Good morning,

I hope you’re having a good Golden Week.

In the last two Dialogues, you’ll recall the global macro* businesstrends of globalization, slowbalization, and deglobalization. 

This month, let’s look at the future trends of how we will all work. Some are macro, and some are micro

Article:Megatrends, Macrotrends, and micro trends explained. 

The expected changes at work are huge and fascinating – here are some headlines from the materials…

• Employers estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years.
• The fastest-declining AND fastest-growing roles relative to their size today are driven by technology and digitalization. 
• 60% of people think “few of us will have stable, long-term employment in the future”
• 37% of people are worried about automation putting jobs at risk 
• 74% of people are ready to learn new skills or re-train to remain employable in the future

Week 1. WARNINGS, CHALLENGES, and REWARDS!!

Study 1. The Workforce of the Future By PWC.

WARNING: This too is a report, but it’s not a document. It’s an interactive Website.

CHALLENGE. Listen to the Video 4 min. Explore the Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red Worlds of work in 2030

REWARD. You’ve gained PWC’s perspectives on how we’ll all work in the next 5-10 years. Congrats!

Study 2.  The Future of Jobs.  By the World Economic Forum. 

WARNING: This is a 300-page study.  Before you decide that Eric is crazy to include this in the Dialogue, please reconsider. 

CHALLENGE: You are smart and can challenge this big English Study:

• Read the Key Findings (Pages 5-7)
• Then, if you dare, skim through some or all of the rest of the study. There really is a lot of good stuff.
  • Industry Profiles.  Find your industry and the key data
  • Regional Profiles.  Check out different areas of the world

 REWARD: You took on a big report. The more you dug in,  the more you got out of it. Congrats!

………

Bonus Material – As if you need more!

Remember the recent call-to-action by tech leaders telling the world that …”AI technologies present “profound risks to society and humanity.”  

The Japan Times says a Canadian, Yoshua Bengio, was the most important person to sign it

Article.  The Dangers Posed by AI.  Job losses are one of them of course.

Video. 40 min. Canadian, Yoshua Bengio on AI and Humans.

WARNING: It’s long and can be technical, but Bengio speaks slowly.  Start at 2:30 “Why did you sign the letter”

CHALLENGE. It’s a great English listening challenge because it is long – but so much learning and great jargon。

REWARD. You’ve met another brilliant Canadian – you already know me 🙂 – and a world leader in AI. Congrats again!

Enjoy

Best,

Eric Cole

EDC Business Strategies

……..

The last two Dialogues

——————————————

Business Success Part 5.  Globalization, Slowbalization and Deglobalization

On Apr 29, 2023, at 13:11, Eric Cole <eric@edcbenchstrength.com> wrote:

Good morning,

Deglobalization? Is that really “a thing”? What about “Slowbalization“

Last week we looked at globalization, the engine of global growth for over a century. After the 2008 financial crash, we entered a period some refer to as “slowbalization”. In these times of huge political, economic, and environmental disruption, deglobalization does, indeed, seem to be a “thing”. 

What is Deglobalization and why is it Happening?

• Article / Audio. The World Economic Forum’s Analysis. Yes, they say de & slow “balization” are “things”.

• Article. Brookings Institution’s Analysis. Some good bullet points on de & slow “balization”. 

• Video (2 min). Canadian Mega Bank RBC’s Take. Of course, a Canadian is always easy to understand 🙂

Japan.  Globalizing and Deglobalizing at the same time?

• Article. Suzuki and Yamaha Look To India. Good old-fashioned globalization stories. Globalization is never dead!

• Video / Transcript. A Nation Built on Trade: Japan in a Deglobalizing World

• Note: This is a 45-minute video, with an interactive transcript – but try to watch, listen, and read, at least some of it. 

……………

Bonus Material: 

• Article.  Comprehensive Guide To Business Globalization:  all the jargon is here! 

• Article.  SMEs and Globalization. Globalization from the SME perspective.  Why, do’s and don’ts…

…………….

“For what it’s worth” (A casual expression meaning my ideas may or may not be “worth” much to you.)

• Globalization and de-globalization will co-exist. 

• The benefits of globalization for business are clear. The existing global infrastructure which allows borderless activity is fundamental to our world.  

• On the other hand, globalization has put all countries in a vulnerable position of dependence on others.  

• So, ironically, globalization has led to deglobalization, and the need to be as self-sufficient as possible in a global world. 

