Posted by Damien on Jul 1, 2009 in
Business,
Career,
Jobs and Careers 
Many companies are experiencing surges in the number of employees conducting their own surveys, customer interviews and other forms of market research. The catch? These colleagues are not trained researchers, which can spell trouble for research quality and customer confidentiality.
That said, many of the employees doing unsanctioned research are really acting as market research volunteers; they are taking the initiative to conduct market research without it being part of their official job descriptions. So now that so many people have become interested in gathering market insights, what can we do to leverage their passion while ensuring quality?
To help concerned managers determine how best to assess this situation, evaluate its risks, and create a realistic course of action, Research Rockstar has developed its newest online course, “Embracing Rogue Research: Turning Unsanctioned Market Research into Market Insight Gold.” This one hour, self-paced course covers:
- What activities might be going on, and what are their risk factors?
- How can our company leverage the unsanctioned research in ways that make sense?
- What sensible policies can we use to help manage this situation?
- What training should we provide to volunteer researchers, to help them be more effective?
“Thanks to the proliferation of amazingly easy and free-to-low cost tools like SurveyMonkey, Zoomerang, Wufoo and many more, lots of people are taking market research into their own hands.” says Kathryn Korostoff, President of Research Rockstar. “These unsanctioned surveys are proliferating, and without proper controls can really damage a company’s customer relationships, not to mention potentially leak confidential information.”
The initial reaction of some market research professionals is to try and stop rogue research. But with some planning, policies and training, the major risk factors can be addressed:
- Making sure valued customers are not over-surveyed, or subjected to bad questionnaire designs.
- Coordinating research efforts to avoid redundancies.
- Helping people understand what results are anecdotal versus reliably conclusive.
- Protecting confidential information (the company’s and the customers’).
- Ensuring suitable insights are shared, and shared appropriately
The program is available online, as a downloadable Flash file, for $180. Further details are here.
For organization’s seeking a more in-depth learning experience, on-site presentations of the material are also available, starting at $1,600.
Press
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Posted by Damien on Jun 30, 2009 in
Business,
Career,
Jobs and Careers 
TalentDrive, the creator of the advanced SaaS sourcing technology, TalentFilterSM, just today released the results from the recent “What Steps Are You Taking to Leverage this Recession” April through June 2009 survey. The economic recovery survey found that 50% of HR Professionals surveyed are actively preparing for the return of hiring and “the other side” of the recession.
When asked what positions HR will be struggling the hardest to fill, 60% claimed Information Technology (IT) talent is anticipated to be the most in-demand, followed by Sales and Operations both at 30%. Although 50% claim to be proactively preparing for the hiring return, TalentDrive when on to ask how confident they are in their department’s readiness to handle the influx of open positions and hiring needs. 50% of the respondents said “yes”, they are prepared for future hiring needs, while the other 50% claimed “maybe”.
The survey went on to ask what areas HR plans to spend the largest portion of its budget, once the recession turns. 100% of those surveyed said they would invest in implementing new marketing tactics to help recruit new talent, while 50% said they would be investing directly in re-hiring full-time employees.
Over 8,000 F1000 Companies and HR Professionals were surveyed. This survey was conducted between April 23, 2009 and June 23, 2009.
In summary, the survey found these key points:
- 50% of HR Professionals are proactively preparing for employment recovery
- 60% anticipate Information Technology (IT) talent to be the most in-demand
- 50% of HR Departments feel confident they are adequately prepared for the influx of hiring; 50% said “maybe”
- 100% of HR Departments plan to invest in implementing new marketing tactics to recruit, while 50% plan to invest directly in re-hiring full time employees
Press
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Tags: budget, economic recovery, full time, hr departments, hr professionals, human resources, information technology, june 23, marketing tactics, new marketing, open positions, recession, recruit, respondents, saas, sourcing technology, time employees
Posted by Damien on Jun 30, 2009 in
Business,
Career As the unemployment rate climbs to over 9 percent (according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation: May 2009), many financially strained families may feel pressure to send their young children to preschool. Authors Renee and Mike Mosiman help those parents who choose not to send their young children to school in their new book, “The Smarter Preschooler: Unlocking Your Child’s Intellectual Potential” (ISBN: 978-0-9816426-5-9).
The authors provide practical advice to parents, supported by the latest research, about boosting their child’s intellect. Their user-friendly book demonstrates how parents can help their children build verbal skills, enhance analytical abilities, and develop early reading skills that set the stage for success in elementary school. The authors also address such topics as how and what to read to a youngster, how different types of play impact early development, and the best environment for preschoolers to develop social skills with their peers.
