Understanding Users of Social Networks

Silverhorne, S. (2010). Understanding users of social networks. Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6156.html

This article outlines a study done by Harvard Business School professor Mikolaj Jan Piskorski on how people use social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter and how businesses need to market its goods to the users of these networks. The study shows that men and women use these networks differently and that pictures that are posted are the main attraction for the users. He states that social network users are looking to fulfill social failures in the real world. From a business standpoint, Piskorski says that social network users do not respond to ads that require them to click-through to another site. He states that a good marketing strategy would be to find ways to solve social failures in the offline world. The article is very shallow on the subject but does point managers and marketers in a direction that should be explored more thoroughly.

Macroeconomic View of the Current Economy

Silverhorne, S. (2010). A macroeconomic view of the current economy. Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6332.html

Outline of an interview with Harvard Business School professor David A. Moss, author of A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know. During the interview, he touches on the fact that the macro economy is important to businesses. They discuss what Moss refers to as the three pillars of macroeconomics: output, money, and expectations. The professor states that output, which is measured by GDP, is the center of macroeconomics. The second pillar, money, mainly refers the government’s monetary policy and the third, expectations, refers to how people and businesses make current decisions based on expectations of future events. The article gives a good general overview of macroeconomics.

Purpose of This Blog

The purpose of this blog is to annotate on books, articles, websites, and other writings on the subject of business in general and more particularly on various factors (positive or negative) that have an effect on businesses and influence the operation and profitability of businesses and affects business decisions.

Some of the general areas of influence that will be explored include:

Political Activity
Regulatory Issues
Government Bailouts
Macroeconomic Issues
Financial Markets
Human Resources
Labor Unions
and others...

The end result will be a comprehensive collection of references that can be used for further learning and research. I plan to teach business courses as an adjunct teacher in the near future and I believe this annotated bibliography will make a good source of reference for me and my students.

Your comments and/or suggestions are welcomed!