Business. --- .See also: Economics. --- 8/2/2001
Business. --- .This section is about business. Topics include: ( ) Contra big business and corporations. ( ) Business principles. ( ) Philosophy and business. Business ethics. ( ) Psychology and business. Personality types and business. ( ) Sociology and business. Corporate cultures. ( ) What. ( ) Why. --- 1/24/2006
Business. --- (1) What is business? Definitions of business. (2) Why do business? Why study business? Why is business important? (3) How important is business? --- 9/15/2005
Business. --- A better product, at a lower price, delivered faster. --- 5/25/2006
Business. --- Accounting. (1) Accounting for any area, any factor, any time period. (2) Accounting for what, how, why. Account for everything bought, sold, from who, to who, when. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Accounting. Ways to gather, order, and present data. Types of data to gather. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Accounting. When you have convinced yourself (rightly) that accounting is fascinating, then you have accomplished something. --- 08/24/1994
Business. --- Analyzing a company. (1) Check its history. (2) Assets vs. profits. (3) Stock amounts and performance. (4) Top man: stability, competence. (5) Philosophy, culture, and plans. (6) Market share, size, growth rate. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Annoying business idioms: Going forward. On the same page. Leverage. Adding value. Skill set. --- 6/24/1998
Business. --- Anyone can run a business, the trick is to do it well. Get a good idea (ethical, profitable), and make it grow with best tools. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Bad business and good business. (1)(A) Mindless hypercompetiton. Overproduction and overconsumption. Vs. (B) Sustainability. (2)(A) Overwork vs. (B) Balance of work and other areas of life. (3)(A) Lying, twisting and spinning in advertising vs. (B) Truth in advertising. (4)(A) Opaqueness in accounting vs. (B) Transparency in accounting. (5)(A) Ruthless competition to the point of monopoly vs. (B) Fairness in business practices. (6)(A) Thinking short term profits vs. (B) Thinking long term development. --- 10/13/2004
Business. --- Big business. (1) Pro: economies of scale, increased standardization of product, service, admin. (2) Contra: too much power and control, politically over government, or psychologically/sociologically over people's minds. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Big business. Are all large corporations bad? Are all large corporations only concerned with their own interests? Do all large corporations have a strong influence on government, at the expense of the masses? This is along the lines of Noam Chomsky's view. Are large corporations out of control, or does the public have ways of controlling them? --- 11/30/1996
Business. --- Big business. Computers allow economies of scale which yield superstore chains and the big corporations that support them. One criticism is that these corporations run amok, unmonitored with no responsibility. Another criticism is that big corporations are hierarchical and bureaucratic to the point where workers experience alienation and a lack of freedom. Must it be this way? Can corporations be socially and environmentally responsible? Can corporations give workers maximum freedom and help keep the environment clean? Must all corporations succumb to the negative traits of monopolies? Remember, not all small businesses are perfect. Small businesses can be just as exploitive as big businesses. --- 4/11/2001
Business. --- Big business. Do large corporations do anything good? Yes. There are three main sources of progress: government sponsored research, business funded research, and academic funded research. All three make important contributions. --- 11/30/1996
Business. --- Big business. History: the corporation developed out of advances in communication and transportation. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Big business. Seems like only big corporations are left after the dot com crash. Computers make possible superstores and the big corporations. Computers make possible the number crunching and fast communication that make possible the big corporations. It seems like big corporations want to make money above all else, at any cost. Its true that small companies can be as unethical as big corporations, but big corporations have more impact, influence, power, and effect than small companies. Big corporations tend toward economic oligopoly and political oligopoly. --- 8/30/2001
Business. --- Big business. Top corporations in U.S. and world. Money makers (profits). Total assets. (If your revenues are huge, but costs are huge to, that is bad. If profits are few, but assets are huge, that is ok.) Number of people employ. Number of people supply goods to (% of market share). How important your product is. How good your product is (quality). --- 11/30/1996
Business. --- Big business. The corporation has needs, a power, and a momentum all its own. One person in the corporation cannot stop the corporation. It is group thinking and group action. --- 1/6/1998
Business. --- Brands. A brand is all the attitudes associated with a company and its products. Many consumers become obsessed with brands. Many consumers needlessly spend extra money to buy certain brands. Brands are often advertised through the use of logos and slogans. Corporations brainwash people into accepting and desiring brands through the use of repeated exposure of logos and slogans. Be an anti-brand person, be a no-logo person. --- 4/30/2007
Business. --- Business education: accounting, finance, production and operations management, economics, math (business apps), law (business law), computers. --- 03/26/1994
Business. --- Business education. Accounting, finance. Economics and managerial economics. Marketing. Environment: political, legal, science, tech, culture. Organization behavior: psychology, sociology, leadership. Math for business. Computers for business: dbase, telecomm, ai (es, dss). Business law, business ethics. --- 08/24/1994
Business. --- Business education. Business school makes you tough. Deal with opposition without cracking or running or giving in. This is a noble thing. Doing it purifies you. Makes you hard, lean, mean, strong. Battle, fighter. --- 11/15/1994
Business. --- Business education. Defense of business mba. No matter what field you go into, the product is given to the public through business, and knowledge of business is important. --- 08/24/1994
Business. --- Business education. Philosophy of business, views of business. (1) Pro: the mba is tough to get and theoretical. Ethical and selfless. (2) Contra: the mba is easy to get and purely practical. Machivellian money grubbers. --- 04/01/1994
