Mastering the Art of Business

What do Google, pandemics, and innovation have in common? Google is an innovative company that thinks “outside the box” and constantly sets new standards in the IT industry. As an example, the company has again innovated and developed a model that predicts flu activity based on search patterns. The proposed model could become an invaluable tool for predicting pandemics and helping government bodies take appropriate action, in a timely manner. That’s what I call thinking outside the box. With the current H1N1 pandemic, this is absolutely relevant.

I was doing research this morning on the H1N1 vaccine, looking at statistics, and stumbled on Google Flu Trends. This got my attention and I took a peak at how it works. It’s quite interesting. Look at how Google Flu Trends estimates are closely correlated to the United States CDC data.

In the process of my research, I also found a revealing video: ‘60 Minutes’: An inside look at H1N1 vaccine production. Although I’m no stranger to health-care (but certainly not an expert) – my father is a doctor and my brother a PhD in biochemistry, I have to admit this video is quite shocking. Not because of the vaccine itself, but because of the sheer volume of the operation. I couldn’t help thinking of the quantity of virus that is being produced in those manufacturing plants. What’s more worrisome is that the companies responsible for these operations have under-delivered, and we all know what this may lead to in companies: cutting corners to meet targets. If this starts to occur, what guarantee do we have that no incidents will lead to a health disaster? In any case, I sure hope they’re being extremely cautious. I’m not saying we shouldn’t manufacture a vaccine, all I’m saying is that extra care needs to be taken – we’re dealing with human lives here.

So what does this have to do with business, leadership, and innovation? In my opinion, everything! I’m all for innovation, but ethical and sustainable innovation. As entrepreneurs, we should always think of the consequences of our actions. We have the opportunity to build companies that have positive impact on society, and if strategically done, I believe it can also be quite profitable. So why wouldn’t we build an ethical and sustainable business?

With that being said, do you trust pharmaceutical companies? Should we put our health in the hands of corporations, whatever the industry? Our own health should be a fundamental right.

H1N1 Vaccine Production