Since the inception of the industrial era, business has moved in what Bhatt has referred to as the “sell/buy” approach. In other words a business, corporation, or even street vendor offers products for sale and the consumer purchased them. Marketing, advertising, branding and all other endeavors of business were designed to support this “sell/buy” mentality. Madison Avenue soon learned that the product was more important than the customer and the only part of the customer that truly matter was the customer’s willingness to pay for the product.
Steven Bhatt calls this form of business entity, Economus corporatus literally “market of bodies”. Bhatt states that if business entities are thought of as species, then Economus corporatus is a dinosaur born of the Industrial Revolution and the age of the dinosaur is over, just as at the end of the Mesozoic era, the K-T asteroid struck the earth causing the mass extinction of dinosaurs. The world economy as seen two separate K-T type asteroid impacts on the global marketplace. Much as the first K-T asteroid heralded the death of the largest reptiles to occupy this planet, the economic K-T asteroids now herald the death of Economus corporatus.
What are the K-T asteroids of the modern economy? The first of these is the rise of what is commonly now known as the information age. The growth of the internet as well as the continuous and exponential growth of computing power, storage and most importantly bandwidth has transformed the market place and the very currency of market economies. In the industrial era the market place was dominated by product-based companies typical of species Economus corporatus.
Yet scurrying amongst the trampling feet of these Paleolithic behemoths of industry were the early warm blooded small service-oriented businesses. As the industrial era waned, giving rise to the service and information economies of the 1980s and 1990s, the number of these small service-oriented businesses grew exponentially. Finally, the availability of technology to support the exchange of information required to facilitate the explosion of service and information-based businesses vibrated as the first of the economic K-T asteroids impacted the world marketplace, the information age was born.
The second K-T asteroid of the world marketplace was the widespread availability and increasing density of communications and bandwidth. Now, not only was an incalculable volume of information available but it was available to everyone. Services such as Wikipedia, Big Dig, and other community based, community monitored, community edited, community generated, public domain/communal information repositories all but obliterated the meaning of intellectual property. With the impact of this second K-T type cataclysmic asteroid on the global marketplace, the end of Economus corporatus was assured and the small information age industries that had scurried among its feet evolved into what Bhatt calls Economus processus, literally “market of collaboration advancing information and relationships.”
For species Economus processus, words that were once nouns to Economus corporatus are now verbs. Business, start-up, information, and even relationship no longer define static objects to be owned or claimed by a single member of species Economus corporatus. Instead they are now verbs, action words that describe the activity of a member of the species Economus processus. Economus processus is involved in the activity of business. Rather than being a startup, a newly born Economus processus goes about the activity of starting up. To Economus processus information is not an object to be horded and jealously guarded from the eyes and fingers of other members of each species, rather information is a process by which relationships, connections, products and services are spawned, nurtured, delivered and even inspired by the very people and corporations that the information serves and supports.
Economus processus does not go to networking events to create relationships that are then placed in a rolodex like so many forgotten business cards. Rather Economus processus builds and nurtures relationships as ongoing forms of communication, even as friendships. The relationship itself is not an end but a means by which Economus processus serves others. There is no longer a “sell/buy” mentality, instead there is only the process of building relationships that lead to the collection of more information that promotes mutual success.
Bhatt states Economus processus is only a recent evolution, however there is evidence that as early as the 1970’s the corporate genetics for Economus processus were emerging. Cavett Roberts, the founder of the National Speaker’s Association observed that his colleagues in the field of professional speaking were competing for business from a never expanding pool of potential clients. As the number of professional speakers grew, each was competing for an ever shrinking piece of the pie. Roberts determined that it was not the speech (product) that clients bought, but the act of professional speaking (process). This meant that if professional speakers shared market experiences, insights and efforts, new markets could be opened to the profession of professional speaking. New markets would create an ever expanding pool of potential clients and, as Cavett Roberts often said, “we make a bigger pie.”
Bhatt contents that given the rapid expansion of the internet and technology in general, Economus processus is poised to become the dominant species over the next five years and will maintain that dominance for the foreseeable future. While there is no doubt that Economus processus is rapidly gaining dominance as Economus corporatus suffers death spasms and collapses under the weight of its own structures, hierarchies and sheer mass, it is not at all certain that Economus processus represents an endpoint in its own evolution.
