Exam Humor

Grades are in. The wait is over!

Writing exam questions made me go looking for exam humor!

Online Education: Putting YouTube videos to use

khanacademy.org has excellent videos for a variety of topics in math (and recently other disciplines).  Its a great way to learn/refresh particular topics--  if you prefer to learn from a teacher in place of just reading a text.  It was one of the innovations I highlighted in my recent post -- 2010: Higher Education News

I'm highlight two videos for my BUSI681 students who are looking for a quick math refresher:

Slope of a line

Derivatives

Random US Behavioral Statistics

Some fun facts -- laugh, learn, explore!

My favorite is the comparison of young adults who bowl vs bicycle...

Organizing for Productivity

I was talking about "The Workforce of the Future" with an engaged group of students today. As we discussed  different organization structures for promoting productivity I was reminded of the "Fastest House Contest" in San Diego.

How fast could an average American home be built -- from the ground, not pre-fab, given any amount of skilled labor you want? (caveat: you're allowed fast-setting cement so that won't be your rate limiting step).

I was way off with my estimate. Guess and verify below!

Global Economic History of 200 years in 4 minutes

Hans Rossling is back with his "sportscaster" videos -- using data from gapminder.org to show trends over time. Well worth the 4 minutes!

What Motivates Us? (Dan Pink's TED Talk)

As I get ready to teach managerial economics and give some lectures on The Workforce of the Future, I was reminded of Dan Pink's talk on worker motivation. Its contrarian for some, thought-provoking for others, and at least an excellent articulation for leaders who believe in the importance of mission in motivating teams.

2011: Whither Policy?

As we enter the season of prognostication the mood in US financial markets is bullish, the main street numbers (unemployment) remain bearish, and the US political establishment is decidedly undecided.  The central political comprise is an agreement to "kick the can down the road" -- with the responsibility squarely resting on the 2012 electorate. Unfortunately price signals -- arguably the most critical benefit of market economies -- have been severely compromised by the various "bailout" programs of the last couple years.

Will the Fed continue with its (almost) stated intent to manipulate interest rates, asset prices, etc?
Will the global financial regulators continue to bailout senior creditors at the cost of tax payors?
Will political bodies show any appetite for making choices and trade-offs on citizen services/entitlements, tax policy, etc to achieve some degree of sustainability in the medium term?

The bi-partisan Simpson and Bowles commission recommended policy measures that would require all of the above to be addressed -- and perhaps therefore have been largely ignored since their release. The central policy question now is a political one, more than an economic one. I look forward to seeing your thoughts on which direction US economic policy will take in 2011...