Business. --- Business education. The illogic of MBA's for everybody. If there is a 1:10 ration of management to workers, then for every ten workers there is one low-level manager, and for every ten low-level managers there is one mid-level manager, and for every ten mid-level managers there is one upper-level manager. Thus, for 1000 workers there are 110 managers. So if only 10% of the workforce is management, why do 90% of people feel compelled to pursue an MBA? Because everyone feels compelled to take a shot at becoming a manager. --- 4/30/2004
Business. --- Business is boring unless you are on top, or on the cutting edge. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Business is competitive, stressful, with authoritative "master and slave" relationships, and with little independence. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Business is repetitive and boring. Each transaction is the same. Each unit of product is the same. Each customer is the same, seemingly. It could all be done by automat. Uniformity abounds. Mechanized. Inhuman. --- 7/31/2006
Business. --- Business is serious because on the line is careers, families and money. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Business principles, old and new, good and bad, by functional areas. (1) Operations Management: improve or innovate products or processes. Lower costs, improve quality, automate and computerize. (2) Marketing: give all positive informational points of the product with positive emotional appeal. Guarantee, advertise, and motivate sales staff. (3) Financial: borrow at low rates, reinvest in the company, get up to minute information. (4) Management: psychological and sociological principles. --- 12/01/1993
Business. --- Business principles. (1) How can I motivate my workers? (2) Improve technology. (3) What are current and future problems? (4) What are we doing? (5) How improve quality, productivity, and efficiency? (6) Keep an eye on people. (7) Know their job, what do, how do. (8) Know if they are doing it. (9) Know what to do if they're not. (10) Maintain and increase worker productivity. (11) Deal with problems and conflicts. (12) Deal with people, stuff, money. (13) Figure out what you have to do, and how to do it. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Business principles. (1) Information. Get it accurate and current. To find niches and to attack competition and defend self. See which way consumers are headed. Forecast change. (2) People. Treat them fair. They must like and trust the company. Make them smarter. Empower them more. (3) Technology. Computers, computers, computers. (4) Money. Have enough for daily operations. Have enough for emergencies. Do not let free money just sit there. Forecast the economic environment. Forecast your business activity. --- 01/01/1993
Business. --- Business principles. Strategic decisions: What make, how make, how sell. Alternatives available: (1) Expand markets, find new markets. (2) Change size, change structure. (3) Commit more resources: men, money, time, materials, machinery. (4) Change or develop new tools and technologies. (5) Prevent or solve problems and mistakes. (6) For product or process: improve effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, flexibility, response time, quality, speed, price, practicality, accuracy. (7) Find cheaper or more efficient materials, parts, machines, labor. (8) Sell more to each, find more customers. (9) Reach more people (advertising). (10) Better product, new product. (11) More knowledge, better decisions, better actions. (12) Improve quality, improve value. (13) Keep costs down, lower costs. (14) Charge most possible: to turn out greatest profit. (15) Get a niche and a key advantage. (16) Tactical decisions. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Business sub-areas. (1) Finance: money in, out. (2) POM: stuff get, send. (3) MIS: information get, send. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Businesses succeeding because of their ideas (product or service) vs. succeeding because of their business practices (management, finance, marketing, etc.). --- 09/26/1997
Business. --- Case study. Sugary Sweet Breakfast Cereals: a business case study. (1) Sugary cereal. Lots of people eat it. It tastes good. Its not good for you. Its expensive. (2) Breakfast cereals developed around the year 1900 when Kellogg and CW Post. Even until the 1970's people ate a lot of no-cook, prepackaged cereal with milk in a bowl. Not oatmeal, which was cooked, and was more a 1940's thing. In the 1980's people began to eat more granola. Then in the 1990's people started eating more bagels and muffins. And cereal bars. But for a long time people ate boxed cereal with milk. (3) Kids especially ate a lot of cereal, especially Saturday morning while watching cartoons. A cereal "world" developed. A cereal semiotics developed. Many cereals had mascots. Many cereals had slogans. Many cereals had jingles. These were serious branding efforts by manufacturers. (4) Cereal is big business. Talking lots of money in cereal. Charging three dollars for a thirty cent box of cereal. And everyone is eating it. (5) "Cereal wars" developed between competing cereal manufacturers, and also as competitive grudge matches between cereal brand mascots of the same manufacturer. For example, kids were urged to vote for either Quisp or Quake. The big cereal manufacturers were Kellogg, Post and General Mills. Many competing manufacturers had similar products with different names. Many cereals had prizes in them. Many cereal boxes had text messages or interactive games. Cereal was the first thing a many people saw in the morning. The cereals were not especially healthy, many having high quantities of refined sugar. There was a concern that all the sugar was making kids hyperactive, overweight, and rotting their teeth. They prices of the cereals were very high. The cereals were marketed to kids during the commercial breaks of the Saturday morning cartoons. (6) In summary, breakfast cereals are an example of business strategy and tactics. I.e., What to sell and how to sell it. Marketing strategy: give the public what they want, even if its not good for them, as long as the corporation can make money from it. The strategy and tactics of the cereal manufacturers include: (A) Market directly to the kids. Get them hooked while they are young. They don't know any better and can't form a counter-argument. (B) Build a brand for the product. Build brand recognition with a mascot, a slogan and a jingle. Sell the brand image, not the product. Brainwash them with repetitive commercial pitches. (C) Charge high prices. (D) It does not have to be healthy. Make it taste good, even at the expense of health. Pump it full of artificial vitamins to claim it is healthy. (See the Outline for a list of cereals). --- 9/16/2005
