With 68 percent of small-business owners identifying word-of-mouth as the best way to acquire a new customer, you’re not alone in wanting to understand how to increase it for your business. Unfortunately, it’s not something that can be bought. Word-of-mouth referrals require someone trusted by others to put their reputation on the line for your business. That’s why it’s such … [More]
Outside Auditors and the Inside Truth
Companies and shareholders depend on auditors to provide unbiased, independent analyses of financial statements, but new research from the University of Missouri shows auditors can be influenced and misled by information provided by the organization’s management. The study, “The Effect of Partition Dependence on Assessing Accounting Estimates,” is presented by Nate Newton, … [More]
Camelback Corridor Resurgence
Since the grand opening of the Arizona Biltmore Resort in February 1929, the area known as the “Camelback Corridor” hasn’t missed a development beat. Stretching along Camelback Road between 7th and 64th streets, the submarket long ago reached the “built out” stage, with virtually every infill site along the route developed into premier residential or commercial space. That … [More]
Data Held Hostage – a Growing Problem
Ransomware is a form of malware that targets a user’s critical data and systems for extortion. Typically, ransomware encrypts data with a key known only to the attacker until a ransom (usually in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin) is paid. After the ransom is paid, the attacker will sometimes provide a decryption key. The FBI reports that approximately 4,000 ransomware … [More]
Employer Alert: Paid Sick Leave Required
On Nov. 8, 2016, Arizona voters enacted Proposition 206: The Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act, increasing the minimum wage and requiring virtually all employers to provide paid sick leave to their part- and full-time employees. The paid sick leave portion of the Act goes into effect on July 1, 2017. Below are a few key changes that employers need to be aware of, as they … [More]
More Dollars from Data
According to Buckminster Fuller’s “Knowledge Doubling Curve,” human knowledge doubled approximately every century. Today, it is estimated that human knowledge is doubling every 12 to 13 months. IBM is estimating that, with the build out of the “Internet of things,” knowledge will double every 12 hours. The explosion of information is clearly accelerating. Data is flooding … [More]
