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Bryan joined Acquia in 2008 to run product marketing. He came to Acquia from EMC, where he managed product and outbound marketing for Documentum's knowledge worker business. Prior to EMC, Bryan worked in product marketing and product management in the social business and collaboration technology space, after brewing be... |
"First, Identify the business objectives…" |
Laurie Buczek is a Social Media Strategist within Intel Corporation's Digital Marketing organization. Prior to joining Digital Marketing, Laurie spent over two years as the Social Computing Program Manager where she was responsible for the major enterprise wide strategy & implementation of social computing for employee... |
"Understand your key success factors." |
Laura Bassett is the Director of Marketing for Avaya's Emerging Products and Technology group. The group delivers innovative business solutions from Avaya Research Labs and Advanced Software Development. In this role Laura oversees the groups go-to-market including business planning and strategy, market awareness, mark... |
"Follow the Social Maturity Curve." |
Felicia Brych has been with Cisco since 1999 and has held a variety of positions in the Information Technology and Corporate Communications departments. As part of IT, she managed the architecture, development and operation of several global IT services including remote access, voice/web/video conferencing, desktop vid... |
Ben Watson is a principal in the newly formed customer marketing team for the Digital Enterprise Solutions Business Unit at Adobe. Ben's responsible for working across the Adobe organization to optimize the enterprise customer journey and provide customer input to help define Adobe's industry leading customer experienc... |
Internet-connected toys subject children to hidden marketing messages and allow strangers to converse with them from a distance, consumer rights groups say. |
The groups highlighted breaches of security and basic consumer rights in two toys in particular, the i-Que robot and the My Friend Cayla doll. |
The toys connect via Bluetooth to smartphone apps that record children speaking and transmit the recordings to a voice recognition service provider in the U.S., Nuance Communications, allowing the toys to appear to converse with the children. |
But, the consumer groups say, there is no authentication or pairing of the Bluetooth connections, allowing strangers within radio range of the toys to detect them and connect with them to carry on a conversation with the children directly. Furthermore, they say, voice recordings that could contain personal information ... |
The flaws were uncovered by the Norwegian Consumer Council, and raised with authorities in other countries by organizations including the Union Fédérale des Consommateurs - Que Choisir in France and the Center for Digital Democracy in the U.S. |
The European groups recommend that people should think twice before buying the toys. For those who have already bought one of the eavesdropping toys, they recommend turning it off when it is not in use, and suggest returning it to the store or manufacturer. Consumer rights laws in the European Union countries allow a 1... |
In the U.S., the Center for Digital Democracy, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and others have filed suit against Nuance and toy manufacturer Genesis, calling on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the companies' practices and to halt the product placement and the collection of personal informati... |
Wednesday there was a naturalization ceremony held at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. 65 people participated in the ceremony. Somalia led the way for country of origin with 15 people taking the oath. |
After first defying the mayor's new policy, the police union agreed to it Thursday. |
Last week, we brought you a gold necklace for a steal, and this week, we're getting you an amazing deal on a backpack that's chic enough to wear to work, but functional enough to use for your errands around town! |
The tan leather multi-pocket Le Donne backpack retails for $170, but zulily has it for only $79.99. Click here to snag a deal on this backpack and others! |
Is Private Equity a Job Killer? |
Do employees lose jobs when there’s a private equity buyout? Conventional wisdom might say yes, but a recent University of Chicago Booth School of Business working paper finds that it’s not so simple. |
Private equity buyouts are, depending on your perspective, dangerous, notorious, or a great way of unlocking "shareholder value." But for all the press, they're not terribly well studied. |
Do they help employment by creating better companies, or do they only help shareholders -- at the expense of employees? |
A recent University of Chicago Booth School of Business working paper takes a look at 3,200 buyouts over 26 years to find out. The results? Private equity buyouts do, on average, cause a slight decline in employment, almost 1%; but the story is not so simple. |
