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In business, questions can be more important than answers. In a business, asking questions should be an ongoing activity. We are constantly being bombarded by information and information can quickly become meaningless if it cannot be sorted, screened, deleted, and finally evaluated for its efficacy. An effective method for examining received information begins with questions – questions from all areas of a business – and probably ends with more questions. The questions a business considers worth asking can speak volumes about business priorities and can often times lead to unexpected yet valuable answers.

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  A comment on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 21 2013: capitalism is about doing more with less, which cannot continue forever so i don't think that we can eradicate poverty without contribution from the rich and the wealthy.
  
  also, the rich have more power that governments in capitalism, which means that they decide who gets a chance to a decent life and who doesn't. i think a more realistic goal would be to try to reduce poverty as much as possible.

• A reply on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 21 2013: Hi Marc,
  
  i wonder why your only answer to the question whether capitalism is sustainable is "yes" (with no details)? is it that obvious to you?
  
  Speaking of poverty, did you know that most poor people do work? You can't eradicate poverty by giving people money or any rewards. it's all about the political and social system which does not create opportunities for all people to have a decent life. this is why poverty has a lot to do with capitalism
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  A comment on Conversation: It's easy to separate a product from its production process. What can we do to change that?

  Mar 21 2013: it's almost impossible to know how a finished product was manufactured, but there are a few questions that we ask ourselves to realize that something may be wrong.
  
  for instance, how can a pair of jeans cost under $10? or, what does it mean when you see on the label "assembled in the USA" or "processed in Canada"?
  
  also, we should refrain from dealing with companies that are not transparent, like Apple and its partner Foxconn. on the other hand, are we ready to pay more for other similar products?

• A reply on Conversation: Should America withdraw as the world "police / peace keepers"?

  Mar 21 2013: i agree with you that war has been used as an economic engine, not only by USA, but by all major empires in history. but we're supposed to be civilized people, aren't we?
  
  as for the world trade, USA has not been drawn into it, it created it and most companies benefiting from cheap labour in China and elsewhere are European and American.
  
  to answer Mike's question, America needs so solve some internal and external problems before they can afford not to get involved in conflicts worldwide. but just like any police force, if your existence depends on conflict, you may not be very "motivated" to change anything, right?
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  A comment on Conversation: If you have NEVER been to Africa, when someone mentions "Africa" or you hear "Africa", what is the FIRST thing that comes into your mind?

  Mar 21 2013: safari! except for the hunting part, i'd love to someday be part of an exploration expedition in Africa.

• A comment on Conversation: what is a "good" question?

  Mar 21 2013: they usually say it because they don't have an answer and they need a few seconds to find a way out. not sure if you noticed, but most answers that follow a "very good question" remark are very vague

• A comment on Conversation: If you try to fail and you succeed, what have you accomplished?

  Mar 21 2013: Why do you care about accomplishing anything when the goal was to fail? :)

• A reply on Conversation: What does transparency mean to you?

  Mar 21 2013: i agree that debating helps, but it almost never happens in business. business people prefer to have meetings or simply tell others what they're supposed to do. debating is replaced by negotiations

• A comment on Conversation: What does transparency mean to you?

  Mar 21 2013: i think that transparency in business does not exist, the main reason being that a company is made of people who have various (often times conflicting) interests. start-ups are probably the exception to the rule, but i'm not convinced they're much different.
  
  so yes, transparency is about communication and openness but can only be achieved for small teams in business.
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  A comment on Conversation: Many people in this world are more famous than me. I guess that means they're better people than me, right? And better than you, right?

  Mar 21 2013: no, not at all. they are simply better than you and me at what they do, not a better person. any NBA players is better than me at basketball but i'm pretty sure that i'm better than any or most of them at something like databases or business software.
  
  unfortunately, our society created the illusion that fame make you a super man. you do have more power by being famous and more money, but that does not make a better person. actually, quite the opposite may happen when people are overwhelmed by fame and its disadvantages