Investigating and Solving Business Problems

Business is about solving problems. These could be customer problems, operational problems, market problems, financial problems or any other problem. Some problems are easily solved with a little effort but many require in depth explanations and understandings.

Businesses are like people in that if they ignore their problems they will compound and not be able to functional at their highest performance.

Consider a business that is top heavy and has a greater impetus to focus on its imbalanced structure but fails to work on the bottom line. While this may not seem like a problem when the organization is running well, it becomes a bigger problem later on as the organization can't keep up with the market.

Researching the process of decision making, salaries, structure and how these impact market performance could be beneficial. Each company and problem will be unique.

Researching business problems are conducted in a similar way to a scientific study. The researchers should come in with a single research question and not have any bias toward possible findings. As they begin to answer the pieces of those questions they come to understand the nature of the problem itself and adjust their focus until they have an adequate explanation and conclusion.

Research can be exploratory or quantitative; sometimes it uses both. When problems are not well defined it is beneficial to use exploratory methods but when the problem is already known, or found through exploration, a quantitative approach might be better to pinpoint a solution. Mixed methods are commonly used in the natural environment of business that can't be taken out of their context to study in a lab.

Can Surfing be Part of Your Fitness Program?

Surfing is a sport that takes a great amount of balance and core strength to do well. Not only does it provide a solid cardovascular workout it also uses a number of muscles that will improve your physique. As you swim out to the next great wave, push yourself up on the board, or try and maneuver you will find yourself engaging in all types of pro-fitness activities.

Triceps, biceps, deltoids, trapezius, rectus abdominis, latissimus dorsi, and obliques are just some of the main muscles used. You will get as much exercise on your board as you do in the gym but you will feel good about it and have fun.

Beyond major muscle groups it takes considerable effort to stabilize yourself on the board. This means that many of the smaller muscles are being impacted as well. These are the muscles ignored in the gym.

Balance and flexibility are helpful as you get older. Keeping yourself on the board helps your muscle groups work together and maintain their flexibility by adjusting itself.

If you are looking for a way to balance out your body building routine and hope to improve overall shape and reduce your fat then surfing is helpful. Combining with swimming, muscle use, and stabilization improves overall fitness and balance. Why not have some fun and work out by surfing?

2017 International Conference on Education San Diego

San Diego, California, USA

OVERVIEW
The Clute Institute, established in 1985, hosts the International Conference on Education (ICE) to promote excellence in academic research.

Please join us for the 2017 International Conference on Education San Diego. The aim of the conference is to provide an opportunity for researchers to present their ideas, proposals, or completed research in all areas of education. Since 30 to 50 different countries are typically represented, presenting at this conference is a great way to get feedback from researchers with a different perspective. An extensive list of acceptable topics is available on our website. A peer review is available upon request. 

CONFERENCE VENUE

This year we are returning to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Diego – Mission Valley located in the heart of San Diego. In addition to the International Conference on Education, we are also hosting an International Academic Conference on Business which will be held concurrently; one registration covering both. 

INQUIRIES

Inquiries: contact@cluteinstitute.com 
Web address: http://cieducationsandiego.com

Stocks Rise and Optimism Abounds

Stocks rise and optimism abounds as indications that governments will continue monetary policy easing, job reports are high, and oil prices jump forward. At the highest point since 1999 all three indexes rose (SPX, DJI, and S&P). Maintaining access to credit in a growing economy seems to be fueling optimism and investment.

Optimism can make a big difference in investments and stocks. When people feel the market will be in their favor they will take more risks and buy stocks in an effort to increase their wealth. As a herd, the more people who feel optimistic, the more they will buy increasing wealth for many.

This runs well until people become pessimistic about the market. Events from around the globe can easily impact the American economy and visa versa with the rest of the world. When investors sell they do so in a way that decrease economic activity and can lead to market loss.

There are natural fluctuations in the market that are mostly unpredictable. Investors seek assurances such as rising employment, consumer purchasing behavior, government actions, and world activities to determine their next investment steps. Optimism is not an irrational belief but based on selective attention to market indicators.

Some investors are definitely better at picking out trends in the market and knowing where to invest their hard earned money. Even the best can make mistakes and readily admit them out loud. At present the market is turning to indicate a stronger economy is abounding and government is willing to continue the risks of quantitative easing.

Success? Tips for Knowing Nothing and Being Wise!

Death of Socrates

Socrates was deemed by the Oracle at Delphi to be the wisest man on earth! He claimed no knowledge nor that he knew anything. He only sported a methodology for understanding the shifting internal and external worlds by using reason and argument to ferret out truth.  That wisdom still applies to our decisions in life, education, business, or investing.

People who enter into a situation with pre-existing beliefs end up biasing the information they see and understand. Their very perception filters what is noticeable to them and what is not. Preconceived notions make them blind to all of the truths and alternative views.

The problem is that when we have already made a conclusion about a topic we begin to mentally filter out competing information. We see this occur when people argue a topic but fail to acknowledge any good alternative points.

To be wise means to listen first, make a conclusion second, and speak third. We must understand the nature of the topic and explore possibilities before we come to a final conclusion. Being open-minded and actively listening provides us the opportunity to understand ideas before they are solidified into a conclusion.

Tips for Knowing Nothing:

1.) Don't go in with any assumptions or conclusions.
2.) Listen intently.
3.) Ask questions.
4.) Understand all sides of an argument.
5.) Let information and data support your conclusions.
6.) Be open to the possibility that your wrong.

Four Traits of Successful Businesses

Successful businesses require a significant amount of work and care. It takes time and care to develop a way in which to fill gaps in market needs. Strong businesses have a few traits they consistently work on.

1. Businesses that seek new needs in the market and work to fill those needs by adjusting their products and services for greater alignment.

2. Strong companies hire talented people and then help them maximize their opportunities to achieve.

3.  Efficient organizations continually align their internal processes and procedures to minimize cost and maximize output.

4. Companies learn to learn by using an egalitarian approach to management and being open to new ideas.

Daily Market Indicators not the Best for Investing

The market on a daily basis not be the smartest approach to understanding stocks and market changes. Investors often scour the Internet for news in order to determine if sales are down, trends are forming or market adjustments likely to occur. The problem with this approach is that it is too narrowly defined and doesn't leave enough perspective to effective long-term decisions.

Opening the paper and seeing stocks slightly down, home prices up, consumer spending increased, or any other marker indicator can blind us to what is actually occurring. Market indicators sway based on factors that are difficult to understand and decipher on a daily basis. This means that too much focus on daily market changes can lead to recency bias in decision making.

Recency bias occurs when a narrow focus on information leads to a belief that trends are formulating that were not necessarily found in long-term trends leading to poor decisions to buy, hold and sell stocks. When one steps back and sees the long-term trends they realize they cannot worry about the short-term but should focus more on the historical outcomes.

Stocks are specific. You either invest in this particular company or you don't. Large industrial investors regularly seek to invest in a battery of companies based on long-term trends. For example, if you believe cell phones will adapt and become even more important in the future the daily fluctuations are of less concern.

The method of picking stocks or making changes should not be so short-sighted that it forgets the benefits of holding. Short-term trades often result in loss based on cost and daily social trends that don't result in meaningful growth. Medium and long-term traders often do better as they search out developmental changes in products and mass social changes in product choices.