Already, there is a new species evolving out of Economus processus and the market is moving quickly to embrace this new and even more nimble member of the global market, Economus paratus literally “market ready.” For Economus paratus, business, start-up, information and relationship are not only verbs, but processes to be supported by the judicious allocation of resources, in other words Economus paratus takes the best of the lessons learned from Economus corporatus and applies them to the verbs that define Economus processus.
Economus paratus, despite the fact that it is only in its infancy, has already had its birth cries heard across the world and across the internet. Economus paratus first birth cries were of the concept of business triage, the model by which outcomes are identified and the processes supporting these outcomes prioritize benchmark monitor and given resources to ensure the desired outcome. Such a business triage model can only function in a truly cellular organization, that is an organization in which, as Bhatt describes, management sets goals (outcomes), budgets and boundaries then teams within the organization establish the rules and paths by which these outcomes are achieved.
Within a particular cell, leadership, duties, roles and function are determined not by management but by the team as a whole. Working under a team selected leader to achieve the goal in the most efficient and cost effective fashion within the boundaries and budgets set, these cells function more efficiently, more economically and faster than their structured, hierarchal and micro-managed competition.
Economus paratus does this in the most efficient way possible by first establishing the most important outcomes and then allocating resources judiciously to achieve them. In short, business triage and process optimization are distinguishing characteristics of Economus paratus.
While Bhatt is certainly correct that Economus processus will become the dominant business species within the next five years, there is no doubt that it will share the global marketplace with Economus paratus and that within a decade it will be Economus paratus and not Economus processus that achieves true and complete dominance.
Griffin Works offers Pawsitive Interactions with Service Dogs During Response Operations©, an audience-customized training that breaks down barriers by offering hands-on handling training and demonstrations with working service dogs for fire departments, EMS agencies, and public safety organizations.
Part of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and home to the National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center, TEEX has been leading homeland security training since 1998. The major TEEX programs include fire and rescue, infrastructure and safety, law enforcement, economic and workforce development, and homeland security. As a member of The Texas A&M University System, TEEX is unique in its ability to access a broad range of emerging research and technical expertise. Beginning with course design and development all the way through hands-on instruction and national certification testing, TEEX delivers comprehensive training through both classroom and hands-on instruction and as online courses.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was created by Congress in 2000 as part of the Children’s Health Act to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. This unique network of child-serving professionals, caregivers and young adults, researchers, and national partners is committed to changing the course of children’s lives by improving their care and moving scientific gains quickly into practice across the U.S. The NCTSN is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and coordinated by the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS).
The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The EMI provides national leadership in developing and delivering training to ensure that individuals and groups having key emergency management responsibilities possess the requisite skills to effectively perform their jobs.
The High Alert Institute maintains a list of reviewed courses provided by governments, universities and professional organizations. This list is geared towards the non-emergency management person who participates in disaster planning, preparedness, response, recovery or mitigation as part of their job responsibilities.
The High Alert Institute has partnered with Shutterstock to distribute stock images from the nature images donated by our supporters. For eligible stock images, Shutterstock will donate a portion of the royalty to the High Alert Institute. There is no cost to charitable organizations or to Shutterstock customers.
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Koi need forever homes, too! For pond enthusiasts, freshwater exotic and ornamental fish may not be available through pet stores or rescues in their area. The High Alert Institute Aquatic Pet Shelter Rehoming Program will be happy to assist you in stocking your new pond or adding a new finned friend to your school. Coming soon – when you adopt a Koi from the High Alert Institute Aquatic Pet Shelter Rehoming Program, we can arrange for delivery to your door anywhere in the continental United States.
Have you always wanted a Koi pond but don’t have the space one? Sponsor a Koi in our community shelter pond and we send you photos of your sponsored animal. Coming soon are live Koi Cameras above and below the water to enjoy your sponsored Koi anytime.
Dumping of freshwater non-native species and exotic aquatic pets into wild habitats is a man-made disaster that is truly preventable. The Institute’s Aquatic Pet Welfare Partnership works to raise awareness and reduce the impact on healthy ecosystems through education, as well as rescue and rehoming. Joined by champions of animal welfare and environmental stewardship, this association of aquatic pet rescue operations and aquatic pet shelters across the United States aims to save our finned friends and preserve our waterways together.
