Are Your Communication Skills Holding You Back?

Its not what you say but how you say it that counts. Communication is the root of influence and those who can communicate well can get their needs met within the environment. People who are seeking to advance in their positions are often chosen because they can communicate effectively. Even though communication is vitally important to the workplace peoples knowledge of communication skills is very limited (DeKay, 2012). Changing your communicate with others may just change your opportunities.

To be a manager means that you must learn how to manage and influence other people. Without the ability to communicate properly it is doubtful that you will be able to influence and command the level of respect needed to accomplish your goals. I have seen time and time again managers fail because of the way they communicate.

Most of us are aware of great employees that become terrible managers because they can't manage a team.

Communication takes two different forms that include verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication is what we are trying to say and is expressly provided for the consumption of the listener(s).  When we are clear and concise people are more willing to accept what we have to say.

There is also non-verbal communication. People move beyond our words to the tone, speed, facial expressions, and our non-verbal patterns to determine the intended meaning of the words being spoken. Many of us don't understand the non-verbal cues we give off and how they impact other people and the intended receipt of our ideas.

Improving communication is one way in which we can get promoted. When we communicate well and align our non-verbal communication skills people understand the message better and are willing to act on that information. Future managers central duties are to influence people and ensuring that we are doing so properly raises our opportunities through increased exposure.

DeKay, S. (2012). Interpersonal communication in the workplace: a largely unexplored region. Business Communication Quarterly, 75 (4).

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San Diego's New $3.3B Budget-Does it Make Sense?

San Diego's Mayor Kevin Faulconer  will announce and release his new budget today. Some information is out there already but much will need to wait until it has been officially disclosed. The focus in the budget includes infrastructure, environment/climate, human capital improvements. It is important to see if this budget makes sense and is a balanced approach to the needs of San Diego.

I am for infrastructure improvements. Dilapidated roads and sidewalks take their toll on neighborhoods. Improvement in neighborhood and business infrastructure can make a difference in opportunities for economic growth. Infrastructure improvement should focus on the development of the foundations of the economy and our quality of living.

There is some discussion on keeping libraries open and more employment training programs. These seem like a good idea considering that there are many American families that are suffering to get a step up in life. Community centers offer a safe place for people to enjoy and training raises the human capital of the city which is beneficial for employment.

We only get one environment and San Diego is an environmental city. Protecting parks, improving water management, and create a more aesthetic city is helpful in not only protecting our environment but also encouraging people to invest and stay in the city. We have an opportunity to show what "green" cities do and capitalize on natural interest and local industries.

No budget is going to be perfect. There will be lots of things that can be tweaked and changed. It may not even be enough to meet all of the needs of the city. However, raising the budget without having a sustainable way to pay for it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. We should ensure the budget does the most good and maximize tax payer dollars.

35th International Business Research Conference

FINAL Call for Papers

35th International Business Research Conference

Venue: American University in the Emirates, Dubai, UAE

Organisers: American University in the Emirates, UAE 
and World Business Institute, Australia

Website: www.papsconfo.com 

Email: wasspap@gmail.com 

Conference Theme: “Strands of Development”

Theoretical and empirical papers relating to all broad areas of Accounting, Banking, Finance, Economics, Management and Marketing are invited for the above international conference jointly organized by the American University in the Emirates, Dubai, UAE and the World Business Institute of Australia. This conference is supported by international peer reviewed journals indexed by Ulrich, EBSCO of USA and ERA of Australia and ranked by Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC). Some of these journals are in the process of indexing by Scopus, ISI and Cabells of USA. 

SUBMISSION AND REVIEW PROCESS, FEEDBACK AND ACCEPTANCE NOTICE

Please send full papers and/or abstracts by 25 April 2016 (please note you can submit papers any time before this deadline) via email address: wasspap@gmail.com. All abstract and/or full papers must be prepared as per guidelines (see the link in the left-hand side of the website). Please include author title (such as Mr. Ms. Dr.), the name of author(s) and affiliation of the corresponding author, email address and the field/track of research in the paper itself. Papers which do not contain these information will not be considered for this conference. If you want to publish your paper in our journal, you must send us the full paper. Time taken to inform the review outcome is about 5 days for abstract and 10 days for full papers. Authors needing long time for funding approval must send at least their abstract up to 2 months before the submission deadline. All papers will be blind reviewed before they are accepted.

