Strategic Thinking
Are you employing your highest quality of thought?
You’ve been there. You’re on a deadline with limited information, and what you’ve got to draw from is a similar episode that transpired eight months ago, or eight years ago or with an entirely different company. But hey, there are some parallels. This time sounds like that time (sort of), so you base your present reaction on your past experience. The process is called reasoning by analogy, and while it can be a powerful method in the decision making process, it can also be problematic and limiting.
Student Success Update
California community colleges aim high
Last May we reported on the Los Rios Community College District’s ahead-of-the-game implementation of state-mandated student supportive services (“Renewable Resources,” May 2014). Those improved services were required by colleges statewide for the fall 2014 term as part of the 2012 Student Success Act. Now, the rest of the state is about to catch up.
Touchscreen to Table
West Sacramento to address food access with Code for America
Code for America works with cities around the country, using open-source software to improve the scalability and reach of government services. Starting next year, Code for America fellows will work with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and the city of West Sacramento using technology to tackle issues related to health care and food access in the city.
9 Ways to Sweeten Your Lease Terms
Budgets are finite—Spend smart to maximize your outcomes
Whether you’re looking for tenants or shopping for space: Here are some tips that might sweeten the deal or — if overlooked — can make one go sour.
Investing in Your Free Time
Your financial life after selling a business
If you have sold a business and moved on to retirement or another career, it’s worth noting that a change in lifestyle should also trigger a change in investment styles.
MTV Marketing
Win with gen Xers by acknowledging to their skepticism
I recently asked a gen-X friend of mine to give me her take on generational communications in the U.S. today. Her response was perfect: “In the words of MTV’s cultural phenomenon The Real World, it’s ‘The true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite — and start getting real.’”
Light Accordingly
Cost-effective lighting is good for owners and tenants
Depending on the type of business you operate, lighting can account for 20 to 50 percent of electricity consumption. This means significant cost savings can be achieved with energy-efficiency upgrades, and due to continually improving equipment, lighting usually provides the highest return on investment of major updates.
The Mind’s Eye
Blind photographer Pete Eckert views the world a bit differently
Pete Eckert envisioned himself as an architect, but a degenerative eye disease derailed his plan. He instead pursued his MBA and photography and now sells his art worldwide.
The MBA Goes Online
While employers say an online MBA can’t be as good as its on-campus counterpart, e-learning advocates disagree
Seventy percent of colleges now say online education drives their long-term growth strategies. And, where for-profit universities once dominated online MBA programs, now highly rated business schools like Kelley and the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School offer them.
Art Elevated
Local muralists seek to set precedent for public art
Few of the thousands of shoppers at Sacramento’s Sunday farmers market at 8th and W streets ever look up at the gray concrete ceiling looming above them. But by next spring, it may be tough to look at anything else.