Book by Dale Carnegie By Alyssa J Freitas There are few professional and personal development books that maintain their relevance and are lauded for their wisdom for years after publishing. Think and Grow Rich, comes to mind, as well as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but the one that has transformed the lives of many (myself included!) and has shaped a series of courses is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Carnegie, born into poverty in Missouri, believed that being able to effectively interact with people is the key to happiness and success. Evidenced by the widespread success of his training and books, it is clear that others have come to this same realization.
Carnegie’s most famous and celebrated book from 1936 is broken into six parts, taking you from learning the fundamentals of dealing with people all the way to writing correspondence that will inspire the action you desire them to take. What makes this book rise above others are the timeless examples included with the discussion of each principle. They perfectly illustrate Carnegie’s points and allow you to identify similar situations in your own life where you can improve how you communicate with others. At the start, Carnegie suggests nine ways to derive the most benefit from this book. When you follow these suggestions it is remarkable how much more you can retain and put into practice, such as stopping frequently to consider what you’ve read and making time for periodic self-checkups on how you are applying what you’ve learned. The principles Carnegie presents are easy to understand and to realize value from quickly. One of the main takeaways I had was to approach any disagreement with the thought “I could be wrong. I often am. Let’s examine the facts.” This allows me to carefully consider both sides of any argument and, hence, to better understand others. These sorts of mindset shifts are included throughout the book and slight adjustments like this can make all of the difference in your relationships. This month I will be attending a Dale Carnegie Training session and am excited to see how the trainers can further shed light on the principles. Check back next month in The Bull, Bear & Lion to find out what else you can learn from the teachings of Mr. Carnegie and my experience with the in-person course.
167 Comments
By Paul Mulholland and Kristen Borowski Immigration policy has been at the forefront of the Presidential race. This topic will continue to be pertinent, especially during the upcoming Presidential Debates. Here we provide discourse from both sides of the political spectrum on this controversial issue.
Aging Population & the Labor Force Left PM: The immigrants who come to America contribute to our economy. Those who break out of the inertia of their normal lives to travel to a different country are uniquely ambitious. Many are young, employed, and entrepreneurial. We do not import poverty when we allow more immigration, we import youth and ambition, which are in short supply. Right KB: While it is true that America is growing older, our immigration policy must not revolve primarily around the long-term goal of replenishing the workforce. National security should instead be of utmost concern. A porous border could spell direct entry for terrorists. Mr. Trump has stated, “Send criminal aliens home. Welcome those who embrace our way of life.” We cannot reward illegal behavior by any means. Rules and laws must be enforced, toward citizen and immigrant alike. Trade, the Economy & Financing ‘The Wall’ Left PM: Building a wall on our southern border would be an obnoxious obstacle to the freedom of movement and commerce; $400 billion in two-way trade crosses the border. Cargo trucks would presumably have no way of crossing, since Trump only wants one door. Not only would Americans working in exporting industries potentially lose their jobs, but Americans working in industries which use Mexican inputs would face the same outcome; 64% of what Mexico exports to the U.S. uses inputs that were made in America. Damage would also be done to consumers who could no longer access Mexican goods, and the economy would suffer from a less efficient supply chain, severed trade routes, and reduced competition. Trump actually does have a plan to make Mexico pay for the wall. He wants to cut off the remittances that Mexican immigrants send back home while in America, which is nearly $25 billion. It’s not clear if this is possible, as it would require the government to track every online transfer of money, no matter how small. Right KB: The objective of a wall is to enforce the existing immigration laws. A wall would not completely stop trade. Could it delay freight transport? Possibly, but logistical issues should not be of heightened concern. Supply chains, and businesses in general, will adapt, as they do frequently due to a plethora of other issues. According to Trump’s plan, the increase of visa fees and port fees will finance the construction. Legality Left PM: America could save a lot of time and money by granting amnesty to those living in the U.S. It is worth noting that the U.S. did not enforce explicit quotas on any country in the Western Hemisphere until 1965, and yet managed to survive. Everywhere mass deportations have been tried, they have led to death and suffering, and hurt the local economy. Trump often cites the mass deportations of the 1930s and 1950s, while omitting the damage that was done by removing over a million workers, consumers and civil servants from their communities. Right KB: Donald Trump has stated, on more than one occasion, that legal immigration is good and that illegal immigration is not good. His plan reflects this adherence to the law and its enforcement. American success has been predicated on laws and their enforcement. By Kristen Borowski “Being up here is like being in a hotel. With less traffic, we can actually get some work done!” Dr. Thomas Patrick was referring to the third floor of the Business Building, where his office is located. I sat down with Dr. Patrick to interview him in the first of a series of Faculty