Recent Articles

  • Study: Push for smart-building transitions seems obvious based on the benefits

    Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

    A recent study seems to suggest that converting to smart building technology allows organizations to cut energy costs, meet air quality regulations and provide the best environments for occupants, visitors and staff. So says Siemens Financial Services, which estimates that the potential for "self-financing" smart-building conversion may cross 13 countries in three sectors: commercial buildings; government buildings; and hospitals. In other words, there’s plenty of potential for innovation.

  • Southeast Asia neighbors battle over street food

    Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

    Singapore and Malaysia’s fight over street food highlights an interesting development in the history of food. It shows how this once-disparaged form of cuisine has become popular for newer generations. Singapore is known for its street food; it has been called a foodie city for ages. It did not come as a surprise to many that the city-state made a bid for a UNESCO cultural heritage listing. But immediate neighbor Malaysia did not appreciate the move.

  • A leader’s guide to seasonal anxiety and depression

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    The end of the year is synonymous with so many unique professional challenges: reconciling the grandiose goals from the beginning of the year with the current status; closing out the books; prepping for more goals and challenges in the coming year, audits, taxes, annual reporting and more. Add to that angry customers, cranky co-workers and the weird time warp that seems to ensure days pass at a faster rate between Halloween and New Year’s than any other time of year and trying to manage stress at work seems almost impossible. Unfortunately, the end of the year is no less busy outside the office.

  • Project to product: How to survive and thrive in the age of digital disruption

    Dr. Mik Kersten Science & Technology

    Today, enterprise organizations are attempting to use managerial mechanisms from previous ages to direct software delivery in this one. IT and software delivery costs have been growing for decades, yet our organizations do not have adequate visibility or understanding of what is now one of the largest costs of doing business. Meanwhile, the tech giants and digital startups have already mastered the managerial frameworks necessary to succeed in the age of software.

  • Environmental issues heat up as court ruling halts Keystone XL pipeline

    Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

    Evidence of environmental devastation looms in many places. However, one development that recently went the other direction regards the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. This 1,200-mile pipeline was slated to bring oil from Alberta to the Gulf Coast by TransCanada Corp. The latest development saw U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris of Montana rule against the pipeline, claiming that a full environmental impact review was not completed for the project, and that the issue of climate change was not fully considered.

  • Tips to avoid travel fraud this holiday season

    Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

    If a travel deal seems too good to be true...it probably is. Holiday scams aren’t new but the sophistication applied behind them has made it harder for a layperson to gauge the scams from authentic offers. That is why one has to scrutinize that holiday getaway deal before booking. The internet was recently abuzz with James McAvoy’s story of how he nearly fell for a $10,000 Tenerife holiday scam. He went online to tell the world about his horrifying experience when a fake hotel website duped him.

  • Study: Poor hospital work environments put patients at risk

    Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

    Patients are at risk because of poor hospital work environments, which need to be improved. So says a new Health Affairs study. We’ll let that sink in. Hospital work environments are a danger to patients. Researchers said they analyzed nurse and patient appraisals at 535 hospitals in four states between 2005 and 2016 — a fairly exhaustive study — to determine whether the work environment had improved and the extent to which those changes affected patient safety.

  • Trends revealed at massive hospitality trade show in New York

    Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

    Over Veterans Day weekend, I attended the HX: The Hotel Experience 2018 and the BD | NY: A Boutique Design Trade Fair in New York City with a group of students from the Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona. Also known as the "Hotel Show," the HX: The Hotel Experience 2018 is often perceived as the largest hospitality trade show in North America. There were four components in the trade show, including HX: The Marketplace, HX: The Conference, Boutique Design New York (#BDNY), and the STR Market Study Competition.

  • Home sales weaken as buyers back off

    Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials

    Increased inventory and declining prices were not enough to seal the deal for some prospective homebuyers in September. Sales of both new and existing homes were down from August’s rather lackluster performance. Although demand remains high, concerns about rising mortgage rates and a shortage of entry-level properties kept buyers at bay. After a modest gain in August, sales of new single-family homes dropped 5.5 percent in September, the lowest month-over-month decline since December 2016, and were down 13.2 percent from the same period last year.

  • Pilot study showcases breathing device for acute migraine

    Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

    Migraine is the third most prevalent neurological disease in the world, affecting 39 million men, women, and children in the United States and 1 billion people worldwide. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 4 households includes someone who suffers with migraine. Treatment has included both pain-relieving and preventative medications. Many patients attend pain clinics and endure countless trials of different medications. For some, the medications work for a short time, others not at all. According to a new study, however, some migraine patients may be able to cut down on medication or stop taking medication at all by using a newly developed inhaler that changes the composition of the air that they breathe.