There are two main ways humans can generate income: sales power and volatility. Added value is continuously created through production, which involves actions to generate this added value. By adding new layers of value to basic ones, additional value is created—for example, making bread from wheat flour. The ability to persuade someone to buy this added value is known as sales power. Therefore, VAT is a tax paid by the final consumer. When sales power is strong, a significant amount of added value remains, leading to wealth accumulation. The second method is volatility. We can buy and sell assets that create either fundamental or added value. The former includes items like gold or commodities, while the latter refers to companies and assets such as stocks. Volatility occurs because prices fluctuate based on the sales power of producers, creating added value, and the balance between supply and demand for assets. Warren Buffett has avoided investing in gold because it cannot generate add...
A hotel in the United States operated a call center to serve customers. The top call center employee received an additional bonus equal to one-third of their monthly salary. However, the same person was always the best employee. Here’s a question: for a company’s performance to improve, should bonuses go to those who perform well or to those who do not? Giving bonuses to underperformers can boost overall performance. The top employees are already performing at their best; their performance doesn’t significantly change. Just as paying a singer more doesn’t necessarily mean they sing better, paying less doesn’t mean they sing worse. In call centers, the best employees should be promoted to higher ranks and receive higher base salaries, not just bonuses. Offering bonuses primarily to those who are directly affected by them is the right motivational strategy . The purpose of a bonus is to influence those who can still improve, not to reward those already excelling. Money is simply a fun...