Even though we live in a rapidly changing world of social media and personal branding, the core principles of surviving and thriving in the world of business remains somewhat consistent . . . or does it?

Like the general fighting the last battle, are you meeting today's challenges based solely on yesterday's understanding and experience?

Joining guest host and acclaimed author of the bestselling "No-Compromise Leadership: A Higher Standard of Leadership Thinking & Behavior" Neil Ducoff to discuss the generational impact on business survival skills are Jack Stack, whose October 1994 book "The Great Game of Business" was named one of the top 100 business books of all time and, the author of "Secret Service" and "What's the Secret...to providing a world-class customer experience" John DiJulius.

This 60 minute segment will delve deeply into the key areas upon which today's business professional must focus to ensure both short-term survival and long-term success regardless of external factors such as the present day economic downturn.

In one of the PI Window on Business' earliest segments we tackled the difficult question "are traditional association models dead?"

Featuring what can only be described as a diverse and experienced panel of industry veterans, it became clear from the discussions during the two-part series that associations were rapidly losing touch with the needs of its members.

A fact that was best exemplified by a Global Logistics Specialist from Panama who wrote, "Where it once did, the value gained from the traditional Association model can no longer compete for my attention. I need to collaborate bigger, faster, stronger – and at my convenience."

Operating under models in which individual Chapters are more representative of a somewhat disconnected, geographical focus of self-interest, traditional associations have been slow to adopt the collaborative, communities of purpose framework of the emerging social networking world.

So when I was informed that the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) was invited by members of the Canadian business community to establish the brand north of the 49th, I was not entirely surprised by such a request.

However, I was excited when I was presented with an opportunity to sit in on one of the first presentations to this fledgling group through the PI Window on Business' Live Event Feed capability.

As a result, we will be broadcasting live from Toronto, IACCM CEO Tim Cummins' presentation on the association's "Most Admired Negotiators."

It promises to be an interesting and insightful 45 minutes, in which we will hopefully gain a better understanding of why IACCM continues to thrive in the challenging economy of an increasingly globalized marketplace.

In the United States, a group purchasing organization (or GPO) is an entity that is created to leverage the purchasing power of businesses to obtain discounts from vendors based on the collective buying power of the GPO members.

Many GPOs are funded by administrative fees that are paid by the vendors that GPOs oversee. Some GPOs are funded by fees paid by the buying members. Some GPOs are funded by a combination of both of these methods. These fees can be set as a percentage of the purchase or set as an annual flat rate. Some GPOs set mandatory participation levels for their members, while others are completely voluntary. Members participate based on their purchasing needs and their level of confidence in what should be competitive pricing negotiated by their GPOs.

Group purchasing is used in many industries to purchase raw materials and supplies, but it is common practice in the grocery industry, health care, electronics, industrial manufacturing and agricultural industries.

The above is the technical or literal description of a buying group. While accurate, and beyond the leveraging of purchasing power, does it really illustrate the true impact of GPOs since they were first introduced in the health care industry in 1910?

Joining me today to look beyond the basic, albeit important cost savings of GPOs to examine their greater impact on business and the economy in general is Corporate United’s Vice President and 2009 Supply and Demand Chain Executive “Pro To Know” David Clevenger.

The Baron Son is an allegorical tale designed as a road map to wealth, power, and success. A legend from centuries past, it is the account of a young boy who loses everything, and through struggle, finds the secret to become the richest, most powerful man the world has ever known.

The above is the brief overview of William R. Patterson's The Baron Son, a book in which the illuminous Tom Peters referred to as being "remarkable — a challenging and satisfying guide to success through inspired strategic leadership."

Patterson, who according to Ranking.com is the #1 Business Motivational Speaker in the country has, through The Baron Son, pointed the way to a path of achieving prosperity from adversity.

In the process, and in the Acres of Diamonds spirit, Patterson both challenges and motivates us to take ownership of our actions and tap into the boundless potential that exists - perhaps buried deeply - within each and every one of us.

