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Understanding Economic Systems and Business

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Making Ethical Decisions and Managing a Socially Responsible Business

1. Renae Merle, “‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli Goes on Trial, Where He Finds Another Kind of Limelight,” Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com, June 27, 2017; Dan Mangan, “Appeals Court Upholds `Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli Lifetime Ban from Drug Industry,” CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com, January 23, 2024.
2. Arthur Schwartz, “The 5 Most Common Unethical Behaviors in the Workplace,” Philadelphia Business Journal, https://www.bizjournals.com, January 26, 2015; Marianne Moody Jennings, Case Studies in Business Ethics, 2nd edition (St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1996), pp. xx–xxii.
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4. Dori Meinert, “Creating an Ethical Workplace,” Society for Human Resource Management, https://www.shrm.org, accessed June 23, 2017; Jeff Kauflin, “The World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, March 14, 2017; U.S. Bank, “Putting Ethics Up Front,” Business Ethics Resource Center, https://www.businessethicsresourcecenter.org, accessed January 23, 2026.
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7. John Ewoldt, “Better Business Bureau Revokes MyPillow Accreditation over Ad Dispute,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, https://www.startribune.com, January 4, 2017; Herb Weisbaum, “Full of Fluff? MyPillow Ordered to Pay $1M for Bogus Ads,” NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com, November 3, 2016; Filipa Ioannou, “MyPillow Maker to Pay $1 Million in False Advertising Settlement,” SFGate, https://www.sfgate.com, November 1, 2016; KARE 11, “'My Pillow' Downgraded to an F Rating by Better Business Bureau,” WTHR, https://www.wthr.com, January 7, 2017.
8. Dr. Prativindhya and Dr. Shuchi Goel, “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Its Influence on Consumer Perception,” International Journal for Novel Research in Economics, Finance, and Management, Vol. 3, Iss. 2, pp. 256 -259, https://www.ijnrefm.com, March -April, 2025; Adam Blair, “REI Sustainability Efforts: From Local Renewable Energy to Greater Use of Recycled Raw Materials,” Retail Touch Points, https://www.retailtouchpoints.com, January 2, 2026.
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10. Sarah Landrum, “Millennials Driving Brands to Practice Socially Responsible Marketing,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, March 17, 2017.
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12. Hannah Ritchie, “Deforestation and Forest Loss,” Our World in Data, https://www.ourworldindata.org, updated November 2024; Christine Lynn, “Endangered Animal Statistics & Facts to Know in 2025,” World Animal Foundation, https://www.worldanimalfoundation.org, June 11, 2025; James Horrox and Celeste Meiffren-Swango, “Trash in America,” Environment America, https://www.environmentamerica.org, December 9, 2025; Kathy Hitchens, “Toyota, Port of Long Beach Go Green with `Tri-Gen' Biogas-to-H2 Production System,” Microgrid Knowledge, https://www.microgridknowledge.com, September 8, 2023.
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Competing in the Global Marketplace

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18. Kat de Naoum, "Protective Tariffs: Definition, History, and How They Impact Manufacturing and Supply Chains," Thomasnet, https://www.thomasnet.com, November 25, 2025; Logan Jackonis, "Canadian Tariffs on US Goods Before Trump," Commenda, https://www.commenda.io, April 30, 2025; William F. Burkhart and Keigh E. Hammond, "Presidential 2025 Tariff Actions: Timeline and Status," (Report R48549), Library of Congress, https://www.congress.gov, January 12, 2026.
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Forms of Business Ownership

1. Tara Siegel Bernard, “Building a Luxury Retail Business on the Web,” The Wall Street Journal-Small Business, July 12, 2005, p. B4; Jeremy Shepherd, “My Journey From Flight Attendant To CEO Of A $20 Million Company,” The Blog, Huffington Post, November 1, 2010 (accessed August 17, 2017); Syl Tang , "Rarest of pearls face a less than golden future," Financial Times, https://www.ft.com, accessed August 17, 2017 "About Pearl Paradise.com Inc.," https://www.pearlparadise.com, accessed February 23, 2026; "Our Showroom," https://www.pearlparadise.com, accessed February 23, 2026; Victoria Gomelsky, "How a Los Angeles Pearl E-Tailer Turned Livestreaming Into Surefire Sales," JCK, https://www.jckonline.com, October 15, 2025.
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7. Byun Hye-jin, "Hyundai, GM to Build Pickups, EVs in New Sweeping Alliance," The Korea Herald, https://www.koreaherald.com, August 7, 2025.
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9. “The Economic Impact of Franchised Businesses in the United States,” International Franchise Association, https://www.franchise.org; "FAQs about Franchising." FAQs about Franchising | International Franchise Association, (August 17, 2017).
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11. Thomas Content, “With acquisition of Tyco, Johnson Controls will become global 'one-stop shop' for building controls,” Journal Sentinel, January 25, 2016, https://archive.jsonline.com, (accessed August 17, 2017); Johnson Control Media Center, https://www.johnsoncontrols.com (accessed August 17, 2017); Brian Steinberg, “AT&T Opens New Advertising Unit in Advance of Time Warner Merger,” Variety, August 4, 2017, (August 6, 2017).
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Entrepreneurship: Starting and Managing Your Own Business

1. Shannon McMahon, “Stepping into a Fortune,” San Diego Union-Tribune, April 5, 2005, p. C4.
2. Dashel Pierson, “10 Things You Should Know about Surfing in the Olympics,” Surfline, https://www.surfline.com, August 5, 2016.
3. Steve Chapple, “Reef Brand’s Co-founder Eyes the Horizon,” San Diego Union Tribune, https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com, December 13, 2013; Jake Howard, "2013 SIMA Waterman's Ball," ESPN, https://www.espn.com, August 12, 2013.
4. Andrew Morse, “An Entrepreneur Finds Tokyo Shares Her Passion for Bagels,” The Wall Street Journal, October 18, 2005, p. B1.
5. Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer, "Allison Ellsworth, Poppi: Secrets to Building This Best-Selling Soda Brand," Entreprenista, https://www.entreprenista.com, January 23, 2025; Tom Foster, "How Poppi Founder Allison Ellsworth Went From ‘Shark Tank’ to Shark," Texas Monthly, https://www.texasmonthly.com, September 2025.
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8. Keith McFarland, “What Makes Them Tick,” Inc. 500, October 19, 2005, https://www.inc.com.
9. Ibid.
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14. Taylor Soper, “From Hackathon to IPO: Pet Sitting Marketplace Rover Is Seattle’s Newest Public Company,” GeekWire, https://www.geekwire.com, August 2, 2021; “Blackstone Completes Acquisition of Rover,” The Rover Press Room, https://www.rover.com, February 27, 2024; Rick Morgan, “Rover CEO Stepping Down After 14 years, Successor Named,” Puget Sound Business Journal, https://www.bizjournals.com, June 12, 2025; Anne Moratto, “Glam Seamless to Join the Beauty Industry Group Family of Brands,” Modern Salon, https://www.modernsalon.com, February 28, 2019; Claire McCormack, “Glam Seamless Founder Alexandra Cristin Exits CEO Role,” Beauty Independent, https://www.beautyindependent.com, February 5, 2023; “Tribe 35,” https://www.tribe35.com, accessed March 3, 2026; “Skyword and TrackMaven Join Forces to Form #1 Content Marketing Platform,” Skyword, https://www.skyword.com, October 23, 2018; “Top 50 FinTech Angel Investors in Colombia in January 2026,” Shizune, https://shizune.co, January 2026; Catherine Clifford, “How Two 25-Year-Old College Dropouts Built a Watch Company that Made $60 Million this Year,” CNBC Make It, https://www.cnbc.com, December 2, 2016; Ernestine Siu, “‘I Lost Purpose’: At 27, He Sold His Company for $100 Million — Now, He Says It’s Changed His View on Money,” CNBC Make It, https://www.cnbc.com, January 29, 2025; Accion Systems, “Accion Systems Raises $42 Million in Series C Led by Tracker Capital,” Cision US, https://www.prweb.com, July 21, 2021; “Accion Systems Inc.,” https://govtribe.com, accessed March 3, 2026; “Dagne Dover,” https://www.dagnedover.com, accessed March 3, 2026; Modern Retail Awards, “Walmart, Whatnot, Dagne Dover and Dropit Are Winners of the 2023 Modern Retail Awards,” Modern Retail, https://www.modernretail.co, December 12, 2023; Tanya Benedicto Klich, “Why It Took The 3 Cofounders Of Dagne Dover 3 Years To Develop And Launch A Luggage Line,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, June 21, 2024; Malique Morris, “DTC Brands See a Long-Delayed Path to Exit in 2024,” The Business of Fashion, https://www.businessoffashion.com, January 11, 2024.
15. Emily Sherman, "5 Most Common Sources of Business Startup Capital," alt LINE, https://altline.sobanco.com, October 4, 2024; U.S. Small Business Administration, "SBA 2024 Capital Impact Report," https://www.sba.gov, October 29, 2024.
16. Chamber of Commerce Team, "Small Business Statistics," Chamber of Commerce, https://www.chamberofcommerce.org, July 24, 2024.
17. Andrew Blackman, “Know When to Give Up,” The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2005, p. R9.
18. Rebecca Leppert, "A Look at Small Businesses in the U.S.," Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org, April 22, 2024; Gabrielle Carpenter, "Best U.S. Cities for Small Business," B2B Reviews, https://www.b2breviews.com, January 14, 2026.
19. Don Debelak, “Rookie Rules,” Business Start-Ups Magazine, https://www.entrepreneur.com, March 2, 2006.
20. "The Hidden Costs of Compliance for Small Businesses in 2025," Palm, https://www.getpalm.com, June 4, 2025; U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "Small Businesses Are Spending More Time, Money on Regulatory Compliance," https://www.uschamber.com, December 16, 2024.
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22. “SBA Lending Activity in FY 2017 Shows Consistent Growth,” https://www.sba.gov, October 13, 2017.
23. "The Impact of Small Businesses on the United States Economy," https://nationalbusiness.org, accessed March 3, 2026; U.S. Department of the Treasury, "New U.S. Department of the Treasury Analysis Shows Growth of Small Business and Entrepreneurship During the Biden-Harris Administration," https://home.treasury.gov, September 3, 2024.
24. Barry Elad, "Women Entrepreneurship Statistics By Industry And Facts (2025)," Sci-Tech Today, https://www.sci-tech-today.com, December 12, 2025.
25. Wells Fargo, "New Report Finds Growth of Women Business Owners Outpaces the Market," https://newsroom.wf.com, January 9, 2024.
26. Reece Tomlinson, "Baby Boomer Businesses Are Up for Grabs — Here’s How Entrepreneurs Can Benefit In 2025," Entrepreneur, https://www.entrepreneur.com, January 16, 2025.
27. Candida G. Brush, Andrew C. Corbett, Caroline Daniels, Donna J. Kelley, Mahdi Majbouri, and Jeffrey Shay, "Younger Generations Continue Starting Businesses at Highest Rates, According to Latest GEM USA Report," Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, https://www.gemconsortium.org, accessed March 3, 2026.
28. "Small Business Loans," https://www.bankrate.com, accessed March 3, 2026; "SBA 7(a) Loans For Minorities: What You Need To Know," iBusiness Funding, https://ibusinessfunding.com, August 3, 2023.
29. HispanicPro, "Hispanic Entrepreneurship in the United States: A 2025 Snapshot," HispanicPro Network, https://hispanicpronetwork.ning.com, May 30, 2025.
30. Lora Kolodny, “This Start-up Fled the High Cost of Silicon Valley to Help Non-Tech Workers Get an Education,” CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com, September 6, 2017; "Guild Unveils New Brand and Product, Evolving Beyond Education to Accelerate Career Mobility for America’s Workforce," Business Wire, https://www.businesswire.com, April 12, 2023.
31. Aldo Svaldi, "Education Tech Firm Guild Lays Off a Quarter of Its Workforce," The Denver Post, https://www.denverpost.com, May 22, 2024; Tamara Chuang, "What’s Working: Denver-Based Guild’s CEO Talks About AI, Frontline Workers and Her New Job," The Colorado Sun, https://coloradosun.com, April 13, 2024; "Guild Education Funding," https://wellfound.com, accessed March 3, 2026.
32. Kia Kokalitcheva and Jordan Rubio, "Map: The Geography of US Venture Deals in Q2 2025," PitchBook, https://pitchbook.com, July 15, 2025.
33. Alexis Kahe, "13 Startup Funding Trends to Watch in 2025," Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation, https://www.ceigateway.com, February 25, 2025; Brian Belley, "2024 Investment Crowdfunding: Trends, Stats, and Platform Rankings," Kingscrowd, https://kingscrowd.com, January 7, 2025; "Startups in USA You Need to Know (2025)," https://www.startus-insights.com, accessed March 3, 2026.