Business. --- Co-ops. A cooperative is when the profits of a business are shared equally. One argument for co-ops is that the workers and customers deserve more say, more power, in business than we currently have in corporate dominated America. And that when workers and customers have more say in how a business is run, the result is better for everyone. Another argument for co-ops is that workers and consumers deserve more economic reward than currently provided in corporate dominated America. Instead of having a system where a few individuals and corporations profit off the work of the many, we should have a system where more economic value is given to workers and consumers. Business schools should teach about co-ops, but they usually don't. PART TWO. Types of coops. (1) Customer co-ops. The customers are the owners. The customers share in ownership of business by getting stock shares. The customers share in profits by getting lower prices. The customers share in decision making by voting for representatives or by voting directly on issues. (2) Worker co-ops. The workers are the owners. The workers share in ownership of business by getting stock shares. The workers share in profits. The workers share in decision making by voting for representatives or by voting directly on issues. --- 7/20/2004
Business. --- Company man, kissing up to improve lot. Union man, struggle to improve lot. --- 2/15/2006
Business. --- Competition. (1) Intra-company competition. (A) You are trying to move up. (B) Others are trying to get your spot. (C) Competition against past and present standard setters, regarding production, accuracy, behavior and attitude. (2) Those trying to get into your company. (3) Competition of your company in the market: other companies vs. your company. (4) Other people in other companies. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Computer used for (1) Records of past. (A) Orders received, orders filled, orders shipped. (B) Inventory by date, type, by alpha order, most to least, dollar amounts. (2) Control of present production activities. (3) Forecasts of future. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Computers and how they change business. CAD/CAM. JIT inventory. Distribution. Marketing: statistical surveys. Finance: software. Point of purchase scanners, upc. Computer customized manufacturing. Gather data on customers. Project management software. Delivery tracking (fed ex). Tele-conferencing. Client server. Dtp. Dss, ess, mis. --- 08/14/1994
Business. --- Computers, Internet and business. (1) Computers and business. How do computers change the way we do business? (A) Speeds things up. (B) Greater communication. (C) Handle greater amounts of data. (D) Makes possible bigger companies. Mergers. Mega-corporations. Concentration of power. Too much power. (E) Makes possible bigger retail stores. Superstores. Wipes out main street. (2) Internet and business. How does the Internet change the way we do business? (A) Workers don't have to be on site. Work from home. Tele commuting. (B) Customers don't have to be on site. Tele shopping. (C) How is running an Internet business different from "bricks and mortar" businesses? (D) Types of Internet businesses. B2B. B2C. Catalog online. Customer buys online. --- 7/20/2004
Business. --- Computers. (1) Information systems by business areas: executive, marketing, finance, accounting, and production. (2) Information systems by business levels: executive, mid-level, and operational. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Computers. (1) Intra-firm information. (2) Extra-firm information: Economic (industry, competition), political and legal, technology and science. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Computers. Principles: what information, for who, when needed, why needed, what form needed, how get it, how give it? --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Contra big business. (1) Big business influences government too much. Big business ends up being represented in government instead of the masses of people who are supposed to be represented. (2) Another problem with big business is that big business has big dollars. Big dollars control the minds of people by buying advertising space. (A) They not only, through advertising, brainwash and train people not to think about the important things in life, they also train people not to think at all but rather to accept/believe and conform. (B) They also use advertising to lie, manipulate and hide the truth by diverting attention with smoke and mirrors. Advertisers pitch a lot of unimportant junk. By doing so they steal the public's attention from the important things in life, which is unhealthy for people. (3) A counter argument is that big business is no different than any other large organization, like special-interest groups or the government. They are all powerful and tough to control due to inertia and self survival instincts. --- 7/21/1998
Business. --- Contra big business. (1) Corporate drones. Their job is all they have. It is everything to them. It is of utmost importance. It is all that matters to them. It is their world. It is first in their minds. It is all they care about. (2) Corporate life. It is all about power, control, turf, responsibility, money, advancement, respect, competency, excellence, hierarchy, pecking order, rivalry, competition, one-up-man-ship, territory, possessiveness. --- 6/24/1998
Business. --- Contra big business. Big business is like a government. The big problem is the status quo fat cats on top sucking the system dry and screwing it over. In business, like politics, you need to have democracy, a way to peacefully change the leadership when it goes bad, without destroying the system. --- 09/15/1993
Business. --- Contra big business. Corporate America. The people are not that bright. The work is not that hard. The work occupies all your time. The work is all that the people think about. --- 11/30/1996
Business. --- Contra big business. Corporate fraud. Worldcomm. Enron. Tyco. Healthcare South. Corporations run amok. Corporations bilking stockholders, customers and the general public. These are the limitations of the free market. These are abuses of corporate power. --- 10/7/2003
Business. --- Contra big business. Corporate scandals. Enron. Worldcom. Tyco. The inability of corporations to adequately monitor their own ethical behavior. The inability of the free market to adequately monitor ethical behavior. --- 11/15/2003
Business. --- Contra big business. Criticisms of the corporation and corporate man. (1) Gave his life, soul, heart and mind to the corporation. (2) Identical to co-workers, conformist, gives into peer pressure, group think. (3) No independence, no free thinking, no individualism. (See Weber on bureaucracy and organizations). (4) Old boy network, conservative rich snobs hoarding power. --- 5/15/1998
