Recent Articles

  • Metals Thoughts: Midnight diplomacy edition

    Brad Yates Natural Resources

    The USD is taking a slight breather from its one-way appreciation trade, and that has given metals an opportunity to form something of a base in the last couple of sessions. The ETF selling continues at a pretty steady pace and has done nothing but liquidate since early November.

  • The new overtime rule has been stopped — but for how long?

    Jessica Taylor Retail

    A new salary limit for the Fair Labor Standard Act's overtime rule was supposed to take effect Dec. 1. But the changes, which would affect about 4 million workers, have come to a screeching halt after a preliminary injunction by a federal judge in Texas last week.

  • Assessing the mission impact factor

    William D. Pawlucy Association Management

    In strategic decision-making for your organization, the question of return on investment typically arises. But how many times do we ask ourselves, "What is the return on mission?" In a financial sense, a return on investment speaks to what we can expect if we invest dollars in a stock, a business venture, etc. A return on mission then needs to focus decision-making on advancing the purpose or reason for existence of an organization.

  • How the Hanjin bankruptcy nearly ruined Christmas

    Alan Kelsky Distribution & Warehousing

    ​As Hanjin Shipping was moving container cargo to ports all over the globe this summer, news broke that affected retailers worldwide. Hanjin, the world's seventh-largest container shipping company filed for bankruptcy Aug. 31 in Seoul, South Korea.

  • The delicate balance of HR: Leadership

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    It is easy to hate human resources professionals. In small or startup organizations, they are constantly delivering bad news: benefits have changed, and the costs have gone up; no, there is no money for raises; we are in a hiring freeze and so on.

  • Top wishes from holiday shoppers for your social media content

    Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

    When you think of social media during the holiday season, your mind likely jumps to your marketing strategy and the corresponding number of impressions, clicks and sales. For your followers, their goal is much simpler, and dare we say, heartwarming. When asked what they want from brands during the holiday season on social, the largest segment of consumers said holiday cheer, found Sprout Social's research. After all, isn’t that the reason for the season?

  • ‘Energy poverty’ in the Trump era

    Lucy Wallwork Natural Resources

    "Energy poverty" should be a crisis we are used to seeing on television screens, featuring images of the poor in developing countries studying by candlelight and cooking on dung fires. It shouldn't be found on U.S. soil. But as winter sets in, activists are raising concerns that low-income U.S. citizens are being forced to make "third-world choices" between paying for food or utility bills, despite declining energy prices.

  • Achieving your organization’s vision with a cohesive strategy map

    Michelle LaBrosse Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    When you’re knee-deep in the logistical details of managing a project team, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture: your organization’s vision. We use established and proven strategies at Cheetah Learning to help us achieve our vision in each course we offer. For example, the vision for our new program is pretty simple: With the right training and systems, most people can efficiently and cost-effectively grow their own food year-round.

  • A rare MCO for a 968

    Jeff Coe Recreation & Leisure

    ​Like most of you, I have a supporting collection of 968-related memorabilia in addition to my 968 cars. This includes model cars, posters, and many, many documents and brochures. But recently, I was shown a unique item that I had never seen before, an original MCO for a 968. What’s an MCO, you ask? That stands for Manufacturers' Certificate of Origin. The best analogy I can provide you for this document is it is like a birth certificate for your car.

  • Optimizing student success with differentiated instruction

    Sheilamary Koch Education

    Many teachers recognize that students are motivated when working on assignments they find sufficiently challenging — ones that are neither too far beyond their grasp nor overly simple. Now, neuroscience backs what these teachers witness daily in their classrooms, as recent findings show that the brain has an internal rewards system and one of the things it praises itself for is the act of understanding something new. This means there’s an intrinsic motivation for students when they comprehend previously unknown subject matter.