I hope you enjoyed the April Dialogues; learning more about Business Success, and improving your Business English fluency at the same time.

Best,

Eric Cole

EDC Business Strategies

——————————————

Business Success Part 4. Business Success Part 4.  Globalization and Future-Ready Cities.

Good morning,

Perhaps more so than ever, business success and future-readiness demand globalization. Not just for multinationals, but SMEs too. 

It’s all thanks to technology and the mobility of human and financial capital. 

Consequently, cities must also compete to attract businesses and the people who will live and work there.  Wouldn’t you agree?

Globalization

Article and Video (1.5 min).  Globalization Defined.  Benefits and Risks  

Article. A Few Examples of Global Companies. Note mentions of Japan (Financial Times) and Canada (Coke)! 

Future-Ready Cities

Article.  Tokyo – The World’s #1 Future – Ready City. Yea, Tokyo!* See Bonus Materials for details

Article.  Japan and Future-Ready Singapore. Japan and Singapore are each other’s biggest Asian investors!

Bonus Material

Article.  Tokyo #4 for Smartness and Future-Readiness. Ranked on 9 Dimensions.

Article and Video (1.5 min).  Tokyo: A Future-Proof City? Kinda fun

Article. Spotlight on urban strategies for the future.  Various Top City Profiles.

Next week concludes the April Business Success Dialogues. I will stay on the globalization theme, but feel free to send me your ideas on business success and I’ll try to include them!

Have a great day!

Best,

Eric Cole

EDC Business Strategies

Good morning,

Note: New EDC Dialogue Monthly Fee: ¥50,000. Just Kidding – April Fools!

So, Business Success.  How do we define success?  Size? Profits? Innovation? Speed of Growth? SDG Performance? Yes, to all of these, I think. This month we’ll look at all types of Business Success.

Unicorns

• Article and Video. Unicorns certainly qualify as Success: startups / private companies with a valuation of at least $1Billion. They are successful by any measure. Mostly, as you might expect, companies that rocket to such huge success are technology companies.
• Article. Top 8 Japanese Unicorns. Not just digital tech – environmental tech. too!
• Article. Top 20 Japanese Start-Ups.  Future Unicorns?
• Article. Japan Wants 100 Unicorns by 2027.  

Strange Events

• Article. OpenAI / ChatGPT: A “Dangerous” AI Unicorn.  Surely a Unicorn, described this week as “a Dangerous Race Representing A Risk to Society” by its creator Elon Musk and other tech leaders, qualifies as a Strange Event, by any measure.
• Article: ChatGPT Now Part Of Microsoft 365.  Again, all the buzz is about the risks and dangers,
• Article: Yes, OpenAI/ChatGPT Is A Unicorn. Surprise surprise. It’s #10 in the world!

More Strangeness…The Other Unicorn Definition: “The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn”.

Good morning,

Last week I started with “I hope you have your umbrellas handy”. That seems apropos (appropriate) again today, but I hope that won’t stop you from venturing out (note the double meaning: “venture companies” and to “venture out” and challenge the situation) to enjoy the Sakura / Cherry Trees and have Ohanami parties.

Balance Sheet (BS) Refresher

• The P&L / Income Statement shows us only a company’s recent performance in revenues and costs. 
• However, only with the BS can we understand a company’s true financial health. Here’s an overview from March 4.

• Left side of the BS. Assets. What a company owns. We won’t look at Assets in this series.
• Right Side of the BS. Liabilities and Equity. What the company owes. In this series, we’ve looked mostly at the Equity half.  What’s left (double meaning: “what’s left can mean “what remains” or “what’s on the left” side)are Liabilities & Debts.

• Debt is just as important and interesting for many reasons. Most big deals, be they PE or Corporate M&A, are highly leveraged (securing debt to reduce the amount of investors’ cash required)
• I recently out an email about this week’s Private Equity buyout of Toshiba – 2/3 financed by bank debt.

There are Pros and Cons of Borrowing and Debt.

• Article.  Types Of Corporate Lending.  These are the basics…
• Article.  Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing.   A short and simple comparison.
• Article.  Fewest Japanese Bankruptcies Since 1966 Raises Fears of Zombies.  Here was the BS situation at the start of 2022.
• Article.  Rapid Rise in Japanese Bankruptcies Despite COVID Support. By the start of 2023, however, things had changed dramatically

What About the Lending Side (Credit)? – Is there a banking Crisis? Recent news of many bank failures has been sobering (double meaning: after the fun of being drunk we “sober” up and face reality, sobering or serious news is like that). 