Even parents who choose to send their children to preschool can benefit from the findings presented in The Smarter Preschooler. The authors believe “Each child has special gifts, and it is the parent’s job to cultivate a child’s talents and strengthen his or her weakness.” They offer many strategies for providing an enriched environment for the intellectual and social development of young children. And experts agree with their advice.
Shirley Wyver, Ph.D., said: “This is a fabulous book…that will enhance the quality of parent-child interactions and ultimately provide the best opportunities for intellectual, social and emotional development.”
Cathy Duffy Reviews: “Plenty of practical suggestions and resource recommendations show parents how to create an intellectually stimulating environment at home that promotes healthy academic, social, physical, and emotional development.”
“The Smarter Preschooler” (ISBN-13: 978-0-9816426-5-9) will be available in book stores nationwide September 1, 2009 for $14.95 and can be purchased today at http://www.TheSmarterPreschooler.com. Media review copies will be provided upon request.
Press
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Tags: bureau of labor, bureau of labor statistics, cathy duffy, early reading, employment situation, fabulous book, intellect, job, parents, peers, reading skills, renee, resource recommendations, social and emotional development, special gifts, talents, unemployment rate, verbal skills, youngster
The recession has been absolutely brutal to many CEOs, company presidents and business owners according to Howard Lewinter, Business Management Specialist, who serves clients throughout the United States.
From his 20 years as a trusted business advisor, Lewinter knows that this recession is different from earlier ones in its effects on business. Many leaders of businesses feel beaten down by this recession. “It’s really hit business people in the gut,” Lewinter says.
Even when it’s over, because the effects on so many businesses have been so severe, a full rebound to a robust economy is very likely to take time. Till business resumes a sense of normalcy, how do business people deal with running their companies in an uncharted business economy?
“Right now, they’re finding it can be really ‘lonely at the top.’ They need advice that can’t come from within the organization. Yet they don’t know where to go or who to trust for business advice because we have never experienced an economy quite like this. And they are not really sure what the next step is for their business. They need the perspective of an unbiased, outside expert,” says Lewinter.
That’s why Lewinter created the video series, “How Your Business Can Survive, and Prosper, in the Recession” … and why he’s offering it free to CEOs, company presidents, and business owners exclusively. He wants to bring his solid, straightforward style of business advice to as many business people as possible … as soon as possible … to help them during these tough economic times and be ready for the eventual upturn in business.
In this 7-part video series, Lewinter provides answers to business people who are encountering business problems and issues in this recession. Each video focuses on a different business topic and offers valuable strategies, including: How not to be a victim of the recession; How to get in action and get business back on track; Cutting the cost of running a business; Marketing; Prospecting and sales; and How to deal with business stress.
To sign up for Howard Lewinter’s free video series - “How Your Business Can Survive, and Prosper, in the Recession” - go to http://www.TalkBusinessWithHoward.com/recession.
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Tags: business advice, business advisor, business economy, business marketing, business owners, business problems, business topic, ceos, company presidents, economic times, lewinter, lonely at the top, management specialist, normalcy, recession, robust economy, running a business, straightforward style, upturn, video series
RSR’s newest research study, “Walking the Razor’s Edge: Managing the Store Experience in an Economic Singularity,” sponsored by Epicor and SAP, shows retailer recognition that low price alone will not help them gain or maintain market share.
“Perhaps one of the biggest turn-arounds compared to previous studies on this topic is the full-blown recognition within the retail enterprise that store technologies really do matter,” said Paula Rosenblum, managing partner at RSR Research and co-author of the report. “Retailers understand they cannot efficiently maintain or improve the customer experience without it.”
“Retailers still have a long way to go in unlocking the potential of these technologies,” added Brian Kilcourse, managing partner at RSR Research and co-author of the report. “Retailers selling General Merchandise and Apparel have been hardest hit by the economy, and also have the most to gain from taking better advantage of store solutions.”
RSR’s new study, “Walking the Razor’s Edge: Managing the Store Experience in an Economic Singularity,” explores the challenges retailers face in the worst economy of our lifetimes. The report, with benchmark data captured from April and May 2009, provides recommendations on how to improve the in-store experience even in an economic downturn.
PR Web
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Tags: benchmark data, challenges, co author, customer experience, economic downturn, economy, epicor, general merchandise, lifetimes, market share, retail enterprise, rosenblum, rsr, sap, singularity, store experience, store solutions, store technology, technology investments, unlocking the potential
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that more than $50.1 million in Recovery Act funds will go to the State of Illinois to maintain or increase public safety in the state, while creating or retaining jobs within the law enforcement community. These Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funds are part of more than $4 billion in Justice Department Recovery Act funds available to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement and for other criminal justice activities that help to prevent crime and improve the criminal justice system in the United States while supporting the creation of jobs and much needed resources for states and local communities.