Management and Leadership in Today's Organizations

1. Ben Schlappig, “American, Delta, and United Profitability Divide: What's Driving It?” One Mile at a Time, https://onemileatatime.com, April 25, 2025.
2. Matthew C. Klein, “Traders Appreciate United Airlines Commitment to ‘Cost Efficiency Targets’,” Financial Times, https://ftalphaville.ft.com, April 10, 2017; Robert Silk, “UPDATED: JetBlue Founder Neeleman Working on New Company,” Travel Weekly, https://www.travelweekly.com, July 31, 2017; Karsten Strauss, “When CEOs Get Demoted (By Companies They Founded),” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, March 28, 2013.
3. Gene Dai, “The Great AI Hiring Experiment: What Fortune 500 Companies Learned after Spending Billions,” https://digidai.github.io/, January 6, 2026.
4. Rebecca Aydin, “How 3 Guys Turned Renting Air Mattresses in Their Apartment into a $31 Billion Company, Airbnb,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com, April 8, 2021; “Diving into Airbnb History: From an Air Mattress to a Household Name,” IGMS, https://www.igms.com, August 22, 2025.
5. Tomio Geron, “Airbnb Launches Neighborhoods for Hyper-Local Travel Guides,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, November 13, 2012; Natasha Lomas, “Airbnb Acquires Travel Activities Marketplace, Trip4Real,” TechCrunch, https://www.techcrunch.com, September 19, 2016; “The Olympic Partner Programme,” IOC, https://www.olympics.com/ioc/partners, February 8, 2022.
6. Hallie Busta, “Q&A: Former Autodesk CEO Carol Bartz on the Past, Present and Future of Construction Tech,” https://www.constructiondive.com, March 29, 2017; David Bank, “Autodesk Stages Revival,” Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2005, p. B3.
7. Richard Levick, “Crisis Contingency Planning, Risk Assessment Vitally Important in Today’s Climate,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, November 16, 2017.
10. Jeffery Garten, “Jack Welch: A Role Model for Today’s CEO,” Business Week (September 10, 2001); David Gelles, “How Jack Welch's Reign at G.E. Gave Us Elon Musk's Twitter Feed,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, June 22, 2023.
11. Ghazal Hashemipour, “A.G. Lafley: A Look Back at the Career of the Most Successful CEO in P&G History,” Chief Executive, https://chiefexecutive.net, June 13, 2016; Jennifer Reingold, “P&G Chairman A.G. Lafley Steps Down—For Good, This Time?” Fortune, https://fortune.com, June 1, 2016; Nancy Brumback, “6. A.G. Lafley, Chairman and CEO, Procter & Gamble Company,” Supermarket News, July 25, 2005.
12. “Mary Barra,” Business Women, https://businesswomen.com, accessed January 25, 2026; Academy to Innovate HR, “Participative Leadership,” https://www.aihr.com, accessed January 25, 2026.
13. Carol Hymowitz, “Middle Managers Are Unsung Heroes on Corporate Stage,” Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2005, p. B1.
14. Andrew S. Grove 1936-2016, Intelcom, https://newsroom.intel.com/news-releases/andrew-s-grove-1936-2016/, accessed September 16, 2017.)
15. “Are You One of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®,” Great Place to Work, https://www.greatplacetowork.com, accessed January 25, 2026.
16. Oscar Raymundo, “5 Reasons Googlers Think It’s the Best Place to Work,” Inc., https://www.inc.com, accessed November 11, 2017.
17. “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 2017,” Fortune.com, https://fortune.com/best-companies/google/, accessed October 30, 2017.
18. Megan Bruneau, “Overcome ‘Analysis Paralysis’ and Execute on Your Idea: 5 Tips from Ollie Cofounder Gabby Slome,” Forbes, https: www.forbes.com, November 19, 2017; “U.S. Pet Food Market (2025 -2030),” Grandview Research, https://www.grandviewresearch.com, accessed January 25, 2026.
19. Elliot Mest, “6 Ways That Hotels Can Prevent, Prepare for Crisis Situations,” Hotel Management, https://www.hotelmanagement.net, November 15, 2017.
20. Rajiv Joseph, “More Than the Usual Opening Night Jitters,” The New York Times, https://www.nytime.com, November 26, 2017.
21. Ibid.
22. This section is adapted from Vivian Giang, “The 7 Types of Power That Shape the Workplace,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com, July 31, 2013.
23. Andrew White, “Put Data and Analytics at the Heart of Your Digital Business,” Gartner Blog Network, https://blogs.gartner.com, November 20, 2017,
24. David J. Parnell, “Robert Romanoff of Levenfeld Pearlstein: Real Change Requires Leadership, Not Consensus,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, November 6, 2017; Aebra Coe, “Law Firm Leaders: Levenfeld Pearlstein's Robert Romanoff,” LP/Law360, https://www.lplegal.com, December 4, 2019.
25. Richard Lewis, “How Different Cultures Understand Time,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com, June 1, 2014.

Designing Organizational Structures

1. “2016 Annual Report,” https://www.ethanallen.com, accessed July 18, 2017.
2. “ITT 2016 Fact Sheet V2,” https://www.itt.com, accessed July 18, 2017.
3. “Our Business,” https://www.gazprom-neft.com, accessed July 18, 2017.
4. “Pixar Animation Studios,” The Disney Wiki, https://disney.wiki.com, accessed July 18, 2017; Bob Gower, “Want a Creative Culture? Pixar Says Do These 3 Things,” Inc., https://www.inc.com, August 9, 2016.
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6. “Corporate Structure,” https://us.pg.com, accessed July 18, 2017.
7. Herman Vantrappen and Frederic Wirtz, “Making Matrix Organizations Actually Work,” Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org, March 1, 2016.
8. “Executive Committee and Organizational Structure,” https://www.novartis.com, accessed July 19, 2017; “Executive Committee,” https://www.novartis.com, accessed February 3, 2026.
9. Ethan Chazin, “Self-Managed Teams: The Future of Employee Engagement,” LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com, July 19, 2017.
10. Jennifer Reingold, “How a Radical Shift Left Zappos Reeling,” Fortune, https://fortune.com, March 4, 2016; Kathleen Schaub, “Self-Managed Organizations: Who Is Doing It?” https://www.kathleenschaub.com/, June 19, 2023.
11. Christian Wissmuller, “String Theory: Prominent Suppliers Discuss the Electric Guitar and Bass String Market,” Musical Merchandise Review, https://mmrmagazine.com, June 14, 2017; Alan Deutschman, “The Fabric of Creativity,” Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com, December 1, 2004; “W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.,” https://www.company-histories.com/, accessed February 3, 2026.
12. “Morning Star’s Success Story: No Bosses, No Titles, No Structural Hierarchy,” Corporate Rebels, https://corporate-rebels.com, November 14, 2016.
13. Justin Young, “Unilever’s Organizational Structure for Product Innovation,” Panmore Institute, https://panmore.com, February 21, 2017; “Unilever UK Gets Its House in Order,” Grocer, February 12, 2005; “From Rivalry to Mergers: Anglo-Dutch Companies,” The Economist, February 12, 2005, p. 61; Peter Adams, "Unilever Realigns Focus on Product Categories Amid Claims It’s Lost Its Way," Industry Dive, https://www.marketingdive.com, January 25, 2022; Justin Young, "Unilever’s Organizational Structure Characteristics (An Analysis)," Panmore, https://panmore.com, October 18, 2024; "Unilever Simplifies Organisation," Unilever, https://www.unilever.com, January 25, 2022.
14. Steve Lohr, “Microsoft to Cut Up to 4,000 Sales and Marketing Jobs,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, July 6, 2017.
15. “Fortune 2017 100 Best Companies to Work For: #52 W.L. Gore & Associates,” Fortune, https://fortune.com, accessed July 19, 2017.
16. Grace Smith, "What Is Grapevine Communication? Should You Be Overly Concerned?" ThriveSparrow, https://www.thrivesparrow.com, August 27, 2025; Kim Harrison, "How to Counter Negative Rumors on the Grapevine in Your Workplace," Cutting Edge PR, https://cuttingedgepr.com, March 16, 2025.
17. “Key Outsourcing Trends from Deloitte’s 2016 Global Outsourcing Survey,” https://www2.deloitte.com, accessed July 19, 2017; IG Rosales, "Most Commonly Outsourced Services in 2025 (44+ Statistics)," Genius, https://joingenius.com, July 15, 2024.
18. Emma Charlton, "What Is the Gig Economy and What's the Deal for Gig Workers?" World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org, November 22, 2024; "The Gig Economy: Shaping the Future of Work and Business," Park University, https://www.park.edu, July 31, 2024.
19. Missy Chaiet, “6 Steps to Creating Better Strategic Outsourcing Partnerships,” https://www.cgsinc.com, July 1, 2016.
20. Allan Steinmetz, “Seven Steps for Cultural Integration During a Merger or Acquisition,” https://www.inwardconsulting.com, accessed July 21, 2017.