• Article. Two Huge Foreign Bank Failures Impact Asian Stock markets. 
• Article. Japanese banks Hit Hard By Foreign Bank Failures. An interesting insight into Japanese banks’ own BS risks.
• Article & Videos.  US Bank Failures ‘Very Different’ From 2008 Crisis. Watch the first video first.

Don’t forget, people have Balance Sheets too. Like companies, we all have to keep our personal Balance Sheets healthy.

Enjoy.

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies———————————Part 3.  The Balance Sheet. Venture Capital

On Mar 18, 2023, at 10:25, Eric Cole <eric@edcbenchstrength.com> wrote:

Good morning, I hope you have your umbrella handy today in Tokyo!

Venture Capital (VC) is one type of Private Equity (PE), which we studied last week.  

In Canada, I met and worked with many funders and founders of Start-Ups. I was so fascinated by it, and the very personal challenges that founders face, for 10 years I was the volunteer Chair of a non-profit to help founders find funders, and vice versa. I learned so much about business, funding, and more. I hope reading today’s material will be good learning for you too.

VC companies (VCs), and Angel Investors provide funds critical to start-ups. 

I love the term “Angel” as a metaphor: the young founders “wish” for money, and without the Angels’ money, the dream and the company would die.

Article & Short Video. As this Investopedia piece explains, the risks are huge, but so are the potential returns.

A Day In The Life of VC Investors

Article.  “Finding Needles in Haystacks.” A perfect metaphor for the difficulty in finding winners

Article.  What VCs Look For.  The odds are low, Founders’ personal characteristics are key.

A Day In The Life of Venture Companies
Life is tough, and exciting for VC companies and founders. They need all the help they can get.

Article. A South Korean / Japan Start-Up. Typical personal story about the fears of Start-Up funding.

Blog Piece*.Ideas about Cash and Banking Principles. Start-Ups must think differently than other companies

VC Profile*. 20 Angels Fund Candian Cancer Start-up. The importance of Angels, and how they work together

Bonus Material
*Blog Site. Lots of daily stories that European VCs and Start-Ups look at.  Check a few out.
*Angel Success Series. Angel Investors Ontario. Lots of actual Canadian VC funding stories

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies
———————————Part 2.  The Balance Sheet. Private Equity

On Mar 11, 2023, at 7:37, Eric Cole <eric@edcbenchstrength.com> wrote:

Good morning,

• In January we looked at stock markets: where public (listed) companies raise funds from the public.
• Last week I ended by saying that Private Equity (PE) is well established globally, growing in Japan, and an interesting aspect of equity financing. 
• It’s Private, so there are many advantages for both the PE funds and for the companies that receive such funding… but, it is sometimes controversial.
• Finally, believe it or not, some of the biggest PE funds are quasi-private, and actually publicly traded on the stock markets! How confusing is that?!

What is PE? These first two articles are a bit academic, so skip them if you’re already well-versed (knowledgeable) in PE. Mind you, a little review never hurt!

Article and Video. Private Equity Explained.A good basic overview.

Article.SixPrivate Equity Investment Strategies.  PE includes various well-known equity types 

An Issue About PE.

Article. Private Equity Is Not What It Seems.  How they make money is often “not aligned with investor interests”

Video: Buffet and Munger (the world’s most famous investors) say PE is dishonest. From last week – in case you missed it.  Note: these guys are very tough to follow – but try it for fun!

What’s Happening In Japan

Article.  Private Equity Funds Increasing in Japan. Also from last week – in case you missed it.

Article.  US PE Activity In Japan Surges.  See what the biggest deals have been.

Bonus Material

Article.  A detailed breakdown of PE’s recent history in Japan.

Article.  The Big Japanese PE Players. You can check their websites to see what 

Article: Private Equity, or Public? It can be both!!

Enjoy…

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies———————————Part 1.  The Balance Sheet

On Mar 4, 2023, at 11:13, Eric Cole <eric@edcbenchstrength.com> wrote:

Good morning,

There is a winter storm warning with a 100% chance of heavy snow today and tomorrow – in my hometown of Toronto!

Here in Tokyo, though, spring has clearly sprung with another sunny warm day ahead.  Get out there!!