Profiles for The Bull, Bear & Lion. Dr. Patrick, the Chair of the Finance Department, is originally from the Catskills in upstate New York. His doctoral studies took him to the University of Kentucky, where he studied economics because “back then, a concentration in finance did not exist.” In addition to working as a professor, he worked as a consultant, focusing primarily in two areas: education and valuation. He frequently traveled to evaluate courses and programs, such as education centers for the U.S. Armed Forces and collegiate courses for the Walt Disney Company. Dr. Patrick also worked on business valuation. In simple terms, the valuation of companies involves comparing private companies to public companies in order to attribute an appropriate value to that private company. Private companies are without a public offering, therefore their value is not as easily determined as their publicly traded counterparts. After some discussion, he disclosed that his favorite project was at the University of the Virgin Islands, where he evaluated the quality of the coursework. “I’ve since been back several times, but not on business,” he said, pointing to four framed photographs on his wall, each presenting a different view of the Caribbean islands. While still a consultant, he began his full-time academic career at the University of Notre Dame, moving then to Rider University before joining The College of New Jersey in 1981 as a faculty member. After roughly thirty-six years of work at TCNJ, Dr. Patrick continues to conduct research. His forthcoming publication, “Valuation of a Closely Held Firm Using the Comparative Company Approach: The Selection of Appropriate Market Multiples,” will be published in November of this year. What does Dr. Patrick do when he isn’t teaching or researching? “I’m building an electric train set,” he says with a grin. It is a pastime that he has retained since his youth; he still keeps his first train set from his childhood. He then continued, speaking of his other travels such as journeying along the Hudson Bay and the Yukon by rail. “For consulting?” I ask. “No, just for fun!" By Kristen Townend In a recent power struggle between the European Union (EU) and Ireland, the EU declared that Apple Inc. owes Ireland $14.5 billion due to tax avoidance. The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, claims that Ireland has engaged in the practice of state aid, or offering preferential treatment to Apple. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook is standing in solidarity with Ireland, and both parties stated that Apple’s presence has allowed for the creation of thousands of jobs in the country. The European Commission communicated that while Apple set up two companies in Ireland, there were no employees or offices on the ground. Essentially, they accused Ireland of permitting Apple to move its profits to these inactive offices, avoiding higher tax rates.
The EU maintains that rather than paying Ireland’s usual 12.5% tax on income, Apple paid an extremely low amount: .005%. Cook has been quick to dismiss any notion of wrongdoing, insisting that the company has actually been Ireland’s highest taxpayer in past years. For countries like Ireland, corporate tax breaks are commonplace, as they encourage foreign investment. Having corporations such as Apple in-country brings an employment boost and a rise in economic growth in times of hardship and high emigration. The EU seems to have set its sights on investigating other large companies, such as Amazon and McDonald’s, for similar cases. Many see this intervention as a mistake which could deter future investment. EU countries have greatly benefitted from corporate presence, and therefore, even though the Irish government is unsure about appealing the EU’s decision, it is likely that it will. Though Ireland could clearly benefit from a payment of $14.5 billion, the government does not agree that it is justified. It is in Ireland’s best interest to continue to boost investment, and to therefore side with Apple and appeal the decision. By: Sarah Wallin Among an array of news stories ranging from politics and police shootings to the Rio Olympics, an app called Pokémon GO somehow made its way to explode in mass media this summer. Using augmented reality (A.R.), Pokémon GO prompts its players, or ‘trainers,’ to catch, collect and battle Pokémon creatures that can be found in real-world locations.
According to the New York Times: “Pokémon GO represents one of those moments when a new technology - in this case, augmented reality or A.R., which fuses digital technology with the physical world – breaks through from a niche toy for early adopters to something bigger.” So what exactly about Pokémon GO is such a breakthrough? Other than being the first widespread example of A.R., it’s now the most downloaded mobile game in U.S. history. Additionally, its fast rise in user engagement is startling – as of July 8, users interacted with the game for an average of 43 minutes and 23 seconds a day, which is more time than users spend on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Messenger. July 8 has long passed, but the insights gained from Pokémon GO remain for marketers. The ability of Pokémon GO to motivate young consumers to get out of the house to walk around highlights the power of virtual reality games to influence behaviors. Allowing the purchase of “lures” or other possible game features to drive foot traffic into brick and mortar storefronts shows the potential of A.R. to increase sales and drive business. Perhaps marketing of the future will have companies creating their own A.R. games where they can convey specific themes or educate consumers about new products. Maybe consumers will get to virtually interact with products and services before purchase, or A.R. games will work in conjunction with promotions and loyalty programs. Pokémon GO is just the beginning of this new breed of virtual gaming; the possibilities for marketing with A.R. are endless. Watch to see how (and if) companies adapt and change their marketing strategies in reaction to this new opportunity. |