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TikTok: How a kids’ social media platform became a huge cybersecurity…
David Lukić Science & TechnologyTikTok is a huge online social network based around short videos, often contains funny content, and is very popular among children. This popularity among a younger generation has made it a target for a lot of different scams. It’s prone to security issues, but this is not helped by the fact that people suspect the brand's parent company of spying on people.
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Coming to your workplace soon: Legal protections against hair discrimination
D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementEmployers routinely try to control employees’ professional appearance at work through personal appearance policies in their employee handbooks. Now, unwitting employers risk claims of discrimination based on hairstyle under a new type of law or legal theory that is taking hold across the country. Last year, California passed the CROWN Act, short for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, which prohibits discrimination based on natural hair style and texture. That law has become a model for similar legislation in other states, counties and cities.
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Key risks to consider when doing business in China
Dr. Chris Chu Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementOrganizations doing business with China know that the operating environment is complex and very different from the Western world. However, the market opportunity remains promising, despite recent challenges from the coronavirus pandemic. Success depends on identifying and managing a number of China-specific risks.
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For public health, a momentous collision and missed opportunities
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareThe COVID-19 pandemic took a new and surprising turn as October began when the President of the United States tested positive for the virus, as did many of his associates and direct contacts. At a volatile time during a highly charged election cycle, the collision of this novel coronavirus with the leader of what some dub "the only superpower on earth" is one that cannot be brushed aside. Can this direct meeting of the virus and such an influential leader deliver an outcome other than more missed opportunities and misinformation?
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The pandemic has taught us that school facilities need attention
Brian Stack EducationThe pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in various parts of our educational system. This fall, one of the most debated was one that is often forgotten: The state of our 100,000 elementary and secondary public school facilities. America seems to have a love-hate relationship with its school facilities. They are costly to replace, yet when they are in disrepair, they can be expensive to maintain. For many communities, however, they are some of the most heavily used community resources.
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Survey: Skills shortage forces 31% of organizations to prioritize investment…
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe pandemic has forced many organizations to reconsider their projects for the rest of the year — and beyond. While a lot of plans have been put on hold, some companies have elevated IT training to a priority project. According to the 2020 Netwrix IT Trends Report, 38% of CIOs and IT directors now plan to invest in the education of IT staff, compared to 20% who had it on their top five list before the pandemic. We asked Ilia Sotnikov, VP of product management at Netwrix, to discuss this and some of the other IT trends revealed in the report.
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The gold standard in policies
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementPolicies are the wisdom of prior boards, adopted as motions and recorded in the minutes, to guide actions and decisions of the current and future boards. They frequently interpret broad sections of the bylaws, which purposely lack detail. For example, the bylaws may require a periodic financial audit. A policy will specify frequency, type of audit, and the hiring of a CPA. It is easier to adopt, amend or repeal a policy than the bylaws, which usually require as approval process by the membership. Associations rely on 25 to 50 policies.
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US payrolls add 661,000 jobs; unemployment rate falls to 7.9%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAmerican employers created 661,000 nonfarm jobs in September after hiring 1.4 million workers in August, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. September’s jobless rate dropped to 7.9% from 8.4% in August. The jobs numbers reflect in part the easing of social restrictions and reopening of businesses to stem the spread of COVID-19. However, government employment, mainly in public education at the state and local levels, dropped in September from August.
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How dentists can cope with the broken personal protective equipment supply…
R.V. Scheide Oral & Dental HealthcareAlmost half of the nation's dentists are back to work and open for "business as usual," according to a recent survey by the American Dental Association. But when it comes to the supply chain for personal protective equipment necessary to provide full-service dentistry, business is anything but usual as the coronavirus pandemic lingers on. According to the ADA’s ongoing survey, "COVID-19: Economic Impact on Dental Practices," as of Sept. 7, just 60% of all dentists had a two-week supply of N-95/K-95 masks.
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How has COVID-19 affected crime?
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityCrime rates are declining in 2020 — thanks to COVID-19. Or at least that’s what we thought. Violent crime and property crime rates did indeed fall during the first months of the pandemic, according to the FBI. However, the report does not categorically state that the period covered by the data coincides with COVID-19 quarantines and social distancing rules. Furthermore, some large cities are dealing with increases in crimes like burglaries and gun violence.
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