I signed off last week saying…”The stock markets are only a piece of the financing puzzle. Companies can raise funds using Debt (long & short-term, borrowing & bonds, Equity (private equity, venture capital, crowdfunding), and even Grants. It’s all found on a company’s Balance Sheet.“

Accounting Jokes – because accounting is boring to many people…

• Q: Why did the accountant fall off his bed? A: They didn’t have a balance sheet.
• When do accountants fall over? When they lose their balance. This is a “pun”, a reference to the balance sheet.
• Accountants can always spot a company’s reporting “BS”. [In this case, BS means “bullshit” (lies) not Balance Sheet. Forgive the bad word, but in this context, it’s kind of funny.]

• Please listen to this video by Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger.
  • Charlie Munger tells a funny joke at 5:15.  Funny! So skip to 5:15 for just the joke
  • Warren Buffet talks about Private Equity until 5:15. He’s a terrible speaker, but it’s important about Private Equity.

**Warning for financial experts.  The concepts here will be simple and well-known to you… but the English is worth reading/listening to.

**Warning for everyone. There is a lot of detail here.  As always, take in as much or as little as you like – but be sure to learn something new!

Balance Sheet Basics

• The BS is a key financial statement, showing a company’s financial value, strength & health 
• The left side is total assets – what it owns. The right side is total liabilities – what it owes. (Some BSs show assets at the top and liabilities at the bottom.)
• The two sides will always be equal, or in balance. A magical thing!

Article. The Balance Sheet & its Components Explained. The example is Amazon. Good simple jargon and explanations 

Article and Video. A Visual Explanation of the Balance Sheet… and how it changes over time. 

The Right Side. Liabilities include Debt and Equity. A company’s building blocks. It’s sources of funds.

Let’s look at some of the types of sources.

Debt

Article.  Types of Debt Financing. Pros and Cons. 

Article.  US Companies Rushing to Issue Corporate Debt.  From this Mar. 1: interest rates in the USA are still expected to rise!

Equity

Article.  Types of   Investments Companies Use, and Why. 

Article.  2023’s Most Anticipated IPOs.  You’ll recognize some of the previously private companies.

———

Hint about next week

Private Equity, well established globally is starting to grow in Japan. I think it’s a particularly interesting aspect of equity financing, so next week will be devoted to it.

Article.  Private Equity Funds Increasing in Japan. 

Video.  Warren Buffett: Private Equity Firms Are Typically Very Dishonest.  This is the same video I shared above in “jokes”.

Enjoy….

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies

Good morning,

Last week I proposed this Q&A:

Q. So… who is doing all that buying and selling of stocks on the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange)?

A. Basically…1. The Japanese Government (see last week), 2. Corporations and 3. Individuals 

• Corporations become listed (public) and sell shares (to the public) to gain access to the global investment community. 

• Individuals, ie. you and me, meanwhile, buy specific company shares directly, or via funds – mutual, ETFs, Indexes, etc. – that hold a portfolio of company shares.

Japanese Individual investors (vs Americans)

Article. The Japanese Need to Learn to Invest Before It’s Too Late. True? About 10% of savings are in stocks

Article. Ex-Nomura exec opens school to help shift Japan’s savings to stocks

Article. Americans: 60% are in stocks – about 40% of their savings.  It’s a big difference!

Investing In Japan – Foreign Perspective

Article.  Positive Outlook – A foreign perspective

Video with script. (7 min). Japan Equity Funds Performance. Also quite positive! It’s technical, is use the script if you like.

——————————

Bonus material. About Mutual Funds and ETFs

Who wants the risk of picking specific stocks? Very few people. About 5% of stocks are bought directly, the rest is Mutual Funds, ETFs and various types of “indexes”. 

Article & Video (2 min).  Mutual Funds and ETFs.  Two common options to spread your risk,

Article.  Understanding Mutual Funds.  Similar to the above, but more great jargon and simple graphics. Plus lots more personal investing learning.

List. Biggest ETF Management Companies on the JPX.  It’s just a list – just in case you’re in the market for a fund…

———————

March Dialogues: Business Funding and the Balance Sheet.

The stock markets are only a piece of the financing puzzle. Companies can raise funds using Debt (long & short-term, borrowing & bonds, on & off-balance sheet, convertible…), Equity (private equity, venture capital, crowdfunding), and even Grants. It’s all found on a company’s Balance Sheet.

April Dialogues: Unique Business Success Stories 

In April we’ll look at interesting, important, cool and unique businesses – small and large – that are making an impact.  

