenta en un principio serlo. Ese Yo - Yo es pensar de forma egoísta en uno mismo y reconcentrarse en sus propias vivencias, lo cual vuelve a las personas en muchos casos casi que totalmente insensibles, excepto cuando algo tiene que ver con ellas, y allí es precisamente adonde más se sufre.

Francisco de Asís, hablaba más de dar que recibir y de comprender que ser comprendido, buscando con ello propender por una modificación en el comportamiento de las personas que les ayude a salir de sí mismas, abandonando su egocentrismo en un trueque espiritual y emocional enmarcado en la humildad y la generosidad.