Business. --- Contra big business. In the near future they will probably market a sweet, colorful, caffeinated, nicotenated, alcoholic beverage. It will be the color and flavor of bubble gum and it will be marketed to kids by a clown. --- 6/22/2001
Business. --- Contra big business. It's not only that the corporation acts in its own self interests. It's more accurate to say that the executives of the corporations act in their own self interests. Screwing the worker. Screwing the customers. Screwing the stockholders. Screwing the environment. That is what a totally free market produces: injustice. A few people ruining it for the many. --- 2/28/2002
Business. --- Contra big business. Monopoly is to business what dictatorship is to government. They both suck. --- 5/15/1998
Business. --- Contra big business. Super chain store town. Walmart. Kmart. Home Depot. Staples. Comp USA. Circuit City. B&N. Small town America abandoned. Small town life extinct. Super chain store life everywhere. Small town America becomes mall town America. Small town America gets mauled. --- 1/1/2002
Business. --- Contra big business. The attitude of big business toward the consumer: "We have to keep them stupid so they buy our junk. If they get smart they will figure out that they don't need our junk. So let's do nothing to promote their education and enlightenment. In fact, let's subtly value stupidity and devalue education. We can do this through advertising. Glorify the couch potato. --- 1/24/2002
Business. --- Contra big business. The national chains of superstores. They all look the same. They destroy the diversity of the built environment. Things become less interesting. They make life more boring. They also reduce choice, and thus reduce freedom. They smack of monopoly. At these stores you feel like you are "in the machine", going through the system. --- 5/10/2000
Business. --- Contra business. (1) Business views money as the highest value. Money is not the highest value. (2) Business has an attitude that says, "Do anything for a buck". (3) Business is about mindless materialism. (4) Business is about conspicuous consumption. Pigging out. Big houses, big cars, big meals. In the face of health of self and earth. (5) Business is about workaholics. --- 6/5/2004
Business. --- Contra business. (1) The worst of capitalism: The belief that the market is always right. Sell whatever sells, even if it is junk or poison. Give them what they want. Value money-making over the true and the good. Mindless production and mindless consumption. (2) The counter-argument is that people should be free to buy what they like. The market is about freedom. However, I say that I refuse to go along with the advertisers pitch and become a mindless consumer. And I refuse to fall into the machine, the system, and become a mindless laborer or mindless producer. --- 5/15/2000
Business. --- Contra business. Business is repetitious, boring, non-thinking, non-creative. --- 5/13/2004
Business. --- Contra business. Criticisms of business. Inherent dangers and biases of business and business education. (1) Mindless production. (2) Mindless consumption. (3) Excessive corporate power. (5) Lack of consumer rights and safety. (6) Lack of worker rights and safety. (7) Pure capitalism leads to monopoly and exploitation of workers, consumers and environment. (8) Environmental impact. Technology and money at expense of environment. (9) Under-values theory and intellect. (10) Under-values arts and sciences. (11) Under-values the role of government. (12) Marketing run amok. Too many commercials. To many corporate logo's and slogans. Too many advertisements. Builds needless wants and desires. (13) Under-values cooperation by labeling cooperation as liberal, socialist or communist. Fails to realize that cooperation is a useful and important social value. (14) Under-values ethics when it takes a "buyer beware" attitude. (15) Focusing only on business can create imbalanced, half-baked, specialist people who only focus on one aspect of life. --- 9/22/2000
Business. --- Contra business. Examples of business exploitation. Musicians exploited by their business managers and business agents. Musicians cheated out of their rights and royalties by unscrupulous businessmen. --- 11/12/2005
Business. --- Contra business. How people are persuaded to be good little capitalists. A message is broadcast, often implicitly, that the best thing you can do is make money and spend money. A message is broadcast, often implicitly, that the best thing you can do is start your own business, work all day long at business, and then go shopping on the weekend. The capitalist system promotes production and consumption, and at the same time philosophy, psychology and sociology are ignored or deemed of lesser importance. The capitalist system promotes capitalism and builds little capitalists. The capitalist system demurs from self critique. --- 12/5/2005
Business. --- Contra business. More corporate scandals: Healthsouth. Parmalat. --- 1/21/2004
Business. --- Contra business. Overemphasis on business (production and distribution) in America. Overemphasis on consumption in America. At the expense of personal health, the environment and social justice. --- 12/30/2003
Business. --- Contra business. What is the role of business in modern society? What is the role of business in America? (1) Corporations. Corporations have too much power and too little accountability. Corporations exploit workers, customers and public. (2) Money. People are addicted to money. People are slaves to money. People value money above all else. People use money as the sole criteria of value. --- 7/20/2004
Business. --- Contra corporations. One megalo-mart wipes out an entire main street of shops including a pharmacy, bakery, deli, flower shop, seafood store, produce store, dairy milkman, butcher, cheese shop, shoe store, clothes store, sporting goods store, appliance store, record store, hardware store and toy store. --- 3/10/2004
Business. --- Criticisms of business. When your highest value is money, or when your only value is money, then you have become a nation of grocery clerks. You sacrificed many other important values for the sake of a buck. --- 7/26/2006
Business. --- Critique of business. (1) Americans over emphasize and over value business. Americans under emphasize and under value non-business activities. (2) Doing anything to make money, including useless and meaningless and hurtful activities, is a bad thing. (3) Americans glorify business. Americans glorify money. Americans idolize money all out of proportion. The answer to all of life's problems is not business. Money, the dollar, riches, is not the solution to all of life's problems. Money is not the only, nor the best, measure of things. Free markets are not a panacea. Measuring success by wealth is a mistake. Competition is not the answer in every case. Pure capitalism is not the best nor only way. --- 9/13/2005