As submitted in their application, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) plans to support proven and innovative evidence-based programs that create or preserve jobs; address a defined priority area; identify need through use of validated statistics; present realistic and measurable goals and objectives, as well as, the methods for measuring; present a justifiable budget; demonstrate a history of reliability and responsibility; and persuasively present a need for funding. The ICJIA Board, composed of the major stakeholders in the criminal justice system, will continue to review, analyze, and discuss general priorities and specific initiatives, and the Federal and State Grants Unit will oversee the administration of Recovery Act JAG funds. Coordination and oversight efforts will be reported to the Governor’s Office. Illinois is required to provide a portion of the $50.1 million to the local jurisdictions.
“By addressing Illinois’ economic challenges while simultaneously meeting the state’s public safety priorities, these funds represent the best of what the Recovery Act can do for our communities,” Attorney General Eric Holder said. “This vital funding will help fight crime and build safer communities, and we look forward to continued work with Illinois to address these criminal justice goals.”
The procedure for allocating JAG grants is based on a formula of population and violent crime statistics, in combination with a minimum allocation to ensure that each state and territory receives an appropriate share of funding. Sixty percent of the allocation is awarded directly to a state and 40 percent is set aside for units of local government. States are required to sub-grant a portion of the funds to local units of government, such as a city, county, township or town. Faith-based and other community organizations are also eligible to receive pass-through funding from the state, as are Tribal governments.
All local Recovery Act JAG awards will be announced at a later date. The deadline for local units of government to submit their Recovery Act applications to the Department of Justice has been extended to June 17, 2009. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, established the previous deadline of May 18 to encourage early submission of applications in an effort to provide economic stimulus as soon as possible. Because this is a non-competitive formula grant program, the extension of this deadline does not impact either eligibility or funding determinations. For more local solicitation information, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/JAGrecoveryLocal.pdf
The JAG Program is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions and is managed by BJA. JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system, from multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces to crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. Projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures. For more details on the JAG Program or to track the use of Recovery Act funds, visit www.ojp.gov/recovery. For more details on how to apply for the state managed, pass-through funding, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/saa/index.htm.
The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be found at www.ojp.gov.
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Carnegie Mellon University researchers have created a model for providing empirical evidence on when an ex-convict has been “clean” long enough to be considered “redeemed” for employment purposes.
The new study, which appears in the current issue of Criminology, estimates that after five years of staying clean an individual with a criminal record is of no greater risk of committing another crime than other individuals of the same age. The research comes at a time when President Barack Obama’s crime agenda includes breaking down employment barriers for people who have a prior criminal record, but who have stayed clean since their earlier offense.
“In the past, employers had no way of knowing when it might be safe to look past a criminal record,” said Alfred Blumstein, co-author of the study and the J. Erik Jonsson University Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon’s H. John Heinz III College. “Hiring an ex-offender was a totally arbitrary decision. We believe our model can change that and help provide employers with data in making such decisions. Or it can be used by state criminal-record repositories in deciding when a prior arrest is too ’stale’ to warrant distributing.” Blumstein’s co-author is Kiminori Nakamura, a Ph.D. student at the Heinz College.
The issue of employing ex-offenders has become more of a problem, as a vast majority of larger U.S. employers now perform criminal background checks, Blumstein said. He noted that advances in information technology allow criminal records to be kept longer and to be distributed easily, and employers are concerned about liability risk if the former offender commits a new crime. Blumstein said this makes it difficult for a large number of people who have committed crimes when they were much younger, but have stayed clean since then.
The study, funded by The National Institute of Justice, used criminal-history records of more than 88,000 first-time offenders in New York in 1980. Most committed new crimes within the first few years after their initial arrest, but only a small minority had a new arrest after staying clean for at least five years. After determining whether the offenders had remained clean during the ensuing 25 years, the data on the 1980 offenders was compared against two comparison groups. The study determined that after about five years those in the offender group were at or below the risk of arrest as people in the general population who were the same age. A more demanding comparison is with people of the same age who had never been arrested. Those with a prior record had to stay clean longer, but their risk could be close enough even to that low-risk group.
Future studies will address other states and sampling years to assess the consistency of results. This effort is intended to develop standards for employers and record repositories to help reduce the handicaps imposed on those who had committed a crime when they were younger.
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Tags: advances in information technology, alfred blumstein, arbitrary decision, barack obama, carnegie mellon university, criminal background checks, criminal history records, criminal record, criminology, empirical evidence, employment barriers, employment purposes, first time offenders, john heinz iii, liability risk, national institute of justice, new crime, new crimes, record repositories, urban systems
Posted by Damien on May 26, 2009 in
Business,
Career,
Jobs and Careers Due to an overwhelming response from job seekers, Tribeca Medaesthetics has increased the size and scope of its no cost Beauty and Botox Grants program to help those unemployed and seeking a competitive advantage with facial cosmetic medical services.
