One hundred seventy years ago, tuberculosis was a lethal disease. This illness posed a significant threat to humanity, resulting in an estimated 1 billion deaths between 1700 and 1900. Notably, traces of tuberculosis have been found in the mummies of ancient Egyptian kings. In the late 1840s, German botanist Hermann Brehmer, confronted with the fatality of tuberculosis, relocated to the Himalayas in search of fresh air. Remarkably, he survived and is believed to have successfully fought off Mycobacterium tuberculosis in that less favorable environment for bacterial growth. As a result, numerous nursing homes emerged across Europe and the United States, including specialized facilities for tuberculosis care and luxury accommodations for the affluent. However, by the 1940s, many of these nursing homes began closing due to the emergence of antibiotics, which drastically changed their economic viability. Throughout history, it seems that economic value often proves transient. - Joseph’s “j...
The reorientation and expansion of a business should be planned and decided in terms of customer synergies, not company synergies. It may be more successful to offer a customer who buys apple jam an extra slice of bread to spread it on than to provide a customer who buys apple jam an extra jar of peach jam. It's easier for the jam seller to give away an extra jar of jam, but for the customer, the bread is more valuable than the jam. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”