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What ‘business ghosting’ says about your leadership, and why…
Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementOne would think that during this time of COVID-19, work from home, and high unemployment that people who have the title of "leader" would make an extra effort to be kind and caring to their employees and other people with whom they come in contact. While I’ve seen some amazing leaders who practice that kindness, caring and respect for others, there is another group of people who have the title of leader but whose actions are just the opposite. For them, they practice what I call "business ghosting."
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The tricks online retailers use to promote impulse shopping
Gail Short RetailFor online retailers, the goal is not only to get customers to buy. It is getting them to buy more. Even on impulse. "Impulse shopping involves making unplanned purchases with little deliberation that’s typically associated with feelings of guilt or regret afterward," says Sarita Schoenebeck, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information. For many Americans, impulse shopping is pretty common, according to a recent survey by the research firm DAC. The survey shows that 88% of Americans admit to impulse buying, spending about $81 on average every time they shop.
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5 ways to keep your emotions in check while running a business
Scott Greenberg Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementRunning a business is intense. You’ve invested your own money or, more likely, borrowed money you have to pay back. It’s your signature on all the contracts. You're the last word on all big decisions. There's a correlation between your mental state and the state of your business. Your ability to manage your feelings is a huge determinant of how you’ll perform. Some people are naturally calm. Others, myself included, have to be more deliberate about it. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to keep your emotions in check. Here are five.
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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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