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Don’t get fooled by the manipulator

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

All manipulators are the same. Just the circumstances and the victims change. You hire an employee who seems to be an asset. She’s friendly and easy-going. Always has a smile. She frequently takes the initiative to create projects and implement them. Wow, what a go-getter, you think. But perhaps after a couple of months, it begins to dawn on you that while she’s great at thinking up fun little projects to keep herself busy, she’s doing everything and anything except the work you assign her to.

What to know when the only constant in today’s world is change

Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

There’s an old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. We are certainly in the midst of interesting times right now. On a global perspective, we have the coronavirus pandemic that started in China but has spread around the world. There’s Brexit, which will cause considerable disruption in the European Union. Then there's the lengthy presidential election process in the U.S. and ongoing political turmoil in other countries. Here are a few things to consider as you navigate the new normal.

US employers add 273,000 jobs; unemployment drops to 3.5%

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In February, total U.S. nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 273,000 after January's growth of 225,000, while the unemployment rate dipped to 3.5% from 3.6% the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The jobless rate has been 3.5% or 3.6% since September. In February, nearly all major groups of workers had scant change in the rate of employment versus January's figures. Meanwhile, wage growth remained rather tepid.

Opportunity zone developments spread despite being under investigation

Michelle R. Matisons Construction & Building Materials

Opportunity zones provide tax breaks for real estate developers who invest in low-income communities. Yet, numerous examples of opportunity zone (OZ) investments ignore the supposed original spirit supporting low-income, affordable housing. Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate criticize existing code, but disagree whether or not this is another ruling class machination to increase wealth. Some kind of opportunity zone reform seems inevitable in coming months as the Treasury Department’s inspector general investigates the program.

North American cannabis industry set to undergo a period of consolidation…

Bambi Majumdar Retail

2018 saw myriad acquisitions in the cannabis industry, which slowed down somewhat last year. 2020 will likely be the year of consolidation. Investor euphoria from 2018 and early 2019 has led to current travails for both the emerging Canadian and U.S. marijuana industries. Some have likened this period to the internet boom of the early 2000s and the inevitable growing pains of a new industry. In Canada, legal retailers face a continued robust and lower-priced illegal cannabis market. The U.S., on the other hand, has suffered from oversupply and a lack of regulation, which have driven down prices.

Single-use plastic bans, taxes are on the rise around the world

Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

On March 1, New York became the second U.S. state to ban plastic bags. The ban in California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, has reduced disposable plastic bag usage by as much as 80%. In 2019, Canada did away with single-use plastics and eliminated other plastic pollution. More than 60 other nations are attempting to reduce single-use plastics through bans and taxes, according to the United Nations.

How user-generated content can improve your social media marketing strategy

Lisa Mulcahy Marketing

When you're trying to reach new or existing customers on social media, you need to gain their confidence and speak their language. What better way to accomplish these crucial goals than by involving your audience directly in your marketing? So, how do you go about getting your consumers and followers to give you honest content they feel good about sharing and that potential consumers or clients will believe and take to heart? Implement the following five strategies.

How the e-commerce boom is transforming warehouses

Gail Short Distribution & Warehousing

As e-commerce retail sales continue to grow, the need for warehouses and fulfillment centers that meet the needs of online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores is also rising, says James Breeze, senior director and global head of industrial and logistics research at CBRE Group Inc. "E-commerce has been the largest disruptor for warehouse distribution design on record," says Breeze. "Distribution centers have grown in size, clear height and added amenities based on the larger employee counts that are needed for e-commerce fulfillment centers."

Will the coronavirus outbreak cause a global economic downturn?

Linchi Kwok Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is at a turning point from an epidemic to a pandemic. According to an update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Feb. 22, a total of 32 countries have reported confirmed cases. In South Korea, for example, confirmed infected cases went up to 763 on Feb. 24. Six days earlier, the country only had 31 cases. On Feb. 23, Italy reported that three people had died, and 152 others had been infected with coronavirus; Iran also reported 43 confirmed infected cases. Airlines are canceling months of flights to and from China amid coronavirus fears.

Why Medicare for All could be a boon for startups, entrepreneurs

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Is expanding Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people age 65 and up and some younger folks with disabilities, bad or good for entrepreneurs and business startups? Under a Medicare for All (M4A) system, Uncle Sam would replace the private insurance industry. "The impact of Medicare for All will be significant and lead to an acceleration in new business startups," Wendell Potter, a healthcare insurance industry executive, told MultiBriefs via email. "The current system in the United States, in which a majority of working-age adults get coverage through an employer, is a major impediment to business startups."

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