Want to share our cause with family, friends, and colleagues? Looking for a non-traditional way to celebrate a birthday or honor someone special? Support the Institute by starting your own Peer-to-Peer fundraising challenge! Let your contacts know why our mission is important to you and what they can do to support your cause. START YOUR OWN FUNDRAISER for the High Alert Institute.
From the staffing pool to the shelter ponds, from the boardroom to the classroom, and from reading the science to writing the analyses, High Alert Institute programs and services benefit from the experience, expertise, and generosity of our volunteers. Put your talents to use for good and to good use – VOLUNTEER TODAY.
Make your donation twice as nice by rehoming aquatic pets and providing a rehabilitation companion pet to a deserving person, family, or facility. Sponsor part or all of a Joy of Koi Program pond installation – complete with rehomed koi – and give the gifts of love and recovery.
Professional photographers, amateurs, and legal copywrite holders are all welcome to participate in the High Alert Institute Nature Photo Donation Program. Sales of the images benefit the Institute and donors are eligible for tax deductions equivalent to the fair market value of their photos. Landscapes, seascapes, animals, flowers – all may be accepted – whether new or vintage images. People may be included in the photo but only if unidentifiable (i.e., blurred figures at a distance).
Did you know that unused patents and copyrights can be donated to charity? Intellectual Property (IP) just sitting on a shelf will lose value as it becomes obsolete. The High Alert Institute IP Donation Program seeks to rescue stranded, technology-related IP with the potential for development into marketable products. Once accepted by the program, the owner/inventor is eligible for a tax deduction equivalent to the fair market value of the IP. The Institute receives the patent licensing fees or revenue from the sale of the IP to businesses, helping us to fund our mission. In turn, businesses are able to advance their markets and create jobs for less money than starting a project from scratch.
Disasters are defined as situations in which needs exceed or overwhelm available resources. Some disasters affect an entire community, while other disasters impact individuals and families. Crises of physical or psychological health can be very personal disasters.
The therapeutic value of pets during illness, trauma, and recovery is well established. And Koi fish may be well suited for people who are not able to provide verbal pet commands or physically care for pets like dogs and cats. Koi ponds are also a source of beauty and peace, providing an ideal setting for quiet reflection or meditation.
We are working to partner with pond installers and aquatic pet rescues/shelters to offer free or reduced-cost ponds with rehomed Koi fish to people seeking this type of pet therapy.
Disasters disrupt life and impact our sense of personal, family, and community safety. Survivors and responders alike often are not aware of the emotional, psychological or spiritual challenges that they may face from disaster onset through recovery. With two decades of experience training responders and communities to prepare for the behavioral health aspects of disasters, we will continue to provide education and a curated list of resources to groups or individuals.
Non-medical factors that impact overall health are termed Social Determinants of Health or SDoH. Noise pollution, poor air quality, and poor water quality are three environmental factors known to have a strong link to overall health. And the same environmental factors that impact humans impact their pets and other animals in their care. We continue to assist in advocacy, education, and technology development to mitigate the impact of SDoH on humans and animals alike.
Our efforts in shelter and rescue are the main focus of our environmental stewardship, reducing the environmental impact of non-native aquatic animals being dumped into public waterways. The High Alert Institute also assists innovators with the design, development, and evaluation of green and renewable energy technologies. Reducing the carbon footprint associated with disaster preparedness, response, and recovery furthers our continued mission to mitigate risk and improve resilience.
We partner with public and private organizations, sharing resources and fostering partnerships to improve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, and mitigation.
The High Alert Institute team has over a century of combined research experience in medical, nursing, behavioral health, and disaster sciences. Our team provides support to researchers and technology developers through comprehensive literature searches and reviews, as well as failure mode database searches and adjudicated reviews.
When disaster strikes, most aquatic pet owners have limited options to secure the safety of their pets. Sheltering in place may not be possible if there is no power to provide aeration and “pet-friendly” shelters do not include ponds or aquariums. Our goal is to provide an option for aquatic pet owners in need of rescue and shelter for their finned friends.
Our goal is to share our two decades of disaster readiness experience with animal welfare organizations, shelters, caretakers, and pet owners, as they implement contingency plans for natural and manmade disasters.