PUBLICATION IN INTERNATIONAL RANKED JOURNAL 

Best papers will be considered for publication in the following journals ranked by the Australian Business Deans Council (www.abdc.edu.au): Journal of Business & Policy Research, Global Economy and Finance Journal, International Review of Business Research Papers, World Journal of Management and Global Review of Accounting and Finance. No publication fee of any sort is involved for these journals if your paper wins best paper award in these journals. However, outstanding papers will also be considered for publication in the above journals subject to compliance to the editorial comments and payment of paper processing fee. 

Affiliated Journal: 

In addition to the above journals there are 2 Affiliated journals: Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research which is published by Springer and International Journal of Supply Chain Management (IJSCM) which is indexed in SCOPUS. These journals will independently consider high quality papers.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, FEEDBCK, AWARD AND HOSPITALITY

Conference Proceedings:

All full papers and/or abstracts accepted for conference (who register for the conference) will be published in proceedings electronically with ISBN and included in the WBI Digital Library for online access via a dedicated website, www.wbiworldconpro.com and all full papers will be linked to Google Scholar. This website contains thousands of papers from previous conferences and are read by thousands of readers from all over the world. 

Written Reports on Your Paper:

We provide written report on each paper after the conferences so that the author can improve the paper. This service is rarely provided by the other conference organisers. Written feedback is our landmark activity.

Best Paper Award:

This award will be announced from a block of 15 papers in each track and will be published in any of the above ranked journals and a certificate will be issued. All awardees will be awarded Fellowship of the World Business Institute which will allow you to receive discount for future conferences and to serve in the International Scientific Committees and as member of Editorial Board of its journals.

Hospitality and Registration Fees:

This international conference is featured by varieties of arrival, morning and afternoon snack food, tea/coffee and hot working lunch. Conference materials such as bag, note books/pad and pen, printed program book and certificate will be issued to all attendees, session chairs and designated discussants. Basic Registration fee is US $375 and there is 5% early bird discount.

PROGRAM COORDINATORS

Prof. Dr. Miroslav Mateev, American University in the Emirates, Dubai, UAE
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Hoque, World Business Institute, Australia

The Importance of Industry-University Research

Universities are bastions of intellectual knowledge and ability. Innovation seekers clamor around institutions of higher education to gain insight into leading technologies. Not all universities are research oriented but getting industry and universities to work collaboratively on projects can have a significant positive influence on the economy.

Increases in higher education funding has substantial impact on the local economy. According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research an increase in higher education spending of 10% also increased income of local workers by .5% . It may not seem like much as a percentage but multiplied across a city has a large impact.

The same study found that local firms also received significant spill over effects from research innovation. The closer firms were technologically to the university the more they more gained in terms of developmental capacity. Creating closer connections to industry helps develop greater economic outputs through mutual development.

Collaborating businesses and intellectuals from universities can also enhance the spill-over effects of knowledge. The type of research is dependent on the type of university. Business schools might be more akin to large social science industry research or something as small as individual motivation. Universities with laboratories could be working on new technologies.

Industry isn't the only winner in industry-university collaborative research as students also gain access to new knowledge and practical experience that furthers their education. Many of these students end up working for some of the companies they have partnered with. Universities and businesses have something to gain from each other that leads to wide benefits for them and their stakeholders.


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The Lessons of Ethics and "Ethics"

Society exists because we have trust in our most basic institutions and transactions. We assume when we buy an item from our local store that money doesn't go to support illegal activities. In our jobs there is a natural belief that working hard leads to promotion and more opportunities. Ethics and "ethics" come to define the glue that holds our basic business assumptions together.

Ethics is an ideal form that must exist in society if we will continue to be a society. The rules of the road and natural assumptions learned in school and embedded into our fundamental value systems must be maintained. Without mutual agreement with these these basic societal functions we cease to have a nation at all.

"Ethics" is the unwritten codes and rules that pale in comparison to true ethics. It is practical justice and actual outcomes that may have little to do with the needs of society. As "ethics" takes hold it continues to test what is acceptable and unacceptable in society. It is the real life end result of ethical and unethical behavior resulting in rewards and punishments.

We learn from game theory that when people act together they have the highest possible outcomes. Society is a collective of people that act together to form great cities, states, and nations based on shared principles and values. According to game theory the more dominance strategies the players take the more everyone looses when their actions no longer reflect the needs of society.

