Forbes have recently published an analysis of the world’s happiest countries, and it makes interesting reading, although I’m not convinced by some of the results. Read more »

“Our minds are like our stomachs: they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetites.”  - Quintilian

“Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”  - Fran Lebowitz

Foodtrotter’s recent post on world food trends has some great insights into new trends in food and drink around the world, and most of them are relevant in Asia too (based on my recent experiences), so here is a quick summary. Read more »

Is Market Research the iceberg that keeps the Titanic afloat?

At the APRC and JMRA annual conference in Tokyo yesterday, Hatsunori Kiriyama of Procter & Gamble gave a thoughtful keynote speech on “My expectation from research”.  Although Kiriyama-san comes from a sales background, he clearly values research, as do his company, placing it at the heart of the business he runs in Japan, or as he described it, “our brand stories always start with the consumer”. Read more »

“Our observation of nature must be diligent, our reflection profound, and our experiments exact.  We rarely see these three means combined; and for this reason, creative geniuses are not common.”  - Denis Diderot Read more »

“Ada asap, ada api” (Indonesian proverb meaning ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’)

Business Week‘s latest edition argues that Indonesia should replace Russia in the short list of the world’s most eligible emerging markets, and I agree. Read more »

“There is no victory at bargain basement prices.”  - Dwight D. Eisenhower Read more »

5 questions every innovative researcher needs to ask …. and the one answer they need to give

by Mike Sherman, Neil Gains and Linda Collard Read more »

“Perfect behaviour is born of complete indifference.”  - Cesare Pavese Read more »

“The key to all story endings is to give the audience what they want, but not the way they expect.”  - William Goldman

“The only ‘ism’ Hollywood believes in is plagiarism.”  - Dorothy Parker Read more »

“The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.”  - William Gibson Read more »