Culture

Like it or not, politics and technology are forever intertwined in a symbiotic dance. The influence of social media bots on the outcome of the 2016 U.S. election has been much discussed over the past year, and with Mark Zuckerberg facing the Senate recently to provide his testimony regarding the Cambridge Analytica scandal, you don’t need to look far to see […]

In 1968, astronaut Frank Borman said, “When you’re finally up at the moon looking back on Earth, all those differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend, and you’re going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we learn to live together like decent people?” […]

While streaming has taken off — with more than 60 percent of young Americans using streaming services as their primary TV venue — it’s also invaded our bedrooms. A 2018 Tuck survey of 1,300 Americans found that more than 85 percent of us watch streaming TV in bed, with 70 percent of them falling asleep to […]

Congratulations on eyeing the international market for your business growth. We are living in an age of globalization and more and more companies are recognizing the profitability of taking their products and service offerings globally at a relatively small incremental cost. It is an easy calculus to recognize that international consumers are able to be […]

Smart cities can add value not just through money saved by efficient operations but also through the added benefits for citizens and local businesses by adding great design. Let’s change the design — and build a city. The key to building truly “smart” and efficient cities of the future is improving not just infrastructure — […]

At media companies, 2018 might be remembered as the year that someone finally got data sharing right. To be sure, there were some missteps. Facebook’s series of data scandals cost the social network around a quarter of its value. But Twitter, Google, Reddit, Snapchat, and even Facebook each tweaked their privacy policies to better balance […]

With Thanksgiving just behind you — and what you’re thankful for still top of mind — it’s only natural to be thinking about gratitude and giving back. Giving Tuesday, which is just three days away, is vital for nonprofits. If organizations prepare for Giving Tuesday well, they’ll raise more money during this annual fundraising day, […]

Every year, predictions about how consumers will spend their money crop up. Covering the most popular toys and the most wanted tech gadgets, these lists tend to push people toward a herd mentality rather than a thoughtful examination of their values at a crucial time of year. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts that consumers will spend $1,250 each […]

Snack bars, counters, cabinets and drawers have become the newest office staple. These containers present a challenge for companies wishing to satisfy their employees’ cravings. People want a little bit of everything, so office managers must get ahead and adapt quickly in the face of an evolving workforce that always seems to crave what’s next. […]

For years, the business world lived under the false pretense that open plan offices were a killer idea. I myself even bought into the hype. At Netconcepts, the digital agency I founded (and sold in 2010), only the executives had offices with doors that closed. Open plan offices were a win-win for anyone looking to […]

The time of millennials is gradually shifting to make a place for Generation Z. This surely is more than just a newly coined term today. In fact, businesses are evolving to satiate the needs of this new and upcoming generation. Organizations are pulling up their socks to understand them, their lifestyle and growing habit. And […]

Do your Sales, Support, or Creative teams have the blues? Could your employee morale use some help? If productivity around the workplace is little slow, or people seem a little melancholy, and nobody seems particularly excited to strive for a greater, common purpose — you may have an employee morale problem on your hands. While […]

The internet’s instant access to information is crucial for education, spreading ideas and activism. This makes it a significant threat to authoritarian governments, leading many countries to strictly censor websites, content, and communication. But, which countries have the strictest internet censorship? Platforms like Twitter and Facebook were central to the uprisings of 2011’s Arab Spring, […]

We’ve all heard the statistic: Most Americans consider themselves above-average drivers. Just because you think it — is, of course, not reality. In a similar vein, most of us believe ourselves to be tech-savvy when what we really are is merely tech-dependent. We are tech-dependent with our health, our work, our lifestyles and yes, even […]

Many large companies approach improving its customer experiences differently. Most common approaches come from the perspective of customer support solutions, user experience design, and account management. While these pathways are vitally important, more businesses could benefit from looking at customer experience through the lens of productivity. The bottom line is when you think about agile […]

In 2019, anxiety is still part of being a startup. But it doesn’t have to be. Capital efficiency is the name of the game, as access to financing rounds is narrowing. Investors are more nervous about bets that may not pay off for some time. They are focused on the business that works today – […]

Over the last few years, we’ve observed the technology economy as it has grown, warped, and evolved. From the perspective of other industries, the tech universe looms and fascinates. But now, we can’t only watch from the sidelines. Technology is no longer just driving tech companies — it is such an economic force that it has a […]

Before 2019, Elon Musk was a version of a rock star — maybe he still is — we sure follow what he does.  He takes drugs, stays out late and dates famous women. He also runs four companies and is worth $20 billion. In a 2016 poll, startup founders named him their most-admired tech CEO. […]

Peter Drucker (1909-2005), the late Austrian-born management consultant, once famously said that culture eats strategy for breakfast — i.e., while a sound business plan is excellent, nothing is more important than a company’s culture. That philosophy, later adopted by Ford Motor Company president Mark Fields, is still fully embraced by C-Suite denizens today. A Modern […]