Managing Human Resources and Labor Relations

1. Maria M. Perotin, “New Alcon Soft Lens Solutions Approved,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 13, 2005, p. 2c.
2. Kate Taylor and Dennis Green, “Best Buy’s CEO Led the Retailer in an Incredible Turnaround,” Business Insider, www.businessinsider.com/best-buy-ceo-hubert-joly-interview-2018-3, March 25, 2018.
3. Ibid.
4. “About Carbone Smolan Agency,” https://www.carbonesmolan.com, accessed February 8, 2018.
5. “The Wonderlic Personnel Tests,” https://www.wonderlic.com, accessed February 8, 2018.
6. “Yankee Candle Improves Performance by 40% with the Predictive Index®,” https://olivergroup.com, accessed February 8, 2018.
7. Carolyn Murray LinkedIn Profile, accessed February 15, 2018, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarolynmurray/; “Gore-Tex,” Fast Company, January, 1999, p. 160.
8. “Work, Environment & Culture,” https://www.dow.com, accessed February 8, 2018; Stephanie Oferman, “Mentors without Borders,” HR Magazine, vol. 49 (March 2004), pp. 83–86.
9. "3 Reasons Fortune 500 Leaders Are Adopting Immersive Learning for Safety Training," https://www.strivr.com, accessed February 25, 2026; "OSHA-Authorized Online Outreach Training Providers," https://www.osha.gov, accessed February 25, 2026.
10. “MillerCoors Hourly Pay,” https://www.glassdoor.com, accessed February 8, 2018; "Molson Coors Beverage Company," https://www.indeed.com, accessed February 25, 2026.
11. Jacob Morgan, “The Top 10 Factors for On-the-Job Employee Happiness,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, December 15, 2014; "Top 5 Drivers of Job Satisfaction in 2025—and What to Do About Them," Center for Human Capital Innovation, https://centerforhci.org, July 28, 2025; "Job Satisfaction: Meaning, Components, Factors, Tips and Measures," Geeks for Geeks, https://www.geeksforgeeks.org, August 21, 2025.
12. "What Percentage of U.S. Workers Belong to a Labor Union?" Gallup, https://news.gallup.com, November 20, 2024; "One Year Later: FP’s Interactive Union Activity Map Reveals 5 Key Labor Trends," Fisher & Phillips, https://www.fisherphillips.com, March 24, 2025; Paul D. Romero and Julie M. Whittaker, "A Brief Examination of Union Membership Data," (Report R47596), https://www.congress.gov, June 16, 2023; "How Much of the American Workforce Is Unionized?" USA Facts, https://usafacts.org, August 8, 2025.
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15. Jessie Gómez and Catherine Carrera, "Contract with Higher Starting Salaries, Longer Workday OK’d by Newark Teachers Union," NJ Spotlight News, https://www.njspotlightnews.org, June 11, 2024.
16. "CPKC Locks Out TCRC Employees, Moves to Full Shut Down of Canadian Rail Network," CPKC, https://www.cpkcr.com, August 22, 2024.
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18. Rebecca Leppert and Katherine Schaeffer, "8 Facts About Americans with Disabilities," Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org, July 24, 2023.
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20. Alice Zelikson, "EEOC Trends and Statistics – 2024," Gen Re, https://www.genre.com, April 9, 2025; "Enforcement and Litigation Statistics," https://www.eeoc.gov, accessed February 25, 2026; "Significant EEOC Race/Color Cases (Covering Private and Federal Sectors)," https://www.eeoc.gov, accessed February 25, 2026.
21. "How Is Southwest Different From Other Airlines?" Investopedia, https://www.investopedia.com, January 22, 2025; Amelia Wilson, "7 Competitive Advantage Examples You Should Be Aware Of," Competitive Intelligence Alliance, https://www.competitiveintelligencealliance.io, May 14, 2025.
22. "Johnson & Johnson," https://peoplereturn.com, accessed February 25, 2026.
23. Robert Steyer, “CBS Taps Fidelity Investments as Record Keeper for 401(k) Plan,” Pensions & Investments, https://www.pionline.com, August 10, 2017.
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27. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupations with the Most Job Growth: 2016–2026,” https://www.bls.gov, accessed February 8, 2018; Niccolo Conte, "Visualized: U.S. Employment by Industry in 2025," Visual Capitalist, https://www.visualcapitalist.com, May 26, 2025; Sarah Mitchell, "Home Care Industry Statistics," Gitnux, https://gitnux.org, February 13, 2026; "Job Outlook for Food Preparation Workers in the United States," https://www.zippia.com, accessed February 25, 2026; Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Janitors and Building Cleaners," https://www.bls.gov, accessed February 25, 2026.
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Motivating Employees

