Recent Articles
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How much data is needed to predict customer buying behavior?
Peter Moloney MarketingThere are two fundamentally different approaches for selecting the data used to predict customer buying behavior. The first approach involves collecting as much information as possible about your customers (demographic attributes, behaviors, preferences, etc.) so you can see what correlations there might be between this information and purchasing. This is supported by a basic tenant of Big Data theory: Because we are now able to collect ever more data on our customers from all kinds of sources, and we have new, better technologies for managing and analyzing all that data, that's what should be done.
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Better late than never: Accepting late work without penalty
Brian Stack EducationThe debate over whether to charge students a penalty for late work is not new to American education. For years, proponents have argued that a penalty is the best way to hold students accountable for meeting deadlines, a lifelong skill.
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Can’t live with documentation, can’t live without it
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityNothing excites a room full of church staff members like announcing the idea to document their job responsibilities, right? Typing several pages of notes detailing how to reconcile the church bank accounts, enter new members into the database, or how to set up kids' check-in each week is a thrilling time for all.
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The effect of marijuana on the developing fetal brain
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareOn the surface, it sounds positive: Prenatal exposure to marijuana results in an improved ability for young children to perceive activity and movement around them. But the ability to detect motion all around you or an enhanced peripheral awareness may be at the expense of central sensitivity.
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Flowers aren’t always red
Debra Josephson Abrams EducationFrom the moment almost 40 years ago when I heard Harry Chapin's "Flowers are Red," I’ve played it at window-rattling volume and sung it as loudly and defiantly as possible. It tells the story of a free-spirited child who draws flowers in a rainbow of colors, only to be admonished by a teacher.
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Droning on: Amazon unveils its flight plan
Rebecca Ryan EngineeringDid you forget a gift? No worries, just get it flown to the party. Left your toothpaste at home on a business trip? Get it air-dropped to the hotel. Your phone case broke? You get the idea. Digital retailer Amazon is planning to use drones to fly packages less than five pounds to its customers in about 30 minutes, making instant gratification a little closer to instant. The service, called Amazon Prime Air, was announced in 2015, and details of the project were released Jan. 19.
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New PATH for small business tax breaks
Paul Zukowski RetailWhile 2015 was an off year in terms of major tax law changes coming from Congress, our elected representatives did cook up quite a smorgasbord of extensions — many permanent — for a wide array of existing tax breaks on which most small businesses rely.
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‘Easy’ does it when designing for today’s homeowners
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesHomeowners are fed up with their old kitchens and ways of living and are investing in substantial upgrades and remodels to improve their quality of life. That's the message that comes through the newly released findings from the 2016 Houzz Kitchen Trends Survey. Topping the list of improvements are changes and upgrades that will make homeowners' lives "easier" as well as update the kitchen's look and feel.
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Survey: Travel trends for millennials in 2016
Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementMillennials are taking over workforce and soon the travel and tourism market. While companies are busy responding to this trend, it is important to keep track of their preferences. A recent survey with close to 32,000 young travelers from 196 counties/regions on Topdeck Travel, a group tour provider, may provide some new insights about millennial travelers.
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When did committees go out of fashion?
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementA frequent question of association executives is, "Can you tell us how to get our committees to work?" It is followed by descriptions of declines in volunteering, do-nothing committees and committees that act without authority.