All Civil & Government Articles
  • Do leaders have moral obligations to their employees?

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    When I ask this question to clients, their employees, and my business ethics students, they all answer very clearly yes or no. When it comes to questions about morals and obligations, to have such definitive answers is pretty rare. In ethics, HR, and leadership, we are used to gray areas. So why is it that the answers I receive to this question are so black and white? Whether you answered yes or no, here are a few things to consider when it comes to the moral obligations leaders have to their employees.

  • What you don’t know about growing old — and why

    Patrick Gleeson Medical & Allied Healthcare

    Americans haven't always faced our national shortcomings very well, although we're probably getting a little better at it. While we have a long way to go to achieve perfection, we've made substantial strides in some areas. However, despite the best efforts of various institutes devoted to the subject, such as the National Institute on Aging, growing old is something we don't want to hear about. This seems particularly strange when you consider that it's one of the few things in life that will certainly affect everyone who doesn’t die young.

  • 10 tips for retaining employees in a hot jobs market

    D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    The U.S. currently has more than 6 million unfilled jobs, an all-time record high. In such a hot labor market, employers need to focus on retaining current employees as much or more than attempting to find brand-new ones. This article outlines some of the most important ways that employers can do a better job retaining employees.

  • Study: Cannabis use may help consumers avoid opioids

    Sheilamary Koch Pharmaceutical

    Cannabis use for symptom relief among recreational users may help diminish opioid consumption, promise results of a study published recently in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. A staggering 88% of adults who had been taking opioids for pain relief reported that they had reduced or completely eliminated opioid use in favor of cannabis. The research was based on an anonymous survey of 1,000 adult-use-only cannabis dispensary customers conducted as part of a customer feedback program at two retail outlets of a Colorado cannabis dispensary organization.

  • What the rest of us can learn from Deutsche Bank’s massive restructure

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    ​Few of us or our companies share anything obvious in common with Deutsche Bank’s woes or the massive restructure its leadership has initiated. However, we can glean several lessons from the company’s slide and this transformational change on which it is embarking. Regardless of size, industry, or life-cycle stage, the rest of us can take away several practical lessons from Deutsche Bank.

  • Airports across the US to benefit from $495 million in infrastructure grants

    Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & Automotive

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao has announced a major round of infrastructure funding to airports across the United States to help with much-needed rehabilitation and construction projects. In all, 358 grants have been awarded to 327 airports around the country in 46 states and several island territories. These range from smaller regional and general aviation facilities to large hub airports like Dallas-Fort Worth International, George Bush Intercontinental, San Diego International, and Las Vegas McCarran.

  • A guide for facilities decision-makers on going solar

    Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

    Implementing a solar energy project has many legs and can move in many directions. However, guidance, development of the project, the site, and goals need to be set well before actual work can be done. Planning can help a facility carry out the solar implementation project, but facility managers should also look for innovative ways to aggregate procurements to benefit from economies of scale and to reduce transaction costs. Federal agencies, for example, are moving toward solar power capabilities, as are private organizations. But no matter the agency or sector, interest is there for generating solar plans.

  • Facebook’s cryptocurrency plans unfurl to controversy

    Michelle R. Matisons Science & Technology

    Facebook has been steadily colonizing more and more of our lives. Now, the company has paved a direct road to the currency sector, as it recently announced plans to partner with a company called Libra to allow users all the conveniences of modern financial technology. After Facebook announced its cryptocurrency plans, Congress stepped in to request new rules. Why? Because Facebook's reach and influence are so widespread that cryptocurrency plans could upend and radically restructure financial markets.

  • Why should you keep committee minutes?

    Robert C. Harris Association Management

    Committees work under the authority of a board of directors. The bylaws prescribe their appointment; policies detail their operations. The volunteer groups (committees, task forces, councils, special interest groups, etc.) are intended to supplement the work of the board and staff. Cynically it has been said that "committees keep minutes and waste hours." Keeping minutes is a smart practice. It’s a record of what the group did at a specific meeting, who attended and any needs or recommendations. Minutes inform the board and staff.

  • US economy adds 224,000 jobs; unemployment rate ticks up to 3.7%

    Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    What a difference a month can make. In June, U.S. payrolls grew by 224,000 jobs, a sharp rebound from 75,000 new hires in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. June’s rate of unemployment ticked up to 3.7% from May’s 3.6%. The jobless rates for major worker groups, the number of long-term unemployed persons, and the labor-force participation rate remained nearly the same in June from May, the BLS reported. The June employment-to-population ratio was 60.6% for the fourth straight month.