Blame Game: Does Firing ‘Bad’ Employees Really Solve the Problem? | Business News Daily

September 3, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Businesses shouldn’t be so quick to assign blame to employees when problems arise, new research finds. Rather than dismissing a problem as the result of one employee’s incompetence, businesses should look deeper to find the root of the problem, according to a study recently published in the Academy of Management Journal.

“Concentrated failures prompt narrower attributions of responsibility, which, whether accurate or not, ultimately lead to less thorough investigations and fewer of the system-wide changes that are typically required to address organizational performance problems,” wrote Vinit Desai, the study’s author and an associate professor of management at the University of Colorado, Denver.

How New Doc “Deep Web” Shines A Light On The Dark Net | Fast Company

September 3, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Earlier this year, Ross William Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his involvement with the dark net drug market Silk Road. Ulbricht was slammed with all seven of the charges brought against him, including computer hacking, drug trafficking, money laundering, and even what’s known as the “kingpin” charge, which is more commonly doled out to cartel leaders and mafia members. Serious crimes? Yes. Worth life in prison? Director Alex Winter doesn’t think so.

In his documentary Deep Web, Winter gains exclusive access to Ulbricht’s family and key operators of Silk Road for an engaging breakdown of one of the most seminal cyber cases in recent history. Winter wades into the murky allegations of Ulbricht’s murder-for-hire plots, the mystery of Silk Road ambassador(s) “Dread Pirate Roberts,” and the raging debate over online anonymity and the cryptocurrency Bitcoin to extract a narrative that breathes humanity into the nether regions of the web and challenges how the media covers and the government prosecutes cyber crimes.

Now You Can Buy Stuff Online Without Paying Up Front | WIRED

September 3, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

IN RECENT WEEKS, the online retailer Overstock.com started testing a new checkout service from a Swedish company called Klarna. Through Klarna, people can purchase stuff from Overstock simply by typing their email address, their shipping address, and maybe their phone number—no credit card required. The idea is to streamline e-commerce as much as possible, and according to Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, it works quite well. In testing Klarna’s service, Overstock saw a measurable uptick in sales on mobile devices.

“It saves you from having to key a lot of stuff into your phone,” he says. He estimates that the service will account for $100 million in sales next year for Overstock, a company that reported $1.5 billion in revenue in 2014.

Thinking About Buying a Franchise? Know the Limits! | All Business

September 2, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Starting your own business is both an exciting and terrifying prospect. Many people choose to take a more financially secure path by purchasing a franchise. Purchasing a franchise buys instant brand awareness and a ready-made system of operations that offers real benefits to first time business owners.

But like any business decision, it is important to think about potential problems when you consider buying a franchise. Here are some of the limits of franchising that any potential business owner should consider:

3 Strategies to Give Positive Customer Service | Getentrepreneurial.com

September 2, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Article Contributed by Dr. Joey Faucette

The relationships you have with your customers are the most important assets you possess. Easy to understand and take care of, right?

But do you?

As I travel, I encounter a great deal of customer service and disservice. I discovered 3 Strategies to Give Positive Customer Service from some positive and negative experiences.

Listen

As my assistant made reservations for my stay, the Marriott property had obviously listened to previous patrons and anticipated my needs. They asked,

–“May we pick him up at the airport?”

–“Will he want a ride to his meeting?”

–“May we return him to the airport?”

It was if they anticipated my every need. “We care” was the message.

Any Amazon Prime customer can now buy Dash buttons | Mashable

September 2, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s been five months since Amazon announced the Dash button, a physical device slightly larger than your thumb that lets you orders more goods with a single tap. Now, the Seattle tech giant is taking the Dash button out of the invite-only stage and making it available to all Prime customers for purchase.

Prime customers can purchase Dash buttons for $5 each starting Wednesday; the company will credit you for the cost of your first button.