Ethics tells us we should be honest in our dealings with others and work to fulfill our written and spoken contracts so that business can continue unimpeded. Ethics would have us believe that if I work an hour I get my full pay for that hour. "Ethics" results in additional criteria that is not based on the expectations agreed upon. Ethics is open and honest while "ethics" is a spin and manipulative output.

The problem is that things get pretty complex in real life ethical situations where lawyers and big money get involved. Whistle-blowers learn the lesson of ethics and "ethics" quickly when the reporting of wrongdoing quickly turns into something more like a lynching. People engaged in criminal activity don't often admit their behavior and seek to scapegoat others to deflect their personal responsibility.

The problems don't stop there. Most white collar crimes are punished through a fine which is likely written off as a "business expense" and isn't much of a deterrent at all. Despite the legal structure, the whistle blower must move forward unsupported, unprotected, and in many cases under heavy political, social, and legal scrutiny. Those who do right often suffer the consequences of having a conscious.

My biggest concern is the next generation which will need to test their idealism with the practical realities of the world. As a moral generation that seeks to maximize human potential and eat the fruit of life Millennials will inevitably be plagued by a need to have ethics conform to the belief in a "just" world where people have an actual stake in the outcomes of their community.

We can teach them about ethics in the classroom but few can forewarn them of the "ethics" that plague the system.

Perhaps it is best to keep their innocence for a while so they can run face first into the reality we created. With any luck they can make it budge where we made compromises!

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2016 International Symposium on Economics and Social Science

2016 International Symposium on Economics and Social Science - Summer Session (ISESS-Summer 2016)
Kyoto, Japan
July 12-14, 2016
http://science-techs.org/isess-summer/

2016 International Symposium on Economics and Social Science - Summer Session (ISESS-Summer 2016) is to be held in Kyoto, Japan, on July 12-14, 2016. The aim of this conference is to provide a platform which focuses on important topics of Economics and Social Science. Since more than 20 different countries are typically represented, presenting at this conference is a great way to get feedback from researchers with different perspectives. Detailed information about the conference can be found on the conference website (http://science-techs.org/isess-summer/).

We sincerely invite your participation for this important academic event. Please submit full paper or abstract by May 1, 2016. All submissions will be subject to a double-blind review process. All accepted manuscripts will be published in the conference proceedings, under an ISSN reference, on CD-ROM support.

Kyoto is Japan's capital for more than 1,000 years. Kyoto was the center not only for politics, but religion, philosophy, art, culture, and cuisine. Gion Matsuri is one of the oldest festivals in Japan and one of the greatest. Traditional rituals and events related to this amazing festival are held throughout the month of July in Kyoto. We believe that you will enjoy your stay in Kyoto. If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Conference Website: http://science-techs.org/isess-summer/
Online Submission: http://175.99.76.113/ISESS-summer/
Enquiries: isess.summer@gmail.com
Submission Deadline: May 1, 2016

The Importance of Supporting Small Business Growth

The entrepreneur steps into his shop with coffee in hand and looks over the small room that is his new arena where he will do battle with the market; and with fortitude become its champion.  Motivated partly by necessity and partly be idealism, the entrepreneur thinks of all the possible ways to make a profit. Small in stature but large in bit the small business is an important part of the American economy and its innovative spirit.

The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that during the recession small business job growth outpaced that of larger businesses. They also found that small business acts as an incubator to larger businesses and encourages innovation in society. Those small businesses that work within growing markets found significant growth that outpaced other sectors.

The small business owner with his/r show may not seem that important in the grand scheme of things but is the master of change and job growth. They are highly invested in their business opportunities and do what it takes too succeed. Because they have little or no formal structures like larger businesses they can change quickly making adaptation an easier process.

Because they are smaller they don't have the same political clout as many larger businesses. SMEs don't donate huge bulk sums of money to any individual candidate and are often left out of the political process. Government decisions often ignore the needs of this group and focus more on pleasing larger stakeholders which in tern damages long-term economic growth.

Small business is the backbone of our economy. Large businesses contribute but it is the small business owner that holds the biggest slice of the American dream and can lead our country to change. Encouraging better infrastructure and government decisions that help small businesses connect together to share resources and develop their businesses helps cities and nations adjust and grow to market challenges. Raising their stature and creating the best innovative environment for them can make the difference in future national competitiveness.