Call for Papers: The 5th Annual Conference of Economic Forum of Entrepreneurship & International Business

Date: January 29th to 30^th, 2015

The 5th Annual Conference of Economic Forum of Entrepreneurship & International Business will be held in Harvard University, USA: The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center on January 29th & 30th 2015. Detail: http://www.eco-ena.ca/harvard.html

http://www.cehaes.com/

Wine Review: Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon

Even though I am a fan of homegrown Californian wine I do like to occasionally venture into import wines to see how different different regions create new tastes. Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon was one of those wines I came across in my shopping activities and decided to throw a bottle in my cart. It wasn't a bad choice. 

Gato Negro is a well known brand of Chile that is exported to many other nations. It is from one of the older wineries of Viña San Pedro. A popular wine that has won significant award. Consumers generally rate the experience positively but a minority of online reviews expressed dislike. 

Personally I found the wine to be very drinkable. It was smooth and fruity and seemed to lay more in the wet arena. I have never been fond of excessively dry and high tannin tastes. As an important wine that can be used to add some variety to your selection life it is worth picking up a bottle. 

Out of all the red wine available Cabernet Sauvignon has the highest concentration of antioxidants. Wine made from red and purple grapes are better for you than green and white. The dark purple and red hues being the best.Gato Negro's Cabernet Sauvignon offers a higher level of antioxidants.

Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon

Taste: Berries, chocolate, and vanilla.
Glass: Dark, maroon, red
Nose: Ripe berries with a touch of strawberry. 

Certainly you can find more expensive wines as well as those that may tantalize your taste buds to a higher sizzle but you are unlikely to find a quality wine for under $5. Try a taste of Chile without having to skimp on your bills. 

Emotional Intelligence Can Make or Break Your Career

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) may just make or break your career. You earned that prestigious MBA, sowed the deals, and mastered your job but did you master yourself? If your not sure you may want to take a look at your emotional talent to see if it can take you to the next level of performance. 

Having the right skills is important but may not be the deciding factor in long term success. It is an ability to handle the day-in and day-out emotional aspects of work and life. This is not easy as multiple pressures and issues seem to attract and distract our attention raising stress levels.

That isn't always easy as life is messy and comes with many ups and downs. The extent of our peaks and valleys and how we deal with them defines our emotional resilience. At times we are better than at others. There may be a few days that we feel like we are at our brink.

Emotional intelligence influences our ability to interact effectively with others and understand the origins of our emotions. Work is naturally stressful and the barrage of other peoples needs and issues mixed with a fast paced environment can be overwhelming to most.

Emotional intelligence is a decisive factor in career success. In a complex global business environment emotional intelligence is needed among managers that work at multinational companies. Where emotional intelligence is lacking, or unable to be developed, is a hole the skill battery of an organization.

Organizations often focus on the hard and easily measured skills that are based in results or job function. They ignore those soft skills that require something more subtle out of people. Winning at all costs without being able to develop quality relationships can be disasterous to turn over rates in the future.

Emotional intelligence is so important it can even be used as a predictor of the ability to communicate with others domestically and internationally (Fall, et. al. 2013). According to their work emotionality, sociability, and self-control make their way into higher emotional intelligence.

People that score low on emotional intelligence are also unlikely to be able to understand the nuances of international relationships. They are limited by their own perception and ability to control their emotions. People of different cultural backgrounds often look for these cues to determine intention.

The same process occurs within the same culture as it does internationally. The use of verbal and non-verbal expressions creates the total message. In international relationships the subtle nature of these impressions can change the dynamics of the relationship.

Emotional intelligence can be developed and enhanced through practice and persistence. Taking a few moments to analyze a situation critically before responding can do wonders. At times emotions can be more of a knee jerk response. If you do happen to master emotional intelligence and match your business skills to it you will have an unbeatable combination.

Fall, et. al. (2013). Intercultural communication apprehension and emotional intelligence in higher education: preparing business students for career success. Business Communication Quarterly, 76 (4).

Confidence in the Economy Grows as Holidays Near

The holiday season is nearly upon us and people are a little more optimistic about the economy then they were just a few months ago. People are slowly starting to feel good about their future prospects and the potential for their incomes. According to the Gallop Poll a -6 is a significant improvement over the -20’s experienced throughout the year. 

Economic confidence is a beneficial metric but isn’t a very conclusive one. Much of economic confidence is based in how people perceive the environment and their opportunities within it. New reports and the general impressions of reports does have an impact on economic impression (Barsky & Sims, 2012). Some have called positive economic beliefs part of our animal spirits. 

Animal spirits are more psychological images and impressions than objective data. If you buy more on days when you feel good than on days you don’t then this is your animal spirits coming to play. What we read and how we read the environment will naturally have some impact on our animal spirits. 

This perspective can add up to a lot over time. Cultural-ecological perspective across 45 countries has an impact on economic development (Chou & Loafsson, 2011). How we perceive our environment has an impact but that impact is not a one for one economic tally. Simply feeling confident about the environment may encourage people to spend more but may not impact long term growth. 

Positive consumer beliefs may be part of the holiday season or could a growing trend. As consumers improve their outlook for their own prospects they will naturally spend more over the holiday season. Hopefully this translates into greater sales and hiring throughout the year. Sometimes the economy has a self-fulfilling prophecy spirit where positive impression leads to sales and activity.

Read the Gallop Poll

Barsky, R. & Sims, E. (2012). Information, animal spirits, and the meaning of innovations in consumer confidence. American Economic Review, 102 (4). 

Chou, L. & Olafsson, S. (2011). Confidence as an economic indicator: a cultural-ecology perspective. Brussels Economic Review, 54 (4).