Recent Articles
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Travel2020: Love Las Vegas-style with daring I do’s
Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementLas Vegas and weddings go together like neon signage and beehive hairdos. That may be because Las Vegas pronounces more marriages per capita than any other city in the world. In 2017 alone, 78,187 marriage licenses were issued in Las Vegas — which makes for roughly 214 per day or nine marriage licenses an hour on a 24/7 clock. And 2017 was a down year for Las Vegas, which has seen as many as 128,000 weddings in a year, as happened in 2004. Based on the most current data available from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), 4 percent of Las Vegas visitors, or 1.7 million people a year, come to Las Vegas to celebrate their own wedding or someone else's.
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What to expect from Airbnb on its 11th birthday
Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementThis month marks the 11th birthday for Airbnb. Founded in 2008, Airbnb is the first and now dominant player in the P2P (peer-to-peer) short-term residential rental business. Last year at Airbnb’s 10th birthday, the company’s CEO Brian Chesky delivered a keynote speech — Airbnb for everyone. Around the same period, the company rolled out two new brands to its current product line: Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb. There is no doubt that Airbnb has become more than just a room-sharing enterprise, but what other markets is Airbnb after? What can we expect at Airbnb’s 11th birthday? Here are a few possibilities.
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Controversial seismic survey in Alaska’s ANWR halted
Michelle R. Matisons Natural Resources1002 Area, located in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), is 1.5 million acres of land rumored to contain anywhere between 4 and 11 billion barrels of oil. In 2017, the Trump administration opened the area up to oil and gas exploration when it passed a tax bill requiring the federal government to hold at least two oil and gas lease sales in the next decade. This move caused quite a controversy, and now it appears SAExploration, Kaktovit Inupiat Corp., and Arctic Slope Regional Corp. will not be moving forward on their planned ANWR seismic survey this winter. Cancellation of the seismic project bodes well for drilling opponents, but this is a battle far from over.
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Should you care if your employees love you?
Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementFor years, I thought it was important that my employees loved me. Boy, was I wrong. You see, love is one of those things that can dissipate at a moment's notice. Here's what I mean. Remember when you were in junior high and you were so in love with one of your classmates? You were giddy as could be when you found out they felt the same way about you. Then, boom — you wake up one day to find out they've moved on. They've got a new love, while your world has fallen apart. I see the same thing happen in business.
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Auto industry expected to experience significant decrease in demand —…
Terri Williams Transportation Technology & AutomotiveA recent report by Bain & Company reveals that, by 2025, U.S. vehicle demand will drop to 11.5 million — and perhaps even lower if the rate of immigrants entering the country declines. Demand was at 16 million in 2009, and 13.5 million in 2018. What's causing the decline in demand, and how can U.S. auto manufacturers weather this disruption? According to Rodney P. Parker, Associate Professor of Operations Management in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, there's a consistent opinion that auto sales in the U.S. will shrink. There's not one specific reason for the slowdown in U.S. car sales. Rather, there's a perfect storm brewing.
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Survey: Federal workers downbeat as second shutdown looms
Seth Sandronsky Civil & GovernmentUncertainty reigns among federal workers over their financial health and buying power in the face of a potential second partial government shutdown on Feb. 15, according to a survey from Clever Real Estate. The 35-day closure in December and January over a failed U.S.-Mexico border wall deal has left a lasting scar, survey results show. The eight-day survey, featuring a random sampling of 500 federal employees, indicates much angst as Congress and President Trump careen toward an unclear outcome of negotiations for a border wall, according to Thomas O'Shaughnessy, a research analyst at Clever Real Estate.
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Food delivery technology is evolving quickly
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageA new development at the George Mason University campus in Fairfax, Virginia, heralds an interesting turn for the food delivery industry. Students, staff, and faculty on campus can now order food and drinks with the help of robots. A strategic partnership between robotics firm Starship Technologies and food service giant Sodexo has created the Starship Deliveries app, which promises to change the future of food delivery, especially on college campuses. But George Mason is not the only campus to make news in this regard.
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Stop! 5 things to never do with your church logo
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityYour church logo is a visual representation of your church’s brand. It’s not your brand. Your brand is the emotional aftertaste once someone has experienced your church. The story they remember, the benefit of attending, or description of who you actually are down deep. It’s their real answer to the question, "why do you attend your church?" Your church logo should be a simple, professional, representation of your church. When people see it, they should quickly remember everything that’s relevant to them. Your logo is important. Therefore it should be protected, controlled, and promoted properly. Here are five things you should never do with your church logo.
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Will the military be called on to build a border wall?
Miranda Y. Brumbaugh Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityIn another effort to complete the construction of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, President Trump has turned to the military. More specifically, the president has threatened to declare a national emergency to push forward with construction: "We’re looking at a national emergency because we have a national emergency." In doing so, the U.S. military could be required to both build the wall and fund the project, which has a price estimate of $5.7 billion. Learn the latest news regarding how the military would be affected if the president pursues border wall funding and/or construction from the Pentagon.
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Eliminating the digital divide and increasing access to technology
Brian Stack EducationInequities regarding technology access in our schools can cause students from different socioeconomic backgrounds to fail to develop information capital, which leads to a shift in power. This concept has come to be known as a digital divide, and it is a problem that schools take a close look at. Today, school districts are seeking effective ways to increase access to digital tools and resources to disadvantaged populations in an effort to close the achievement gap that the digital divide has the potential to create.