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Down on the farm: 6 of the US’ best agricultural museums
Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementIf you've ever tended a backyard garden or tried to raise a few chickens, you know that farming is hard, dirty work. Keeping America's kitchens supplied during the coronavirus pandemic has made things even harder for farmers — earning these most essential of essential workers the respect and appreciation of an entire nation. For those interested in learning more about American farms and ranches, there are a number of farming and agricultural museums around the country. Here are six of them.
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IMF predicts small business bankruptcies may triple as workers brace for…
Kevin Reynolds Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementCalifornia took some people by surprise recently when Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the largest rollback of reopenings in the country. Proceeded by Los Angeles moving to online schooling for a large portion of the fall semester and closely followed by individual counties leveling their own, stricter precautions, Newsom’s order was part of a slew of indicators that all said the same message: the coronavirus is not going away.
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Senate set to consider new stimulus measures, but will they be enough?
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAs the pandemic rages, state closures are resuming after early reopenings. Economic policy to address such impacts looms large, as states face crushing budget shortfalls. We turn to Washington, D.C. On July 20, the GOP-majority Senate is set to take up its version of the Heroes Act that the House passed in May. It aimed to help struggling firms and working families but omitted Medicare for All and a Universal Basic Income.
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Why Britain’s small business approach might soon mirror the US’
Kevin Reynolds Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementBy all accounts, Britain was leading the United States in its response to the coronavirus before the past week. The British government thought it had potentially avoided some of the major economic fallouts the U.S. had experienced since much of the world came to a halt in March. But on July 7, most experts agree that the bubble Britain was operating in might have burst.
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Ready to take the leap to being vegan?
Victoria Fann Medical & Allied HealthcareThough the number of vegans in the U.S. isn’t large — only 3% of the population — the vegan and vegetarian market is expected to be worth $5 billion this year. Obviously, something is changing. I suspect this is due to the increased awareness of the many benefits of not eating meat, eggs, dairy and any food that contains them. If you’re thinking about becoming vegan, here are some things to consider.
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Restaurants need creative solutions to social distancing
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageRestaurants have been hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. As states started crawling back to reopening, a second, more infectious wave has hit most parts of the country. Many states are dreading a second shutdown and wonder if their restaurants will survive at all this time around.
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To survive the future, business owners look to the past
Kevin Reynolds Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe Great Recession, by all accounts, was different. It was different in the way it began, the way it ended, and the way people reacted. The current meltdown, Duke University economist Campbell Harvey says, will also be different from the 2008 recession in how the nation climbs out of it. But even in a moment where the root causes of two economic meltdowns can look so different — one from a global pandemic and the other from the housing bubble — small businesses owners are still doing everything to connect the two. Store owners and businesses who were around in 2008 are drawing on lessons from the past to apply to the present, even if economists like Harvey are adamant the big picture will be nothing alike.
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US employers add 4.8 million jobs in June; jobless rate drops to 11.1%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementEmployers added 4.8 million nonfarm jobs in June after hiring 2.5 million workers in May, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. June’s unemployment rate fell to 11.1% versus May’s 13.3%. Improvement in the labor market for the second straight month was due to a partial resuming of economic activity after nationwide business closures, notably in the hospitality and leisure sectors in March and April, to slow the transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. That shutdown led to the loss of 22.2 million jobs.
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Customer communication guides small business reopenings amid COVID-19
Kevin Reynolds Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementBrett Evje, a restaurant owner in Montana, has a mantra: "Business is a two-way street." It wasn't a particularly groundbreaking statement before March. The relationship between customer and business was never something in question in the world before the coronavirus pandemic. Now, however, the simple phrase has taken on a greater measure of complexity. How businesses make the decision to open or remain closed is largely dependent on that customer-to-business relationship.
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Small businesses rush for technological answers, advances during pandemic
Kevin Reynolds Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe coronavirus has upended the way small businesses operate for months. One of the longest-lasting impacts of the virus, though, will be how fast and how many small businesses have been forced into investing into technology. With contactless pickup, new payment methods, and cleaning services all far more important than they were at the start of the year, a common denominator in every industry is the need for innovation.
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