Call for Papers: 6th Asia Pacific Business Research Conference

Dates: May 19^th & 20th 2014

Venue: Mercure Ambassador Gangnam Hotel, Seoul, South Korea

Submission Deadline: April 21, 2014

Registration Deadline: 9 May, 2014

The above international conference, hosted by the World Business Institute of Australia and American Research and Publication of USA. will be held at Seoul, South Korea. This international gathering provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary scholars worldwide to present their recent research and share or exchange ideas and research outputs in the broad field of Accounting, Banking, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing. Please click the details about the field of research in the link bar on the event website. All papers will be anonymously reviewed to ensure quality and timeliness of the research. Outstanding and quality papers will be published in the peer reviewed international journals free of publication fee. In addition, proceedings will be published as a book in each track and this book will be sent to the registered authors within three months after the conference (if author pays for this option). Also, conference proceeding book will be sent to Thomson Reuters/ISI in order to be reviewed for coverage in its Conference Proceedings Citation Index.

Website: www.worldbizconference.com

Fencing as a Sport of Physical and Mental Conditioning

Fencing is a sport that is one part physical and one part mental. Conditioning both helps to ensure that you are at the top of your game. The process of conditioning is through practice and experience. Conditioning is not found through only fencing practice but also in complementary activities. It has been argued that fencing during practice is 95% physical and 5% mental while in tournament it is the exact opposite (1).

It is first beneficial to understand what physical and mental conditioning means.  Physical conditioning requires the preparation of the body for rigorous aerobic exercise and ensuring the muscles are both tone and have endurance. Mental conditioning includes learning a variety of movements, ensuring quick reaction, and perceptive within the game.

Physical conditioning requires the ability to engage in aerobic, stamina, and physical strength (2).  Fencing requires heavy clothing and lots of speed and can get most athletes winded quickly. The body must be prepared to take on these jumps, movements, and leaps or you will simply lose from being out maneuvered. Engaging in sprinting, swimming, tennis, weight training, and other activities conditions the body as well as ensures coordination of movements (3).

The concept of physical conditioning in fencing is not new. Dating back as far as 1400 instructors like Vittorino da Feltre stated that fencing “required as a correlative to a fine intellectual humanism a standard of physical excellence and personal bearing to match (4)." His argument was that fencers needed to wear the right clothing, handle the elements of nature, and need to be conditioned for the sport.

In addition to the body the brain must also be conditioned. A person must memorize, internalize and use the various movements that act and interact against an opponent. This requires having a thorough understanding of the sport and judging the body mechanics of the opponent to maintain a leading edge. Without the mental conditioning overreaction, slow reaction, and sequence failure is likely to occur.

Fencers should understand how their personality impacts their performance. Fencer personalities can be categorized as active, passive, risk oriented, risk averse, cautious, offensive and defensive (5).  A person’s personality will determine their overall style, what movements they should focus on, and their weaknesses within the sport.

Using Groups to Create Company Innovation

Companies that don’t continue to improve eventually decline. Innovation fosters organizational transformation while encouraging the finding of new revenue streams. Research by Dew and Hearn (2009) help understand how hybrid groups can be as beneficial as nominal groups in promoting organizational innovation. Teams that work well together generate more ideas and find more solutions to organizational problems. 

Innovative development isn’t a wishful tactic. It has practical dollar and cents outcomes. Organizations that do not change, develop, grow, or adjust fall behind on the market. They stagnate while their competitors blast forward. Product development suffers and revenue declines. Innovation is about breathing new life into a company.

The very design of teams will determine their level of success. For example, social loafing occurs when one person doesn’t put enough effort into the team but receives the same benefits. Cognitive and social benefits from interaction can help in reducing the damaging effects of social loafing. Hybrid groups require individual effort during small group work while holding the entire focus group responsible to a bigger group. 

All groups are based on some level of interaction. The benefits of regular communication is that brainstorming in groups leads to more idea generation (Parnes & Meadow, 1959). Members build off of each other’s ideas to create new ideas. It is a process whereby one concept builds onto the next until a solution is forthcoming.

Before a problem can be solved it should be understood. Well defined problems can be converted to goals. Poor ideas are thrown out and the group settles on feasible solutions.  The generation of ideas offers opportunities to find and explore multiple solutions. 

The study included 672 participants and broke them into nominal and hybrid groups that engaged in problem solving. What they found was that hybrid groups work well and can be more effective for fostering innovation under the right circumstances. When group members are focused in small nominal groups, but must interact with larger groups, they are capable of creating greater idea generation and performance accountability. 

Dew, R. & Hearn, G. (2009). A new model of the learning process for innovation teams: networked nominal pairs. International Journal of Innovation Management, 13 (4). 

Parnes, SJ and A Meadow (1959). Effect of “brainstorming” instructions on creative problem

solving by trained and untrained subjects. Journal of Educational Psychology, 50, 171–

176.

Claire de Lune Offers the True Coffee Lounge Experience

Coffee Lounges offer an inviting atmosphere with laissez-faire experience. Claire de Lune provides an eclectic environment where people of all ages and types sit, read, browse the internet and engage in conversation. Looking more like a living room than a coffee shop people will feel at home regardless of their attire and background. 

As part of the North Park community they attract a wide following. The street is busy with stores, restaurants, bars, and activities. Foot traffic is high and the coffee shop fits with local market demographics. People seem to congregate there as they make their way through the commercial area. 

Friday and Saturday nights offer free music for patrons. The genre of the music changes but can be in the African, Latin, Guitar, and similar strains. For the price of the coffee you can sit down and enjoy live entertainment by local musical talent. Few places will offer the same. 

Claire de Lune also attempts to be a positive influence in the area. They host amateur art in an attempt to raise the stature of the artists as well as draw visitors within their business. Both the business and the artists receive a benefit through greater exposure while adding to the décor of a traditional coffee lounge. 

Their interior design is well thought out. Lounge chairs are arranged in a manner that invite groups and people to get to know each other. The tables are sturdy and can accommodate one or two people. For those who enjoy being on the balcony or outside on the patio that option is available for them as well. 

2906 University Avenue

San Diego, California 92104

http://clairedelune.com/