The researchers estimate that private equity firms controlled more than 7% of employment between 1998 and 2007. So the question of whether they're good or bad for employment is actually rather significant. |
Taken comprehensively, the researchers found that employment tended to shrink by less than 1% in the two years after a buyout. But there was a significant amount of activity that led to that net number. |
According to the paper, "Private equity buyouts catalyze the creative destruction process, as measured by job creation and destruction and by the transfer of production units between firms." That's because private equity firms don't just fire everyone and congratulate themselves on a job well done. They tend to move a ... |
All in all, there are both job losses and job gains. In fact, in the first year after a buyout, target firms ramp up employment 2% faster than their competitors. They slow down later on, which leads to lower employment over time. |
The result is that there isn't a major loss of jobs in the wake of a buyout. However, in light of the hustle and bustle, if your firm goes through a buyout, you wouldn't be unwise to worry: "Jobs at target establishments are at greater risk post buyout than jobs at [other firms]." |
Averages are useful, but the researchers find that there are also significant differences across industries when it comes to employment changes. In manufacturing, there tends to be a "modest" fall in employment after a buyout. In retail, target firms look like their competitors leading up to the buyout, then experience... |
Also, though public-to-private deals are much less common than private-to-private buyouts, they also have more dramatic and visible job losses: more than 10% losses over two years compared to peer firms, on average. On the other hand, companies undergoing private deals have an average employment expansion of more than ... |
In that case, maybe you should worry more if your company is a public firm being taken private. |
How do you judge if an individual private equity deal is good or not? |
The authors point out that not all deals follow the same pattern, and that, sometimes, a specific situation will look a lot different than the average one. Seems obvious, but it's the obvious things that are often the easiest to forget. |
For example, sometimes private equity firms simply fail at whatever their mission is (productivity improvement is a common one). Other times, they might focus on saving money through financial changes, like generating tax savings. In these cases, as the researchers put it, "There is no compelling reason to anticipate p... |
Other deals improve productivity simply through improving operations rather than investing in new areas. And finally, there are deals that make money by divesting unproductive business units. In both cases, you probably won't see a lot of new investment. |
In the end, then, it's important to understand the reasoning behind a particular buyout decision. Sometimes, a buyout will build a stronger company that's better able to employ more people in the future; sometimes it will just change the financial structure without doing much else. On average, though, the changes to em... |
Having broadly disseminated your talent needs, contemplate candidates that aren’t currently in the workforce or don’t fit a traditional mold. Parents raising kids and other homebound caregivers ready to rejoin the workforce are often discounted due to lack of recent experience, which training can readily overcome. Offe... |
James S. Cassel is co-founder and chairman of Cassel Salpeter & Co. . . |
Also important are underemployed, semi-retired, and retired individuals who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. On the other end of the age spectrum, internship programs can yield employment offers upon graduation, giving you a leg-up on the competition. |
It’s also wise not to discount applicants lacking some credentials. Motivation and a good work ethic often surpass a degree, and many of the best employees don’t always look perfect on paper. |
New York’s Grayston Bakery, for example, an early pioneer in the seemingly risky initiative of hiring ex-cons, has built a great workforce. More and more American companies, including McDonald’s, Delta Air Lines, and J.P. Morgan Chase, are jumping on the bandwagon, and reporting good outcomes. |
Having cast a wide net and caught your share of applicants, you’re ready to hire; the key is to be flexible. |
Consider letting employees work remotely, even part time, and if possible, allow them to set their own schedules. Various new tools, including TimeDoctor, monitor the hours employees log and the websites they visit. |
Sometimes employment obstacles require creative solutions. As an illustration, if a millennial lacks a car for work, offer to cover part of their Uber tab. |
