Recent Articles

  • A look at how different home security systems work and how they help the…

    Amanda Kowalski Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

    Whether you just bought a new house or are seeing some things in your neighborhood that make you uncomfortable, you are now shopping for a home security system. So, what kind should you get — company-monitored or self-monitored? And do they really help the police? First, how much is it going to cost? About $400 for the equipment, and, if you choose professionally monitored, between $10 and $50 a month. But that’s negligible compared to what you could lose.

  • Stores prepare for the next wave of panic buying

    Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

    Every holiday season, stores ramp up their inventories as shoppers add more items to their lists. This year, that includes more than stocking up for holiday shopping. Stores are also preparing to stock up for panic buying that the next wave of COVID-19 may bring. According to Cornell professor Edward McLaughlin, retailers and food suppliers were caught off guard by pandemic-driven panic buying in March. But they have learned key lessons from that experience and are now sending staple goods to stores even before orders pour in.

  • How to recover after a corporate scandal

    Indiana Lee Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Recovering from a scandal is not an easy process. It’s also the case that even in the years after the core problem, details of your ethical issues will be just a quick search away. Any scandal has the potential to leave your online reputation in tatters if handled without due care. How should you approach your recovery from a corporate scandal? What strategies and tools can you implement to improve both your reputation and toxic company culture? Let’s take a closer look at some key areas of focus.

  • For public health, a momentous collision and missed opportunities

    Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

    The COVID-19 pandemic took a new and surprising turn as October began when the President of the United States tested positive for the virus, as did many of his associates and direct contacts. At a volatile time during a highly charged election cycle, the collision of this novel coronavirus with the leader of what some dub "the only superpower on earth" is one that cannot be brushed aside. Can this direct meeting of the virus and such an influential leader deliver an outcome other than more missed opportunities and misinformation?

  • Will Amazon’s new palm recognition technology become a popular biometric…

    Linchi Kwok Retail

    Amazon recently introduced a new biometric payment device, Amazon One, in two of its Go stores in Seattle. Shoppers can now enter and pay at these select cashier-free Amazon Go stores by scanning their palms. The company sees broader implications for Amazon One devices. Places with high foot traffic, such as stadiums, restaurants, retail stores, office buildings, and any gated or secured facilities, could benefit from the technology.

  • 4 change management tips for ChMS implementations

    Deborah Ike Religious Community

    Whether you’re starting to use church management software (ChMS) for the first time or switching from a previous vendor, there’s a lot that goes into a successful implementation. New software involves learning a new program, changing processes, and the typical implementation headaches. While everyone may agree that change is necessary, they might still get frustrated along the way. So, how do you have a successful implementation and a happy team? Here are a few tips.

  • The pandemic has taught us that school facilities need attention

    Brian Stack Education

    The pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in various parts of our educational system. This fall, one of the most debated was one that is often forgotten: The state of our 100,000 elementary and secondary public school facilities. America seems to have a love-hate relationship with its school facilities. They are costly to replace, yet when they are in disrepair, they can be expensive to maintain. For many communities, however, they are some of the most heavily used community resources.

  • Survey: Skills shortage forces 31% of organizations to prioritize investment…

    Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    The pandemic has forced many organizations to reconsider their projects for the rest of the year — and beyond. While a lot of plans have been put on hold, some companies have elevated IT training to a priority project. According to the 2020 Netwrix IT Trends Report, 38% of CIOs and IT directors now plan to invest in the education of IT staff, compared to 20% who had it on their top five list before the pandemic. We asked Ilia Sotnikov, VP of product management at Netwrix, to discuss this and some of the other IT trends revealed in the report.

  • Ways to check for understanding virtually with culturally and linguistically…

    Erick Herrmann Education

    Every teacher knows the importance of having students respond frequently and checking for understanding, as we need to be sure that the instruction we are providing is working, and that students are indeed learning. When it comes to culturally and linguistically diverse students, it becomes especially critical as students are learning new content in a new language. Yet, in our new era of virtual or hybrid teaching, we need to consider how we are assessing students and conducting checks for understanding through what is a new way of teaching and learning to many.

  • The gold standard in policies

    Robert C. Harris Association Management

    Policies are the wisdom of prior boards, adopted as motions and recorded in the minutes, to guide actions and decisions of the current and future boards. They frequently interpret broad sections of the bylaws, which purposely lack detail. For example, the bylaws may require a periodic financial audit. A policy will specify frequency, type of audit, and the hiring of a CPA. It is easier to adopt, amend or repeal a policy than the bylaws, which usually require as approval process by the membership. Associations rely on 25 to 50 policies.