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Sharing with others – is this actually allowed?

Sharing means to give or lend something that belongs to you, completely or partly to others. Perishables that could not be consumed will be used (e.g., goods with expiration date). Thereby, consumer durables are better utilized (e.g. Car sharing). Immaterial goods, like knowledge, increase the value and the spreading through additional use. Important conditions for sharing are owners, who are ready to put their property at somebodies disposal. Sharing with others – is this actually allowed?

sharing

In principle, the owners of goods should have the right to dispose freely their belongings. Nevertheless, there are also always obligations attached to the possession.

  • Food may not be shared in Germany, if it has a consumption date „Use by … “ as well as e.g. raw fish, minced meat, raw egg dishes for which a constant cooling chain is not provable (in German only: http://foodsharing.de/lebensmittelrecht). Food with the label „Best used before …“ on it can also be shared after expiration of the best-before date..
  • Consumer durables are e.g. cars, bicycles, apartments and devices of all kind. For some goods, however, there are legal aspects that exclude sharing. The car has an insurance that is tied to specific drivers or excludes commercial usage. This is also valid, if one shares his/her rented flat with others, without permission to sublease. For all goods, it remains also the question of liability, if, for example, the brakes of the vehicle do not work.
  • Since there is knowledge, it is shared, e.g. the newspaper or the book, that are passed from one to the other or the newest hit of lady Gaga. As long as it is a physical object, sharing should be without any problem. As soon as, however‚ contents are ‘only’ shared by being copied, we are already confronted with copyright questions. Not to forget the secret documents, which are shared with the public by Whistleblowers. Additionally, this includes business documents that are shared with acquaintance.
  • A popular form is to share work. Immediately the question of moonlighting as well as the liability and/or compensation of damages comes up. If somebody is injured, or somebody is dying, or there is a material damage in the course of such a sharing, these incidents are normally not covered by private insurances.

Nothing is more blessed, than giving. Some questions are valid for all forms of sharing.

  • Can sharing have a price?
  • May shared food or the use of a car or lending books or concreting the cellar cost money?
  • How to look at this cash flow from fiscal point of view (keyword: financial advantage)?
  • Does a new niche emerges, in which new business models go around existing bureaucratic rules as well as the rights and obligations of the established businesses?

If we go again toward market and bartering, the legal framework should protect givers and takers equally.

Bottom line: At all times existed the social sharing. This is where the positive look at this optimized use of resources comes from. We need an appropriate legal framework, in order not to criminalize the sharers, the givers and the takers, with this new form of social exchange.

Input-Process-Output versus Causal loops

The following text provides some examples for a discussion on Linkedin ( http://ow.ly/xQAJl ). The discussion is turning around the following example http://ow.ly/xQBE6 .

1)       Input-Process-Output Diagram (IPO)

The IPO is focused more on the What-is-needed than the How-to-do-it. For this purpose, the diagram consists of three elements: Input, Process, and Output.

The Input provides all aspects that are required to do the Process. This can be information, controls, resources and other things. In the example these are controls (recipe), resources (teapot, water heater, and cook), and other things (water, tea bags, and energy).

The Process defines the functions. In this case, on the highest level the ‘Tea making’ function.

The Output documents the results of the Process. The outcomes are tea, dirty tools and unused energy.

Based on this diagram, it is possible to set up a process with all relevant elements. Usually this diagram is drilled down to an operational level with various diagrams.

teapotIPO e

2)       Causal loop

The causal loop is focused on What-is-happening. For this purpose, the system is described with variables and links.

The variables are indicators of states (usually revenue, qualities, costs, acceptance). In our example availability and amounts. These parameters are affected by the links.

The links document dependencies of two kinds. These can be increases or decreases. The resulting affect is defined as a change of the receiving indicator in the same direction as the sender (+) or on the opposite direction (-). In our example the more water that is available, the more water can be boiled (+). The more water that is boiled, the less water is available (-).

Based on this diagram, the behavior over time of the system can be examined.

teapotsys e

Bottom line: The purpose of the IPO is more likely the implementation of the process. The intention of the causal loop is to understand the behavior over time. You cannot swap functionality.

P.S.: Systems Thinking is an established way to look at systems of all kind. Here are some pioneers – Fritjof Capra, Peter Senge, Daniel Kim, Donella Meadows, Frederic Vester, Harmut Bossel.