But what does it mean to take ownership of our actions? How do we cultivate and bring to the surface our hidden capabilities to succeed? Even more importantly, what is prosperity and success?

In today's show I am joined by William R. Patterson, who will share with us his experience and vision for empowerment and the realization of one's greatest potential.

In this first segment of a special seven part series, I will be joined by Judy Bradt who is an expert author, speaker and consultant who will provide invaluable insight into on how companies can capitalize on the emerging opportunities in the US public sector.

As the Principal of Summit Insight in Washington DC, Judy’s been covered by national media including SBTV, ABC Radio, the Financial Post, Fortune Small Business, and Entrepreneur Magazine. From 1988 to 2003, Judy was the top specialist in US government contracting at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC.

Leveraging her more than 20 years of experience advising more than 6000 clients on success in government contracts that collectively have accounted for revenues in excess of $300 million US, Judy will take us through her critically acclaimed “Seven Steps to Success” presentation. As a supplier you will gain the necessary insights to shorten the timeline between the response to government tenders, and the realization of tangible revenue. As a government procurement professional, you will find the answers to why bid responses have been declining and with it the value in both pricing and quality of service.

Today's broadcast will be a special 90 minute segment in which we will provide a 30 minute general overview of the current state of Government Contracting. In the remaining 60 minutes of the show we will delve into the specifics of each of the seven steps starting with Strategy.

On every second Monday from this point on we will review the remaining steps which include; Focus, Process, Competition, Teaming, Relationships and Marketing. (Note: Please refer to the Seven Steps to Success Page on the Procurement Insights Blog for series dates and times.)

Series Sponsor is Elcom (http://www.elcom.com/)

When I was asked by Andrew Ballenthin, integrated marketing expert and founder of the Community Marketing Blog, to become part of the “Dream Team” of judges for the Blog Off II competition, I must admit that while excited at the prospect of reviewing the musings of the up-and-coming generation of international, social media wordsmiths, I certainly did not know what to expect.

After all, with the emergence of citizen journalism and the continued, downward spiral of traditional media such as newspapers, this I felt would be an important process for measuring the caliber of writers in the “new estate.” Especially since journalists from the traditional realms usually avoid blogging like the proverbial plague due to either a misguided elitist view of the blog sphere, or a sense of intimidation based on actually having to interact with the reader in a more direct and personal fashion than was ever possible in print media. Perhaps even a combination of both.

So when fellow Dream Team member Conrad Hall sent me an e-mail indicating that he was “adding an entire chapter to (his) new book to feature the #blogoff2 judges, sponsors, and competitors,” I was more than happy to respond to his three questions regarding my personal experience. You can of course read my answers in the December 19th, 2009 PI Window on Business Blog Post titled "Dream Team Participation Provides a Great Opportunity to See the Future of Journalism."

You can of course read my answers in the December 19th, 2009 PI Window on Business Blog Post titled "Dream Team Participation Provides a Great Opportunity to See the Future of Journalism."

In today's show however, I am going to be posing these same three questions to the Top 3 Performers whose series of blog posts engaged and captivated readers and judges alike.

Joining me are Sean Nelson, Sam Diener and Tim Ruffner.

“They say it’s impossible to stop now, Evelyn Torres, 48, of the Bronx, said of her son’s use of antipsychotics since he received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder at age 3. Seven years later, the boy is now also afflicted with weight and heart problems. But Ms. Torres credits Medicaid for making the boy’s mental and physical conditions manageable. “They’re helping with everything,” she said.”

The above is an excerpt from the December 13th PI Window on Business blog post, which references a New York Times article in which statistics show that poor children are more likely to get anti psychotic medication than those whose parents have private coverage.

Regardless of social status, economic conditions or health plan, the idea of prescribing powerful anti psychotic medication to children between the ages of 3 and 16 is hard to conceive. (It is worth noting that anti psychotic prescriptions represent the "single biggest drug expenditure for Medicaid, costing the program $7.9 billion in 2006, the most recent year for which the data is available.”)