Business. --- Critique of business. America makes the mistake of thinking business is everything, or even the most important thing. --- 4/16/2006
Business. --- Critique of business. Business people, for example, business marketers, want to make money and get rich. They often do not care what they sell, as long as it makes money. They often do not care if what they sell is helpful or harmful, as long as it makes money. Some people will pay any price to get rich quick. If there exists a thing that is helpful but has no monetary value, then most die hard capitalists will not be interested in it. The problem is that many business people try to put a monetary value on everything, and then try to sell everything, and then ignore anything that cannot be sold. That is a big mistake on the part of business people. --- 2/19/2007
Business. --- Critique of business. Some of the wrong arguments implicit in talk about business. Some wrong attitudes that some people have about business. Unfortunately, some people feel and think the following ways about business and money: "Its important. Its good. Its the right thing to do. Its the only thing to do. Its the best thing to do. You have to do it. Its what respectable people do. Its valuable." --- 2/10/2007
Business. --- Critique of corporations. (1) The corporations have lots of money. The corporations have almost all the money. Thus, corporations are one of the few entities that can, if they so decide, afford to pay people a living wage. However, very often today the corporations decide not to pay employees a living wage. It is injustice when rich corporations to decide not to pay workers a living wage. (2) Alternatively, sometimes the corporations decide to pay their employees a living wage, in which case workers look around and then say to themselves, "The only employers paying a living wage are the corporations, so I better start slaving for the corporations, even if it is not what I want to do with my life, because I want to make a living wage." Thus, workers become slaves to the corporation. --- 2/6/2007
Business. --- Critiques of business. (1) Business is boring. (2) Business is empty, shallow, callow. (3) Money, alone is worthless in and of itself. (4) When the pursuit of a dollar slowly but surely becomes what your life is about then you are lost. (5) When they convince you that the best and only thing to do is to get an MBA degree, and you cannot generate any alternative ideas, then you are in deep doo doo. --- 9/13/2005
Business. --- Critiques of business. (1) Business often exploits and oppresses workers. (2) Business often pollute the environment. (3) Businesses often defraud investors. (4) Businesses often defraud consumers. (5) Businesses often defraud the public. (6) Businesses, if left to their own devices, have a tendency to abuse power. --- 9/13/2005
Business. --- Critiques of corporations. The biggest corporations. The richest corporations. The most powerful corporations. The most heedless corporations. The most ruthless corporations. --- 9/13/2005
Business. --- Critiques of sales. Talk them into it. A good salesman can sell them what they don't want, don't need, and can't afford, said Audrey. And remember the ABC's of selling. Any Bastard Can do it. --- 4/2/2006
Business. --- Current situation. Top world corps, top national corps. Top in industries. Top individuals. How they rose to the top. What was their competitive advantage? How they fell. What was their weakness? --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Customer service. Customers want interest, effort, optimism, and confidence. --- 05/27/1993
Business. --- Customer service. Two philosophies and the spectrum. (1) We never want to see you again: be crude. (2) Long term customer: be nice. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Do not give your money to a system that does not promote environmental sustainability and social justice. Give your money to businesses that do promote environmental sustainability and social justice. --- 1/4/2006
Business. --- Elements of business: people, money, materials, and technology (tools and techniques). --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Finance. Strategic: when to borrow, invest, save, and how much, and using what specific tool? Tactical: picking stocks and bonds. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Four types of business knowledge: (1) Textbook knowledge. (2) Current real world situation knowledge. (3) Job specific knowledge. (4) Anecdotal knowledge. --- 11/01/1994
Business. --- History current future. Current. The big issues in business today is computers, which cause the restructuring of tasks, jobs, and the business organization. Also global competition, global cooperation, and global communication. --- 09/15/1993
Business. --- History current future. Cutting edge business is global, computerized, service based (not product based), information based, and uses knowledge workers. --- 06/30/1997
Business. --- History current future. Future of business. (1) More computers. (2) Flatter companies (less middle management). (3) More competition. (4) Quicker. (5) More flexible. (6) Knowledge workers. (7) Customer orientation. --- 12/30/1995
Business. --- History current future. Future trends. The Internet cuts out middlemen and physical retail outlets. Computers downsize business. --- 12/29/1997
Business. --- History of theory and practice of economics, business, organizations, work, trade, production, money. World wide, country, industry, company, product. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- How best to run a business given (1) Size (profits, stuff, people). (2) Industry (size and type). (3) Environment (society and natural). --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Human resources. (1) Standards for performance. (2) Measurement (quantitative and qualitative) of performance. (3) Rewards and sanctions. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Human resources. Different individuals are suited for different jobs. Get the right stuff, the right personality type, for the right job. Too wild vs. too tame. Too tough vs. too sensitive. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Idea. Boycott restaurants with pictures of gangsters, real or fictional, on the wall. --- 11/23/2004
Business. --- Idea. Instead of flight simulation games they should have games that mimic air traffic controllers landing more and more planes. --- 12/29/1998
