Which is More Important for Companies: Educational Attainment or Thinking Abilities?

Education is often an improvement to our lives and helps enrich our thinking. Yet it should be understood that education and thinking are two different things. Someone could have the right thinking processes that lead to new ideas and discovery while another person with multiple Ph.Ds suffers from chronic limited thinking. Why should companies consider hiring those who have not yet been "indoctrinated" from prestigious backgrounds?

Sometimes we assume that the higher education from the most prestigious schools means that they are some how of higher value than others. "Puppy poo" would be a really great way to describe this bias. What it does mean is that they are highly educated, indoctrinated into a previous method of thinking, and came from fairly wealthy families.

Not much more or less can be derived from that.

Those who "think out of the box" are the one's most valuable to companies. I have seen time and time again companies hire the same executives with the same thought processes from the same type of universities. Guess what it brings them? Lost wealth and declining market share!

Lack of diversity kills off innovation.

These individuals, from the "right" backgrounds and clubs, continuously spew forth the same ideas and thoughts over and over until they jump ship and move onto other companies. Once the bottom falls out they are gone because they have use their income, education, and experience to move on. Their inability to create new comes from their inability to create new ways of thinking and mental synapses that connect new ideas.

Who has value for companies?

It is those who think for themselves and explore new ideas. They are the ones who have unique opinions. Every team should have a percentage of people (say 50%) who are not from the same boring background with the same stale ideas. Except...companies rarely see the value in people of lower indoctrination value because they themselves have been socialized to think "within the box".

The Benefits of Offering Intelligence Courses at Online Universities

The need for Intelligence is growing and online universities can fill that market gap in information. Whether that is governmental intelligence or business intelligence information runs our lives. Making strategic decisions and finding looming threats are always important. In today's world much of the theoretical work could be conducted during online coursework making the integration of key information and analysis for strategic decision making helpful to different programs.

Why is intelligence so important? 

The answer to that question depends in part on whether you are into government intelligence or business intelligence. Government intelligence helps find "bad guys" and look for looming problems that might impact national security. Likewise, it looks for holes in the defenses of other nations or the strategies these nations might be using that could harm our country.

General intelligence processes would apply to other businesses seeking to create advantages in the market. Typically, this would relate to the collection and analysis of information. Much of this information could be public by nature and we need to simply understand what we are looking at. Businesses use intelligence information, depending on how you define it, for decisions all the time. Analysts analyze market information, review new patents, seek out partnerships, and buy emerging companies in order to bolster their position.

 How can Intelligence classes be used in college?

If we think of intelligence as the collection and analysis of information for strategic purposes then we can teach different brands of it for decision making, marketing, consumer behavior, investment, etc... It could be either integrated into the current curriculum or it could be a stand along class.

Would intelligence courses have value? 

For an institution intelligence courses as a stand alone program for government and business would make sense as the need for big data and data crunching has grown. It also fits within an emerging trend of STEM and science needs. As intelligence follows key scientific principles the same as what might be used in other fields it is highly relevant.

 What type of curriculum should be included into an intelligence program?

 According to an article in the Journal of Strategic Security intelligence courses should have the following (Luce, 2013): (1) conduct a key assumptions check; (2) ensure the course presentation embodies the principles of intelligence communication; (3) encourage creative freedom; and (4) build in mechanisms for feedback throughout the course.

 Luce, A. (2013). Evaluating and Improving Online Intelligence Courses. Journal of Strategic Security, 6 (3).

Happy Thanksgiving-What it Once Was Like

Today's Thanksgiving only represents the original meal between the Native Americans and European settlers in the remotest sense of the term. In the earliest formations of the nation life around 1621 was very simple andharsh. People starved to death and died from diseases. The natives could be friendly or they could be hostile. In this case, the kindness of the natives led to the present day meal we call Thanksgiving. Without the natives generosity there would have been further death and starvation. This type of feast was celebrated with the Spanish, English, and French at various times during the years. The stories are slightly different but the theme is relatively the same. In some cases people died to a point where more than 80% of the population perished. Some colonies resorted to eating their own dead. New supplies and trade with Natives made a huge difference in longevity. Feasts like this were a thankfulness to God and new connections. Sometimes I think we are removed from our history. We like to create beautiful little stories about Columbus and others who discovered the new world. These stories create a national identity around shared principles. Unfortunately, not all of the stories are accurate. Understanding how we started and the lives we lived makes a difference.

Are Young People Not Willing to Engage The Economy?

I was reading Foreign Affairs and came across an article on how the young may not be as likely to engage with the economy as their forefathers did. There is a belief that their efforts will impact their ability to be successful. Modern economics has helped bring some justification to their concerns. According to the article How Should Governments Address Inequality by Melissa Kearney there are a few things the article helps us to consider. -Europe has more growth opportunities than the U.S. Americans may not have the same mobility they once had and are falling behind other countries. Worse! The opportunities may be moving backward where people are stuck in poverty over the next generation. -To consistently run against a brick wall in promotion is frustrating and leads to passive behavior where hard work doesn't lead to tangible outcomes. Those in the lowest incomes find upward mobility almost impossible. The economy will suffer. -Less risk being taken and less businesses starting damaging overall future growth opportunities. -The author argues that tax reform to close loopholes and unfair advantages to the rich. Tax reform is certainly part of it, and the suggestions of the author are solid as well, yet tax reform needs to be made so business are encouraged to hire people and grow their base. Those who are willing to start businesses also need help. -Solving this problem is not easy. It requires curbing the political-wealthy connections that limit opportunities for others. It also requires helping small businesses grow and develop creating some mobility upward. Kearney, M. (November/December, 2017). How Should Governments Address Inequality? Foreign Affairs,96 (6). pg. 166

1 in 10 Americans Don't Enough Fruit and Vegetables- How to Fix the Problem

According to a study from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention only 1 in 10 Americans eat enough fruits and vegetables. The recommended dosage is 1.5 to 3 cups a day. Because so many people die from diseases that relate to food intake such as heart diseases, obesity, and cancer it is important for us to work on the problem. There are a few things we can do that can help lessen the problem.

