Quality of Beach Improves San Diego Tourism Revenue

Beaches are a significant draw for the economy and for the local people. The quality of the beach can have an impact on the economic contribution of tourism. Even though we might not think of it this way a beach is like a service were visitors expect a certain quality and maintenance level.

People pay for anything that meets their desire. Beaches offer an alternative tropical life very different than what most people are accustomed with. Vacations and fun are a service just like any other. 

Without meeting customer expectations they will naturally consider other options and may not come back to visit the region. The revenue spent in restaurants, hotels, clothing and entertainment will go with them.

According to a study published in the journal Contemporary Economic Policy beach choices, and the amount of money people spend, is related to issues like beach width, water contact, pavement, sand quality, etc. (Pendleton, et. al., 2012). The same qualities of service preference also applies to bathroom cleanliness, grooming, safety, facilities, and surrounding shopping.

San Diego is a tourist destination and its beaches are part of its eco culture that contributes such industries such as fishing, biotechnology, military, etc. Beach quality has a direct impact on the economy of the area and is relatively easy to maintain when compared to other types of improvements. Keeping San Diego clean and working toward a more sustainable future should be everyone's goal.

Pendleton, L. et. al. (2012). Size matters: the economic value of beach erosion and nourishment in Southern California.

Burn the Degree and Keep the Knowledge

Students are focused on the degree. How can we blame them? Employers are also focused on the degree as a benchmark of knowledge. The degree is certification of learned knowledge and what it stands for is more important than the GPA. It is possible to burn the degree and keep running a business with the knowledge learned.

We see this process occur when students push for every grade they want but didn't necessarily put in the time to earn that grade. When explaining that giving an easy A won't help them learn they roll their eyes and ask to raise their grade again. Love the persistence but if it was placed on the process of learning it would be better time spent.

The employer also gives too much emphasis to the grade when making hiring decisions. If someone is on the honor roll, even if it means nothing, they are of higher quality than a person in the B range who gained more knowledge. The first impression of the grade point average can be a difficult to overcome.

Let us go back a few hundred years and see the fallacy of believing too much in what is written on a piece of paper. Image if you were considering to two candidates to manage your farm. One had a nice looking piece of paper saying they learned, didn't seem to know what they were talking about, had little persistence, and gave up as soon as something gets difficult. The other didn't have this fancy paper but knew what they are doing and were persistent through difficulties.

Of course if it was your money you would choose candidate two. We have become removed from the idea of knowledge versus the degree. It is important to interview candidates, and view the entire person, their challenges and skills in obtaining objectives. If you find a graduate with persistence and character over someone with a high GPA you may have just hired your next star performer.

Ideas for Staying Cool and Beating the Weather in San Diego

It is hot outside and it doesn't matter if you live on the coast or inland. For those who live in the deserts the weather is going to be miserable all the way through Monday evening.  If you enjoy hot water whether than you have nothing to complain about, but if you are addicted to the mid 70's there might gripe. For those who want something to do in this oven called Global Warming here are a few ideas.

1. Go to the beach.
2. Go to shopping in the air conditioning.
3. Hit a matinee.
4. Visit the library.
5. Take a boat tour.
6. Museums love visitors.
7. Spend time with your family.
8. Watch TV.
9. Get an iced coffee and browse the internet at your local cafe.
10. Play sports indoors.

Leadership on the Brink

Leadership is not for the faint of heart. Great followers rarely make great leaders and those that think they are leaders often fail under the most difficult situations. Leadership moves beyond puffy self concepts and social perceptions and hits the core of a person's soul. Great leaders come from within and are not associated with rank, wealth or position.

If we think about histories great civic and military leaders almost all of them came from moderate to humble backgrounds. Few would have mustered the strength if they lived in the lap of luxury and didn't need to strive and work to accomplish their goals. Great leadership may have innate skills but is definitely forged through the fire of life.

Leaders may come from anywhere. Notable leaders seem to have the trait of creating changes out of no where. It was their time. Research has shown that in difficult situations emerging leaders strive for excellence, team-build, have a vision, have purpose, are sincere, are caring/empathetic, self-sacrificing, and have self-efficacy (Bangari, 2014). 

They know they can't do it on their own and will need to tap deep to find the courage and strength to chase down a problem. As they gain momentum people will gravitate toward their cause and build momentum. As more people get involve the vision begins to change people's thoughts and actions creating a new way of looking at the world. 