Capturing and retaining talent also requires offering compelling pay, benefits, equity or profit sharing, and perks. 2018 saw wage increases across companies and industries, including Walmart, American Airlines, and Comcast. Prioritize competitive salaries and reward existing employees with annual raises, which shouldn... |
Offer desirable perks, such as childcare or a gym membership, and implement a plan for out-of-the-box benefits, which may include assisting with the costs of certain medicines or treatments not typically covered by insurance plans. Helping to pay off student loans has also become a hot new benefit. Create a culture tha... |
GREENWICH "Insect Orchestra,'' Audubon Connecticut, 613 Riversville Road. Sat 8 p.m. 203-869-5272, ext. 221. |
NORWALK Marine life study cruises, Maritime Aquarium, 10 N. Water St. Daily 1 p.m. $20.50, $18 for Aquarium members. 203-852-0700, ext. 2206. |
NORWALK Kayaking trips by Downunder Kayaking, 157 Rowayton Ave. Call for rates and schedule. 203-642-3660. |
NORWALK Cruises to Sheffield Island and Lighthouse Tours weekdays 11 a.m., 3 p.m.; weekend, holidays 11 a.m., 2, 3:30 p.m.; Bird watching cruises Sat, Aug. 15 and 29 7:30 a.m. $20, $18 for Norwalk Seaport Association members, $12 ages 4-12, $5 for 3 and younger. Depart from the Seaport Dock, adjacent to Stroffolino Bri... |
STAMFORD Nature walk series: "Summer Wildflowers,'' Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens, 151 Brookdale Road. Sat 11 a.m. |
10 a.m. $12, $10 children under 12; evening howl for 6 and older Sat 7 p.m. $15, $12 children under 12; Pre-registration required. |
WESTPORT "Critter and Craft" program, Earthplace: Nature and Discovery Center, 10 Woodside Lane. Sat 2:30 p.m. Pond and stream exploration; trails, touch tank, science exhibits. 203-227-7253. |
DERBY Tree walk, Department of Environmental Protection's Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave. Sat 10 a.m. Free. 203-734-2513. |
GLASTONBURY Program on wind energy, Glastonbury Audubon, Main Street center. Tues 1:30 p.m. 860-633-8402. |
A year ago, an audit called for immediate action after finding potentially-fatal contaminants in drinking water in Aboriginal communities in WA. Now, communities are asking why they're still at risk. |
While living in the remote WA community of Pandanus Park, Peter McCumstie was hospitalised several times with severe pneumonia. |
"I'm talking about being hospitalised for 10 days at a time with infection in my lungs and in my stomach," he says. |
A former CEO of Pandanus Park, which primarily uses bore water, Mr McCumstie lived in the 130-strong community for over nine years. During that time, he says water contamination was "one of the biggest ongoing issues" in the community. |
"Children were coming down with sores on their scalps and on their arms - pretty vicious sorts of sores that I actually think was through washing in the contaminated water," he says. |
"The children (were) constantly coming down with diarrhoea and different versions of the flu... and particularly some of the older people that were suffering from other illnesses were finding that those illnesses were exacerbated by the quality of water, and I put myself in that category." |
"Looking in hindsight, one could very easily I think, be quite correct in saying that the water quality had a lot to do with it." |
In May last year, a report by the WA auditor-general revealed widespread water contamination among 27 of the state's remote Aboriginal communities. |
It found that 80 percent of communities at least once failed drinking water tests for Naegleria or E. coli microbes, while one in five communities had water that contained unsafe levels of nitrates or uranium - either of which can cause the potentially life-threatening Blue Baby Syndrome if consumed by infants. |
The report said that although no health data was available to determine how many people fell ill as a result of drinking contaminated water, "the risks are significant at a community level". |
Mr McCumstie says his health has significantly improved since he moved away from the Pandanus Park community. |
The auditor-general's report recommended the WA Department of Housing determine how it could improve water quality in remote communities to meet Australian Drinking Water Guidelines by December 2015. |
Nigel Hindmarsh, WA Housing Authority Acting General Manager Commercial Operations, says the department has since implemented a new water quality strategy and ensured regular checks of its water treatment systems. |
Patricia Riley, acting CEO of Pandanus Park, says she only learned about unsafe nitrate levels in the water this year. |
"I got a bit worried and concerned, because I was feeding my grandson (from the tap), and the other parents were doing a similar thing too," she says. |
The state Housing Authority's Nigel Hindmarsh says nitrate notices have been issued to the community on a quarterly basis. |
Ms Riley says the community had received emails from the state Housing Department advising against feeding babies with tap water, but were given no explanation as to why. |