The company is also expanding the number of available button types -– one for each brand partner -– from 18 to 29. The additional 11 brands include Ziploc, Dixie tableware, Hefty trash bags, Finish dishwashing detergent, Depend diapers, Ice Breakers Mints, Orbit gum, Greenies dental chews, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products, Digestive Advantage probiotic supplements, and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% whey protein.

15 Critical Habits Of Mentally Strong People | Forbes

September 1, 2015August 31, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We all reach critical points in our lives where our mental toughness is tested. It might be a toxic friend or colleague, a dead-end job, or a struggling relationship.

Whatever the challenge, you have to be strong, see things through a new lens, and take decisive action if you want to move through it successfully.

It sounds easy. We all want good friends, good jobs, and good relationships.

But it isn’t.

It’s hard to be mentally tough, especially when you feel stuck. The ability to break the mold and take a bold new direction requires that extra grit, daring, and spunk that only the mentally toughest people have.

It’s fascinating how mentally tough people set themselves apart from the crowd. Where others see impenetrable barriers, they see challenges to overcome.

When Thomas Edison’s factory burned to the ground in 1914, destroying one-of-a-kind prototypes and causing $23 million in damage, Edison’s response was simple:

“Thank goodness all our mistakes were burned up. Now we can start fresh again.”

Edison’s reaction is the epitome of mental toughness—seeing opportunity and taking action when things look bleak.

There are habits you can develop to improve your mental toughness. In fact, the hallmarks of mentally tough people are actually strategies that you can begin using today.

The Couple Who Quit Their Ad Jobs to Travel the World Ended Up Poor and Scrubbing Toilets | Adweek

September 1, 2015August 31, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You remember Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger, the South African couple who quit their agency jobs this year to travel the world and document the experience. It sounded like a dream, and the lovely Instagram photos have made it look like one.

But halfway through their year-long odyssey (they’re currently in Athens, having traveled 25,000 kilometers so far), they’ve posted a reality check on their blog—a post titled “Why We Quit Our Jobs In Advertising To Scrub Toilets”—in which they share “the uglier side of our trip.” It turns out that following one’s dream—while working odd jobs in exchange for room and board—involves a lot of dirty work, and more than a few tears.

“The budget is really tight, and we are definitely forced to use creativity (and small pep talks) to solve most of our problems (and the mild crying fits),” Cartell writes. “Don’t let the bank of gorgeous photography fool you. Nuh uh. So far, I think we’ve tallied 135 toilets scrubbed, 250 kilos of cow dung spread, 2 tons of rocks shoveled, 60 meters of pathway laid, 57 beds made, and I cannot even remember how many wine glasses we’ve polished.

5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Selecting a Location | Lydia Mehit

September 1, 2015September 8, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

How India’s ‘Garden City’ Is Igniting the Entrepreneurial Spirit | Inc.com

August 31, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Often referred to as the “Silicon Plateau,” Bangalore holds many nicknames.

The green, sprawling capital city of Karnataka, a state in the southwestern region of India, is situated beneath a towering, 2,600-foot tall rock formation called the Mysore Plateau, which is bounded by the Sahyadri mountains and the sloping Kaveri river.

Over the past few years, Bangalore has earned the mantle of India’s “Silicon Valley.”

Although historically an outsourcing hub, the city is becoming its own technology business center. In 1909, the first Indian Institute of Science was established in Bangalore, and today it counts 3,500 students. The school’s most renowned education centers for climate change, neuroscience, and engineering have spurred more interdisciplinary research.

Today, Bangalore ranks as the 15th hottest startup ecosystem in the world, according to a recent report from Crunchbase and research firm Compass. The metropolis counts around 4,900 active startups, with nearly $2.3 billion in company investments last year.

A wide range of startup activity is happening in Bangalore. Internet penetration throughout India, especially, presents many opportunities for digital entrepreneurs. The country’s current population is a staggering 1.3 billion, and a July report from the Internet and Mobile Association of India projects that the country will count 500 million Internet users by 2017.