Business. --- Idea. Napsack: a knapsack that comes with a small pillow and a blanket. --- 10/22/1998
Business. --- Ideal. What would an ideal business, economic and work situation look like? (1) Workers would be given a fair wage. Workers would work reasonable hours. Workers would work in a safe workplace. (2) Businesses would be ecologically sustainable. (3) Monopoly would not be permitted. Monopolies exploit the worker because the worker has no where else to work. Monopolies exploit the consumer because the consumer has no where else to buy. (4) The power of corporations would be limited. Corporations would not have undue influence on government. Corporations would pay their fair share of taxes. Government would not be the pawn of corporations. (5) Consumer safety and consumer rights would be protected. (6) Women would get equal pay to men. Women would be hired for the same jobs as men. (7) Child labor would not be allowed. (8) Sweatshops would not be allowed. (9) Business would be more transparent. Financial statements would have fewer loop holes. (10) Corporate boards would be more responsible to stockholders. (11) There would be limits or caps on executive pay. (12) Marketing would be truthful and honest. Businesses would not produce and sell junk. Frauds, cons, swindles and scams would be shut down. (13) The above are some traits of a just, fair business world. This situation has not been reached yet in either the USA or the rest of the world. --- 10/19/2004
Business. --- In any business or industry, what is the situation? What technologies using? How efficient? How fair? --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Levels of business environment: personal, corporation, national, and international. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Most important ideas about business: sustainable business, fair trade business, green business. The way Americans conduct business needs to be improved. --- 4/30/2007
Business. --- Most important ideas. (1) Business is ubiquitous and necessary, and thus it is important. (2) Business is not that complicated nor interesting, and thus it is boring. --- 4/23/2002
Business. --- Operations. (1) Analytical methods. (2) Procedural methods. (3) Forecast and planning methods. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Operations. (1) Costs: time, manpower, materials, and space. (2) Inventory: on order, getting in, got, sending out, and sent. (3) Maintenance: how often, costs vs. savings. (4) Purchasing: what, how much, when, from who, what type of payment. (5) Producing: goods vs. services. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Operations. Adaptability, flexibility, speed. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Operations. Manufacturing, production, inventory and warehousing, shipping and receiving, transportation, maintenance (preventive, repair), safety. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Operations. Principles: efficiency and productivity. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Operations. Security for what, from what, how, what cost. Safety and security to protect money, stuff, people. Methods: guards, cameras, bugs, inspections, reports, verbal and written warnings, fingerprints, security checks. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Operations. Simple methods for simple situations, complex for complex. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- PART ONE. Some of the incomplete, half-baked arguments that people put forward to try to defend business, money, material possessions, capitalism, free markets, and competition. (1) Everyone should own their own business. (2) Everyone should climb the corporate ladder. PART TWO. Arguments against business, money, material possessions, capitalism, free markets, and competition. (1) Money is not the only value. Money is not the highest value. (2) Over-consumption is is a bad thing. (3) Free markets are not a cure all. Free markets have problems all their own. (4) Capitalism is flawed. (5) Competition is not the only way, nor the best way. (6) Most business is boring. --- 11/28/2006
Business. --- Philosophy and business. Business ethics. Business people are accused of ignoring life and ethics for a dollar. --- 03/26/1994
Business. --- Philosophy and business. Business ethics. Excessive consumption of useless crap (food, clothes, jewelry, cars) vs. thrifty use of good stuff. --- 07/30/1993
Business. --- Philosophy and business. Business ethics. If you don't know what you want, they will try to sell you whatever they have. If you don't know what the fu*k you are doing, they will recognize it, and they will walk all over you. --- 11/17/1988
Business. --- Philosophy and business. Business ethics. Restaurants. Distributive justice. What is fair, standard size burgers or portions based on how much you weigh? Is it fair that a small person gets 20 mouthfuls and a full feeling, and a large person gets 10 mouthfuls and goes hungry? Are you paying for the product, or an enjoyable taste experience and a feeling of fullness and nutrition to stay alive. --- 11/30/1996
Business. --- Philosophy and business. Business ethics. Unfair business philosophies. (1) Buyer beware. (2) It aint illegal if you don't get caught. (3) What they don't know won't hurt them. (4) I don't know nothing. (5) I don't want to know nothing (look other way). (6) No guarantees, no returns, no refunds. (7) Rip-off customer, high prices (customer knows), bad product (customer may not know). (8) Do anything for a buck. --- 09/20/1993
Business. --- Philosophy of business. If there is a philosophy of economics, then is there also a philosophy of business? Economics is a science. Business is a technology. Philosophy of business: Business ethics. Business metaphysics. Business epistemology. --- 1/7/2003
Business. --- Political laws define the business environment. --- 8/15/2005
Business. --- Politics of business. (1) What kind of business should society allow? What kind of business should society not allow? There should be laws to protect consumers. There should be laws to protect workers. There should be laws that prevent monopoly. There should be laws that prevent the rampant abuse of power by corporations. (2) There should be global business laws. There should be global standards of business conduct. There should be global labor unions that battle sweatshops in every country. Global business laws would help prevent abuses of power by multi-national corporations. --- 5/14/2007
Business. --- Problems and mistakes: (1) Timing. (2) Lack of information. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Problems with workers. (1) Lazy. (2) Incompetent. (3) Corrupt. Thieves. --- 5/21/2006
Business. --- Progressivism and business. Start a Progressive business that pursues environmental sustainability and social justice and does not focus primarily on the pursuit of money. --- 5/5/2007