She says young people in the community are prone to diarrhoea and stunted development, while older people often experience tooth decay and ingrown toenails. |
"We want healthy water," she says. |
"Just give us some sort of system that can actually filter our water, so we're drinking pure, clean water and our young generation is going to be healthier." |
In March, the Housing Authority delivered what it says was an eight-month supply of bottled water for three bottle-fed infants at Pandanus Park. The supply was exhausted within two weeks. |
Ms Riley says she helped distribute the bottled water. |
"They said it's only for the three months old (children)... and pregnant woman, and I said well if a parent comes to me and asks me that he's concerned about the health and wants a bottle, even though that child is one or two years old, I'm giving that parent (a bottle)," she says. |
"It's alright for us adults, we can handle it. But I said any child that needs a water, I'm giving (it) to that parent." |
She says Pandanus Park desperately needs a more long-term solution. |
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service CEO Vickie O'Donnell backed has backed the calls. |
"Bottled water gets brought in, but you still have quite a large number of community people who still have to drink nitrate and get sick themselves," she says. |
Tap water at Pandanus Park is safe for consumption by most people, according to the WA Housing Authority's Nigel Hindmarsh. |
"Our testing shows that the tap water in Pandanus Park is (under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines) safe to drink by most people, except for bottle-fed infants under three months old," he says. |
Mr Hindmarsh says 15 remote communities are currently being supplied with bottled water for infants less than three months old. |
However, he says water quality has been improving, with the number of failed water quality tests reduced from 136 in 2012-14 to 73 in the past two years. |
Mr Hindmarsh says more state and/or Commonwealth funding is required to upgrade existing infrastructure to ensure water quality in remote communities in the long-term. |
"Poor water quality in some communities fundamentally reflects inadequate infrastructure, an area for which the Commonwealth Government was primarily responsible for funding until it walked away from its longstanding obligations in 2014," he says. |
Read the full response from the Government of Western Australia Housing Authority. |
President Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to sign a deal that will see the US nearly double its efforts to cut CO2 emissions by 2025 and China cap its CO2 emissions for the very first time. This historic agreement between the two largest polluters in the world, which together amount to 45% of all greenhouse ... |
A historic agreement, but will it stand? |
Under the terms of the agreement, the US pledges to reduce its emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, while China agrees to cap its rapidly growing carbon emissions by 2030, or earlier if possible. In addition, China must increase its share of non-fossil fuel energy to 20% by the same deadline, a dauntin... |
For the US, things aren’t less demanding. To meet its goals, the United States will need to double the pace of carbon pollution reduction from 1.2 percent per year on average from 2005 to 2020 to 2.3 to 2.8 percent per year between 2020 and 2025. |
Other terms of the agreement include steps to cut tariffs for high-tech products, which is set to vastly improve business relations between Chinese and American companies, ease visas and a mutual warning system to avoid military accidents from happening. |
“The announcement provides a real shot of momentum for international climate negotiations,” one administration official said before the Obama-Xi announcement. |
While the terms are indeed ambitious, in the face of climate change governments shouldn’t compromise. In this particular case, China and the US are the greatest polluters in the world and it’s expected for them to take the lead. More importantly, however, this mutual consent sends an important message because it’s been... |
This deal is sure to mark a great example for other countries which might follow suit, once it’s been ratified by the World Trade Organization, where 52 nations must approve. If they do, it would be the first major WTO agreement since 1996. |
Only a few weeks ago, the EU, which only accounts for 20% of worldwide emissions, agreed to cut its CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 from 1990 levels. |
Will this ambitious pact, the result of nine months of heated negotiations, go through or will it crumble? My fingers are crossed so that the two countries might actually follow through their promises, yet considering the Republican Party, widely known for its opposing views on climate actions, will soon take control o... |
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