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Drone delivery is coming, but don’t get too excited yet

Linchi Kwok Retail

Walgreens is now working with Google parent company Alphabet's Wing service to test drone deliveries. Beginning in October, Walgreens' pilot program will use drones to deliver on-demand food, beverages, and over-the-counter non-prescription medications to customers within minutes. Currently, Wing's drones can deliver packages of about three pounds and within a six-mile radius. Walgreens is not the only retailer who wants to use drones in delivery.

Why color blindness is not a compliment

Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In the 1950s, it was common to hear the term "melting pot," which meant all cultures and people melting together. That concept resulted in exclusion, inequality, undue pressure to give up identity, and hampered the expression of new ideas. Today, instead of "melting pot," we think "salad," where different ingredients with their own flavors, colors and textures offer a new experience that’s even better. In our communities and in the organizations where we work, recognizing and leveraging those differences can result in breakthrough products and services that meet the diverse needs of a global population.

Loyalty is a 2-way street

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

I often hear business owners and corporation executives bemoan the lack of loyalty among their underlings. They complain about staff turnover and how staff will move to another company at the drop of a hat, their employees’ willingness to publicly disparage the company they work for, and their eagerness to discourage others from joining the company by openly sharing the "dirty laundry." If you can find another person to hire in this person's place, then that’s a smart, no-brainer business solution. Right? But take another look: loyalty is a two-way street.

View from Europe: HVAC and Brexit

Andrew Gaved Manufacturing

As U.S. readers are no doubt aware, the U.K. is still in the throes of trying to leave the European Union, a process we now universally describe in a single word: Brexit. It is not my place here to go into the political machinations that have been going on for the last three years as the country has attempted to negotiate a legal exit from the EU. My purpose, instead, is to report on the challenges that the HVAC industry faces because of the threat of Brexit. What the industry fears is the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.

5 lesser-known strategies for product placement in social media marketing

Lisa Mulcahy Marketing

Product placement can be an incredibly effective way to familiarize consumers with your brand — but when it comes to incorporating it into a social media sales push, you need to tread carefully. Your target audience on social media is opinionated and not afraid to share their impressions. You want to work with them and respect their viewpoints rather than try to tell them what they should think of what you have to sell. Need some fresh ideas on how to accomplish this? Research has your back.

The most important job of a leader

Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

What do you think the most important job of a leader is? Is it to motivate the team to achieve departmental business objectives? Engage employees to ensure they are highly productive? Drive home business results? While thoseare essential, none are the most important job of a leader. Why? Because a leader cannot accomplish any of this without the right people on his or her team. Therefore, the most critical job of a leader is to hire the right people.

The open door policy

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Now, I’m not talking about a literal or figurative open door to the boss’ office that purports to encourage employee-employer communication. I am referring to doors of opportunity. Sometimes you don’t even recognize that it’s a door; you’re just plugging along, wondering why, putting one step in front of the other and not sure of your path, and suddenly you realize that you’ve walked through what you didn’t recognize as a door to future possibilities. Such a thing happened to me recently.

Why doing everything right away is not always a best practice

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

As an avid follower of the Getting Things Done system, I am a big fan of doing something right away if it takes two minutes or less. However, I have found sometimes where, counterintuitively, it seems best to wait a bit before playing whack-a-mole with issues as they arise. Here are a few examples of when doing things right away may not always be a best practice.

Cannabis-infused beer could be on tap in the future

Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

Usually, if you told beer lovers that the next big trend would involve non-alcoholic beverages, you probably wouldn’t be very popular with them. But if you tell them that it is cannabis being added to beer and not just a sugary virgin cocktail, then you may just redeem yourself in their eyes. In that vein, cannabis beer seems to be the new craft beer on the horizon. However, cannabis-infused beer alternatives have been confusing even for CBD enthusiasts who are game to try anything.

US economy adds 130,000 new hires as unemployment rate holds at 3.7%

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In August, U.S. nonfarm payrolls added 130,000 total new hires versus 164,000 in July as the unemployment rate held at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 6 million unemployed workers in August compared with 6.1 million in July. In August, there were scant or no changes to the jobless rates for men, women, blacks, Hispanics, whites, adults and teens from July. The employment-to-population ratio rate edged up to 60.9% versus 60.7% in July, the BLS reported.

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