23 June 2018
Question: According to BestLife on MSN.com, what are 20 social etiquette mistakes you should stop making by age 40?
The General Electric-free Dow is the index we deserve – Pg. 7
– The avatar of American agglomeration is now slimming down its aviation, healthcare and power businesses.
– …struggles to reverse the third steep slide in GE’s shares since the start of the century, one challenge he faces is that its brand is freighted with misconceptions (Prof Note: Brand and identify, whether to a company or person are critical. When earning my MBA I considered the two least important classes to be Human Resources and Marketing. Now, my greatest worry with businesses and my personal identity are addressed by both. Personally, I believe they are taught by the wrong individuals. Business owners should be teaching these classes, not executives in the field. How both of these, critically important, affect company and persons is critical to understand. My businesses are ramping up marketing expenditures daily. Brand and identify are critical, especially today!)
– GE was the sole survivor of the Dow’s starting line-up, but the US economy has changed since 1896, ….
– Today it is no longer even the US’s most valuable industrial group
– For many Americans, the Dow is almost synonymous with its economy
– Investment sophisticates find this something of a joke. The Dow tracks a mere 30 stocks, compared to the S&P’s 500; the points moves get increasingly meaningless as markets rise, and with no Facebook, Amazon, Netflix or Google it is missing most of the market-moving Faangs. Worse, the Dow is weighted by stock prices rather than market capitalization, which can make its reshuffles look mathematically baffling
GE decline symbolized by group’s fall from Dow Jones – Pg. 9
– After more than a century, General Electric’s run on the Dow Jones Industrial Average has come to an end. The industrial group will be replaced on the index by pharmacy chain Walgreens
– In the 1990s GE was the largest US company by market capitalization and, as recently as 2009, was one of the five largest listed groups in the world
Answer: (1) Interrupting (Prof Note: My standard line when I recognize I have interrupted an individual, “I am sorry. I interrupted you.” Then I wait for them to continue.; (2) Passing just the sale; (3) Leaving your hat on inside (Prof Note: This is sooo a Millennial thing! However, be careful and sensitive. I would never ask for a hat to be removed as the true reason of leaving it on is unknown.); (4) Not following up after interviews (Prof Note: Hmmmmm…this must be done appropriately and changes by personal preference); (5) Leaving on Read Receipts; (6) Using the Wrong Utensils (Prof Note: Just use the utensil the host(ess) uses and you will never go wrong. “As little ships go out to sea, I push my spoon away from me!”); (7) Not saying, “Excuse me” when trying to get past someone; (8) Being on your phone while ordering; (9) Not holding the door; (10) Answering the phone with something other than “Hello” (Prof Note: Ridiculous! I answer, “This is Roger Staiger”); (11) Eating with your Elbows on the table (Prof Note: As I age and it becomes more difficult for me to hear about background news, I lean over the table, placing elbows upon. I am aware but the alternative is I cannot hear the conversation.); (12) Shushing someone; (13) Leaving your sound on; (14) Using the last of something without replacing it; (15) Reaching across the table; (16) Grooming in Public; (17) Talking in movie theatres; (18) Not walking single-file on a crowded sidewalk; (19) Not putting your napkin on your lap (Prof Note: I actually tuck the top of the napkin into my belt as mine tends to fall on the floor); (20) Putting your bag or feet on seats (Prof Note: This is a general note, manners have greatly regressed over the years to a more relaxed state. I love having people over for meals and much prefer home cooking to restaurants. Personally, I consider restaurants a “treat” rather than a staple.)