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).

Managing in a Bubble-Perceptions of Employee Performance

Performance appraisals are social in nature. It is hard to believe but it is true. People use performance appraisals to determine how they are doing in the organization. A strong performer who receives a low appraisal will be upset and a low performer who receives an excellent appraisal will happy based upon some perceived norm. The performance appraisals validity is based on how well it matches actual performance.

That norm comes to define an average amount of effort. Average effort relates to an average performance appraisal while  lots of effort equates to a better performance appraisal. The same can be said of low performance and a low appraisal. The more comparative to socially approved standards, the more likely people trust the validity of the appraisal.

The perceived fairness is based on distributive justice (Taneja, Srivastaya & Ryichandran, 2015). The employee asks the question, "Does my work justify the appraisal?" If an employee puts in a lot of work but receives a low appraisal they will be upset. If other employees are perceived as putting in low levels of work but receive high rewards it will seem unfair and unjust.

Creating accurate appraisals helps in improving effort through perceived equity and distributive justice. When appraisals are accurate and valid across all members of an organization it creates a culture where performance is met with raises and merits. Employees who trust the validity of a performance appraisal are likely to work harder.

A bubble occurs when different managers rate the same performance differently. Some will naturally focus on one aspect of performance and others will focus on what is important to them. However, all should find some similarity in their performance levels to create cross-manager validity and greater buy in to the measures. The process of development is a collective and social one where people look to each other to gauge the entire system.

Taneja, S., Srivastaya, R. & Ravichandran, N. (2015). Consequences of performance appraisal justice perception: a study of indian banks. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15 (3).

10 Skills Employers Seek from College Grads

Business seek qualified candidates that come with important skills that help them fulfill their job functions.  Employers sought skills like technology, planning, and social ability according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

1. Teamwork.
2. Make Decisions and Problem Solve.
3. Communicate Well.
4. Plan, Organize, Prioritize.
5. Obtain and Process Information
6. Analyze Quantitative Data.
7. Technology
8. Computer Software Use.
9. Create and Edit Reports.
10. Sell ideas and Influence Others.

It is important for people to develop the proper skills that lead to greater employment opportunities. Skills can be gained through formal education, personal study, job experience and training. Employers are seeking candidates that graduate ready to compete without having to spend on additional on training. 

The Traits I Look for in a Manager?

Managers have an important role in an organization. As matter of fact, without managers, all of the pieces might not come together to a cohesive conclusion. Managers are so important than they influence everything around them. The traits I look for in a manger are experience, social, reflective, analytic, and creative abilities.

Experience: It is hard for managers to give solid advice and make business decisions unless they have some experience with the fields they are working with. Some management experience can be applied in multiple fields.

Social: Social and emotional intelligence is important if we want managers to influence and motivate people. It is a skill that helps people understand how to relate and deal with other people. It takes time to learn how to effectively work within a network.

Reflective: This is a meta-cognition skill that develops over a lifetime.  Managers that can reflect on their decisions and behavior become stronger. The highest developed managers can self-reflect on their own though processes and step outside of themselves to view themselves.

Analytic: The ability to weigh, compare, adjust, analyze and build. Managers should be able to use their rationality and logic to solve problems and understand situations. Their methods should be testable.

Creative: Creativity is the ability to create new associations and connects to solve unique problems. Creative people can think about things in different ways that allow them to excel and advance the business.