Become a Leader, Thank Your Employees

 

decoded@mcbw 2012

Hard-working employees often goes unappreciated by management. According to The Wall Street Journal, a way for managers to correct this is by simply thanking your employees.

A Change in Corporate Culture

But, aren’t employees just doing their job? Why would a boss need to thank their employees for tasks they payed them to do?

These questions understate the value of employees and create a large barrier between employees and managers. By doing so, employees are left feeling undervalued. A Monster.com poll, in this article, found that 90% of American workers occasionally feel unappreciated on the job and 50% never feel appreciated.

Instead, managers should thank their employees on any given day. The sense of feeling appreciated in the workplace, described in this article, can lead to greater happiness as well as better financial decision making and problem solving. Happiness and productivity in the workplace have also been found to be correlated, according to this study. In general, being appreciated can increase personal morale and lead to better mood, sleep, and alertness.

By expressing appreciation to employees, managers can change the culture of their business. This new corporate culture will help develop and retain productive employees by offering a welcoming atmosphere where hard work is recognized by management.

Create a Better Workplace

If you’re in a leadership role, then become an effective leader by saying thank you to your employees. Whether it be for a near meaningless task or a big project, make your employees feel appreciated and they will return the favor.

A simple thank you can transform workplace culture into a communicative environment built on productivity and success. With the linkage between happiness and productivity defined, why would a manager restrain from saying thank you every once in a while? The only result is a better workplace environment.

Apple Stock Falls After New Product Conference

On Wednesday Sept. 9th, Apple unveiled updated versions of their marquee products including the Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV, and iPhone. For the Apple Watch, Apple revamped the software with OS2, which will create better app integration, new customization features, and a more intuitive use for Siri. They also added multiple new watch bands ranging from the new Hermés leather bands to the more affordable sport bands with multiple color combinations.

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A New, More Powerful iPad 

The iPad lineup saw a huge update with the additions of the new iPad Pro and iPad Mini 4. The iPad Pro was the star of the stage with a large 12.9” screen supporting 5.6 million pixels. The new A9X chip in the iPad Pro helps support not just content consumers but now content creators with more computing power than ever. With its seamless ability to run complex software, like AutoCAD 360, the iPad Pro is now able to compete with most portable computers.

Apple TV Gets Much Needed Upgrade

Apple claims to have found the future of television through apps. The new redesigned Apple TV with tvOS software allows you to consume media from apps, like Netflix, on your larger television screen. With the iTunes App Store conveniently on the Apple TV, consumers can use the device as a gaming console. The new Siri Remote, let’s you quickly navigate on-screen with built-in voice integration and also doubles as a unique gaming controller. The Apple TV, a once single-use product, is now a multipurpose device that delivers entertainment right to your living room.

Minor Improvements for iPhone

Lastly, Apple showed off the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, an updated version of the preexisting iPhone. Now you get more functionality through 3D Touch, a 12MP camera, and a faster A9 chip. The addition of 3D Touch allows the screen to sense depth of touch, which enables more multitasking features without excessive on-screen buttons. The camera on the new iPhone supports 4k video functionality and live photos. These new features are being run by Apple’s A9 chip, which as claimed by Apple, has 70% more processing power than previous generations.

AAPL Shares Fall  More Than 2%

Apple Event Yahoo Finance Marked UP

At the same time Apple’s new products were being released, Apple stock (Ticker:AAPL) was trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The following is a timeline during the new product conference:

  • 9:30AM – 1:00PM: AAPL traded in a tight range between $112 and $113 in anticipation of the event at 1:00PM.
  • 1:00PM – 1:15PM: Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, announced improvements to the Apple Watch and after he said, in this article, that “Today, we have the biggest news in iPad since the iPad”. In response, AAPL peaked at $114.02, up 1.30% on the day.
  • 1:15PM – 1:30PM: AAPL turned to the downside reaching $112.29, down 0.10%.
  • 1:30PM – 3:00PM: Following the release of Apple Watch and iPad Pro, AAPL continued to the downside. By 3:00PM the stock had reached $111.50.

 

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Since the reversal started before the new Apple TV and iPhone’s were announced, a logical conclusion would be to point toward the Apple Watch or iPad Pro as reason for the decline. Lets examine three possible cases for the early reversal in Apple stock.

First, Tim Cook announced the hefty starting price of $799 for the iPad Pro. This is far above any expectations, which creates a negative reaction in the eyes of consumers and investors.

Second, the realization that the iPad Pro is now in direct competition with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, a tablet starting at a lower price of $699, is a negative to investors. For example, the iPad Pro has add-on accessories that are exact comparisons to the keyboard and stylus pen that come included with the Surface Pro 3. Moreover, Apple is known for creating products unlike anything currently on the market, and the iPad Pro comes off as a replication of the Surface Pro 3 with Apple branding.

Lastly, Steve Jobs, deceased co-founder of Apple, in 2007 at the Macworld convention was quoted in an article saying, “Who wants a stylus?… Nobody wants a stylus. So let’s not use a stylus.” Thus, following the release of the controversial Apple Pencil, a $99 accessory for the iPad Pro, the stock price dipped into negative territory.

Long-Term Investors Should Remain Hopeful

The ultimate indicator of long-term success for the new Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV, and iPhone is not the short-term price volatility of the stock, but better yet is the future revenue generated from these products. When Apple reports fourth quarter earnings later this year, investors will understand the true impact new product development has on long-term stock performance. Therefore, a 2% decrease in Apple stock should not be seen as negative. Instead, the decrease should signify that current investor projections are not 100% positive on future product performance. Consequently, the future revenue performance of Apple’s new products remains an investment risk to owning the stock.