The relativity of values causes us to use money irrationally. I go to the supermarket to buy a $15 pen, and the clerk smiles and says, “You can buy this pen for $7 if you walk 5 minutes from here.” Then, most people walk five minutes and buy a $15 pen for $7. But if you want to buy a $1,000 jacket and the clerk smiles and says, “You can get a $992 jacket in five minutes from here,” most people simply buy the $1,000 jacket. Reasonably, walking for 5 minutes equals the effort, and the profit of $8 is the same. However, people might go to a store that sells pens cheaper, but not for the jacket, because the discount rate is too low. In other words, the relativity of comparing values makes us act irrationally. The pen’s discount rate is 55%, and the jacket’s is only 0.8%. Yet, the total amount is the same for all $8, and the effort to gain that profit is identical. Attitudes and misconceptions about consumption influence how we build wealth. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
A comment system was in place at a United States Forest Service branch with 2,500 employees. The employees were instructed to submit their proposals on page 4 for comment. Two hundred and fifty-two proposals were submitted over four years. In terms of the number of employees, one idea was proposed every 40 years. The change was necessary. Employees were required to submit a brief idea outline via email. In 30 days, the idea could be implemented if there was no response from the designated contact and no legal issues arose. In the first year, 6,000 ideas were generated. A person without creativity may enter the organization, but the organization may destroy creativity. It's more effective to eliminate factors that impede creativity than to attempt to enhance it. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”