When you go to the supermarket to buy vegetables, the prices are displayed. The final indicator of all the factors involved in growing the vegetable is its price. That price acts as a signifier. However, the price often changes. What causes the signifier to change? The reason could be the farmer, the climate, the distributor’s situation, or one of these factors might contribute. However, in today’s complex systems, another variable unrelated to vegetable cultivation could also affect the price, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The result of the interaction of these variables is the price. A change in the previous price points leads to a singularity in the ecosystem. Understanding what that singularity is and why it occurs can help us see the world differently. Depending on the analysis, we either take profits or identify the cause of losses. We should focus on singularities that alter the state of equilibrium. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
In 2019, the coffee shop franchise Banapresso had 47 branches in Seoul, 35 of which were concentrated in the Gangnam and Seocho districts. There were even other Banapresso stores within 200 meters of each other. It was denser than Starbucks. 100% of orders were placed through kiosks and mobile apps. The elders thought it would be hard to place an unattended order, but when they tried it, they were impressed with how seamlessly they were connected to the register. An Americano costs KRW 1,500 (about USD 1.27). There was only one employee. Everything was ordered at the touch of a button and the coffee was served within 40 seconds. All the bread was made at a nearby headquarters and distributed in batches. Banapresso was the antithesis of a traditional coffee franchise. Its parent company is an IT company that operates a ride-hailing app. The same business can be completely transformed into a different business model, due to the interpretation and context. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”