Improving Communication Skills to Develop Management Techniques

Communication is an essential skill that makes or breaks a manager's career. Those who can communicate effectively and in a positive manner in a way that motivates others and creates trust are going to be more influential than those who can't. People live within a social network and take cues from their managers in ways that determine employees' work engagement.

You might wonder why communication is so essential to strong management? A department is a social network based in shared knowledge and work function similarities. Managers use their work experienc and people knowledge to create greater performance.

The manager should be the center of work communication within his/her network. The manager is the one who communicates the daily work tasks to fulfill organizational objectives. Without this knowledge and ability to keep the social group moving forward toward  organizational objectives t every idea of management dissipates.

Effective communication is about steering the ship in the right direction by getting everyone working together as a team. To reach each of the members it is necessary to find different ways and methods to communication. Even though conciseness and honesty are fundamental the methods the manager uses to communicate are fundamentally important.

Some employees will respond to some communication methods while others will respond to different methods. Some want things brought to them concisely while others want the information relayed in a way that doesn't damage their perception of self. The seasoned manager understands his/her employees and how information is heard and interpreted.

Effective communication should:

1.) Be clear and concise
2.) Avoid confrontation unless absolutely necessary
3.)  Have a clear objective and goal
4.) Be professional
5.) Show empathy and concern
6.) Cater to the audience
7.) Understand how people view information differently.

Small Business Keeps Large Business Adapting

Small business is a major contributor to the U.S. economic system. It doesn't get the same focus as large businesses because of its inability to funnel large amounts of money into the political machinery. It does, however, constitute the future of American society and should be a central part of government decision making.

Consider that all major businesses started from someone's entrepreneurial activity. That activity led to a new business venture that if successful grew and accumulated enough resources to create the large corporations of today. Successful business models moved forward but poor models collapse by lack of competitive ability.

The process of growth and regeneration starts and ends with small business. New businesses rise, put pressure on large businesses, and then are bought out or drowned out by adapting corporations. Without this constant process of innovation the economic system would slow and eventual lose its place among nations.

Small business may not have all the money as larger corporations but is still a fundamental part of keeping those large businesses alive. Without their pressure and adaptations large businesses would not succeed. Labor market improvement, taxes, and infrastructure would continue to be supported by less dollars.

Policies should always be focused on the long-term goals of the nation. This focus should be to encourage entrepreneurial activity and ensures innovation and growth potential is at its maximum. Decisions should not be solely in the form of who gives the greatest campaign contribution but to that which ensures both small and large businesses succeed together.

The Mixed Blessings of Genius and Scientific Breakthroughs

Scientific discovery is about creating something new, doing something unique, or solving an unsolvable problem. It requires uniqueness and novelty not seen in the general population in a way that only statistical outliers can offer. Geniuses and their propensity to push the limits are national assets that lead to scientific breakthroughs.

It is hard to advance a field or thought if you don't think much about them. Geniuses often have certain personality traits and idiosyncrasies that lead to thinking and discovering ideas in new ways (Robinson in Topper, 2011). It can take up to 10,000 hours of practice on an idea and thought to make it into something ground breaking.

That takes a whole lot of self motivation not found in the average person. Most people are consumed by their daily affairs and work on getting ahead each day. The genius might be more focused on complex ideas while taking relatively poor care of their own needs. One of the reasons why Einstein didn't always cash is paycheck.

That genius often puts them at odds with other people. Saying the "truth" can be difficult but genius often seek to understand and have a hard time accepting a lie only because everyone else accepts it.  Without socialization help they are going to feel isolated when they think about and say things in a way that others don't always understand.

Genius create scientific discovery because they are rare. The same thing that helps them succeed in one arena is their downfall in another. Highly intelligent people are a national asset but often left to the wolves of life. Helping them be unique while still doing something constructive is the best way to ensure national assets are being used to their full potential.

Andrew Robinson. Sudden Genius? The Gradual Path to Creative Breakthroughs.
Sudden Genius? The Gradual Path to Creative Breakthroughs by Andrew Robinson
Review by: By David R. Topper Isis, Vol. 102, No. 3 (September 2011), pp. 595-596

When to Avoid and when to Collaborate with Unions?

Unionization is on the decline and are slowly engaged less and less in the market. The era of heavily unionized environments is all but over and is on life support. Despite their weakened state some unions are pushing back for market share in the unionization process. The strategies companies will take are partially dependent on the health of the firm. 

Strategies of union avoidance, collaboration and mixed approaches is often based on the strength of the firm (Cooke & Meyer, 1990). Union avoidance occurs in poor market conditions while collaboration occurs when companies have high profit margins and already have a portion of their plants already unionized. 

It is also possible that  company could opt for a mixed strategy. When a company has a lot of plants, high capital investment and labor intensive skills they are likely to use multiple approaches. At times one plant might adopt unionization while another avoids its completely.

