The Gig economy offers lots of great opportunities for those who want to pick up some extra work but may not be so great for those who are seeking full-time employment. It is a process of limiting benefits and costs to employers but unfortunately comes at a price whereby job seekers will have a harder time staying fully employed.
During the past recession people had 2-3 part time jobs to maintain full-employment. Not everyone had medical benefits so the concepts of Obamacare was developed. The gig economy was born out of the need to have flexible business costs that can add staff when needed and not renew contracts when they are not needed.
For those who are employed full-time the gig economy can allow them to pick up some extra cash and income. Yet they already have their medical benefits and retirement in works. F'or them it is a bonus to get some extra work.
The other problem is that people are not able to have rights within the workplace. A false complaint and you might not get another contract. Very little recourse in the process. While "at will" employment also touts this issue it can be a little more risky to fire an employee that has otherwise done a great job.
Depending on who you are you will like or hate the gig economy. If you are highly skilled and educated it will work in your favor. If you are lacking skills and need consistent employment you are not going to find much of it out there beyond odd jobs. The gig economy could contribute to the income gap.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
The Problem With GE is that Its Too Big to Manage
Large organizations have economies of scale that make them efficient in their purchasing power and transactions. However, when those internal transactions become more difficult to manage, or expensive, the company begins to lose its competitive edge. Being too large may be GE's biggest problem and they may not be able to untangle.
The problem with GE is that it got really big and all of the different components such as aircraft divisions and electricity are so intertwined it may not be possible to break them apart. Why would breaking them apart be helpful?
Typically there is a healthy spot in size where efficiency is possible but not so large that it begins to look more like a bureaucratic institution.
As size increases beyond the helpful size it becomes more expensive to run. There are inefficiencies in management decision-making, large costs in facilities, lack of innovation, and general slow down in capacities. This makes them ripe for either a major shack-up and revamp, breaking apart, or continuing to decline. Some of the less profitable parts are likely to be sold off.
The problem with GE is that it got really big and all of the different components such as aircraft divisions and electricity are so intertwined it may not be possible to break them apart. Why would breaking them apart be helpful?
Typically there is a healthy spot in size where efficiency is possible but not so large that it begins to look more like a bureaucratic institution.
As size increases beyond the helpful size it becomes more expensive to run. There are inefficiencies in management decision-making, large costs in facilities, lack of innovation, and general slow down in capacities. This makes them ripe for either a major shack-up and revamp, breaking apart, or continuing to decline. Some of the less profitable parts are likely to be sold off.
Why Did Budweiser take Such a Beating? Changes in Trends
Budweiser took a beating but they were not the only one's. Miller Lite and Coors Lite also declined in total shares. The only difference is that Budweiser switched to the number three spot as the industry takes a downturn. There may be some market trends going on here.
-While these industries think of their beer as premium they are now seen as somewhat generic compared to craft beer. Americans are changing their tastes and moving to wine and craft beer. The new generation will likely keep this trend going.
-There is a movement toward the boutique. This is something large businesses might have some difficulty overcoming.
-Trends toward healthy and organic. To be honest these mainstream beers are low in calories and probably healthier for you than many craft beers. They may be able to tout this to their benefit.
-Old Brands. These brands are getting old and loosing their flair. They have lost their specialty flavor that was once associated with European traditions, draft horses, and a simpler life.
-Flavor can be improved. While I find the plain flavor appealing many want something more fruity or citrus oriented like craft beer. They may want to consider blood orange, coastal, and other flavors found in craft brew parlors.
-While these industries think of their beer as premium they are now seen as somewhat generic compared to craft beer. Americans are changing their tastes and moving to wine and craft beer. The new generation will likely keep this trend going.
-There is a movement toward the boutique. This is something large businesses might have some difficulty overcoming.
-Trends toward healthy and organic. To be honest these mainstream beers are low in calories and probably healthier for you than many craft beers. They may be able to tout this to their benefit.
-Old Brands. These brands are getting old and loosing their flair. They have lost their specialty flavor that was once associated with European traditions, draft horses, and a simpler life.
-Flavor can be improved. While I find the plain flavor appealing many want something more fruity or citrus oriented like craft beer. They may want to consider blood orange, coastal, and other flavors found in craft brew parlors.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
When Is it Beneficial to Give the Students the Answers and When is it Helpful to Let Them Search the Answer?
In my college life I have had many different types of professors with lots of different types of personalities. There seem to be some that give you all the answers and some that give you almost nothing to work off of. Laziness or over diligence it all depends on how you look at it because it can sometimes be helpful either way.
Giving too many answers limits the ability of students to solve their own problems. Those students that want to learn will naturally seek out answers and try and raise their grades. Those that don't want to learn won't take the extra step to find something new out.
Here is the problem. In any particular class you are likely to have lots of different types of students. Some that want to learn and will do it in any environment and those that don't want to learn. For the latter, you will need to drag them through the educational process but this isn't necessarily the professor's issue.
Putting comments in the papers and pointing out areas of improvement, where additional help is needed, and where to find information is important. Creating awareness of the issue is important but the student may need to follow up on their own to obtain additional information. That is their job as a student.
