Elise Paramore

According to the Oxford Dictionary a decision is "A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration". Decisions form the basis of our day-to-day lives, from the most mundane to the more substantial that require time and effort. As a marketing student, I've been exposed to the importance of effective decision making. Making a good decision can be the difference between survival or failure, especially with the growth of competition and innovation. What I personally find interesting is the argument of scientific versus intuitive decision making. I first came across this idea during my A-Level studies. Scientific decision making is using logical techniques such as probability and expected value to come to a final decision (Read more here ) The above diagram demonstrates the scientific decision making process. It suggests to start with setting objectives, usually SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Based) in order to provide direction and...

In 2018,  HIIK  observed a total of 372 conflicts worldwide-- 57% being violent, and 43% non-violent. It is confounding that so much conflict occurs over our world, but I want to focus on the re-telling of these stories and what we can learn from them. Below are three re-tellings of stories from conflicts and their importance. 1. Hamilton: An American Musical Hamilton about the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's Founding Fathers. It highlights his rise out of poverty set within the American War of Independence. (Read more  here ) The musical demonstrates the importance of re-telling the story of the war, and helps to educate people about the founding of the USA. Admittedly, I had no idea what the story was prior to seeing it, and I was blown away by both the music and the brilliant storytelling of an event that I normally wouldn't take an interest in. The finale of the show 'Who Lives, Wh...

One of my interests is fashion. I enjoy browsing through different styles, trying on clothes and admittedly buying a fair few items. However, the fashion industry has a fair way to go in terms of environmental impact. I recently placed an order through an online-only retailer. I ordered three items, and received my packet. Sounds good so far?  Well, to my surprise, I not only receive three items, but also four plastic bags. I received more plastic than product. Now, I can understand that in terms of warehousing logistics, having every item individually packaged is fairly effective and reduces order times however, it is excessive. However, not only does the packaging of clothing lead to a large amount of waste, the discarding of clothes is equally as damaging to the environment. Research conducted presents that 68 pounds of clothing is thrown away per person per year in America (Read more here ). Therefore, it is important that we move ahead as individuals a...

We are due to leave the European Union at some point in the coming months. It is easy to tell that Brexit will have a large impact on all UK business, regardless of the final result. However, I want to specifically focus on the NHS, as a large part of the 'Leave' Campaign's manifesto (found here ) was to 'save £350m a week' in order to spend on priorities such as the NHS. One of the greatest concerns the NHS is their workforce. The Withdrawal Agreement secures the position of EU nationals in the UK, however there is a large amount of uncertainty surrounding their position, and this is expected to grow. Read more about this here . It's also quite important to understand that 39.9% of doctors registered with GMC gained their qualifications abroad (Read more here ). Whilst this does not directly correlate that all of these doctors are immigrants who have moved to the UK to work, it does support the idea that a large proportion of the NHS' workforce is from...

'Too many facts, too little conceptualising, too much memorising and too little thinking' -- Paul Hurd Arguably, critical thinking is one of the most important skills a person can learn. Being able to 'sift through the noise' (From this  article)  in order to conclude concisely is highly valuable. My time in education has spanned the majority of my life. From learning the basics in primary school, to honing my knowledge in college, I've been exposed to many ideas and skills. However, it was only at the end of college that I was exposed critical thinking, why? One could argue that the education system is concerned with broadening horizons, teaching culture, history and a basic level of literacy/numeracy. However, you could also argue that the education system is not encapsulating the advanced skills needed in the workplace, making it challenging to learn these when its the most vital. I personally feel that these skills would have been so valuable to have le...

As a young person, I find myself using social media on a daily basis. Whether it's scrolling through Instagram while waiting for a bus or using Facebook to connect with my family whilst I'm at university, it surrounds me constantly. It often crosses my mind about how it's being utilised in business whether it be to assist in recruitment, marketing or to maintain balance between work and home. Social media is increasingly used to screen for potential candidates in the recruitment process and I think it is really interesting the amount of data that we share on social media. A simple search of my name brought up all my social medias in the top 5 results.  Research conducted in 2009 showed that 45% of over 2600 hiring managers used social media in their screening of potential candidates (Grasz as cited by Brown and Vaughn, 2011). Considering that this figure is a decade old, it's fair to assume that it is even more prevalent in recruitment today. I find this baz...

As a part of my studies at university I am required to create a series of blog posts in which I discuss a number of contemporary ideas that have an impact on organisations and individuals in business. These posts will appear here, and I hope that what I am discussing is of some interest. As a student I find myself wanting to read about business topics, however struggle to digest some of the information that is presented to me, so I am hoping that these posts will be both easy to read and relatable for all. Let me know what you think.