-
Don’t let your business survey be one-and-done
Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementSome days it feels like it's raining surveys and certifications. That's when my inbox is flooded with solicitations to get certified in yet another survey methodology. For over 25 years, I have been helping to create organizations where employees love to do their best work and customers love to do business. I use surveys and other methods to measure diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizational cultures. While surveys are useful, they can also be misused and create problems.
-
Study: Cannabis use may help consumers avoid opioids
Sheilamary Koch PharmaceuticalCannabis 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.
-
It’s not me; it’s you
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWe are frequently encouraged to focus on our strengths and "work on," that is, tamp down, our less sterling personality traits. But just who gets to determine what your strength is and what your character flaws are? Other people? Has anyone told you you’re obstinate? Or too blunt without any discretion? These "well-meaning" critics point out these damning personality flaws in the hopes that you’ll change and make their lives easier in getting along with you. But frequently, the so-called flaw is simply an exaggeration of an asset.
-
Luxury hospitality brands have a new partner: Hemp
Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementEver since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed into law, legalizing hemp products, there has been a new vigor in the industry. CBD-infused food and beverages have received the most traction; CBD-infused oils and related products come a close second. Now we see that hemp is not just a hot trend; it is a revolution. There is still a lot of controversy over CBD products and FDA restrictions. It is important to know that while marijuana-derived CBD products are legal in only a handful of states, hemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 states.
-
What the rest of us can learn from Deutsche Bank’s massive restructure
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementFew 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.
-
Facebook’s cryptocurrency plans unfurl to controversy
Michelle R. Matisons Science & TechnologyFacebook 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.
-
Practical ways to think about culture
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAs leaders, we have found ways to identify our workplace culture in everything from our performance reviews and handbooks to our total rewards packages and exit interviews. We can see evidence of it everywhere and it is clear it can affect or be affected by almost every aspect of our leadership. Yet, with the pervasive nature of culture, it can be challenging to understand how to prioritize our actions in order to successfully implement our culture vision. Here are a few practical ways to think about culture to ensure we focus on what is most impactful.
-
US economy adds 224,000 jobs; unemployment rate ticks up to 3.7%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhat 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.
-
How to doom your business in 7 easy steps
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementMost businesses begin with a dream — a dream of offering a unique product or service to a hungry market. But you can’t stop with the dream, or it stays an unfulfilled dream. The dream has to be implemented with careful planning: who is the market, how to reach it, how to produce the product or service efficiently, how to price it correctly, and how to promote it. Dreaming is easy; planning is not. In this article, we'll talk about failure — because it’s easier to fail than to succeed. Here are seven easy ways to ensure that your business proposition will fail.
-
Why a ‘culture of nice’ may be a bad thing for business
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWe can all agree that being nice is a desirable human trait. In the workplace in particular, companies want employees to be pleasant, agreeable, and polite — not just to customers and clients, but also to each other. But when is niceness more of a hindrance than an asset? New research by Fierce Conversations reveals that 63% of employees aren’t sharing honest opinions and concerns because they want to continue being viewed in a positive light. These responses cut across gender and seniority level.
All Retail Articles