The professor's job is not to provide all the answers or make the learning process super easy. The student should struggle a little as they master new ideas. Researching solutions is part of their job. However, it is necessary to impart wisdom and advice and tell the student where they can find additional depth and information as needed.
Giving too many answers limits the ability of students to solve their own problems. Those students that want to learn will naturally seek out answers and try and raise their grades. Those that don't want to learn won't take the extra step to find something new out.
Here is the problem. In any particular class you are likely to have lots of different types of students. Some that want to learn and will do it in any environment and those that don't want to learn. For the latter, you will need to drag them through the educational process but this isn't necessarily the professor's issue.
Putting comments in the papers and pointing out areas of improvement, where additional help is needed, and where to find information is important. Creating awareness of the issue is important but the student may need to follow up on their own to obtain additional information. That is their job as a student.
The professor's job is not to provide all the answers or make the learning process super easy. The student should struggle a little as they master new ideas. Researching solutions is part of their job. However, it is necessary to impart wisdom and advice and tell the student where they can find additional depth and information as needed.
RDC 2018: 4th Annual Rural Development Conference
Call for papers: RDC 2018: 4th Annual Rural Development Conference
19th - 21st of July 2018
Bangkok, Thailand
Enquiries: vilic@tomorrowpeople.org
Website: http://www.rdconference.org
Organized by: Tomorrow People Organization
Tomorrow People Organization is pleased to invite you to our 4th Annual Rural Development Conference, one of a kind international academic conference, offering the unique learning and networking platform, gathering leading experts from academic, corporate, NGO and governmental realms, coming from over 40 countries worldwide.
RDC 2018 will address various topics related to rural development: from agriculture to infrastructure, vocational education, nature conservation, sustainable tourism and others.
Being fully aware of just how the comprehensive understanding of this matter is important for successful and continuous development of every individual, organization and society as a whole, we have designed an event that will address the issues that we all have to face in transforming our ideas into workable, innovative and progressive projects. In order to achieve that, this 3 days event will include both exciting panel discussions and networking activities for educators, professionals and policy makers of all ages and from all over the world.
We also welcome presentation proposals and submissions for publication in the official RDC 2018 ISBN conference proceedings. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling admission basis, as long as space is available, or by June 1st 2018 at latest. Due to limited space in the venue and highly competitive admission process, we strongly encourage early applications in order to secure a spot, as applications are being accepted and reviewed on a rolling admission basis as long as space is available.
We are proud to announce OXFORD BUSINESS GROUP as a Research Partner of Tomorrow People Organization.
Oxford Business Group (OBG) is a global publishing, research and consultancy firm, which publishes economic intelligence on the markets of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. OBG offers comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic and sectoral developments, including banking, capital markets, energy, infrastructure, industry and insurance. OBG's acclaimed economic and business reports are the leading source of local and regional intelligence, while OBG’s online economic briefings provide up-to-date in-depth analysis. OBG's consultancy arm offers tailor-made market intelligence and advice to firms operating in these markets and those looking to enter them.
Oxford Business Group (OBG) is providing:
- Free copies of our publications for conference attendees (each book has a retail cost of £175)
- Opportunity to offer all conference attendees read-only access to our entire archive online for a limited period of time free of charge (each subscription has a retail cost of £500)
RDC 2018 is proud to partner with ONEWORLD, as the official airline alliance of the conference, offering up to 20% discount on airfares to the RDC 2018 participants and accompanying persons.
oneworld, the premier global airline alliance, brings together 13 leading airlines from around the world - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines. Bookings can be made, clicking on the link bellow, or if booked through the travel agent, please make sure you provide the event booking code OW42B17:
http://events.oneworld.com/travel/web/home?meetingcode=OW42B17
For further information on Rural Development Conference 2018 and online application form, please visit the conference's website at:
http://www.rdconference.org or contact us at: vilic@tomorrowpeople.org
Pictures of Castel Sant'Angelo
Also known as Castle of Angels was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian and eventually used by Popes to garrison troops. As a tourist location it is well managed with easy access and improved walkways. You will notice the thickness of the walls and how it was designed more for medieval fighting and cannon ball versus the modern era of combat.
These castles were purposely built on rivers and ports to protect commercial activity. While we believe they were often focused on people it was the commercial activity of the people that seem to be the main interest. Of course, there was also the need to control the population and ensure maintenance of one's power and position.
High Growth of 3% Expected in the US over 2018
According to the IMF we should have significant growth around the 3% range for 2018. A pretty good haul considering we haven't done that well in quite some time over a sustained period. In their quarterly World Economic Outlook they indicated that much of this is due to the corporate tax rate being cut from 35 to 21 percent. There are a few things we can expect from such growth.
-Inflation will rise a little as growth often equals more return on investment and additional cash in the system.
-Employment will likely improve. While we are working at a solid employment rate now we can expect a little tighter labor market.
-New training to meet new jobs will likely increase. As the labor market gets tight and new jobs open up people will need additional training.
While much of this growth is experienced world round and the tax credit is not the immediate direct cause we can expect it to make some influence. With returning investment back to the U.S. the trend of growth is likely to be longer. Not sure what that would be worth without significant investment of time in research previous trends under similar circumstances.
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