Much of today’s world has very technologically advanced, and there seems to be no end in sight. Developments are rapidly being made, defying nature, and resulting in a more artificially based existence. We see it daily in our news feeds, where we are moving away from nature and moving towards the hands of technology. Here […]

The last decade has seen huge shifts in the way teams and businesses work together. Today, it’s more and more common for businesses to hire remote employees, outsource to service providers, and allow flexible working. Here are seven teamwork trends that will impact your business. Businesses must learn to collaborate on a higher level. To […]

File this under the law of unintended consequences. Businesses are increasingly using online communication and collaboration apps to help their teams work more efficiently. That’s great. But because these apps allow teams to connect at all times, people have a harder time unplugging from work. That’s not great for the employee’s well-being. Here’s unplugging from […]

It’s no secret that productive employees are a tremendous asset to the companies they work for. A study proving the worth of employees (as a company asset) was officially confirmed by Gallup’s 2017 State of the Global Workplace Report, which stated: Companies with highly engaged workforces outperform their peers by 147% in earnings per share. […]

Cannabidiol, or CBD, products have been all over the news since the federal government legalized them in December 2018. A recent Gallup poll found that one in seven American adults have tried CBD products, and 40% of those people use them for pain management. Here is why the CBD industry needs blockchain to prosper. A […]

Going through an interview as a part of the hiring process is a standard procedure for any professional field. It does not matter if you are a programmer, a teacher, a nanny or an engineer. The experience can be somewhat intimidating. However, in a software developer interview, you gain an understanding of what the company […]

Nowadays, we can connect from anywhere in the world, check emails after dinner, and answer calls from our bosses on weekends away. We’ve never been more available, which naturally can become both a blessing and a curse. Add into the mix the fact that now one in five businesses are adopting remote working practices (according […]

If someone you’ve never met before, hands you their phone, and asks you to detect as much as possible about them simply from the contents of their phone, could you do it? Chances are, you’d be able to tell quite a lot about that person without even having to scroll through their pictures or examine […]

Is there a real choice between privacy and safety in surveillance? As artificial intelligence continues to advance, we’ve seen an increased focus on privacy. A 2019 report from the American Civil Liberties Union contains an ominous warning: Artificial intelligence-enabled video surveillance will soon compromise our civil liberties in a dangerous way. Consider a false choice between […]

Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency has hit the front page; accordingly, President Donald Trump is hitting back. Rather than embracing cryptocurrency and blockchain, he’s sounding the Twitter alarm. Despite being a free-world leader, his stance is hardly free-thinking. Instead, it’s an insular view based on fear and scarcity — concepts that fly in the face of innovation. We need to […]

Writing a welcome email is an essential part of the orientation process. In the past, we used to write or receive welcome letters. Due to the rapid advancement of technology, we have progressed and started using emails. Emails are cheap, efficient, and accurate. But, how shall we write a welcome email to new employees? Defining […]

Corporate social responsibility isn’t a fad. Luckily, there are countless ways to improve the world while improving your business.

Most mobile apps seek to be the center of attention. They are created by owners and product managers who obsess over extending as many user sessions as possible. Unfortunately, they don’t place a high consideration on the impacts of their customers’ well-being. Meanwhile, many users are increasingly aware of how much time they are spending […]

The time of millennials is gradually shifting to make a place for Generation Z. This surely is more than just a newly coined term today. In fact, businesses are evolving to satiate the needs of this new and upcoming generation. Organizations are pulling up their socks to understand them, their lifestyle and growing habit. And […]

We’ve all heard the statistic: Most Americans consider themselves above-average drivers. Just because you think it — is, of course, not reality. In a similar vein, most of us believe ourselves to be tech-savvy when what we really are is merely tech-dependent. We are tech-dependent with our health, our work, our lifestyles and yes, even […]

Do your Sales, Support, or Creative teams have the blues? Could your employee morale use some help? If productivity around the workplace is little slow, or people seem a little melancholy, and nobody seems particularly excited to strive for a greater, common purpose — you may have an employee morale problem on your hands. While […]

Many large companies approach improving its customer experiences differently. Most common approaches come from the perspective of customer support solutions, user experience design, and account management. While these pathways are vitally important, more businesses could benefit from looking at customer experience through the lens of productivity. The bottom line is when you think about agile […]

Let’s say a startup has defied the odds and survived its first several years. The entrepreneur has found a niche market, launched a product, secured funding, and continued to assemble an effective team. The business is moving forward. As the business grows, and entrepreneurs feel they have a safety net where there was none before. […]

Many organizations see PR as free advertising. The assumption that PR is advertising is evident with the core PR success metric being Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE). It’s no wonder that more and more organizations are focused on telling their brand story through PR. US data even tells us that there are 6 PR Pros for […]

Working remotely is increasingly becoming a part of the company culture all over the world. Technological leaps in the past years have led to an overhaul in the traditional workplace definitions and paved the way for flexible work. According to Gallup report on State of the American workplace, 43 percent of the workforce spent at […]