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Housing still searching for the sweet spot

Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials

Housing activity flip-flopped in March, with sales of existing homes plunging while the market for new homes heated up. Declining home prices and mortgage rates helped to lure buyers, especially at the lower end of the price scale, but there was not enough low-priced inventory to go around, stifling sales. Even with a strong economy and more favorable borrowing conditions, the industry is still struggling to find the right mix of inventory and affordability to help it reach escape velocity from the ongoing cycle of alternating months of positive and negative growth.

JAMA: Growing rural ED use putting strain on safety-net hospitals

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

Safety-net hospitals in the nation’s rural areas are strained and busier than their counterparts in urban areas, a new JAMA study reveals. This problem is further exacerbated by fewer physicians serving patients in these areas and generally worse health for rural residents. Rural hospitals also are constrained financially with "operating margins often too narrow to invest in upgrades to optimize care delivery." According to the JAMA study authors, emergency department use patterns provide a lens into the status of healthcare delivery in the communities they serve.

Are restaurant owners, managers, and consumers on the same page when it…

Linchi Kwok Food & Beverage

Some big restaurant chains, such as Starbucks and McDonald's, have already taken action in responding to sustainable trends in the industry, even though a study from 2016 suggests that consumers might not want to make a concerted effort themselves to eat at a green restaurant. Do owners, managers, and consumers think alike when it comes to the green attributes that matter the most to the restaurant business? With several questions in mind, I helped conduct a study where we asked 386 consumers, 115 restaurant managers, and 80 owners in the United States to rate the importance of 12 green practices that a restaurant can undertake.

Facial recognition is the future for hotel check-ins

Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

Facial recognition technology will soon help usher in an era of seamless hotel check-ins. FlyZoo, Alibaba’s ultramodern boutique hotel in China, is one of the forerunners of this technology. Traditionally, it takes a minimum of three minutes to check-in, and this number can go up during peak times. The check-in process with facial recognition technology can be completed in less than a minute. The busy modern-day traveler prefers efficiency, and surveys show that over 60% of Chinese travelers have shown a preference for facial recognition technology.

Preparing for VBS and other summer church events

Deborah Ike Religious Community

The summer months are when many churches host Vacation Bible School, summer camps, and other events. While most of the staff's focus has been on preparing for Easter up until now, schools will be letting out within the next month or so. If you haven't started planning summer activities yet, here are a few quick tips to help you get started.

Maintaining your facility’s carpet

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

Commercial and municipal properties experience more than their fair share of foot traffic, which means dirt, soiled stains and the possibility of an environment that’s not attractive nor appealing to visitors, customers and employees. Carpet, unfortunately, is often, overlooked as much as it’s walked over. Facility managers are in a unique role in which to take control over the cleanliness of accoutrements of the office environment, carpet included. And while doing so is not overly complicated or burdensome, carpet maintenance may require a little professional guidance.

Finding the right walking tour for your trip

Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

Imagine yourself trekking through the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone National Park or hiking into the cliff-rimmed depths of the Grand Canyon. For adventure-seeking vacationers, there isn’t a more inspiring or exhilarating way to experience a destination than to simply walk around it. It’s the best way to connect with a place — observing details and enjoying spontaneous encounters that typical tourists miss. Walking/hiking vacations have become so popular that an entire industry has developed to organize guided tours in parks and recreation areas and other off-grid locations across the country. We've selected five of the most experienced and reputable tour companies offering walking and hiking programs in the U.S.

Business lessons learned from the Boston Marathon

Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to watch the Boston Marathon. If you've haven't seen this race, which happens to be the oldest marathon in the U.S., I'd encourage you to do so. It's quite a sight to behold. Here are some of my key takeaways from the race that can apply to business.

How construction contractors can avoid or handle nonpaying customers

Aki Merced Construction & Building Materials

When construction contractors do business with clients, there is a fair expectation of payment for materials, labor, and services supplied. But sometimes, a client is unable to pay due to their financial difficulties and other situations, for reasons honest and otherwise. Regardless of the circumstances, however, not getting paid will hurt any business. Construction contractors need to have a strategic approach to collecting money and preventing nonpayments from constricting their cash flow. Here are some approaches that construction contractors can use to avoid and handle nonpaying customers.

Are you measuring the right things?

Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The good news about today's technology-enabled world is that we have the ability to measure just about anything. And the bad news is that in today’s technology-enabled world, we have the ability to measure just about anything. We are literally drowning in data points — some of them more useful than others, but all of them screaming for our attention. How do you determine on which measurements to focus? Here's the key point to remember: What gets measured gets managed.

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