Lest anyone thought that Apple and Google's latest assaults on Nokia's dominance in the mobile space would go unchallenged, news came out today that Nokia is acquiring the rest of Symbian that it did not already own.

This would be interesting news by itself, but Nokia, recognizing that its future as a handset manufacturer is at risk ratcheted up the competition at the same time.

How are they doing this?
 

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There has been a debate in the United States over the last several years around whether or not the government should institute a program of mandatory government service like other countries in the world.

In most countries this takes the form of military service, but some allow work in other government capacities to satisfy the obligation.

The United States does have mandatory government service, it's called jury duty but it probably amounts to only a number of days over the course of a lifetime. In addition the government has implemented schemes to help address acute shortages. AmeriCorps was founded to help alleviate the shortage of teachers in the inner cities by forgiving some or all of participants college loans.

But I have never heard anyone pitch mandatory government service as an opportunity to create competitive advantage.