Business. --- Progressivism and business. Think of an idea for a business. The product or service that the business produces should be good for the natural environment, healthy for humans, socially responsible, and promote social justice, promote economic justice, and promote political justice. --- 3/3/2007
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. (1) Business types: I dislike both. (A) Go-getters. Brash, loud, risky, pressuring, sleazy, cheap, quick buck, killing to make buck, entrepreneurs. (B) Conservatives. Buttoned down, bankerly, quiet, calm, dastardly, keep it hidden, traditional, reputation to uphold, dogmatic. (2) Artist types. Crazy: intuitive. Sane: craftsman, workerly. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. (1) Corporate culture: pros and cons. (2) Entrepreneurial culture: pros and cons. --- 3/29/2002
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Business people are serious, care about money, are unartistic, competitive, brown nosers, unemotional, handle stress well. Business is antithetical to my personality. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Business social interaction pathology. (1) People are expected to be polite to each other. So they do not tell each other what they really think of each other. They end up telling other third party people what they think of the first person. This ends up as gossip at best and character assassination at worst. They are not honest, open, forthright and brave. (2) Also, people are expected to talk only about business. They are expected not to talk about anything else in life, or their personal views, or anything meaningful. --- 7/31/1998
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Business sociology = business psychology + business psychology. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Corporate culture. Development of what corporate culture by who? Effects on individual: good and bad. Corporate philosophy. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Corporate culture. Healthy vs. unhealthy. Who sets it? What can you do about it? --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Entrepreneur vs. organization man. (1) Entrepreneur: (A) Risk taker. (B) Big ego (big id). (C) Independent, loner. (D) Maverick, rebel. (2) Organization man: (A) Risk avoider. (B) Ass-kisser (big superego). (C) Social. (D) Conformist. --- 9/25/2000
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. I feel like I'm in slavery, boredom, trapped. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Interpersonal relationships. Nature, purpose, types, mechanism. Types: superior, coworker, subordinate. Dislikes, conflicts. Affect on work. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Knowledge of business, from standpoint of different people like worker, manager, owner, customer, supplier, regulator, consultants, contractors. What you need to know changes with position and situation. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Left wing vs. right wing type businesses. Personalities they attract. Ex. education (left wing) vs. military (right wing). --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Must have both the outside (image), and inside (knowledge and character). --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. My personality. Antithetical to seriousness. Antithetical to business. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Psychological traits of managers and workers, good and bad traits. Adaptability, flexibility. Decision making. Consistent, stable, coolheaded. Assertive, go getter. Drone, clone. Analyze, prioritize, judgment. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Robust, healthy individuals (physically and psychologically), needed for stressful, competitive, fast paced, hard working, long hours environment. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. The business world and organizations in general claim to value stability, dependability and uniformity, yet office politics is full of game playing, lying, secrecy, actors, costumes, etc. --- 9/20/2002
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Two forces in business world. (1) Women cut out for business: drone work. Into stability, into security, civil, docile, quiet, cooperative, compliance, passivity, obey, scared. (2) Men cut out for business: entrepreneurs, tough, aggressive, competitive, driven, brave, hunger. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Two types of business people. (1) Entrepreneur. Inventor. Innovator. Independent. Leader. Be your own boss. (2) Organization man. Bureaucratic. Social. Follower. Team player. Tradition. Employee. Laborer. Punch in and punch out. --- 4/14/2002
Business. --- Psychology and sociology of business. Valued business qualities (of a business, or a person, or product). (1) Consistency, reliability, productivity, effectiveness, efficiency, quality. (2) Consistency in work produced, behavior, psychology. Consistent, cool headed, stable, driven, tough. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Public relations. (1) Control of information leaving firm: secrecy, lies. (2) Controlling the media. (3) Handling crisis. (4) Image creation, maintenance, changing. (5) Image of product, of organization, of individual. (6) Measuring it in public opinion. Demographic breakdown. (7) Statements by pr dept., answers by pr dept. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Questions for all of businesses. Questions for a functional areas. Questions for all specific businesses. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Real life examples of (1) Successful ideas and traits vs. (2) Failures, problems, mistakes. (3) In business, in a situation or market. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Related subjects. (1) Psychology: individual worker in business. (2) Sociology: business effects on society vs. society influence on business. (3) Philosophy: business ethics. (4) Technology: technology fosters business vs. business fosters technology. (5) Politics: laws governing business vs. business influence on politics. (6) Math: quantitative methods for business. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Research and design. R and D (see tech, engineering): develop a model, test it. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Rules. (1) Formal vs. informal rules of organization. (2) Laws of society vs. norms of society. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Size of business and its effects: small, medium, big. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Specific businesses: amount of profits, people, growth rate. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Techniques. Demeanor: unflappable, polished, always look, act, and speak confident, knowledgeable, honest, tough but fair, just, friendly, energetic, hardworking, morally fit, rich, smart, good-looking, superior. Sell yourself and you company. Handle standard situations, new situations, crisis situations smoothly and well. Never let them see you sweat. Make complex decisions (many factored and stepped) under time and social pressures well. --- 09/01/1994