However, and based on Larry Winget's new book, "Your Kids Are Your Own Fault," the state of childhood in today's society extends beyond the Medicaid controversy to include some other interesting statistics; 16% of all children are overweight, 5 million children are on Ritalin and only 70% of children graduate from high school.

If, as the Whitney Houston song proclaims, "children are our future," the above revelations would seem to indicate that we as a society are in big trouble.

In what promises to be one of the most probing and thought-provoking self-examinations of our effectiveness as parents, guest host Jim Bouchard is joined by Larry Winget to examine the role we have and should play in terms of equipping our children with the necessary tools to both survive and thrive as productive adults.

Having lived in Africa for 30 years and having served as CEO for 20 years, Stefan Swanepoel is an expert on how the survival secrets of the African Jungle can help people overcome any challenge in the Concrete Jungle.

Now for the first time he has combined his love of wildlife and nature, his ability to captivate audiences, and his comprehensive life experience into a captivating message in a major trade book. In Surviving Your Serengeti he vividly portrays how this larger-than-life metaphor can provide guidance and inspiration for individuals and companies in today’s fast, busy and complex world.

The above is the opening two paragraphs from Stefan Swanepoel's introductory bio, which sets the stage for what promises to be a very entertaining PI Window on Business segment.

Joining guest host and acclaimed author Dr. John Ullmen, Swanepoel will discuss the key areas that leaders must focus upon to be successful during challenging economic times to both survive and thrive.

Whether you are the head of an international corporation, or the buck stops here small business entrepreneur, the survival principles of the Swanepoel's Serengeti are equally applicable and critically important.

When I was originally contacted by Binary Fountain asking me to review and write about their solution, my initial thought was to view their offering through the lens of quantifying results. Specifically, by providing timely access to near real-time intelligence, their clients would be able to measure the success of a program after the fact.

Seems like a reasonable approach, as Business Intelligence “BI” is after all leaving the cumbersome and confining realms of traditional ERP-centric platforms in which the extraction of needed information was an onerous task that warranted the moniker of “data mining.” However, and what is compelling about emerging BI solutions such as the one offered by Binary Fountain, is its ability to proactively influence decision-making through an intuitive “dashboard” technology that creates what I call a perpetual cycle of data verification.

In essence, these intuitive dashboard solutions are in reality the control panel for the emergence of the social networking world of the Web 2.0, 3.0 and ultimately 4.0 platforms.

Simply put, having access to relevant data is one thing. Being able to decipher its relevance to the decision-making process in real-time, whether it be in the world of procurement or for that matter any element of the business world, is essential.

In fact think of it in terms of the television commercial by the Chartered Accountants Association in which executives are sitting in the lobby of a five star hotel reading the daily horoscope as a means of determining whether they should accept an offer to buy the company.

Traditional methods of post-event assessment in which a lengthy albeit detached analysis by an "expert" is not far off the horoscope analogy.

Binary Fountain removes both the mystery and uncertainty associated with charting your course based primarily on what is happening versus the what has happened scenario.

As host of the PI Window on Business Show, I have had the opportunity to speak with The Twittering Granny, Canada's Trade Minister, Maine's gubernatorial candidate Matt Jacobson, bestselling authors too numerous to list and industry thought leaders.

This of course was the opening comment from our December 16th show in which I was joined by Jennifer Allan to talk about her version of building an effective personal brand.

A published author, a speaker and a trainer, Jennifer has written five books about the business of selling real estate, including her flagship book, Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect.

Jennifer also has a new book that is scheduled for release in early 2010 entitled “If You’re Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!”

So one might be tempted to question Jennifer's self-imposed "introvert" moniker. However, after having had the opportunity to talk with Jennifer, I believe that her introversion is more a reflection of her belief that aggressive marketing techniques or hard-core sales pitches carry little value compared with being competent in one’s craft." A quiet competency if you will that establishes confidence in those with whom she seeks to connect and serve.

Jennifer of course joins me today to pick-up where we left off on the 16th, where we will discuss her "Sell With Soul" (SWS) Specialties and building your personal brand.