1. “Wegmans Food Markets #2,” Fortune, https://fortune.com, accessed October 30, 2017; “20th Year in a Row: Fortune Names Wegmans One of 2017 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, Ranking #2,” https://www.wegmans.com, March 9, 2017; Claire Zillman, “Secrets from Best Companies All Stars,” Fortune, https://fortune.com, March 9, 2017; Matthew Boyle, “The Wegmans Way,” Fortune, January 24, 2005, pp. 62–68; "Benefits & Work-Life Flexibility," https://jobs.wegmans.com, accessed February 9, 2026; "Wegmans, Publix, Whole Foods Named ‘Great Place to Work Legends’," Progressive Grocer, https://progressivegrocer.com, March 9, 2017; "Wegmans Retention Score," https://www.comparably.com, accessed February 9, 2026.
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3. “Genencor Named One of America’s Best Places to Work,” Dupont Industrial Biosciences, https://biosciences.dupont.com, accessed October 30, 2017; Robert H. Mayer, https://relationshipscience.com, accessed October 30, 2017; "Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® 2025," https://www.greatplacetowork.com, accessed February 10, 2026; "Our Origins as Biotech Trailblazers and Beyond," https://www.iff.com, accessed February 10, 2026.
4. “Sony Names Kazuo Hirai as President and CEO; Sir Howard Stringer to Become Chairman of the Board of Directors” (press release), https://www.sony.net, February 1, 2012; Brent Schlender, “Inside the Shakeup at Sony: The Surprising Selection of Howard Stringer as Sony’s CEO was a Classic Boardroom Tale of Executive Intrigue and Dashed Ambitions,” Fortune, April 4, 2005, p. 94.
5. James Powel, "Santa's Helpers: UPS Announces over 125,000 Openings in Holiday Hiring Blitz," Yahoo Finance, https://finance.yahoo.com, September 25, 2024; "UPS Is an Industry Leader in On Time Delivery during the Holiday Season for Seven Years Straight," UPS, https://about.ups.com, January 27, 2025.
6. Suzanna Kim, “Urban Outfitters Asks Employees to Volunteer for Weekend Shift in ‘Team Building Activity,’” ABC News, https://abcnews.go.com, October 9, 2015.
7. Joseph Do, "How Flexible Are US Firms Today? New Flex Index Insights," FlexOS, https://www.flexos.work, October 15, 2024.
8. Stephen Miller, "SHRM Benefits Survey Tracks Most, Least Popular Perks," SHRM, https://www.shrm.org, June 18, 2017; "2025 Employee Benefits Survey," https://www.shrm.org, accessed February 10, 2026.
9. “Piloting the Part-Time Team Initiative,” https://www.amazon.jobs, accessed January 13, 2018; “2017 Employee Benefits,” Society for Human Resource Management, https://www.shrm.org, accessed November 16, 2017; Karen Turner, “Amazon Is Piloting Teams with a 30-hour Workweek,” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com, accessed November 16, 2017; David Morris, “Amazon Tests 30-Hour Work Week,” Fortune, https://fortune.com, accessed November 16, 2017; Theresa Agovino, “Is It Time to Kill the 40-Hour Workweek?,” Society for Human Resource Management, https://www.shrm.org, accessed November 16, 2017; Stephan Aarstol, “What Happened When I Moved My Company to a 5-Hour Workday,” Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com, accessed November 16, 2017; Isobel O'Sullivan, "4-Day Workweek Statistics to Change How You Think," Tech.co, https://tech.co, January 6, 2025; Barry Elad, "Four Day Work Week Statistics 2024 By Benefits, Sacrifices and Demographics," EnterpriseAppsToday, https://www.enterpriseappstoday.com, February 13, 2024; Stephan Aarstol, "Our Company Started 5-Hour Workdays in 2015. Here's Why We're Still Doing It," Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com, March 16, 2021; "Financial Times Article on the Spread of Tower's 5-Hour Workday," Tower Paddle Boards, https://www.towerpaddleboards.com, May 6, 2018.
10. Jacquelyn Pawela-Crew, https://www.linkedin.com, accessed October 30, 2017; Dan Enloe, https://www.linkedin.com, accessed October 30, 2017; Susan Caminiti, “A Champion of Change,” Fortune, September 20, 2004, p. S10.
11. Ibid.
12. Ricardo Semler, “What Happens When You Run a Company with (Almost) No Rules?” TED Radio Hour, https://www.npr.org, accessed January 14, 2018; Mallen Baker, “Ricardo Semler: The Radical Boss Who Proved That Workplace Democracy Works,” Mallen Baker’s Respectful Business Blog, https://mallenbaker.net, accessed January 14, 2018; Stacy A. Teicher, “On the Frontier of Flexibility; Slowly, Companies Are Offering Flexible Schedules—a Key Demand of Workers,” The Christian Science Monitor, June 7, 2004, p. 13.
13. Maria Lamagna, “Job Sharing Might Be the Answer to Avoiding Burnout,” New York Post, https://nypost.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Maria Lamagna, “Is Job-Sharing a Cop-Out or the Way to Avoid Burnout?” MarketWatch, https://www.marketwatch.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Vivian Wagner, “Take This Job and Share It,” AARP, https://www.aarp.org, accessed January 14, 2018; “Work Muse in the News!” https://workmuse.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Kira Caban, "The 2025 State of the Flexible Workforce Report: Key Insights for Businesses," Instawork, https://www.instawork.com, June 17, 2025; SIG-HR, "Netflix’s “No Rules” HR Policy: A Radical Shift in Company Culture," LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com, October 24, 2024.
14. Paige Magarrey, “The Motley Fool’s Awesome Employee Engagement Tactics,” Workopolis, https://hiring.workopolis.com, accessed January 15, 2018; Ashley Bell, “33 Thoughtful Employee Recognition & Appreciation Ideas for 2018,” SnackNation, https://www.snacknation.com, accessed January 15, 2018; Lindsay Tigar, “6 Job Perks that Actually Inspire Employee Happiness,” Ladders, https://www.theladders.com, accessed January 15, 2018; “Our Mission: Helping the World Invest — Better,” The Motley Fool, https://www.fool.com, accessed January 15, 2018.
15. “Why Employees at Apple and Google Are More Productive,” Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com, accessed January 15, 2018; Robert Shaw, “At Netflix, Autonomy above All Else,” Business Management Daily, https://www.businessmanagementdaily.com, accessed January 15, 2018; Aimee Groth, “This Company Trusts Its Employees So Much It Has a ‘No Limits’ Expense Policy,” Quartz, https://quartz.com, accessed January 15, 2018; Janko Roettgers, “How Netflix Ticks: Five Key Insights from the Company’s New Corporate Culture Manifesto,” Variety, https://variety.com, accessed January 15, 2018; Timothy Stenovec, “One Reason for Netflix’s Success —It Treats Employees Like Grownups,” Huffington Post, https://www.huffingtonpost.com, accessed January 15, 2018; “Netflix Culture,” https://jobs.netflix.com/culture, accessed January 15, 2018; "What Is the Competitive Landscape of Netflix," Canvas Business Model, https://canvasbusinessmodel.com, July 12, 2025; "Netflix Retention Score," https://www.comparably.com, accessed February 11, 2026.
16. Alan Deutschman, “Can Google Stay Google?” Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Joseph Blasi, “Tech Companies Are Shutting Employees Out of the Stock Market’s Boom,” Fortune, https://fortune.com, accessed January 14, 2018; "2025 Benefits and Compensation Trends Report," Goldman Sachs, https://www.goldmansachs.com, March 11, 2025.
17. Katie Hafner, “New Incentive for Google Employees: Awards Worth Millions,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Paul Petrone, “Google Found Out That Giving Its Employees Trips to Hawaii Is Better Than $1M Awards,” LinkedIn Talent Blog, https://business.linkedin.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Quentin Hardy, “Close to the Vest,” Forbes, https://members.forbes.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Greg Linden, “Google Cuts Founders’ Awards,” Geeking with Greg, https://glinden.blogspot.com, accessed January 14, 2018; James E. McWhinney, “Raise vs. Bonus for Your Small Business Employees?” Investopedia, https://www.investopedia.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Jeff D. Opdyke, “Getting a Bonus Instead of a Raise: More Companies Link Pay to Performance for Broad Range of Employees,” The Wall Street Journal, December 29, 2004, p. D1, D2; Shane Barker, "Decoding Google Salaries: Levels, Compensation, and Negotiation," Expert Beacon, https://expertbeacon.com, October 5, 2024; Vasudha Mukherjee, "Google Revamps Salary Structure; to Boost Bonus for Top Performers," Business Standard, https://www.business-standard.com, May 1, 2025.
18. Paul Davidson, “Got a Small Raise? The Rest May Be in Your Bonus,” USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com, accessed January 14, 2018.
19. "Allstate Bonuses," https://www.payscale.com, accessed February 11, 2026; Sindy Smith, "The 10 Highest Paid Female CEOs," BigSalary.com, https://www.bigsalary.com, August 14, 2024.
20. Anmol, "Understanding the Pay-for-Performance Model: Pros, Cons, and Effectiveness," CompUp, https://www.compup.io, May 26, 2025; "Average Bonus Percentage by Industry in 2025," Oyster, https://www.oysterhr.com, December 9, 2024.
21. “A Statistical Profile of Employee Ownership,” National Center for Employee Ownership, https://www.nceo.org, accessed January 15, 2018; "Employee Ownership by the Numbers," https://www.nceo.org, accessed February 11, 2026; OverHeadWatch Team, “What Is an ESOP? 3 Reasons Why You Should Consider It,” https://overheadwatch.com, accessed January 20, 2018; “The Pros and Cons of Employee Stock Ownership Plans,” https://www.dbd-law.com, accessed January 20, 2018.
22. "Employee Ownership by the Numbers," https://www.nceo.org, accessed February 11, 2026; Kyle Wishing, "ESOP Market Outlook for 2025: A Promising Year for Formation and Growth," PCE, https://www.pcecompanies.com, January 15, 2026; "How Is the ESOP Universe Changing Over Time?" https://www.nceo.org, accessed February 11, 2026.
23. “Research on Employee Ownership, Corporate Performance, and Employee Compensation,” National Center for Employee Ownership, https://www.nceo.org, accessed January 15, 2018; “A Statistical Profile of Employee Ownership,” National Center for Employee Ownership, https://www.nceo.org, accessed January 15, 2018; George Erb, “At Northwest Firms with ESOPs, Employees Act Like They Own the Place,” The Seattle Times, https://www.seattletimes.com, accessed January 15, 2018; OverHeadWatch Team, “What Is an ESOP? 3 Reasons Why You Should Consider It,” https://overheadwatch.com, accessed January 15, 2018; Akhilesh Ganti, "Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP): What It Is, How It Works, and Advantages," Investopedia, https://www.investopedia.com, October 17, 2025.
24. Tony Bartelme, “Stickin’ with the Pig: A Tale of Loyalty and Loss,” The Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com, accessed January 14, 2018; “Piggly Wiggly Parent’s Shares Virtually Worthless: Report,” Progressive Grocer, https://progressivegrocer.com, accessed January 14, 2018; Warren L. Wise, “Judge Tosses Some Claims, Leaves Others in Piggly Wiggly Carolina Federal Lawsuit,” The Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com, accessed January 14, 2018; “Grapevine: Charleston Judge Tells Both Sides in Piggly Wiggly Suit to Sit Down, Talk It Out,” The Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com, accessed January 20, 2018; “Three Lessons from the Failure of Piggly Wiggly,” https://www.nceo.org, accessed January 20, 2018; Loren Rodgers, “Former Employee Ownership 100 Company: Stock Now Essentially Worthless,” https://www.nceo.org, accessed January 20, 2018; Warren L. Wise, “Former Piggly Wiggly Employees Told Stock Values Plummet to Near Zero,” The Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com, accessed January 14, 2018; "Piggly Wiggly ESOP Class Action," https://www.kellerrohrback.com, accessed February 11, 2026; Brianna Smith, "Former Piggly Wiggly Employees Set to Split $8.7M, Thanks to Recent Settlement," Legal Reader, https://www.legalreader.com, September 12, 2018.
25. Brena Swanson, “Are Employee Stock Ownership Plans the Key to Healthier Mortgage Finance Companies?” HousingWire, https://www.housingwire.com, accessed January 20, 2018; Rob Chrisman, “Jobs vs Rates; Zillow, CFPB, & RESPA in the Spotlight?” Mortgage News Daily, https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com, accessed January 20, 2018; Loren Rodgers, “The Employee Ownership Update,” https://www.nceo.org, accessed January 20, 2018; Rob Chrisman, “ESOP Ownership, Retail & Wholesale Jobs,” https://www.robchrisman.com, accessed January 20, 2018; “Axia Home Loans Unveils Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP),” https://www.mortgagecollaborative.com, accessed January 20, 2018; “ESOP Attracts Top Management,” https://www.axiahomeloans.com, accessed January 20, 2018; Gellert Dornay, “ESOPs: An Attractive Exit Strategy,” Mortgage Banking July 1, 2016.
26. Ibid.
27. David Burkus, “Research Shows That Organizations Benefit When Employees Take Sabbaticals,” Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org, accessed January 21, 2018; Jeanne Sahadi, “These Workplace Benefits Are Slowly Fading Away,” CNN Money, https://money.cnn.com, accessed January 21, 2018; “2017 Employee Benefits Remaining Competitive in a Challenging Talent Marketplace,” Society for Human Resource Management, https://www.shrm.org, accessed January 21, 2018; David Burkus, “The Surprising Benefit of Work Sabbaticals,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, accessed January 21, 2018; Amanda Schiavo, "HR 101: Let’s Discuss Sabbaticals," HR Brew, https://www.hr-brew.com, April 5, 2024; Tom Starner, "Sabbaticals Are a Valuable Recruiting, Retention Perk for Some Employers," World at Work, https://worldatwork.org, August 11, 2023.
28. Kathy Gurchiek, “4 Winning Workflex Strategies,” HR Magazine, https://www.hrmagazine-digital.com, accessed January 21, 2018; “Morris Financial Concepts,” https://www.whenworkworks.org, accessed January 21, 2018; Kathy Gurchiek, “Winning with Workflex,” HR Magazine, https://www.hrmagazine-digital.com, accessed January 21, 2018; Cassidy Solis, “2017 When Work Works Award Winners Announced,” https://www.shrm.org, accessed January 21, 2018; SHRM Online Staff, “When Work Works Winners Honored for Effective Workplace Practices,” https://www.shrm.org, accessed January 21, 2018.
29. Kathryn Vassal, “This Company Just Started Offering 6-Week Sabbaticals,” CNN Money, https://money.cnn.com, accessed January 22, 2018; Valerie Bolden-Barrett, “Zillow to Offer Six-Week, Half-Paid Sabbaticals to Some Employees,” HR Dive, https://www.hrdive.com, accessed January 22, 2018; Mary Shacklett, “Why More Tech Workers Should Take Sabbaticals,” TechRepublic, https://www.techrepublic.com, accessed January 22, 2018; Kara Stiles, “Why Zillow Rewards Mid-Career Staff with Six-Week Sabbaticals,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, accessed January 22, 2018; Amanda Pressner Kreuser, “One Underused Perk That Keeps Top Talent Happy and Productive at Work,” Inc., https://www.inc.com, accessed January 22, 2018.
30. Kathy Gurchiek, “Fill Skills Gaps Using Learning Sabbaticals,” https://www.shrm.org, accessed January 22, 2018; Hailley Griffis, “Why This Company Implemented a Learning Sabbatical for Its Employees,” Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com, accessed January 22, 2018; Hailley Griffis, “Learning Sabbatical: How Existing Employees Are Developing New Skills for Different Roles,” Buffer, https://open.buffer.com, accessed January 22, 2018; Carolyn Kopprasch, "We Pay Out Unused Sabbaticals When Someone Leaves Buffer, Here’s Why," Buffer, https://buffer.com, May 1, 2023.
31. LinkedIn News, "LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2026: The 25 fastest-growing roles in the U.S.," LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com, January 7, 2026; "Upwork Study Finds 1 in 4 U.S. Skilled Knowledge Workers Now Work Independently, Generating $1.5 Trillion in Earnings," Upwork, https://www.upwork.com, April 23, 2025.
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33. "Cost of Poor Health Infographic (2019 Data)," https://www.ibiweb.org, accessed February 11, 2026.
34. “Increased Number of Workers Calling in Sick When They Aren’t, Finds CareerBuilder’s Annual Survey,” https://www.careerbuilder.com, accessed January 23, 2018; “CareerBuilder Survey: More Workers Calling in Sick When They Aren’t,” Fox 5, https://www.fox5dc.com, accessed January 23, 2018; Melissa Wylie, “More Staffers Calling in Sick—Even if They’re Not,” Bizwomen, https://www.bizjournals.com, accessed January 23, 2018; Aimee Picchi, “The Worst Excuses for Taking a Sick Day,” MoneyWatch, https://www.cbsnews.com, accessed January 23, 2018; Jim Priest, "On the Job: Why Absenteeism Should Alarm Employers," The Journal Record, https://journalrecord.com, May 23, 2025.
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Achieving World-Class Operations Management