1.) Let people know where their food comes from. We are too far removed from the farm and purchase all of our food in stores. Fruits and vegetables competes with less quality foods.

2.) Make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible and cheaper. Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive and trying to purchase then, versus other cheaper sources of foods, can be time and cost consuming.

3.) Mix more fruit and vegetables in our easy to prepare foods. We Americans are lazy and if we want them to eat more healthy stuff then you are going to need to make it easy to prepare.

4.) Teach people how to cook again. Learning to cook improves quality and value of the food.

5.) Encourage people to start home gardens. Get people back to growing food in their backyard as an additional source.

6. Make sure fruits and vegetables are present in all restaurants, buffets, schools and dining.

What Uber Teaches Us About Phone Support

Uber and Lyft are superb services that I love to use and finding myself relying on often. Almost all of my interactions with the drivers and the company have been positive. The cars are clean, fast, and typically prompt. As long as everything runs fine there are no problems. Unfortunately, when it comes to out of the normal issue then the phone number is non-existent. Businesses would be wise to ensure customers can contact them for unique issues.

There is a growing trend to remove the phone number completely and force people into a very simplified decision tree with limited options. Customer support costs money and in an effort to reduce this cost and "pigeon hole" people actions in companies like Uber turn a blind eye to brewing problems. They are not receiving important feedback and information on how to improve their service.

Let us consider my situation where the driver had a hard time following his map and drove around adjacent streets. When he finally found the right street he drove right past us and cancelled. We waved at him and tried to get his attention but he was focused on the wrong side of the street. No stop, no attempt to contact us, nothing !!!When we re-requested he picked up and cancelled again.

Noticing the $5 charge and a little disturbed because of it I attempted to contact the company. I could not find a phone number and eventually used the form. I wanted to inform Uber of the incident and give them some details so they can understand that the driver has some responsibility to stop at the address before charging us.

The form doesn't allow for added information so there is no method on including input on what happened. Once the fee has been rejected, based on false driver information, it becomes more difficult for the Uber representative to reconsider. It is human nature for people to want to be "right" and changing people's minds once a decision has been rendered is difficult to have the person reconstruct a different possibility.

The good news is that once a decision is made there is an opportunity to reply to the representative directly. After pointing out the long-term policy implications of allowing drivers to charge customers for their mistakes I received a positive outcome. The $5 fee was put back into my account indicating that a few people "get it" and there is some hope for humanity!!!!

Taking into consider that cost of customer service and the desire not to deal with all the "chronic complainers" there are a couple of suggestions for companies like Uber to consider when deciding not to have easy to find phone numbers.

1. ) Allow the form to include specific customer input.
2.) At the end of submission allow for a phone number in case the issue isn't resolved.
3.) With a little extra digging allow customers to find your phone number 3-4 clicks into the page once the other options have been exhausted.
4.) Make sure that you are creating as many feedback loops with your customers as possible.
5.) If there is indication that customers are not happy with their ability to contact your representatives consider putting the number back up in a more obvious place.

2018 International Conference on Education and Global Studies

2018 International Conference on Education and Global Studies - Summer Session (IConEGS 2018-Summer) Bangkok, Thailand, August 8-10, 2018 http://soci-science.org/iconegs-summer/ We cordially invite you and your colleagues to participate and submit papers to 2018 International Conference on Education and Global Studies - Summer Session (IConEGS 2018 - Summer) which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, August 8-10, 2018. We welcome submissions from all over the world and we encourage you to join us in Bangkok, Thailand to share your research and knowledge. To submit abstracts/papers for presentation or participate as an audience member, please visit the conference website for more details. 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. Please join us in Bangkok, Thailand for the great academic events. IConEGS will be held together with the other two conferences. These two conferences are BITE 2018: https://soci-science.org/bite LIS 2018: https://soci-science.org/lis The objectives of the conference are: 1. Provide a platform for the researchers to seek further opinions, comments, and suggestions. 2. Contribute knowledge in the fields of Education and Global Studies. 3. Provide wider opportunities for participants to interact and create networking. 4. Deliver your research findings to global audiences. 5. Participate in a truly international, interdisciplinary and intercultural event. Bangkok, the Thai capital, is one of the world's top tourist destination cities. Bangkok's multi-faceted sights, attractions and city life appeal to diverse groups of tourists. MasterCard ranked Bangkok as the global top destination city by international visitor arrivals in 2016 and 2017. All participants not only will have a fruitful stay at the conference, but also an enjoyable stay at the city of Bangkok. Conference Website: http://soci-science.org/iconegs-summer/ Online Submission: https://my-ecase.org/iconegs-summer/ Enquiries: egs.summer@gmail.com Submission Deadline: April 22, 2018 Conference Chairs Yuka Kawasaki, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Japan Conference Co-chairs Lea Caragata, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada Matthew P. Downs, Kasetsart University, Thailand Tony S. Kuo, Shih Chien University, Taiwan George Saltsman, Lamar University, USA