How to Aid Your Business Career

The ability to think clearly and patiently about a subject is a quality that a job applicant can offer a prospective employer. However, this isn't a quality that a majority of high school graduates, even college students, are able to offer nowadays.

A suggestion: Think up ideas about what you want to do in your career if you're a job applicant or are interested in your potential career path. Then write the details of your thoughts down, for reconsideration at a future date. Repeat the process periodically, while acting as a Devil's Advocate.

You may get your best ideas from work experience and while you're at leisure. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

Lawyers Ambulance-Chasing Expired Patents

A U.S. district judge has said its unconstitutional for plaintiffs to sue on claims that expired patents have appeared on defendant products. That the matter, instead, was a function of the federal government to pursue.

This type of lawsuit had become another ploy for aggressive lawyers.

There are many issued patents, particularly on consumer products. And patents have a limited life. And it isn’t always convenient to get the patent notice off a label soon after expiration. Moreover, is it a crime to let the public know you had the original patent?.

But it’s hard to stop lawyers from trying. There are so many of them. And they have to make a good living the best they can. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

Manufacturing Too Many MBAs

About 150,000 MBAs graduate each year. Our graduate schools have accommodated demand by producing these degrees.

It’s easy to come up with what academe suggests a business executive or financial expert ought to know. At the same time, the educator must be certain not to make the course too difficult or classes will not be filled.

So we get a happy medium. Lots of students, and graduates. All with degrees, which in the real world of business and finance, have become relatively useless.

Except for their use in a resume. These days, we are reaching the stage where there are simply too many MBAs to attract the attention they formerly did. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

How Much Should Your Business Pay You?

Most small business people never ask themselves how much the business they’re in ought to pay them. Here’s a primer to guide them.

If you have borrowed or invested risk capital to get into the business, you should be compensated each year for lost interest earnings, had the capital been invested elsewhere.

Secondly, you should be repaid for the time you put in at work, or the work members of your family and friends contribute.

Remember: Funds you have borrowed for a business are to be repaid from after-tax earnings.

What you come up with you may surprise and possibly make you feel cheated. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

The College-is-best Theme and Other Media Errors

The media always repeats uninformed college-is-best themes without further thought. Facts will correct the error over time.

Other examples of media error: Much raw or “seasonally adjusted” governmental statistical releases are manipulative and poorly explained.

Nevertheless, blaring headlines repeat erroneous raw data; editors no doubt know full well the information is tainted. What’s the purpose, except for news slant?  (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

Cost Reduction With Government Health Insurance Competition?

Populist politicians insist that private insurance companies, or any private business, should be able to compete with an entity that is government-run, especially with regard to health insurance.

But we know that government entities are not operated at low cost. The Post Office is one example. Medicaid and Medicare are government insurance coverage run amok.

What pro-government insurance fans never tell you, is that government has no capital costs. The taxpayer subsidizes capital as well as operational outlays.

All private health insurance companies must provide expensive capital and funds and yet have only a few percentage points of profit to show for it.

Never fall for the argument that having a government agency option to choose from,  will help the consumer. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

The Hidden European Living Style

The European living style is an impressive mirage. Since World War II most of the major countries have had social welfare types of government, outside that of Germany and Switzerland. With their GDP averaging 2% annually, while that of the U.S. has averaged about 3%.

But the proverbial chickens have come home to hatch the result. The short work weeks, long vacations and lack of general productivity has reduced European standards of living. Vacationers from the U.S. never get to see the ugly side of Europe. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)