Enjoy, 

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies

On Feb 18, 2023, at 13:27, Eric Cole <eric@edcbenchstrength.com> wrote:

Good afternoon,

So far, we’ve looked at why stock exchanges were created, how and why companies go public or private, what causes share prices to move, and more. See Parts 1 and 2 attached.

Q. So… who is doing all that buying and selling of stocks on the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange)?

A. Well… the answer is, basically … 1. The Japanese Government, 2. Corporations and 3. Individuals. In all three, ETFs & Funds play a big role.

1. Government 

BOJ.  Bank Of Japan.

Article: Criticism of BOJ being top shareholder in Japanese stocks.  A bit technical, perhaps, but worth knowing about.

Article.  BOJ and GPIF hold 12% of market – large stakes in 84% of listed companies. From 2020, but still relevant.

GPIF. Government Pension Investment Fund of Japan. 

Article. GPIF, World’s Largest Pension Fund Posts Loss.  Even the most powerful and diversified funds can lose.

Article. GPIF Now Investing In Startups.  32% of USA VC funds come from Pension Funds.  In Japan, it’s only 3%!

Video (2 min).  GPIF works for all generations.  A promo video, but some simple listening.

Video  (6min). How GPIF revolutionized sustainable investing. A very powerful message from the boss. 

—————————————

Bonus Material on GPIF

Annual Report. GPIF Annual Report 2021. Like corporate annual reports, this one is full of great Business English learning.

Article. GPIF Explained

Next week…

We’ll look at 2. Corporations and 3. Individuals

SNEAK PEAK… Renowned ex-Nomura exec opens school to help shift Japan’s savings to stocks. I think this is very telling about individual investing in Japan.

Enjoy. 

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies

————————————

Part 2 Stock Markets.

On Feb 11, 2023, at 10:58, Eric Cole <eric@edcbenchstrength.com> wrote:

Good morning, 

We all survived the “heavy snowfall warning” forecast for Tokyo last week. The reality failed to live up to the expectation: very little fell and none stayed on the ground for long!

This can happen in the stock market too, and often does, since there are many things at play affecting share and bond prices. We learned last week that stock markets follow the economy over the longer run, but they often don’t in the shorter run. Just as share prices will reflect companies’ underlying value over time, prices often swing wildly along the way.

Article. What Causes Share Prices to Change? Yes, indeed, there’s a lot at play

IPOs – Initial Public Offerings – Where it all starts for Listed/Public Companies

• Article and Video (5 min).  IPOs and How They Work.  There’s a lot involved!
• Article. The Pros and Cons of “Going Public”. There’s a lot to consider!
• Article.  Why Some Companies Go Private. Yes, it’s the opposite of an IPO!

IPOs In Japan

• Article.  Few IPOs in Japan in 2022… but Kishida’s New Capitalism will need lots of them!
• Article & listening. Socionext achieves top prices in IPO. Share price is up 100% since October 2022 IPO.

—————————

Bonus Material.  Stock Market and Financial Jargon.  Great Fun!

Check out this jargon.  Now, you’ll understand everything you read / hear about the markets.

Bull and Bear Markets.   The ups and downs…

Common and Preferred Stocks.  Not all shares are created equal

Share Buybacks.  Companies often buy their own listed shares back

Dollar Cost Averaging.  To reduce the risks for investors: buy/sell at high and low points.

…

Bonus Bonus Article & Video (8 min).  If you’re really keen.

The IPO Market – From Boom to Bust in 2022. A wide-ranging CNBC review 

Enjoy!

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies

————————————

Part 1 Stock Markets.

On Feb 4, 2023, at 8:50, Eric Cole <eric@edcbenchstrength.com> wrote:

Good morning,

You can’t read or listen to the news without hearing about domestic and global stock markets:

• Are indexes up or down overall?  What were the big stock price moves? 
• New listings or delistings, big M&A transactions, shareholder activist activity.
• Stock market connections to economic performance, currencies, global events, etc.

If you are investing in funds, indexes or public / listed companies, you may follow market moves. For everyone, though, does stock market activity matter? I think we can learn a lot about economics and business in stock market news. 

Today, we’ll look at some history of stock markets, their purpose and role in society. In future weeks, we’ll look at how investors and companies use them, types of stocks and other instruments, and so on. As always, enjoy the topics and materials, and most importantly, polish up your English!

Articles. First of all, here are reports for yesterday (Feb 3) and for all of 2022. Just to get a taste of typical Japanese stock market news.

