Recent Articles
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Local hotels see an opening as luxury brands falter
Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementInterbrand's new ranking of the world's top brands was a revelation. Tech companies ruled, but luxury travel brands did not make it. A key takeaway was that people-centric brands stood out. Exceptional customer service and delivering an experience will help brands differentiate themselves and be profitable and sustainable. Are the big names in the hospitality business doing that? The answer is, unfortunately, no. Luxury brands are still primarily sticking to creating a ubiquitous atmosphere that, though impeccable, does nothing to distinguish one from another.
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UAW strike ends with ratified agreement, but 3 GM plants close
Michelle R. Matisons Transportation Technology & AutomotiveOn Oct. 25, the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) achieved a new, four-year contract with General Motors (GM) in a vote of 57% to 43%. During this time, UAW also ratified an Aramark janitorial contract at five GM Ohio and Michigan locations. This latest strike produced mixed results that were highly dependent on workers’ locations. While outsourcing and plant downsizing keep manufacturing jobs below optimal national levels, GM workers will largely enjoy improvements in labor conditions.
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5 social content ideas for every sermon
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityChurch communication is not all about the tools. It’s more about content. Your church needs to regularly build content that engages your congregation and attracts your community when they are considering a local church. How does someone in a church communication role do that? That’s the issue. A sermon is a piece of important content that should be extended as part of your church's social strategy. Here are five ways to repurpose a sermon on your social channels to encourage engagement and attraction.
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Researchers make a huge step towards a universal flu vaccine
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareResearchers around the world are feverishly working to develop a universal flu vaccine that would cover all influenza strains. They may now be a step closer to creating such a vaccine, thanks to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who collaborated with the international nonprofit PATH, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Chicago, and the Duke Early Phase Clinical Research Unit. The team of researchers focused their attention on hemagglutinin, which is a protein present on the surface of flu viruses.
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Can Elizabeth Warren’s education plan finally end segregation in…
Patrick Gleeson EducationOne of the more disappointing failures in U.S. K-12 education has been the attempt to end segregation in U.S. classrooms. As I pointed out in an earlier article on this touchy subject, the end of segregated classrooms, seemingly promised more than 60 years ago in the historic Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling, never came close to being fulfilled. In reality, the degree of segregation in 2019 is about the same as it was in the 1960s. Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren has a radical plan to change that. Whether it will help or hurt her candidacy remains to be seen, but it is a radical policy change even for Democrats.
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Shopping at the board store
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementIn La Crosse, Wisconsin, I passed an interesting shop. In bright lettering, the awning read, "The Board Store." The U.S. has 1.5 million exempt organizations. Each has a board of directors. I wondered what tools and equipment the board store sold. Here are the tools, planks and signage the store could sell to support good governance.
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Biking on San Antonio’s River Walk
Cindy Belt Recreation & LeisureEveryone has heard about the River Walk in San Antonio. Walking along the river to see the people, enjoy the restaurants or bars, or watch the boats sailing by can all be fun. But there are also miles of the River Walk through the rest of San Antonio that are perfect for a bike ride and don’t have the crowds you see downtown. This can be done in one bike trip but there is so much to see that it is best to split this into multiple trips. Bikes are available for rent for only $12 a day at many locations. Here are some highlights of the trail.
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Tackling the fear of financial aid
Sweety Patel Education"I’m not going to help with the FAFSA, I will refer the student somewhere else, I am not touching that parent’s tax info." These are common thoughts in many school counseling departments, not out of task avoidance or malice, but simply out of fear. Many school counselors often do not want to get involved with assisting students directly with the FAFSA. They may also think that the family’s income information is not information that the school counselor is privy to. However, financial aid is a facet in the life of high school counselors that comes up all year long.
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Will 2020 be the year you quit your job?
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementQuitting has often been thought of as a negative: a result of an inability to handle the pressure or requirements of the job. Now, however, quitting is becoming the hallmark of success. The tight labor market has afforded more and more of us the ability to quit our jobs for better opportunities. We are doing so across regions and industries and at a steadily increasing rate. The question is: will 2020 be the year you quit your job?
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How to identify depression in the healthcare field and provide support
Amanda Ghosh Mental HealthcareMedical professionals are at higher risk for depression given the difficulties in creating a healthy work-life balance, the stressors of the profession, and the emotional toll of caregiving. With National Depression Screening Day having just passed, now is the perfect time to assess your workplace for at-risk employees. Here are a few strategies to prevent and identify depression among healthcare workers.