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How concerning is it when contactless self-service pushes people out of…
Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementCOVID-19 has accelerated a few foreseeable changes that the service industry expected for the future. For example, more consumers have wanted delivery service since the pandemic hit in March. Restaurants, hotels, airlines, retailers, and shopping malls have extended their current contactless self-service offerings through mobile apps, kiosks, facial recognition, and palm recognition technologies. To embrace the growing demand for delivery and contactless self-service, many fast-food chains also introduced new restaurant designs, featuring double- or triple-drive-thru lanes, conveyor belt delivery, and food lockers for pickup orders.
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How to buy beauty: Here’s how to shop all 7 categories
Elizabeth Donat RetailDecember is an exciting and festive time of year filled with wonderful buying opportunities in the beauty space. With so many amazing promotions, gift sets and sales, how does one decide where to even start? When you are shopping for yourself or those lucky recipients on your list, focus on the seven beauty categories.
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10 holiday gift ideas for busy executives
Terri Williams RetailFor most busy executives, work hasn’t slowed during the pandemic, in fact, it’s likely to have increased. A study by Bupa Global, an international health insurer, found that 8 out of 10 business executives have experienced fatigue, disturbed sleep, and a host of other pressures as a result of COVID-19. So, when considering holiday gifts for these busy execs, consider items that can make their work — and lives — easier.
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Survey: Firms fight to operate during COVID-19
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe breadth and depth of the pandemic’s effects on private businesses has surfaced in new government data collected from July 20 through Sept. 30, 2020. In these numbers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conveys how businesses big and small operated. Spoiler alert: the BLS data on employment, wages, job openings and terminations, employer-provided benefits, and safety and health paints a tough picture of firms fighting to stay afloat. Nationally, 52% of surveyed businesses, or 4.4 million, told their workers to avoid work (paid or not) for some time.
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Hindsight is 2020: Putting the year in perspective
Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAdmit it. If two years ago someone had walked into your office with a movie script containing half of the things that happened in 2020, you would have laughed them out of there. Or perhaps suggested they needed psychological help. None of us saw this coming. Yes, the infectious disease experts warned we should be on the lookout for a viral pandemic, but they couldn’t tell us how or when this would arrive or the impact it would have on our society. Now that we’re getting close to the end of this tumultuous year, what learning can we take forward for the future?
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Will ‘robots’ make good teachers?
Patrick Gleeson EducationWe humans have long been fascinated by our interactions with robots. For decades, the interaction was largely fictional. In reality, robots were primitive, shaky and limited. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, however, make the idea of a classroom led by a robot or other artificial intelligence-informed entity at least plausible. They won’t look like HAL 9000 or R2-D2, but eventually artificial intelligence-informed programs will almost certainly take on a significant part of a child’s education — and probably sooner than you think. Here’s why and likely how.
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The cure for pandemic fatigue in your organization
Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementCOVID-19 cases are surging across the U.S. and in many other parts of the world. Even as the prospect of effective vaccines gets closer and closer, hospital ICUs are overfilling, leading to round after round of restrictions and shutdowns in many locations. One thing is for certain: We’re tired of all of this. We want to be able to move freely — to eat in restaurants, gather at sporting events, and celebrate holidays with families. But to quote the Rolling Stones, you can’t always get what you want — unfortunately. From a business perspective, we need to keep our organizations focused and on track. As we approach the end of the year, here are a few considerations to keep in mind.
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US economy gains 245,000 jobs; unemployment rate drops to 6.7%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementU.S. employers added 245,000 nonfarm jobs in November after 638,000 new hires in October and 661,000 in September, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. November’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.7% from October’s 6.9% and September’s 7.9%. The November federal jobs report reflects an easing of COVID-19 restrictions to slow coronavirus transmission, which have been unsuccessful as local and state governments resume restraints on gatherings of businesses and public places. November’s national nonfarm jobless rate has decreased 8.0 percentage points from an April high. However, November’s rate is 3.2 percentage points higher than February’s figure.
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Optimizing your business’ ability to pivot
Indiana Lee Business Management, Services & Risk Management2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, businesses and individuals alike. What makes it so unusual is that the impact has been universal. Every nation around the world has been impacted by COVID-19 and the economic uncertainty that followed. What has become clear is that companies need to be more agile and flexible than ever. You never know what challenges will come, and a business’s ability to pivot can mean the difference between success and failure. How do you optimize your company’s ability to stay competitive in challenging situations? Here are some tips you can use.
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How subscription-based marketing can be a key tool in your digital strategy
Lisa Mulcahy MarketingAs a digital/social media marketer, you know that an especially crucial task for your brand, as it moves through the pandemic and beyond, is customer retention. Your goal in this respect is to engage your existing demographic's interest in your products and services so they stay loyal and give you the repeat business you need. You also want to keep attracting new eyeballs to what you have on offer. An excellent way to accomplish all of this is with a subscription-based marketing strategy.
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