Articles and Quick Videos. The Birth of Stock Exchanges and What Is the Stock Market, What Does It Do, and How Does It Work? Cool to learn how coffee shops, sinking ships and slate led to the virtual markets of today.

Article: The history of “Kabuto-cho”, where Tokyo Stock Exchange is located.  Dating back to 1603 – very interesting.

Video (7 min). The Difference Between the Stock Market and the Economy.Q: Does Economic performance affect the markets?  What about the other way around? A. Yes and No. Note: He’s a fast talker, but a lot to learn from him.

Bonus Material:

Article. JPX Website. Japan restructures the stock markets in April 2022.  It’s a bit technical, but some clear graphics too.  Japan restructured the markets to be more globally attractive.

Article. JPX Website. Real-time market data.  Updated every minute. Just look around.

Finally, grab some popcorn and snacks and watch Netflix!

Video (20 min) Netflix: on the role of stock markets in society – A USA-centric view. Like a documentary and some fun learning.

There is just so much great business jargon all through these materials.  So, whether you are an active market investor or not, I hope you’ve learned a few new things today about the markets, and all the great Business English it uses!

Enjoy!

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies

Good morning,

There is a famous old Western movie from 1966 with Clint Eastwood called “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” – Here’s the trailer.  However, only the title, and not the movie itself, is relevant to today’s Dialogue.  

Warning: there is a lot of “ugly” language here: ie. foul language, swearing, etc. 

While I hope 2023 is a great year for us all, unfortunately, it is expected to be economically bad and ugly.  On the other hand, there are some good prospects for the future of technology and business.

The Good.  Looking to invest in, or just watch the brightest industries?

Article. Best Industries to Invest In for 2023. 

Article. The Top Business Technologies in 2023.  

The Bad.  Not bad really, just important challenges / risks that business will face.

Article & Video. The Biggest Business Challenges in 2023. NOTE: If you scroll to the end, you can listen to a video that closely matches the article. So as you read the article, play the video.

The Ugly. It’s a pretty ugly economic outlook by the World Bank and most forecasters.

Article.  Japan 2023 Outlook.  Some good, bad and ugly – and a mention of 戦 **

Article and Video.The Globe is ‘perilously close’ to recession

Actually, Mr. Malpass’ English is a little “ugly” too – he is not a very clear speaker at times.

**Final thought.

The kanji of the year for 2022 was the character 戦 (sen, ikusa, tatakau), with such meanings as battle, struggle, and war. As I’ve read, 戦 is also associated with positive meanings, being used in terms like nessen or to bring positive emotion and courage. 

I wonder what the 2023 Kanji of the year will be?

———————

Bonus

CES 2023 Highlights.

Last week I mentioned the world-famous CES show where upcoming consumer technologies are launched.

I think some are Good, some are Bad and some are Ugly – but they are all very cool! Have a look around the whole site.

Enjoy.

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies

——————————————Looking Back at 2022 and Ahead to 2023.  Part 1 

Happy New Year once again.

I ended 2022 with a quote, and here’s another to keep us motivated: “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” —J.P. Morgan. 

Starting next week, we’ll look at what’s ahead in 2023. First, this week let’s look back at 2022. 

It was one of the most tumultuous* years in history due to war, historically volatile globaleconomics,  COVID-19 becoming endemic, and more. We can’t cover it all, but here goes…

* I often bold and italicize jargon or expressions you might not know.

EXPRESSION: “The Ups & Downs” of Money

Article: How The Richest Businesspeople lost $1.4 Trillion.   EXPRESSION: “How the Mighty Have Fallen”

Article: How An Indian College Dropout Become #3.  EXPRESSION: “From Rags To Riches”

Article: How Sports Values Soared in 2022 EXPRESSION: “A Banner Year” For The Sports Industry

Article: The Wildest Milestones of the Year. EXPRESSION: Life, “By The Numbers”

Article: 5 Business Trends Of 2022. Just a few ideas, but good jargon!

Video: International Political News of 2022 From war to Volcanoes

……………

Preview.

Next week, we’ll start looking ahead to 2023. 

As a preview, here is some of the news coming out of the world-famous annual Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES): where the world often first learns about the latest technology products.

The latest 2023 CES announcements so far. You can just skim it and find things that you find interesting

Japan (Japanese):  Big Company Announcements. Sony, Honda, Panasonic – they are all there as usual. Just google the company and CES if you are interested in more info.

Japan (English): Two Startup Company Announcements

Enjoy.

Best,

Eric Cole
EDC Business Strategies