Business and Economics
Avoiding the Dilbert Principles: How to Survive As a Small Business
Managing a small business in today’s world of growing competition is more of a challenge than ever before. The keys for survival and growth are often overlooked by the small business owner and manager. Business expert Tom Dorr discusses how to avoid the common pitfalls of managing your business, the benefits of developing a business plan, and the need for periodic “wellness” checks.
The Role of the SBDC in Our Community's Economic Development
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is one of the premier economic development providers in Whatcom County. Significant impacts from 1996 to 2006 related to SBDC efforts in Whatcom County include 3,361 jobs created or saved and $115,531,999 in new investment generated. Learn what exactly has been done and and what is being done as SBDC Director Tom Dorr outlines the organization’s plans and types of services.
Tom Dorr is director of Western’s Small Business Development Center. Before coming to Western, Dorr owned and managed small businesses ranging from start-ups to turnarounds. In 2007 he received the prestigious “The Ron Battles Award” from the Washington State Small Business Development Center for his commitment to client service, innovation and continuous improvement. He has been a member of the “5 Million Dollar Club” for his role in bringing more than $5 million in investments to our local economy. He also was honored as a member of the “100 Jobs Club,” which recognizes individuals directly involved with saving or creating 100 or more jobs. Dorr also serves on the St. Luke’s Foundation Board and is invited to speak to numerous business and community groups throughout the United States annually.
Building a Sound Whatcom Economy
The Center for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), under the direction of Hart Hodges, is helping to plan a more prosperous and stable Whatcom County economy by conducting in-depth analyses and providing support to various agencies such as the University’s Small Business Development Center, the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce, the Bellingham/Whatcom Economic Development Council, and the Northwest Workforce Development Council. The CEBR also provides data to area businesses, prepares local economic forecasts and conducts research on topics such as border crossings, business growth, changes in wages, and a variety of demographic factors.
Dr. Hart Hodges, assistant professor of economics, came to Western in fall 2000 and was named director of the Center for Economic and Business Research in fall 2003. He received his bachelor’s degree from Williams College, his master’s from Duke University and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington.
Financial Fitness for Life
Can your kindergartner practice money management at the grocery store? Can your fourth grader help pay monthly bills? Can your seventh grader use cost/benefit analysis to help select the family’s next car? Can high school seniors learn to avoid the credit card trap? Can your child really become a millionaire? Economics department chair David Nelson and economics lecturer Pamela Whalley believe they can, and should. They will show, through age-appropriate exercises, how you can start your child on the path to a life of financial fitness.
Dr. David Nelson founded Western’s Center for Economic Education in 1978. Pamela Whalley, president of the Washington Council on Economic Education, has been with the center since 1986. The Center for Economic Education administers the Financial Fitness for Life program, which was developed jointly in 2001 by Bank of America and the National Council of Economic Education and is offered throughout the state.
Gender Issues in the Workplace
Legislation related to affirmative action, sexual harassment and gender issues in the workplace attempts to define what relationships and interactions are, and are not, acceptable in the workplace. As a practical matter, defining those limits is much more challenging. Socialization, sex-role stereotyping and how men and women communicate have varying effects on those limits. What is acceptable in one situation or one workplace may not be acceptable in another. Sue Guenter-Schlesinger discusses how to find an appropriate balance, take effective steps that address equity issues, and work toward inclusive consensus building.
Preventing Sexual Harassment
How do you protect your workers and your company and keep all parties out of court? Sue Guenter-Schlesinger shows how developing clear guidelines and providing ongoing training to managers and employees can keep your company in compliance and send a message that affirms a commitment to respect each individual. Guenter-Schlesinger also talks about the importance of initiating an objective, thorough investigation if a complaint is filed, formally or informally, and how mediation can be used to resolve concerns.
Using Affirmative Action and Civil Rights Legislation to Improve Workplace Performance
Too often equal opportunity and affirmative action laws are viewed as policing documents that restrict employers and reduce employee morale. Sue Guenter-Schlesinger reviews current legislation and shows how equal opportunity laws can benefit you. By working collaboratively with staff to establish compliant policies, you can improve performance by encouraging active participation at all levels, establish team-based models for working through differences, and create guidelines that protect individuals as well as your company or organization.
Valuing and Managing Diversity
Appreciation for differences and clear communication are critical for employees in every work situation, especially for those in leadership roles. A first step in creating an environment in which everyone feels valued is to understand how to recognize and overcome biases we all have and to learn techniques to reach out to others different from ourselves. Clear and sensitive communication, which includes good listening skills, is also important in order to show others their opinions and approaches are valued. Sue Guenter-Schlesinger draws on her experience in designing and leading diversity workshops that utilize interactive discussions and group exercises to show how to break down barriers and promote an accepting environment.
Dr. Sue Guenter-Schlesinger, executive director of Western’s equal opportunity office, has 25 years’ experience working with issues related to diversity and legal compliance. Before coming to Western, she was assistant executive vice president for affirmative action and diversity at Utah State University. She also served for 10 years as a chief advisor for the U.S. Army Equal Opportunity Office in Europe and was appointed to the Defense Advisory Council for Women in the Services. She has developed training programs on diversity, affirmative action, sexual harassment and mediation. Guenter-Schlesinger earned her under-graduate degrees and her Ph.D. in higher education administration at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Mind Mapping: Getting the Most from Your Brain
Our minds think in pictures, but we speak in words. This pattern immediately creates a conflict in communicating ideas. Join Arunas Oslapas in an exercise with “mind mapping,” a brainstorming process originated by Tony Buzan of the Learning Methods Group in England. Mind mapping was designed to overcome some of the obstacles to creativity and developing new ways of thinking that we experience. You will see how mind mapping can be used to solve problems, generate quantities of ideas, and organize presentations. Mind mapping can help anyone faced with making business presentations, developing creative solutions or sorting through difficult personal decisions.
Arunas Oslapas, an associate professor of industrial design in the engineering technology department, leads his students in creating innovative solutions to everyday problems. Demonstrating their ability to blend art with technology, his students have regularly provided creative directions to industry and have collaborated with several business clients, including Microsoft, Boeing, Trek Bicycles and Cascade Designs. Oslapas received the Mayor’s Art Award this year for art education and leadership. His M.F.A. is from the University of Illinois.
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