Over 1,200 unemployed Floridians have responded to the offer of free beauty services including laser lipolysis, Botox, dermal fillers, facials and waxing. Since initially announcing his intention of awarding 20 grants, Dr. Jason A. Shapiro today increased the number of grants - worth up to $3,000 per person - to 50.
“It’s a confidence boost for those in the job market,” says Dr. Shapiro. “After reading such compelling essays, we wanted to take this program to another level and offer it to 50 job seekers.”
Services have also been added from Elite Group Hair, which will provide hairstyling and coloring. Both men and women, over 30 years of age, may apply for the grants.
“Outer beauty begins with taking care of your skin and having the right color and cut for the shape of your face and your age,” says aesthetician Angie Warner.
During the month of May, people may go online to www.tribecamed.com to submit 200-300 words about their unemployment circumstances, to be considered for one of the grants. The free offer is for anyone who has lost their job in the past 12 months. A total of 50 winners will be selected to receive complimentary cosmetic medical and aesthetic services on June 1st based upon the conditions of their unemployment and the type of job they are seeking.
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Tags: aesthetic services, aesthetician, beauty services, botox, competitive advantage, dermal fillers, elite group, facials, floridians, free beauty, grants program, hairstyling, job seekers, laser lipolysis, medaesthetics, outer beauty, overwhelming response, shapiro, taking care of your skin, waxing
The CAW has reached a tentative settlement with General Motors Canada following weeks of intense negotiations for a new collective agreement as part of the company’s North American restructuring process.
The agreement includes a series of cost-saving provisions affecting cash compensation, health benefits, other non-wage benefits, and work practices and productivity improvements. The company and the union have agreed that the changes will reduce all-in labour costs to a level comparable to those paid at Toyota Canada.
The new agreement also includes a comprehensive restructuring of the company’s pension plan.
Through this plan, the company commits to move to funding its pension on a solvency basis, moving away from the special funding loophole established in 1992 in Ontario (referred to as Section 5.1). Thanks to a combination of upfront contributions and sustained funding commitments over the next several years, GM’s pension funding status will quickly reach levels comparable to Ford and Chrysler in Canada.
“This deal will be an immense relief to the more than 25,000 retired GM workers in Canada,” said CAW President Ken Lewenza. “They will sleep much easier tonight.”
CAW President Ken Lewenza said the union was able to resist cuts to many core benefits, maintained wages and secured pensions for members at General Motors, a testament to the strength and solidarity of CAW members throughout these negotiations.
“In the face of tremendous economic and political pressure we have ended up with an agreement that protects the interests of our members, which is an important victory,” Lewenza said. “This agreement was a crucial step in the overall process of restructuring this company, and allowing us all to move forward.”
The agreement includes all of the cost-saving provisions originally included in the contract negotiated with GM in early March and all of the changes CAW negotiated with Chrysler in May.
Additional changes negotiated in the second round of talks with GM include substantial workplace practices and productivity improvements, an extra freeze in all pension levels (going out to 2015), and the details of GM-specific deals regarding pensions and the new independent Health Care Trust.
The agreement also preserves the restructuring agreements which were negotiated at the Windsor Transmission Plant and Oshawa Truck Plant.
Press
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Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC, the world’s leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, early education, back-up care, and work/life solutions, has been recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of the “2009 Best Places to Work.”
“We are pleased to be recognized as a Best Place to Work in the Boston area. This year in particular, in these uncertain economic times, it is more important than ever that we provide a work environment where employees can thrive professionally, while managing their personal lives,” said Bright Horizons Chief Executive Officer Dave Lissy. “Bright Horizons’ success as a leading provider of child care and work/life solutions depends on our employees who bring passion and dedication to the work of providing the best care and education to the children, families, and clients that we serve.”
Bright Horizons Chief Human Resources Officer Dan Henry noted, “Creating work environments that support talented professionals are an intrinsic part of our mission. Provision of unique benefits that enable employees to balance their work/life with their personal obligations and a work environment where employees can enjoy their work and are recognized for their efforts enhances their commitment to the company. This is vital to hiring and retaining top talent.”
The Best Places to Work list is based on surveys completed by employees who live and work in Massachusetts. The survey assesses employee opinions of work environment, work/life balance, job satisfaction, advancement opportunities, compensation, and benefits. The 60 honorees named to this year’s list will be recognized at a special event in Boston on June 11.
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Tags: advancement opportunities, boston area, boston business journal, bright horizons family, bright horizons family solutions, chief executive officer, children families, compensation and benefits, early education, economic times, environment work, human resources officer, job satisfaction, life solutions, lissy, personal obligations, talented professionals, work environment, work environments, work life balance
