FEI Weekly

November 28, 2017

Why CPAs make great business leaders, and what Portugal tells us about net neutrality.

Senate Tax Bill Faces Crucial Vote

Bloomberg

The Senate’s tax-cut bill faces a crucial committee vote today as Republicans try to push it through to full Senate passage by the end of the week. Normally a formality, the vote is instead being used by at least two Republican senators to change the bill. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady may reveal some of his goals for those negotiations during a speech to the American Enterprise Institute at 8:30 AM in Washington. President Trump will later meet with GOP senators.

Why CPAs Make Great Business Leaders

San Diego Union-Tribune

Guild Mortage CEO Mary Ann McGarry explains why she believes people who want to run a business should be a CPA. "When you audit, you see the whole puzzle, the ins and outs and it helps you make good strategic decisions. I think it's important to understand efficiencies and processes so you can make it easier for people to be successful."

Portugal Can Tell Us A Lot About Net Neutrality

Los Angeles Times

Net neutrality means that all websites and services have identical access to internet users, and ISPs such as cable broadband or wireless providers can’t block some sites or services or deliberately slow down their data as they make their way to users, and can’t demand payment to prioritize one firm’s service over a rival. Portugal provides an instructive look at how internet service providers can steer users to favored website and services, including their own.

This Commerce Giant Won Cyber Monday

CBS News

The e-commerce giant accounts for somewhere between 45 percent and 50 percent of all Cyber Monday sales by volume. Several factors feed into making this an exceptionally strong season for Amazon, not least of which is the availability of the Echo speaker and other "smart home" devices. The breakneck pace of Cyber Monday shopping comes on the heels of a strong retail showing over Thanksgiving day and Black Friday.

The 4 Stages of Motivation

Ladders

The first stage of motivation is "motivated ineffective." When people start a job, they are motivated but require training and orientation to be effective. The next stage is, then, motivated effective, when the employee has learned what to do. "Demotivated effective" occurs when the motivation level starts going down and the employee learns the tricks of the trade. From there, either they are brought back to the second stage, which is being motivated and effective or they automatically move into the fourth stage, which is demotivated and ineffective.