General

Dr. W. Edwards Deming is recognized as the Father of Quality Management. Scholars and practitioners in the quality circle call his influence the primary impetus that rocked the beginning of the “quality revolution.” He advocated for quality management until he was 93. He was very influential, propelling the value of quality improvement, which he started implementing in Japan in the early 1950s. The Japanese credited Dr. Deming for their economy’s victorious resurrection from the ruins of World War II to becoming a global economic powerhouse. Since then, the Deming 14 Points has become a powerful management philosophy for organizational transformation that the rest of the world implemented. 

SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that organizations―and yes―individuals can use to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in the industry or career analysis. The first strategic choice that an organization must address is defining the market to compete. The external analysis provides information on the competition, the factors that define the competitive market, and profitability. The external analysis also provides relevant information about what the customers want.

“The consumer is the most important part of the production line. Quality 

should be aimed at the needs of the consumer, present and future.”

─W. Edwards Deming, Out of the Crisis (1986)

“To make what is good for the country good for the
enterprise requires hard work, great management skill,
high standards of responsibility, and broad vision.”
─Peter F. Drucker, The Practice of Management (1954)

“You have to understand accounting and you have to understand the
nuances of accounting. It’s the language of business and it’s an
imperfect language, but unless you are willing to put in the effort
to learn accounting─how to read and interpret financial
statements─you really shouldn’t select stocks yourself.”
─Warren Buffett

As we head into 2025, it’s a great time to reflect on your financial goals and set a plan for the year ahead. Whether you’re looking to pay down debt, save more, or start investing, now’s the moment to get organized. Begin by reviewing your spending from the past year and setting a realistic budget for the months ahead. Consider automating savings to ensure you’re consistently putting money aside, even if it’s a small amount each month.