1. Soyoung Kim, “New Water Bottling Plant in Los Lunas Brings Jobs, But Also Concerns,” KRQE News, https://krqe.com, November 17, 2016; "Los Lunas," https://www.niagarawater.com, accessed February 9, 2026.
2. Matthew Adams, "$165 Million Food Processing Plant Set to Bring 450 Jobs to this Fort Worth Suburb," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, https://www.star-telegram.com, January 29, 2025; Eric Schroeder, "Paris Baguette Breaks Ground on Texas Plant," Baking Business, https://www.bakingbusiness.com, September 23, 2025.
3. "Community Strategies to Address Data Center Development and Operation," National League of Cities and Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues, https://www.nlc.org, accessed February 9, 2026.
4. Christian Davenport, “Is $48 Too Much for the Federal Government to Pay for a Hammer?” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com, June 25, 2014.
5. Aaron Huff, “Will Blockchain Extend or Disrupt Your Business?” Commercial Carrier Journal, https://www.ccjdigital.com, December 19, 2017; "EDI Integration with Ford," https://edicomgroup.com, accessed February 9, 2026.
6. Claudia Infante,“Value Stream Mapping Boosts Productivity for Awning Maker,” Finance New Mexico, https://financenewmexico.org, October 9, 2016.
7. “Best of the Best” Win U.S. National Excellence Honor: 2017 Baldrige Award Goes to 5 Outstanding Organizations,” https://www.commerce.gov, November 16, 2017; "NIST Announces 2024 Baldrige Awards for Performance Excellence," National Institute of Standards and Technology, https://www.nist.gov, October 10, 2024.
8. Mackenzie Hite, “How AI Is Changing the Manufacturing Industry,” TPM, https://www.tpm.com, July 11, 2025; Benjamin Schönfuß, “How AI Is Transforming the Factory Floor,” World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org, June 3, 2025; Matthew Finko and Amanda Downie, “How Is AI Being Used in Manufacturing?” IBM, https://www.ibm.com, accessed February 9, 2026.
9. Kevin Bahr, "U.S. Manufacturing Employment: A Long-Term Perspective," University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, https://blog.uwsp.edu, January 29, 2025; "United States Exports," https://tradingeconomics.com, accessed February 9, 2026.
10. Emma Gallegos, "Report: 72% of Jobs Will Require More Than a High School Diploma in 2031," EdSource, https://edsource.org, November 16, 2023; "Report: US Manufacturers Need 3.8M New Employees by 2033," New Jersey Business & Industry Association, https://njbia.org, April 3, 2024.
11. "Leaders across Science, Industry, Academia, Philanthropy and Public Sector Release Vision for American Science and Technology," Simons Foundation, https://www.simonsfoundation.org, February 25, 2025; "Long-Term Trends Show Decline in Federally Funded R&D as a Share of GDP while Business-Funded R&D Share Increases," National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, https://ncses.nsf.gov, April 24, 2025.
12. Anmol Kaur Grewal, Lorena Rivera Léon, and Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and Don Brasher, Altan AE. Yurdakul, and John W. Miller, Trade Data Monitor (TDM), "High-Tech Exports Surge 9% in 2024, but Uncertainty Looms Amid Trade Tensions," World Intellectual Property Organization, https://www.wipo.int, March 31, 2025.
13. National Association of Manufacturers, “Manufacturers Strive to Close Skills Gap,” https://www.nahad.org, accessed February 20, 2018; "Leaders across Science, Industry, Academia, Philanthropy and Public Sector Release Vision for American Science and Technology," Simons Foundation, https://www.simonsfoundation.org, February 25, 2025.
14. Ibid.
15. Dave Blanchard, “Dell Reinvents Its Supply Chain,” Industry Week, https://www.industryweek.com, December 16, 2010; "Lockheed Martin Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results," Lockheed Martin, https://investors.lockheedmartin.com, January 29, 2026; Sebastian Reinsch, "The Cost-Saving Power of Business Process Management (BPM)," BOC Group, https://www.boc-group.com, accessed February 9, 2026; "What Business Process Management Statistics Experts Want You to Know," Cflow, https://www.cflowapps.com, January 20, 2026.
16. Paul Harmon, "Processes and a Decision Modeling Notation," BP Trends, https://bptrends.info, January 31, 2022.
17. Amanda McGrath, “10 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Operations Management,” IBM, https://www.ibm.com, accessed February 9, 2026; Jim Rowan, Beena Ammanath, Nitin Mittal, and Costi Perricos, “The State of AI in the Enterprise,” Deloitte, https://www.deloitte.com, January 2026; Dr. Mudit Mohan Saxena, “Artificial Intelligence in Operations Management,” EFMD Global, https://blog.efmdglobal.org/, January 23, 2025.

Creating Products and Pricing Strategies to Meet Customers' Needs

1. Peter Lyon, "Latest JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey Shows Surprising Results," Carlist, https://carlist.com, February 21, 2025.
2. “What Is Customer Retention?” Customer Insight Group, https://www.customerinsightgroup.com, April 20, 2017; Flora An, "Customer Retention Strategies That Lead to Higher Profits," Sobot, https://www.sobot.io, June 13, 2025.
3. David Curry, "Apple Statistics (2026)," Business of Apps, https://www.businessofapps.com, February 26, 2026; Simply Wall St, "HP’s AI PC Expansion Amid Apple Gains Might Change The Case For Investing In HP (HPQ)," Yahoo Finance, https://finance.yahoo.com, September 20, 2025; Odell Strong, "Apple vs. Samsung: The Epic Rivalry in the Tech Universe," Nerdy Tech Blog, https://nerdytechblog.com, March 23, 2025; Ummeaimon Shabbir, "Here's Which iPhone Parts Are Made by Samsung," SlashGear, https://www.slashgear.com, September 22, 2025; "How the Music Industry’s Cultural and Financial Impact Define Its Success in 2025: Spotify Loud & Clear Report," Business Wire, https://www.businesswire.com, March 12, 2025.
4. "Women’s Spending Habits, Statistics and Trends for 2023," Lexington Law, https://www.lexingtonlaw.com, October 3, 2023; "Male vs. Female Shopping Statistics," https://capitaloneshopping.com, August 6, 2025.
5. Stephanie Chan, “How to Use AI for Product Research,” Tactiq, https://tactiq.io, November 27, 2025.
6. Liz Iversen, "Looking Back at Nielsen’s Three-Minute Qualifier," Strategic Media, https://www.strategicmediainc.com, July 2, 2025; Cameron Coats, "Nielsen Pushes PPM Home Tenure to 3 Years; Hits Data Delay," Radio Ink, https://radioink.com, August 11, 2025.
7. Marc de Jong, Matt Banholzer, and Rebecca Doherty, "How Top Performers Use Innovation to Grow Within and Beyond the Core," McKinsey & Company, https://www.mckinsey.com, February 12, 2025.
8. Drake Baer and Jay Yarrow, “22 of the Most Epic Product Failures in History,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com, July 31, 2014.
9. Eugene Kim, “Amazon’s Prime Membership Is Eating into Costco and Sam’s Club’s Territory,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com, September 26, 2016.
10. "Consumer Product Research Statistics," https://capitaloneshopping.com, July 9, 2025.
11. Jorge, "100 Comparison Site Statistics, Benefits, Cons & Criteria," We Can Track, https://wecantrack.com, January 30, 2025.

