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Contempt vs. praise: Managing your behavior
Michael S. Haro, Ph.D. Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIt's a warm Saturday afternoon, and your son is playing in the finals of his soccer league. You are one of many spectators present to cheer on the two teams — Contempt and Praise. Which team is your son playing on? Let's see if we can figure it out from the following rendition of the match.
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Rockets and feathers: Why prices at the tank fall so slowly
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesWhile crude oil prices have been cut roughly in half since June last year, retail prices for regular and premium gasoline have not fallen by nearly as much, with an average fall of 30 percent and 20 percent in the same period, respectively. Conversely, when crude prices rocketed from 2007 onward, retailers were quick to pass on the price changes.
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A love of fashionable shoes may cause you to fall head over heels
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareYou've probably heard the phrase, "The bigger they come, the harder they fall." It turns out the old saying could easily be applied to high-heeled shoes. With the increasing fashion trend of higher and higher heels, there is a corresponding increase in injury related to tripping and falling when wearing them. A new study shows the rate of injury doubled between the years of 2002 and 2012, with women between the ages of 20 and 29 having the highest rate of injury.
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Metals Thoughts: Maybe September isn’t dead
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesLast week's combination of an impressive Q2 GDP revision to 3.7 percent (from 2.3 percent) and the Fed's Jackson Hole Symposium was enough to stem the tide of "September is dead" sentiment. The probability of a September rate hike had swung from 55 percent in early August all the way down to 20 percent earlier in the week, before settling around 38 percent currently. Economists in most polls are still calling it just shy of a coin flip.
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Do you want to shop where they analyze your eye movements?
Peter Moloney MarketingI was reading a news item recently about another startup in the marketing analytics space. This startup analyzes eye movements as customers browse in a store and, based on that, tries to determine the customer's interest in certain items, which triggers email offers to their mobile phones in real time.
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Indoor mapping technology: A game changer for retailers
Danielle Manley RetailMapsco books and huge paper maps are a thing of the past. Now, we have our mobile devices equipped with GPS that can give us verbal directions while we drive. We can get directions to practically anywhere with the swipe of our finger. However, once you get to that location, do you know how to get around? Will your smartphone GPS guide you to the nearest restroom? Can you find the store you need in a shopping mall?
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What’s behind Wal-Mart Pharmacy’s dreary quarter?
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalOminous is a word that comes to mind. Forlorn seems to fit, too. It is like a black raven is perched above the entrance of every store. Oh, Edgar Allen Poe would have a field day with this one. I'm talking about the Wal-Mart pharmacy earnings report as described in a recently released transcript conference call.
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What’s the top luxury purchase these days? Time
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesBuying time is the latest trend in luxury. It's one thing wealthy consumers can't get enough of. Constantly on the go with jam-packed schedules, they are willing to pay a premium for products and services that will add a few extra minutes to their busy days.
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Netflix sets the bar high with new parental leave policy
Lonny Alfred Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementNetflix recently threw American companies for a loop with the announcement of their updated parental leave policy: New parents will be granted unlimited paid parental leave for a year. Before the news of Netflix's updated policy, some of the best policies belonged to tech companies like Facebook, which offers 17 weeks for paid maternity and paternity leave and $20,000 for family planning costs.
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Is your business prepared for #Fightfor15?
Danielle Manley Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe recent headlines announcing New York's decision to increase fast food workers' minimum wage to $15 has once again stirred up the nation in a heated debate over whether the minimum wage should be increased nationwide. According to Fortune, New York City must comply with the minimum wage change by 2019, and the rest of the state must comply before July 2021.
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