Recent Articles
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2 strategic intangibles critical for terminations
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementTerminations can be tricky, especially in employee-friendly states like California. And although there is no shortage of advice on best practices for reducing the risk of wrongful termination claims and other associated legal challenges, we still get it wrong often. In many cases, this is because, in addition to all the checklists, forms and steps to implement a termination, we often forget the personal side. Here are two strategic intangibles critical to a more successful termination in any state.
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New approach to mapping tuberculosis paves way for new treatments
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareMore than 10 million people worldwide became infected with tuberculosis (TB) in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and there were 1.7 million deaths associated with TB that year. Despite the significant effect TB has on human health, researchers know relatively little about the transmission and pathogenesis of tuberculosis. A group of researchers recently provided a new look at an old adversary. The team discovered interactions between tuberculosis and human proteins that could someday help in the development of new approaches to combating TB infection.
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The importance of door maintenance: Tips and notes
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsIn and out, all day long, nearly every day of the year. Doors. You may take the barriers that keep the outside out and the inside in for granted. But your facility’s doors are nothing to overlook. Kind of like the roof above, they keep your buildings protected, safe and secure, and the unsavory elements — both weather and humans — out. Proper maintenance is a must, but in many cases these most mobile pieces of your building probably only get attention if something isn't right.
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5 tips for a more productive project team
Deborah Ike Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIt’s one thing to be able to create an extensive project plan, charter, budget, and dashboard. The skill set required to lead a project team that’s cohesive and productive is quite different. Project management involves a mix of hard and soft skills, and you’ll need to know when to use each tool in your project manager toolbox at a given time. Here are five tips based on my experience. Unfortunately, some of these I learned from doing wrong at first.
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Heads-up: Safety and liability in manufacturing
Delany Martinez ManufacturingInnovation in manufacturing has made for surprisingly even footing among rivals in a variety of industries. The last remaining point of competition for market share, some argue, is found in speed and efficiency: even if two companies are making the same products, the business that gets the products made and shipped more quickly is the ostensible winner in the battle for consumer wallets. That intense focus on speed and volume, however, can come at a high cost for companies that don't tread carefully.
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Why leaders should never stop being curious
Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementSarita, the CFO of a midsized sales organization, contacted me to ask for help with a problem. Her company’s customer base was getting increasingly diverse, with many new clients from Africa and Asia. Her sales team, who had been outselling their competition for the last several years, was starting to lose business. Almost all of the team were U.S.-born, white and male, and, for the most part, had little experience doing business with clients who were not originally from the U.S.
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Hospital execs prepare to raise salaries to fight staff shortages
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationHospitals and health systems are continuing to experience shortages of physicians, nurses and even mental health providers, which may be a challenge in regard to reducing labor costs, per Navigant analysis conducted by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). Because of potential shortages of these positions, hospitals are projecting higher labor budgets for the coming year, and these same hospital leaders anticipate needing to offer increased compensation to fill these roles.
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Better ways to brainstorm with your team
Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhen working on your approach to an important project, there's nothing better than bold, original creative thinking. Yet as a manager, you understand that brainstorming with your team members can sometimes be a hit-or-miss prospect. It's sometimes too easy for the more outgoing members of your staff to dominate the discussion, which means other people's valid ideas get overlooked. Also, there may be times when your group just doesn't feel as creative as they could be.
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IoT implementation sails into wind power
Joseph Zulick EngineeringA wind energy structure in the North Sea lost its main turbine housing earlier this year, prompting engineers to determine that all 206 units of this size in the sea might need to be examined and refitted. The North Sea is the most violent wind and current area to have giant turbine farms in trouble like this, but other regions are having maintenance problems as well. The role of predictive maintenance in design engineering for these giant pieces of infrastructure jumps up the importance ladder every time a customer adds megawatts to the overall scheme.
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American K-12 education needs a massive rethink
Bambi Majumdar EducationFormer Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s new book has recently been a topic of discussion across various news outlets. Duncan’s book offers a critical view of America's schools, which he feels are way behind their international counterparts. He also suggests ways to improve the system so that both teachers and students benefit in the future. American students do not rank in the top 10 in for K-12 or higher education internationally. This does not bode well for the future. Rethinking America’s education system has, therefore, become a priority.