Distributing and Promoting Products and Services

1. Jessica Dyer, “Albuquerque Lands a Big Catch in Retailing,” Albuquerque Journal, https://www.abqjournal.com, July 14, 2016; Stephen Singer, “Cabela’s Touted as a Tourist Destination,” Deseret News, https://www.deseretnews.com, October 28, 2007; "Bass Pro Shops Voted Best Outdoor Retailer by Newsweek," National Sporting Goods Association, https://nsga.org, July 17, 2025.
2. Jordan Valinsky, "Selena Gomez Created This First-Ever Oreo Flavor," CNN, https://www.cnn.com, May 20, 2025.
3. “Stunt Marketing or No, Dominos Has Refurbished Their Brand,” University of Maryland website, December 1, 2016, https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/stunt-marketing-or-no-dominos-has-refurbished-its-brand; Mealhey, "Crust to Comeback: How Domino’s Reinvented Itself to Rise Again," Hospitality Herald, https://hospitalityherald.com, November 7, 2024.
4. Edmundas Jasinskas et al, “Impact of Hotel Service Quality on the Loyalty of Customers,” Economic Research, 29(1): 559–572, 2016; "Membership Tiers," https://www.marriott.com, accessed March 9, 2026; Jerod Morales, "Marriott Bonvoy Program & Elite Status: Ultimate Guide," Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, January 22, 2026.
5. "10 Integrated Marketing Communications Examples That Built Iconic Brands," FranFunnel, https://blog.franfunnel.com, November 23, 2025.
6. "How Many Ads Do You See?" https://associationofresearch.org, accessed March 9, 2026; Nicole Farber, "The Truth About Marketing to Children: Facts and Figures," ENX2, https://enx2marketing.com, May 22, 2025.
7. The Advertising Coalition, "Study Finds Advertising Drives 20% of Us Economy and Supports Nearly One in Five American Jobs," PR Newswire, https://www.prnewswire.com, August 5, 2025; "Total Advertising Expenditure," IBIS World, https://www.ibisworld.com, February 25, 2026.
8. "Global Ad Spend Set to Top $1 Trillion This Year, Continue Growth in 2025," Marketing Charts, https://www.marketingcharts.com, December 19, 2024; "How Much Do Companies Spend on Advertising in 2025?" Power Couch Media, https://www.powercouchmedia.com, August 14, 2025.
9. Bradley Johnson, "Amazon Spent $21 Billion on Ads and Promotion in 2024 (That's $679 Every Second)," Ad Age, https://adage.com, February 20, 2025; Bradley Johnson, "Ad Age Brand Report 2025—Rankings of 50 Biggest Advertisers in the US and World," Ad Age, https://adage.com, October 14, 2025.
10. Keith Carlson, "Current State of the Internet in the U.S. 2026," HighSpeedOptions, https://www.highspeedoptions.com, March 5, 2026.
11. Jim Tincher, “Your Moment of Truth,” Customer Think, https://customerthink.com, August 30, 2016; "Moments of Truth," Marketoonist, https://marketoonist.com, October 8, 2023; "What Are the Five Moments of Truth in Marketing?" Liferay, https://www.liferay.com, October 2025.
12. Zak Stambor, "Marketers Turn to Print Coupons to Stand Out in a Digital-First World," EMarketer, https://www.emarketer.com, August 18, 2025; "Coupon Statistics," https://capitaloneshopping.com, January 6, 2026.
13. Milena, "Coupon Statistics," Balancing Everything, https://balancingeverything.com, February 16, 2024; Zak Stambor, "Marketers Turn to Print Coupons to Stand Out in a Digital-First World," EMarketer, https://www.emarketer.com, August 18, 2025; "Coupon Statistics," https://capitaloneshopping.com, January 6, 2026.
14. Jordan Almond, "What’s Up With all the Ram Trucks on the ‘Yellowstone’ TV Series," Motor Biscuit, https://www.motorbiscuit.com, August 23, 2020; Kelsey Sutton, "Product Placements Can Drive Searches and Purchases, Research Finds," Marketing Brew, https://www.marketingbrew.com, August 17, 2023; Ethan Shanfeld, "Why Product Placement Is Peaking in Film and TV," Variety, https://variety.com, August 15, 2025; Debadatta Patel, "Product Placement Market Research Report 2033," Growth Market Reports, https://growthmarketreports.com, accessed March 9, 2026.
15. Jonathan H. Kantor, "Awful Product Placements That Ruined Great Scenes," Looper, https://www.looper.com, March 11, 2025.
16. "2024 Product Placement Report: Brands, Industries, and Key Statistics," BrandTrack.Pro, https://brandtrack.pro, January 2, 2025.
17. Lachlan Brown, "The Real State of Blogging: 600 Million Blogs, 7.5 Million Daily Posts, and What It Means," Blog Herald, https://blogherald.com, February 18, 2026.
18. Michael Brenner, "14 Amazing Large Company Blogs To Inspire Your Content Marketing," Marketing Insider Group, https://marketinginsidergroup.com, April 15, 2024; "Welcome to the Community," https://community.babycenter.com, accessed March 9, 2026.
19. "iHeartPodcasts," https://www.iheartmedia.com, accessed March 9, 2026; "Wondery," https://wondery.com, accessed March 9, 2026.
20. "About Us," https://www.petliferadio.com, accessed March 9, 2026.
21. "What Percentage of Retail Sales are eCommerce?" https://capitaloneshopping.com, October 21, 2025.
22. “Voice Echoes Outside the Warehouse,” DCVelocity, https://dcvelocity.com, September 5, 2017.
23. John Furth, “Amazon vs. Walmart Is Shaping Up to Be a Battle of the Mega-Retailers,” New York Daily News, https://www.nydailynews.com, August 30, 2017; Charles Scott, "How Many Products Does Walmart Sell in 2025? An In-Depth Look at Retail‘s Product Leader," Expert Beacon, https://expertbeacon.com, May 8, 2024; "How Many Products Does Amazon Carry? (2025 Data)," https://redstagfulfillment.com, accessed March 9, 2026; "Walmart Completes Acquisition of Jet.com, Inc.," Walmart, https://corporate.walmart.com, September 19, 2016.

Using Technology to Manage Information

1. Jason Compton, “Meet the Supercomputer Driving a Business Boom in the UK,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, Junes 14, 2016.
2. Patrick Thibodeau, “U.S. To Have 200-Petaflop Supercomputer by Early 2018,”Computer World, https://www.computerworld.com, June 21, 2016.
3. Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005) p. 8.
4. Bhavan Jaipragas, “Free Trade for Minnows: How Alibaba Gave Malaysia’s e-Hub Hopes a Boost,” This Week in Asia, https://www.scmp.com, November 20, 2017.
5. Jason Newton and Jesse Gosselin, “VA Looks to Install WiFi after News 8 Story,” WTNH News 8, https://wtnh.com, February 20, 2017.
6. Toby Ward, “Technology, the Intranet, and Employee Productivity,” Prescient Digital Media, https://www.prescientdigital.com, accessed February 21, 2018.
7. John Quain, “Alexa, What Happened to My Car?” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, January 25, 2018.
8. Michael Franco, “The Beginner’s Guide to VPN’s,” Life Hacker, https://lifehacker.com, November 20, 2017.
9. Chris Preimesberger, “Why Cloud Services Became the New Normal in 2017,” eWeek, https://www.eweek.com, January 4, 2018; "Cloud revenues poised to reach $2 trillion by 2030 amid AI rollout," Goldman Sachs, https://www.goldmansachs.com, September 4, 2024.
10. Bob Evans, “How Cloud Heavyweights Microsoft, Amazon and IBM Will Transform Cloud Computing in 2018,” Forbes, January 3, 2018, https://www.forbes.com.
11. "Managed Services Providers (MSP) Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis, By Type," Business Research Insights, https://www.businessresearchinsights.com, December 11, 2025.
12. "Data Warehouse As A Service Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2025 - 2030)," Mordor Intelligence, https://www.mordorintelligence.com, accessed December 22, 2025.
13. Ben Lutkevich, “Definition: Expert System,” TechTarget, https://www.techtarget.com, August 26, 2024.
14. Sami Barry, “The Strategic Role of a Chief Knowledge Officer,” Helbling and Associates, Inc. Insights, https://www.helblingsearch.com, September 27, 2012.
15. Milon Gupta, “How Strategic Leaders Use Storytelling,” Strategic Thinking, https://www.strategicthinking.eu, November 2, 2015.
16. Chris Low, “Information Security Policies Every Business Must Implement,” CIO, https://www.cio.com, August 16, 2017.
17. Steve Morgan, “Cyber Crime Costs Projected to Reach $2 Trillion by 2019,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, January 17, 2016; Steve Morgan, "Cybercrime To Cost The World $10.5 Trillion Annually By 2025," Cybercrime Magazine, https://cybersecurityventures.com, November 13, 2020; "Internet Crime Report, 2024," Federal Bureau of Investigation, https://www.ic3.gov; Swagath Bandhakavi, "Cybersecurity gaps exposed as 96% of S&P 500 firms hit by data breaches," Tech Monitor, https://www.techmonitor.ai, February 18, 2025.
18. Beth Stackpole, "MIT report details new cybersecurity risks," MIT Sloan School of Management, https://mitsloan.mit.edu, April 30, 2024.
19. "How Do Police Catch Internet Crimes? A Gamer’s Guide to Cyber Sleuthing," CyberPost, https://cyberpost.co, July 12, 2025.
20. “Effective Planning and Preparation Can Reduce Impact of 2018 Cyber Security Attacks, Data Breaches,” Yahoo Finance, https://finance.yahoo.com, January 30, 2018; "Cybersecurity Preparedness Gap: Global Organizations Struggle Amid Rising Threats and AI Challenges," https://www.businesstechweekly.com, September 3, 2025.
21. Dung Tran, “AI in IT Industry: Top Use Cases You Need To Know,” SmartDev, https://smartdev.com, August 11, 2025; “How AI Can Help Optimize IT Departments,” RSM, https://rsmus.com, March 11, 2026.
22. Patrick Watson, “Why Bitcoin Has Inflation Risk,” Equities.com, https://www.equities.com, January 13, 2018; Romero Diaz, "How Many Bitcoin Have Been Lost? Is 20% Gone Forever?" https://bitkan.com, August 1, 2025.
23. Kaveh Waddell, “CSI: Walmart,” The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com, April 3, 2017; Dave Smith, “Computer Fraud and Abuse Act 2013: New CFAA Draft Aims to Expand, Not Reform, the ‘Worst Law in Technology’,” International Business Times, https://www.ibtimes.com, March 28, 2013.
24. "The State of Remote Work: 2025 Statistics," Neat, https://us.neat.no, May 13, 2025; Victoria Masterson, "More and more jobs can be done from anywhere. What does that mean for workers?" World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org, January 9, 2024.
25. Marc Shorb, "Essential Return-to-Office Statistics and Trends (2025)," Founder Reports, https://founderreports.com, December 17, 2025.
26. Andrea Loubier, “Benefits of Telecommuting for the Future of Work,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, July 20, 2017; Michelle Conlin, “The Easiest Commute of All,” Business Week, December 12, 2005, p. 78.
27. Paul Trujillo, “5 Reasons Small Businesses Need the Cloud,” B2C Community, https://www.business2community.com, January 30, 2018.