Business. --- Techniques. Don't act dumb, giddy, lost, childish. Do act adult, serious, conservative. --- 08/14/1994
Business. --- Techniques. Don't look stupid even if you are smart. Look smart even if you are stupid. --- 08/24/1994
Business. --- Technology. Does the technology work? Does it work enough to make final product? Does it work enough to be competitive? --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- Ten general business principles. Ten principles for each functional area (finance, marketing, etc.). Ten principles for each industry. Ten principles for any size business (organization). --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- That people will work seems inevitable. That people will trade the products of their work seems inevitable. That people will use money to facilitate trade seems inevitable. What is not inevitable is the unchecked abuses that occur in the above three activities. --- 5/21/2006
Business. --- The capitalists, the corporations, do not want anything to be free of charge. The capitalists want to monetize everything, and that is a bad idea on the part of capitalists. --- 3/8/2007
Business. --- Two annoyances. (1) Rebates suck. CompUSA, Circuit City, Staples, and Office Depot all sell most of their computers with rebates attached. Rebates are a waste of time. Here is a rebate joke: What were the last words of the oldest living person in the world? "My rebate check finally came in the mail." (2) Quantities are VERY limited. CompUSA, Circuit City, Staples, and Office Depot all run sales that offer low prices on items that are rarely in stock at the store. Then customers waste their time by driving to the store to buy sales items that are not in stock. --- 12/16/2006
Business. --- Types of business. (1) Raw materials industries. (2) Product makers. (3) Services. (4) Distributors: wholesale, retail. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- What changes in social, economic, and political environment behoove what changes in business (in general, and for specific businesses)? --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- What do we want to do? Change a process vs. change a product. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- What. (1) Pro: business makes and distributes stuff. (2) Contra: hippies etc. (A) Business exploits environment and people. (B) Business promotes cloneism and droneism. (C) Business is overly materialistic, money grubbers. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- What. (1) Why is business important? Because our very lives depend on business (hospitals, supermarkets, etc.). Because we spend one-third of our lives at business (when we are working). Because it employs billions of people and controls billions of dollars. Because we make thousands of business transactions in our lives (when we buy stuff). Because even non-profit organizations are run like businesses. Because even the government is run like a business. Because our personal lives are run like businesses (exchange nature of sociology). Because money (and love) make the world around. Because we all have to make a living. (2) Due to the fact that business is so pervasive, and so big, it is important to do it well (fairly and efficiently). It is easy to do business wrong. List the problems: (A) Rape of environment. (B) Exploiting workers. (C) Rip-off customers and business partners (suppliers etc.). (D) Intimidate or squeeze out competition (monopoly). (E) Cozy up to government (campaign finance laws), or intimidate government. (3) Business is simple. They try to make business seem complicated in business school, but business is not complicated. --- 7/21/1998
Business. --- What. Big business affects many people greatly. Potential for unethical activity is enormous. Society itself functions or operates through business (economic exchange). --- 02/04/1994
Business. --- What. Business is a medium. Business gets stuff to the people. --- 11/16/1997
Business. --- What. Business is an unavoidable part of life. Business is a big part of life. Business needs to be done well. Business is important and worth studying. --- 11/15/1994
Business. --- What. Business is conservative. Organizations, institutions and bureaucracies are conservative. Change in business organizations is difficult. Change comes from individuals within the organization, or from environmental forces outside the organization? --- 10/23/1993
Business. --- What. Business is everything, business is great vs. business aint shit, business sucks. --- 12/30/1992
Business. --- What. Elements of business. The study of business is basically just the study of the interaction of money (accounting, finance, economics), people (psychology, sociology), and technology (operations research, operations management). --- 09/24/1993
Business. --- What. Most business is routine, and boring, with little change. --- 07/30/1996
Business. --- What. Pro. What good does business and the study of business do us? (1) Competition can spur excellence. (2) Practical problem solving. Not being lost in theory. (3) Value of money. Not to over-value nor under-value money. To know what money can and can't do. "Money can't buy us love", as the Beatles said. (4) Economic man. Attention to employment and inflation. (5) Technological man. To recognize how scientific knowledge is transformed into technological solutions that are transmitted to the people via business transactions. --- 9/21/2000
Business. --- Why is business important? Because business (work) is one of the fundamental activities of man. And work is technology (tools and techniques) and ethics. And we should understand the development of work, and the choices we have available, and the reasons for any choice. Our knowledge of ourselves and the world influences the development of business. And visa versa, the development of business influences our knowledge of ourselves. They affect each other. That is why business is important: (1) We all do it a lot, and (2) It shapes us, and can help us learn by doing. --- 12/30/1995
Business. --- Why study business? Study business because its easy to do business wrong. --- 5/21/2006
Business. --- Why study business? To know the part money plays in our world. And to know that money is not the sole value we have. Yet to recognize the part that money plays, especially in the relationship between knowledge, money and power. --- 9/21/2000