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November 29, 2006
staff cuts
I've heard of companies that make staff cuts at the end of year on a regular basis. I see this as a sign of bad management because it means they didn't plan well or are using their resources wisely. The cost of hiring and firing is too high for it to be a cost-effective alternative and nevermind the emotional damage it can leave both the people who leave and those that stay.
Pfizer is making cuts but hopefully, it is a one-time deal and the managers are doing it wisely. Is the market wise enough to recognize long-term benefits and consequences of managers' decisions? Or, am I endowing the marketplace with humanistic characteristics?
Posted by azileretsis at 05:46 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2006
charlie brown
Nothing says Christmas like music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
Posted by azileretsis at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2006
playing politics
I like McCain's truthfulness and straightforwardness but I don't think that people want to hear his message. We might feel the effects of another half-finished war.
Posted by azileretsis at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2006
attraction
I think that I am attracted to disasters. I find companies that have a lot of problems to be much more interesting than companies that is running smoothly. If you want to see problems, reporting is a very good area to sit. However, there is a point where you have to recognize if a company is going to sink and swim. Do they have the management staff savy enough to pull the company through or are they just there to watch a sinking ship?
One good thing about disaster mode is that everybody at least recognizes there are problems.
Carly Fiorina would know. She recently wrote a book called Tough Choices.
Hmm...I'm not sure how to comment on Revolution Health, Steve Case's new company.
There is a chasm of differences between working with people in profit and non-profit environment. In the profit world, people are motivated by many factors to do their work including money, manager, and culture. On the other hand, in the non-profit world, people are motivated by much more of the upper tier Maslow's needs. My many years of volunteering with different groups has made me aware of the frustrations involved being a volunteer and leading volunteers. I wish others would recognize the same issues.
Posted by azileretsis at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2006
tv night
So, my friend and I have our version of TV night where we watch TV shows while we play Scrabble. Correction, I play Scrabble while my friend watches TV. This past week, we were trying to watch two TV shows, one was the finale to the Dancing with the Stars, while playing Scrabble.
So lately, my friend and I have been playing some challenging games of Scrabble. She played this game growing up and I just started playing it after college. So, I have been trying to improve my score. Behold, I find that if I keep incremental total score, I'm motivated more to improve my score. My theory is proved true that small feedback can be critical to long-term success.
Posted by azileretsis at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2006
player
Has Microsoft ever heard of the word "interoperability"? The new version 11 of Windows Media player doesn't play very well with Firefox.
Posted by azileretsis at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
political power
While I was driving home, I was also thinking about how the Congress will be handicapping the military budget in Iraq. Though, the Democrats don't have the political power to pull back entirely from Iraq, they definitely can manipulate the military purse strings now with a House and Senate slight majority. Consequently, US troops will become more frustrated. This is democracy at work.
Posted by azileretsis at 01:19 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2006
detail oriented
Journalists are meticulous about their grammar. That is why I am surprised to find the wrong use of the word "dear" on the front page of CNN website. They meant "deer". It's already changed.
Maybe, someone noted the mistake but didn't correct it. I find that there is a set mentality against changes even when a mistake has occured. Like, the story of the emperor's new clothes, everybody just assumes the mistake was intentional.
Posted by azileretsis at 05:03 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2006
waste
Ever since I did a quantative analysis project in school about WEEE, I find waste fascinating. But, my interest is in the quantative aspects and specifically the cost model for recycled goods and behavior around it. I have never turned in a bottle for money but the bottlers must have a model of how much are returned each year.
Posted by azileretsis at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2006
foreign
No matter what John Bolton has done in the past, he has done a stellar job of keeping the US voice at the UN strong and stable in spite of the rising dislike over US foreign policy.
Posted by azileretsis at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2006
separate
I like microfinance. Lending money seems to work better than giving money away. When I was down in Peru during the summer, I saw some kids who had natural talents particularly in art yet, they will never have the means to express their creativity. The world loses so much wasted talent due to people's lack of means and microfinance seems to tap into that.
One of my professor once said the greatest asset a leader has is to know one's self. There's so many personality tests out there to help you. Lately, I've had way too many "Do I look or act like that?" moments. I find the most difficult part is staying true to one's self.
Everytime I use a capitalized letter in the middle of a sentence, I hear my friend's voice asking me if it really needs to be capitalized. She hated capitalization and quotation abuse. I, on the other hand, am an e.e. cummings fan.
Posted by azileretsis at 05:41 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2006
information
Right information is critical to making decisions. I found this out trying to vote yesterday. Somebody had told me the wrong time that the polls closed and another person told me the wrong place to vote. These information led me wandering around my city trying to find the polling place and I ended up getting there too late. At the beginning of the day, I thought I knew where I was going and when I needed to be there but like usual these days, my plans went askew. Elections Results.
Posted by azileretsis at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
November 06, 2006
relative
After making my friend return it to just check it out again, I finally watched Thank You for Smoking. My friend and I laughed our way through the movie, at the same time, the movie did make us think. I don't believe my generation should be blamed for the relativistic nature of our thinking. We've been indoctrinated to think like a postmodernist. We are losing to the gray pallor spreading over all our lives.
I got my phone after three attempts, two attempts at a Sprint store and one call that got me to Moterey, Mexico. What made me keep pursuing, the product and I knew customer service wouldn't be any better anywhere else.
On another topic, I wonder if anyone else thinks about better ways to do managed healthcare.
Posted by azileretsis at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2006
phones
Woohoo, new phones coming out on Sprint. I know it's not a big deal for our European and Asian friends since their phones are more powerful and loaded with more goodies but I'm so ready for an upgrade. My phone model is so old that I was one of the first to have a colored screen. My new phone is going to be Motorola Krzr. At times like these, I really know I'm a geek when I can't make a buy decision without going through many reviews and websites. I can't wait!
Posted by azileretsis at 09:59 PM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2006
consultants
Having been a consultant and worked with many, I don't have an idealized idea of what a consultant does. Over the years, I have come to understand that a consultant's interests doesn't lie with the company but often lies within themselves, even more so for independant consultant. It's almost obvious how they will angle for to continue their current projects, sometimes at the detriment of the company. Good consultants are even harder to find then good employees because at least employees are affected by the long-term outcomes of their ideas. Yet, consultants are required resources due to their prized skillsets and at the price they demand. Using them wisely is the goal.
Posted by azileretsis at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2006
finance
When did Google have Google Finance? I do like Yahoo Finance alot. Though, I was warned by my professor once that the data there is simply one perspective on a company's financial data. Do your own research!
Posted by azileretsis at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)