Unionization was once a major part of corporate strategy. Service businesses such as casinos and hotels unionization is becoming more common. The push is to move to more non-traditional businesses in an effort to grow membership, increase revenue and encourage collective bargaining. In today's world it is alive but is shifting form to something that crosses the boundaries between unionization and employment services.  

Cook, W. & Meyer, D. (1990). Structural and market predictors of corporate labor relations strategies. Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 43 (2). 

How to Save Money in San Diego-Ranked the Worst City for Wealth Building

The article in The San Diego U-T by Phillip Molnar outlined why San Diego is one of the worst cities to save money.  You can take a good look at the list on Bank Rates site. With housing prices almost 7.5 times the amount of income it has become a prohibitive place to live except for those with the highest incomes. There are a few things people can do to help themselves.

If your already rich San Diego may seem a little like Dubai. It has posh beach front areas to live and lots of fun activity. If you make an average income the housing prices may be stifling your opportunities to generate income for the future. The business community will need to come to grips with income costs in the area to attract top talent.

If you are already here then you might want to consider saving money and finding a balance between your income and expenditures. Households have a hard time living within a budget. By budgeting housing, food, entertainment, and savings you will help create a more secure future for yourself. Avoid living paycheck to paycheck as much as possible.

1.) Simplify Your Life: Much of what we spend and purchase has little to do with what we need. Reduce stress and simplify your life.

2.) Search Around for Housing: Have a plan for your housing. Some are charging outrageous rates while others are still under the market. Look for single house owners and avoid large companies.

3.) Set up your Retirement and Savings: Make sure you pay yourself first. Set up a retirement account and put money in your savings before paying anything else.

4. ) Do Activities that Don't Cost Much: Much of spending is wasted on expensive activities that have little to no enjoyment over the free ones. Find what you like and put your energy there.

2016 International Conference on Business and Information

2016 International Conference on Business and Information (BAI2016)
3rd to 5th July 2016
Nagoya, Japan

The 2016 International Conference on Business and Information (BAI2016) is to be held at the Nagoya Congress Center, Nagoya, JAPAN, on July 03-05, 2016. The aim of this conference is to provide a platform which focuses on certain important topics of business and information. Detailed information about the conference can be found on the official website. We sincerely invite your participation for this event. Submitted papers will be subject to a double-blind review process. All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings, under an ISSN reference, on CD-ROM support.

Conference Website: http://ibac-conference.org/bai/
Online Submission: http://175.99.76.113/BAI/
Enquiries: bai.conference@gmail.com

Sincerely yours,

Conference Chair
Wenchang Fang
National Taipei University, Taiwan

The Economic Influence of Social Information Networks in Decision Making

Our social networks influence how we perceive information and the economic decisions we make. As new information comes forth it naturally changes the market by changing our awareness and economic assumptions. Judgements are not as individualized as we once thought they were. We are social creatures and much of what we believe and do comes from our social networks.

Information influences our beliefs, our behaviors, and patterns of economic behavior. As information is obtained through our social networks we make decisions on that information by cross checking with others.Our decisions and opinions are only partly ours and instead rely heavily on others. Entire cities and countries will create opinions that lead to cultural behavioral patterns that influence economic outputs.

Many of these decisions rely on the non verbal communication patterns we engage in with others. Facial expressions, comment, and actions help us decipher the codes and languages that bind a culture together and determine our opinions. Much of what we do is embedded in our social network and we a biologically prone to seek out new information. 

Humans are social species that have interaction patterns that shape their behaviors and ways of looking at changes. According to a study in the Journal of Economic Perspectives the spreading of information and subsequent human behavior is based on the density of social clusters, how information is spread/received, and the actions/activities of others within those networks (Jackson, 2014).

Social Network (Jackson, 2014)

Consider how a new market leading invention soon spreads first to those within the specific field and adjusts how they apply knowledge to their working world. New information changes their assumptions and therefore adjusts their thoughts and behaviors. Those who rely heavily on market leading information are first to know and use this knowledge to an advantageous end before it is available for public consumption.

In the scientific fields information is often gained through word-of-mouth, data base sharing and academic journals. The networks become larger and more diverse as the industry and general population begin to be aware the discovery, talk about the discovery, and find new applications to their own needs. Information is received, compared and adjusted as it spreads through the network.

Whether we are discussing a scientific field or general public,  the process is generally the same. New information is heard, digested, compared within the network, formulated into an opinion, and then spread to other people thereby furthering its benefit. It fundamentally changes the market through changing our decision making process and the economic outcomes. Ground breaking ideas create "buzz" that spreads quickly.

Jackson, M. (2014). Networks in the understand of economic behaviors. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28 (4).