Using Financial Information and Accounting

1. Sneha Shah, “10 Biggest Recent Accounting Scandals in America,” https://www.insidermonkey.com, March 27, 2017; Pat Wechsler, “This CEO Spent Nearly 7 Years in Jail. Now He’s Helping Ex-Cons,” Fortune, https://fortune.com, February 16, 2016; Joseph Ax, “Ex-Accounting Executive Avoids Prison in Madoff Fraud Case,” Reuters, https://www.reuters.com, July 9, 2015; Scott Cohn, “Former Enron Executive Jeffrey Skilling Moved to Minimum-Security Prison,” CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com, January 9, 2014; Diana B. Henriques, "Bernard Madoff, Architect of Largest Ponzi Scheme in History, Is Dead at 82," The New York Times, https://web.archive.org/web/20210415073306/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/business/bernie-madoff-dead.html, April 14, 2021; Jim Jelter, "Fastow Gets Six Years for Enron Misdeeds," MarketWatch, https://www.marketwatch.com, September 26, 2006; Dan Whitcomb, "Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling Released from Federal Custody," Reuters, https://www.reuters.com, February 21, 2019; The New York Times, "After Prison, $167 Million in Restitution and Fines, He's Free," Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com, March 3, 2015.
2. “Accountants and Auditors,” Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov, accessed August 10, 2017; Alexander Govdysh, "Global Accounting Services - Market Research Report (2015-2030)," IBIS World, https://www.ibisworld.com, July 2025; "Accounting Services Market (2026 - 2033)," https://www.grandviewresearch.com, accessed February 11, 2026; "Accountants and Auditors," https://www.bls.gov, accessed February 11, 2026.
3. Raymond Doherty, “Deloitte Overtakes PwC as World’s Largest Firm,” https://economia.icaew.com, accessed August 10, 2017.
4. “About the AICPA,” https://www.aicpa.org, accessed August 10, 2017; "2024 Association Integrated Report," AICPA & CIMA, https://www.aicpa-cima.com, May 12, 2025.
5. Eric Krell, “What Triggers Financial Restatements?” Business Finance magazine, https://businessfinancemag.com, accessed August 10, 2017.
6. “A Guide to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,” https://www.soxlaw.com, accessed August 11, 2017; Ken Tysiac, “Companies Spending More Time on SOX Compliance,” Journal of Accountancy, https://www.journalofaccountancy.com, June 12, 2017.
7. “Fine-Tuning the SOX Compliance Process,” https://www.protiviti.com, accessed August 11, 2017; Kezia Farnham, "Sarbanes-Oxley and Corporate Governance: Past & Future," Diligent, https://www.diligent.com, April 25, 2024; Michael W. Peregrine, "The Lasting, Positive Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley," Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu, December 20, 2021.
8. “Key Developments in Standard-Setting for Private Companies,” https://www.pwc.com, accessed August 10, 2017.
9. "Xero Study: Nearly Three-Quarters of Accountants and Bookkeepers Report Increased Profits in 2023," Xero, https://www.xero.com, November 14, 2023.
10. Mary Ellen Biery, “3 Top Tech Trends for Public Accountants to Watch in 2017,” https://www.accountingtoday.com, February 15, 2017.
11. Rick Johnson, “The Impact of AI on Accounting Industry: 12 Key Impacts,” Invensis, www.invensis.net, December 2, 2024; Ariana LoBianco, Kevin Jialin Sun, and Xin Zhao, “How Artificial Intelligence May Impact the Accounting Profession,” CPA Journal, www.cpajournal.com, September 2025.
12. Sarah Ovaska-Few, “Technology Trends for Accounting Firm Leaders,” Journal of Accountancy, https://www.journalofaccountancy.com, June 14, 2017; Issac M. O'Bannon, "87 Percent of Finance Leaders Report Critical Talent Shortage in Accounting," CPA Practice Advisor, https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com, April 30, 2025.

Understanding Money and Financial Institutions

1. “Currency in Circulation,” https://fred.stlouisfed.org, accessed September 7, 2017.
2. “Money Stock Measures—H.6 Release,” https://www.federalreserve.gov, accessed February 16, 2026.
3. Claire Greene, Marcin Hitczenko, Brian Prescott, and Oz Shy, “U.S. Consumers’ Use of Personal Checks: Evidence from a Diary Survey,” Consumer Payments Research Data Reports, January 2020; Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, https://www.atlantafed.org, accessed February 5, 2026; "Reserve Requirements," https://www.federalreserve.gov, accessed February 16, 2026; "Discount Window," https://www.federalreserve.gov, accessed February 16, 2026; "Defense Production Act of September 8, 1950," https://www.federalreserve.gov, accessed February 16, 2026; Elaine Schwartz, "How Our Check Use Has Changed," Econlife, https://econlife.com, April 24, 2025; IRS, "What the IRS Phaseout of Paper Checks Means for You," https://www.irs.gov, November 17, 2025; Tom Nawrocki, "Paper Check Usage Is in Freefall," Payments Journal, https://www.paymentsjournal.com, July 8, 2025.
4. “BLS Spotlight on Statistics: The Recession of 2007–2009,” https://www.bls.gov/spotlight, accessed September 7, 2017; "Great Recession: What It Was and What Caused It," Investopedia, https://www.investopedia.com, December 23, 2025.
5. “Predatory Lending,” The Economist, https://www.economist.com, accessed September 7, 2017; Steve Denning, “Lest We Forget: Why We Had a Financial Crisis,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, November 22, 2011.
6. Kimberly Amadeo, “What Is Too Big to Fail? With Examples of Banks,” The Balance, https://www.thebalance.com, accessed September 7, 2017; John Maxfield, “A Timeline of Bear Stearns' Downfall,” The Motley Fool, https://www.fool.com, accessed September 7, 2017.
7. Chris Isidore, “Fed Made $9 Trillion in Emergency Overnight Loans,” CNN Money, https://money.cnn.com, accessed September 7, 2017.
8. Mark Koba, “Dodd-Frank Act: CNBC Explains,” CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com, accessed September 7, 2017; Adam Hayes, "Dodd-Frank Act: What It Does, Major Components, and Criticisms," Investopedia, https://www.investopedia.com, February 1, 2025.
9. James McBride, “The Role of the U.S. Federal Reserve,” Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org, accessed September 7, 2017; Donna Borak, “For the First Time, All U.S. Banks Pass Fed’s Stress Tests,” CNN Money, https://money.cnn.com, June 28, 2017; Jim Puzzanghera, "House Votes along Party Lines to Repeal Key Dodd-Frank Financial Reforms," Los Angeles Times, https://web.archive.org/web/20170608225421/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dodd-frank-repeal-20170608-story.html, June 8, 2017; Jacob Pramuk, "Trump Signs the Biggest Rollback of Bank Rules Since the Financial Crisis," CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com, May 24, 2018.
10. "Commercial Banking in the US - Number of Businesses (2002–2031)," IBIS World, https://www.ibisworld.com, January 2026.
11. “FDIC-Insured Savings Institutions,” https://www5.fdic.gov, accessed September 7, 2017; Kelly Pike, "How Thrift and Mutual Banks Are Benefiting Their Customers," ICBA, https://www.icba.org, May 1, 2022; René Bennett, "Thrifts vs. Banks: What’s the Difference?" Bankrate, https://www.bankrate.com, September 4, 2025.
12. “A Brief History of Credit Unions,” and “Industry at a Glance as of 3/31/17,” https://www.ncua.gov, accessed September 7, 2017; National Credit Union Administration, "National Credit Union Administration Quarterly Credit Union Data Summary 2025 Q2," https://ncua.gov, accessed February 16, 2026; "Why a Credit Union is Safer Than a Bank in a Financial Crisis," USAlliance, https://blog.usalliance.org, April 30, 2025.
13. "Pension Funds; Total Financial Assets, Level," https://fred.stlouisfed.org, accessed February 16, 2026.
14. “Who Is the FDIC?” https://www.fdic.gov, accessed September 7, 2017; "Statistics At A Glance," https://www.fdic.gov, accessed February 16, 2026.
15. James Passeri, “Citigroup Tops List of U.S. Banks with Exposure to China: Update,” https://realmoney.thestreet.com, January 13, 2016.
16. "New IIB Study Shows Vital Role of International Banks in U.S. Economy," Institute of International Bankers, https://www.iib.org, November 21, 2024; "Assets and Liabilities of U.S. Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banks," https://www.federalreserve.gov, accessed February 16, 2026.
17. Thomas Colson, “At Least 12 Banks Are Moving Some Operations from London to Dublin after Brexit,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com, June 30, 2017; Peter S. Goodman, “Europe’s Economy, After 8-Year Detour, Is Fitfully Back on Track,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, April 29, 2016; "Brexit Five Years On: Where Are We Today?" Laven, https://lavenpartners.com, January 14, 2025.
18. "Evolution Partners’ 2025 Banking Trends Report," Evolution Partners, https://evolutionpartners.global, November 2025.
19. Andre Bourque, “12 Top Fintech Companies to Watch,” Entrepreneur, https://www.entrepreneur.com, February 28, 2017; Deepak Goyal, Rishi Varma, Francisco Rada, Aparna Pande, Juan Jauregui, Patrick Corelli, Saurabh Tripathi, Yann Sénant, Stefan Dab, Yashraj Erande, Jungkiu Choi, Jan Koserski, Joe Carrubba, Nigel Morris, Frank Rotman, Matt Risley, and Sahej Suri, "Global Fintech 2023: Reimagining the Future of Finance," BCG, https://www.bcg.com, May 3, 2023; Joyan Cleary, "What Are The Services Of Fintech Companies," Robots.Net, https://robots.net, January 4, 2024.
20. Jim Marous, “Top 10 Retail Banking Trends and Predictions for 2017,” The Financial Brand, https://thefinancialbrand.com, accessed September 7, 2017.
21. Paul Maplesden, “8 PayPal Alternatives for Your Online Business,” https://www.sitepoint.com, accessed September 7, 2017; “Pros and Cons of Mobile Check Deposit,” Consumer Reports, https://www.consumerreports.org, accessed September 7, 2017.

