Monday 25 February 2013

Net Present Value

In Business studies, Net Present Value theory is covered. it is part of Investment Appraisal and it basically covers the return on investment over a period of time. With inflation through cost of goods sold etc, the value of your money today will be worth far less in the future in terms of buying power. If you ask your Grandparents how much they bought their house for and compare it to the price your parents paid for theirs, there is a huge difference. I am sure you could name a few products that you have bought that have increased in price over time. The point is that one dollar or one pound etc will be worth less in the future. A pound now worth 33p

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Startup checklist

There are many reasons why Start ups succeed or fail. Here are a few reasons to think about when trying to improve your chances of success. Start ups article

Soft Skills

Soft Skills are now regarded as really important in industry. When recruiting, soft skills are often sought after. In examinations, soft skills are often mentioned when discussing HR. This article is a great resource for your studies and as a benchmark for you in your future careers. Soft Skills article.

QR codes

QR codes are the future. If you have a QR reader app on your phone, use it now.


NetFlix and Apple

I have just come across this great article talking about the potential successes of two well known brands and the value of their balance sheets. A great resource for financial calculations, theory and wider issues. House of Cards

Monday 18 February 2013

Stolen Phones

When your phone is stolen, lost or destroyed, it is not necessarily the loss of phone that is the problem but the actual data on the phone. There is the inconvenience of the cost of the phone, but if you have insurance, it is not really a problem as such. Phones are becoming an integral part of our lives, we have contacts, emails, calendars, music, pictures.... on our phones. If your phone got into the wrong hands, how much information would they have of yours? You should back up your information often, but more importantly think about the content of your phone in the wrong hands. Apps are now on the market that allow you to find your phone.

Friday 15 February 2013

Tattoos and Piercings

There are a lot of preconceptions about tattoos and piercings.  In some cultures it is expected. In Samoa, boys have to endure tattoos when becoming men. In other parts of the world, it is a form of expression or a way of feeling affiliated to a group or purpose and therefore a badge of honor. With regards piercings, is it a shock factor, conversation point or a natural progression from having your ears pierced? Either way, when jobs are becoming more competitive to get, these perceptions could inhibit your chances of getting a job. If you are to get a tattoo, make sure it is something that you will never tire of and that you are able to cover it up. Article

Monday 11 February 2013

Reality versus Virtuality

The gaming world is huge business and development is constant. I have often wondered how the really good gamers would stack up in the real world. In the virtual world, they learn the moves, the strategies etc but could this learn't behavior actually transfer into the pressured role of the real world? Flying games and pilots, shooting games and the armed forces and driving games and racing. A story has just come out about the abilities of the racing car gamers, where they were entered into races as an experiment but were deemed too good to race at anything less than pro racing level. Could this be the start of opening up the expensive sport of racing to the masses? Could the next Nascar or Formula 1 driver be an ex gamer who started on an Xbox or PlayStation as opposed top grassroots karting?What do you think?

Friday 8 February 2013

Bullying is bullying regardless of how you do it.

Bullying is an ugly event. I am sure most of you have been on the end of some kind of ridicule. Some people will say that when they were making comments about people, they were only joking, whilst others will flat out admit that they meant every word. Others will be unaware of their actions and ultimately upset people without realizing it. Comments and actions can hurt and you need to be aware of your actions.Kaitlyn Collins was party to the actions of another, leading "trolls" to make unsavory comments about her. Watch this video to see how she dealt with it. Well done Kaitlyn.

Thursday 7 February 2013

Success equals Attitude

Excuses are often free flowing when failure is met. Even worse, many are not even prepared to try and therefore failing before they start. In the real world, failure is actually accepted as long as you try and give it your all. Everyone fails at something, but as long as you learn from the failure and move on, it is often far more beneficial to you than not participating in the first place. Shaqeum Griffin lost his hand at the age of 4 and could have quite easily played the victim and not attempted to realize his potential. Instead he was driven to succeed and has subsequently signed with a college to play American Football. His attitude helped him realize his potential. Hows yours?

Saturday 2 February 2013

Restructuring

With the economy in the state that it is in, businesses are making further cuts in order to survive. With less demand for products and services, businesses have to make decisions on how they are going to move forward in a changing climate. Workforce is generally the first to go and if that is not enough, businesses have to look at other areas. In the past, businesses have had chains of stores, some running at a loss but are only kept open as a form of exposure for their brand. Unfortunately, with decisions to close stores in order to trade another day, many people will lose their jobs, which in turn effects the unemployment rate and competition for remaining jobs will increase. (life is a competition).

How many of these closures are due to new technology changes i.e. downloads etc. Are these closures actually impacting the businesses bottom line or are the only losers in these closures the employees?

Friday 1 February 2013

Psychology of Product in the 4 Ps

A great article both about Lego and a brand of chocolate. This could be related to culture for the BUSS4 or even for BUSS1 marketing.  When we look at marketing and the 4Ps' and in this instance Product, we often think of what the physical product is and not necessarily the experience. When you have your lawn mowed, watch a soccer match, eat a candy bar or buy flowers, you should think to yourself why you bought that particular product and the value placed on it. Article.