TED Community » David Hood

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Competitiveness (collaborative, and with the customer); Marketing (sustainable and systemic, and keeping it human). Its all about people - commerce, society, service to each other.

An idea worth spreading

Marketing? It is supposed to be all about 'matching customer needs with our products and services'. We still do not have a needs definition process!

Lets make it so.....

Talk to me about

'Corporate conversations' - ideas about getting down to the real needs and problems for the customer.

My TED Story

Coming from 'the sciences' I felt that commerce - marketing in particular - was not very robust. Quite the opposite; there is little true alignment between customer need and the organisations that purport to meet them. I am on a quest to see if we can actually resolve that old chestnut - how to better uncover true needs, and in improving our understanding of need and evolving our ability to engage with the market in a systemic way, get the product/service proposition right first time. To cut out the bull, removing the taint that marketing is simply 'putting lipstick on the pig' and elevate it to what it should be: a systemic process that helps our fellow humans live the best and most fulfilling lives possible.

Comments

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• A reply on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Apr 3 2013: Actually, we dont sell power. The money from taxation is taken from our oil, to fund illegal wars and very right wing policies we dont like.

• A reply on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Apr 3 2013: Great - I like your 'stronger together' sentiment - and think that is exactly what Independence will mean; a stronger and more equitable bond of equal Nations in a respectful relationship on this island.

• A comment on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Apr 3 2013: Unfortunately, many comments here were posted to support (or otherwise) the notion of Scottish Independence, and somewhat ignored my question! I wanted to know what you thought about how our Confidence, Ambition and Courage could be improved.
  
  I dont think any personal comments about opinions of self-government for Scotland (that was good enough for North America!!!) is helpful. Anyway, it is now closing and those who did contribute positively and helpfully, I thank you.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Mar 4 2013: Hi Theodore,
  
  Some scholars may agree or disagree with what the union brought or did not. Its a moot point, kind of like saying 'would the south states in the USA have survived or flourished better if there wasn't a union'. That there was only one history - that of a union here in the UK - is obvious and we cannot and should not debate whether 'it was hood for us or not'. It simply *was*.
  
  
  
  Right now though, it is failing and has been for decades. Being anti-socialist and falling for the 'subsidy' myth isn't helping - its adding to the prevailing lie. What I have asked for here is an insight into helping nourish confidence, courage and ambition. It is apparent that this is what we need, not I'll informed regurgitated propaganda from an indifferent state or misinformed opinion.
  
  We need inspiration, not lectures; especially as we have and such a profound influence on the modern world - and now need to join is as is our right.
  
  
  So again I simply ask - can we have some inspiration rather than assumptions or assertions that all is right with the UK state. It isn't working, we in Scotland want to go our own way, we are almost there and have developed this by majority consensus. Almost every UK policy is neither voted for or wished for by the people of Scotland. All we are doing is exercising that democratic right - that unfortunately is forgotten about in all the noise.
  
  Again, can I have some enlightenment about nurturing ambition, please? Without it there would be no USA, Canada, Australia, etc etc.... if its all right for everyone else, its all right for us too.

• A reply on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Mar 4 2013: Fantastic Arkady.
  
  I hope that we can have a 'spiritual transformation' before the Referendum!
  
  D

• A reply on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Mar 4 2013: Those politicians are on the gravy train. Two people doing rather well out of an anachronistic system of privilege and patronage does not constitute democracy for Scotland.
  
  Please raise the bar people - 'getting the sheep' is showing a degree of ignorance or worse.

• A reply on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Mar 4 2013: Xavier - at the risk of pulling you and others into the 'should we' debate - and indeed fall foul of the very problem I am raising above - the UK governments own figures have Scotland contributing a net surplus to the UK exchequer. As for defence, all the small nations in Europe manage it quite adequately... and I dont hear much clamour suggesting otherwise, to their governments...
  
  Im looking for inspiration for our people; not to debate the issue here; that is for another place and happening. What we need is the courage, something lacking that causes us to believe all the claptrap fed to us from London and get off our knees.
  
  We rely, and look for that inspiration, on others who value and enjoy more freedoms and equality than we currently have in Scotland within the UK, governed by London.

• A reply on Conversation: Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition

  Mar 4 2013: Actually, Ireland, Gandhi etc cannot be placed in the same sentence as the situation in Scotland.
  
  On the other hand, one doesnt have to have their leadership repressed or worse to be actively repressed. Even slight disinterest from the powers-that-be is a form of repression.
  
  As for emigration... Im not going to get pulled into that nonsense.... ;-)
  
  Hoping other posts will be more on theme...