These factors may include the incentive compensation of executives, lack of monitoring by boards of directors, and managerial error in estimating the value of firms targeted for acquisition.
Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctively—and wrongly—labeled government only as "a necessary evil".
Professional scientists are expected to know how to analyze data, but statistical errors are alarmingly common in published research, according to David Vaux, a cell biologist.
Your kids know you're not perfect—orthey will when they get to their teenage years—so own it and use it as a chance to talk throughyour mistakes with your child.