Understanding Financial Management and Securities Markets

1. "What Percentage of Americans Own Stock?" Gallup, https://news.gallup.com, May 5, 2025; James Brumley, "Roughly 62% of U.S. Adults Hold Stocks. Those Who Don't Could Be Missing Out on Millions," The Motley Fool, https://www.nasdaq.com, February 13, 2026.
2. Gary P. Pisano, “You Need an Innovation Strategy,” Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org, accessed October 10, 2017.
3. "Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2 Plays Key Role in the Design of Samsung Electronics’ Next Galaxy Flagship Smartphones," Corning, https://www.corning.com, January 26, 2023; "Behind the Screen: The Hidden Cost of Corning’s Smartphone Glass Monopoly," Fideres, https://www.fideres.com, June 16, 2025; "Fiber Optic Cable Market Size & Share 2025 - 2034," Global Market Insights, https://www.gminsights.com, February 2025; Sasha Jovanovic, "Why Corning (GLW) Is Up 19.1% After Meta’s US$6 Billion AI Fiber Deal And Earnings Beat," Simply Wall Street, https://simplywall.st, February 9, 2026.
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Your Career in Business

1. Niccolo Conte, "Charted: Salary by Education Level in the United States," Visual Capitalist, https://www.visualcapitalist.com, September 15, 2025; Amelia Josephson, "The Average Salary by Education Level," SmartAsset, https://smartasset.com, November 24, 2025; Jason Jabbari, Yung Chun, Xueying Mei, and Stephen Roll, "More Money for Less Time? Examining the Relative and Heterogenous Financial Returns to Non-Degree Credentials and Degree Programs," (EdWorkingPaper No. 24-1046), Annenberg Institute at Brown University, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED661558.pdf, November 2024.
2. Kristine Tucker, “The Importance of Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace,” Career Trend, https://careertrend.com, July 5, 2017; Lydia Fiandeiro, "The Power of Interpersonal Skills: Unlocking 85% of Your Success," LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com, May 22, 2024.
3. Christina DesMarais, “How to Think on Your Feet Under Pressure: 6 Tips,” Inc., https://www.inc.com, accessed November 14, 2017.
4. The Persuasion self-test was originally created by the authors and from the following sources: Persuade Others to Follow Your Way of Thinking, https://www.winstonbrill.com; Six Unique Ways to Persuade Others, https://www.micaworld.com; Strategies of Influence and Persuasion, Kendrick Cleveland, https://www.maxpersuasion.com; Power Persuasion—How to Persuade People, https://www.1000ventures.com; How to Persuade and Influence People, Wolf J. Rinke, Ph.D., CSP, #554 Innovative Leader, Volume 11, Number 6, June 2002, https://www.winstonbrill.com.
5. Alison Davis, “15 Questions You Should Ask Every Time You Start a Project,” Inc., https://www.inc.com, accessed November 19, 2017; Brett Harned, “10 Important Questions to Ask Your Client Before Your Project Starts,” https://www.teamgantt.com, May 7, 2015.
6. The Office Politics scale was originally developed by the authors and from the following sources: Don’t Sabotage Your Success!—Make Office Politics Work, Karen Ginsburg Wood, https://www.atlasbooks.com/markplc/00492.htm; Play the Office Politics Game, Cynthia A. Broderick, https://www.bankrate.com; The Fairness of Office Politics . . . Integrity and Political Motivation! Edward B. Toupin, https://hotlib.com; Fly Under the Radar to Absorb Delicate Office Politics, Peter Vogt, MonsterTRAK Career Coach, https://content.monstertrak.monster.com; The New Office Politics: We’ve Seen the Enemy at Work, and Sometimes It’s Us, Audrey Edwards, Essence, March 2005, https://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_ml264/is_11_35/ai_n11830673; Assessment—Office Politics, First Edition, https://www.course.com/downloads/courseilt/e-assessments/0619254394.pdf; and Play Office Politics and Keep Your Soul, https://www.createyourvision.com/playofficepolitics.htm.
7. The section on planning was originally adapted from: Investing in Your Future (Thomson South-Western, a part of The Thomson Corporation, 2007), pp. 1–10.
8. The material on Going to College was originally adapted from Abby Marks-Beale, Success Skills: Strategies for Study and Lifelong Learning (Thomson South-Western, a part of The Thomson Corporation, 2007); Alena Ulasava, "College Enrollment Statistics (2025 Comprehensive Analysis)," Admissionsly, https://admissionsly.com, July 29, 2025; U.S. Census Bureau, "Census Bureau Releases New Educational Attainment Data," https://www.census.gov, September 3, 2025; Oren, "How Long Can the Brain Concentrate Without a Break?" Achivx, https://achivx.com, February 20, 2025; Chris Ervins, "How to Use Visualization to Improve Memory Retention," Optimal Brain Refresh, https://optimalbrainrefresh.com, February 17, 2025; Andriy, "Visual Memory: Unlocking the Power of Remembering with Images," Psychology, https://psychology.tips, accessed February 26, 2026; "Answer to Multiple-Choice Questions," https://www.etsglobal.org, February 2020.
9. The Time Management scale was originally created by the authors and from the following sources: Time Management Quiz, https://www.nus.edu.sg/osa/guidance/quiz/timemgmtquiz.html; Manage Your Time in Ten Steps, https://www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,1-263,00.html; Time Management Quiz, https://tools.monster.com/quizzes/pareto; Stress Management, Better Health Channel, https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcsite.nsf/pages/quiz_manage_stress? Stress Management Quiz, https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcsite.nsf/pages/quiz_manage_stress?; Time Management, https://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/RanchRecr/handbook/time_management.htm; and Time Management: Importance of Good Practice, https://www.accel-team.com/techniques/time_management.html.
10. The Ability to Manage Money scale was originally created by the authors from the following sources: Quiz – Can You Manage Money?, https://collegeanduniversity.net/collegeinfo/index.cfm?catid=20&pageid=2339&affid=75; Boston.com/Business/Your Money, https://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2005/04/03can_you_manage_your_own_month?mode=PF; Psychology of Money Management, https://www.uwec.edu/counsel/pubs/Money.htm; Managing Your Money, https://www.nelliemae.com/managingmoney; The Importance of Managing Money, https://www.mtstcil.org/skills/budget-12.html; and How Do You Rate as a Money Manager?, https://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/G-219.pdf.
11. The self-quiz on How to Study was originally prepared by the authors and from the following sources: EDinformatics – Education for the Information Age, https://www.edinformatics.com/education/howtostudy.htm; The Manila Times, March 20, 2004, https://www.manilatimes.net/national/2004/mar/20/yehey/life/20040320lif2.html; Ten Traps of Studying—Improving Your Studying Skills—CAPS—UNC—Chapel Hill, https://caps.unc.edu/TenTraps.html; and Language Study Skills, https://www.usingenglish.com/study-skills.html.
12. Peter Jones, “5 Ways to Make Your Career Dreams Come True,” The Job Network, https://www.thejobnetwork.com, accessed November 19, 2017; Julie Griffin Levitt. Your Career: How to Make It Happen, 5th edition (Thomson South-Western, a part of The Thomson Corporation, 2006), pp. 2–4.
13. The Assertiveness test was originally prepared by the authors and from the following sources: Test Your Assertive Level, https://www.hodu.com/assertiveness-skills.shtml; Assertive Action Plan, https://www.headinjury.com/assertplan.html; Assertiveness, https://www.coping.org/relations/assert.htm; Perception of Assertiveness as a Function of Tag Questions, https://www.ycp.edu/besc/Journal2002/paper%201.htm; and Assertion Training, https://front.csulb.edu/tstevens/assertion_training.htm.
14. Brian Tracy, “Top 7 Qualities Employers Are Looking For in Candidates,” Undercover Recruiter, https://theundercoverrecruiter.com, accessed November 19, 2017; Liz Ryan, “12 Qualities Employers Look for When They’re Hiring,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, March 2, 2016.
15. David Patterson, "2025's Best US Cities for Job Opportunities and Earning Potential," Checkr, https://checkr.com, July 22, 2025.
16. “Entry Level Resume Information,” https://collegegrad.com, accessed November 19, 2017.
17. "Working at Dell Careers," https://jobs.dell.com, accessed February 26, 2026.
18. Pete Grieve, "5 Best Job Search Sites of October 2025," Money, https://money.com, October 2, 2025; "15 Best Job Search Sites for Job Seekers in 2025," Synectics, https://www.synectics.com, May 19, 2025; "15 Best Job Search Sites for Job Seekers in 2025," Protouch Staffing, https://www.protouchstaffing.com, October 27, 2025.
19. "Job Interview Statistics: Applications and Hiring Rates in 2024," https://teamstage.io, accessed February 26, 2026.
20. Alison Doyle, “Resume Keywords and Tips for Using Them,” The Balance, https://www.thebalance.com, August 4, 2017.
21. Ibid.
22. Katharine Hansen, “College Students: You Simply Must Do an Internship (Better yet: Multiple Internships)!” Live Career, https://www.livecareer.com, accessed November 19, 2017.
23. “17 Clever Ways to Interview Like a Pro,” Undercover Recruiter, https://theundercoverrecruiter.com, accessed November 19, 2017; Alison Doyle, “Most Common Interview Mistakes,” The Balance, https://www.thebalance.com, October 9, 2017.
24. The Are You a Good Listener scale was originally created by the authors and from the following sources: American Management Association – Self-Test: Are You a Good Listener, https://www.amanet.org/arc_center/archive/quiz_aug2003.htm; How To Be an Active Listener, https://techrepublic.com/5102-10878-5054191.html; Are You a Good Listener?, https://www.nidoqubein.com/article15.html; Are You a Good Listener?, https://www.lwvohio.org/members/postboard/june2004/Are_You_a_Good_Listener.pdf; Productivity – Are You a Good Listener?, https://www.effectivemeetings.com/productivity/communication/listener.asp; Are You a Good Listener?—Listen and Profit, Mike Kelly, https://www.simplysolo.com/kelly.htm; Joan Lloyd at Work, https://www.joanlloyd.com/articles/open.asp?art=026.htm; and Humanities 2000—Listening Skills, https://www.h2000.utoledo.edu/hs/clay/ListenSkills.html.
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