Where the average person thinks about their own needs the leader things beyond their biological urges to tackle bigger problems. They realize there is a more important game at stake and they have a responsibility to take the reins and do something about it. When they do come forward they can make big changes. 

Sometimes they do not tap into their sources until pressured to do so. This pressure could come from a combat situation, a failing company, or any other high pressure situation. The specific situation is less important than the actual motivators that push underdogs to perform. These forces come together in different ways to create an environment where higher performance is likely.

Helping Students Apply Business Theory

Business theory is an important part of higher level college. Graduate schools churn out graduates that will hopefully have the skills needed to rise to executive status where significant decision making power is concentrated. In today's world, company decision-making requires a higher level of analysis and application of theoretical principles to real life scenarios.

Abstraction is not easy for students. Students find it easier to see, touch, and smell the items they are working with. Models and theory require the ability to think creatively and abstractly. You can't touch it so you must envision it within your head. This requires the ability to create images and associations to formulate a picture of what is going on.

Models are created to explain some event that is occurring in our environment. If an experiment produces a positive outcome it is possible to start creating theories that apply to similar situations. The model is used over and over to either support or deny a theory lending or taking credibility over time.

For example, a researcher develops a model that could potentially improve productivity and successfully applied that model to solve a problem.  Another company sees what is happening and applies that model again successfully. Eventually a theory develops that can be used to explain and predict outcomes.

Applying theory is important for executives. They will face unforeseen problems and will need to use their strategic thinking skills to solve them. How does one create a strategy if they can't research what other companies are doing, find new solutions, and apply those solutions? If they cant do this their utility as an executive are limited.

Graduate school is sowing the seeds that will make it possible for graduates to be high end users of existing theory by knowing how to apply models to their workplace. Teaching application of abstract ideas to concrete situations is helpful in showing students how to use modern knowledge to solve practical businesses dilemmas. If a school does this well their graduated will have market demand as companies seek employees with the capacity for higher performance.

4 Factors that Make San Diego a Great City for Business Meetings

San Diego is fast becoming a popular city for meetings and conventions. According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune a technology company called Cvent ranked San Diego #4 in the country for meeting popularity (as cited in Weisberg, 2015).  What makes San Diego a great place to conduct meetings rests on 4 factors of Hospitality, Accessibility, Recreation, and Restaurants.

Few people pick a meeting spot in rural Alaska unless they are trying to engage in some corporate team building exercises. Instead they option for places like San Diego and Florida because they love the weather and fun that goes along with the resort style culture. The location hits the top of the list in desirability.

Hospitality: Tourism, hotels and resorts are already great attractions. There is little wonder why people prefer San Diego to other places. They are not coming only for the business meeting but all of the perks associated with such meetings.

Accessibility: San Diego is easily accessible with its airports and ports. Not only is there excellent foot traffic accessibility but also public transportation. Ride Sharing, Cabs, and alternative transportation are available for those visiting without cars.

Recreation: Once the meeting is over people want to do something fun. From downtown to the beaches there are plenty of activities and events. You can't get bored in San Diego!

Restaurants: If your looking for great places to eat San Diego offers some of the best selection of cuisine. Old Town, Gas Lamp, and Little Italy are some of the favorites. You might consider whale watching and dining tours.

Weisberg, L. (August, 12, 2015). San Diego No. 4 in U.S. for meetings. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/12/san-diego-top-meeting-convention-destination-us/

Reducing Stress by Focusing on Each Day

Life can be stressful and we make plans, and more plans, and more plans but find we are still subject to the powers of fate. Goal setting and daily objectives is a great way to get ahead; research supports their utility in long term success. Keeping focus on each day helps to reduce the stress from all the "what ifs". Plan and move on.

Planning for life and emergencies is helpful. We plan for our futures, make vacation plans, project plans and strategic plans. We can even make contingency plans where X or Y will receive response M and Z. If four factors are together then we can have option S over F.

Highly developed strategic planners can make contingency upon contingency and have an entire operating system mapped out. The only problem is that sometimes life throws curve balls by bringing in unknown factors in combinations few could foresee. In such cases you just have to deal with it.

Make reasonable plans and then live each day like it is your last day. If you have the mind of a strategist then make a few alternative back up plans and then start living those plans. Focus on putting one foot in front of the other and on things that happen each day while temporarily not worrying about unknown futures.

 Be confident in your skills to handle these unknowns when they occur. Planning reduces these fires but one must still be in the present to reduce the cognitive load associated with calculating and recalculating. Stress is beneficial for motivation and getting over small events but can be difficult over the long run.