Blockchain, if used to its potential, allows communities and innovators to create economic games that no one controls or commands through incentive design that rewards good actions. In financial services, that can allow decentralized networks to create protocols or tools to enable low-cost, low-overhead loans, settlement, peer-to-peer payments and even alternatives to debt or … [More]
Employment for Americans with Disabilities
Accommodations are an important factor in the successful hiring of people with disabilities, and in the retention of employees who develop new disabilities. Employers that are open to providing accommodations and have the capability to provide them, will have greater success in meeting their need for staffing. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released in … [More]
Communicate the Transformative Impact with Social Return on Investment
For nonprofits, communicating impact and value is crucial. While most businesses answer to a select group of owners, investors and shareholders, nonprofits must justify their existence and performance to a wide range of stakeholders. Donors, program partners, volunteers, board members, legislators, clients and local leaders all want constant assurances that their time, money … [More]
Is an Association Plan the Answer?
Competition and choice were two promises of the Affordable Care Act that have largely been unfulfilled. Will Association Health Plans be the flavor of the month and quickly vanish like the healthcare co-ops, or will they create a viable pathway to lower cost, more administratively efficient health insurance? Health Plan Associations have the opportunity to be nimbler than a … [More]
China’s Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road Initiative is the largest initiative of the 21st century in terms of projected impact and given the strong political and financial drives behind it. The Chinese have called this initiative a bid to enhance regional connectivity for a brighter future; others have called it a push by China to create for itself a global role and to position itself in the middle … [More]
Tariffs: Up and Down the Arizona Craft Brewing Supply Chain
It may be stating the obvious to say that a tariff on any commodity will have a repercussion all along the supply chain it touches. Yes, that includes our favorite locally brewed beers. In Business Magazine spoke with Rob Fuller, executive director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild, to learn how President Trump’s recent tariffs impact these businesses and the businesses … [More]
Ethical Data Mining
A recent data breach involving Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, affected at least 87 million Facebook users. People’s data was unknowingly used for politically manipulative ads. While an extreme example of unethical data mining, the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal challenges businesses and marketers to think about the ways they collect, use and … [More]
Will Blockchain Uplevel the Arizona Real Estate Market?
Love it or hate it, blockchain is disrupting nearly every industry. And while most associate blockchain with Bitcoin or cryptocurrency, it really refers to its underlying technology — and that technology holds a tremendous amount of promise to a range of industries and uses, including real estate. What exactly is blockchain? In a nutshell, it’s a decentralized, distributed … [More]
Five Cryptocurrency Tax Mistakes the IRS Takes Seriously
Since the release of Bitcoin in 2009, more than 4,000 alternative currencies have emerged in the decentralized banking market. For nearly 10 years, the IRS has sought to gain a foothold in what has since become a booming market with a rising number of participating asset holders. The recent Coinbase, Inc. case ruling makes it clear that the United States government is intent on … [More]
The Opportunity Zone Program (Part 2)
The Opportunity Zone Program is new federal income tax incentive program designed to encourage private capital investment in Opportunity Zones (O-Zones), which are certain designated areas throughout the United States. Opportunity Funds (O-Funds) act as intermediaries between O-Fund investors and the actual investments in the O-Zone. O-Funds are required to hold 90 percent … [More]
Top Influencers for Online Sales Are … (Surprise!)
Top-ranked reviewers on online retail sites such as amazon.com may influence purchases, but a research study from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business finds that those who post reviews less often and more informally can be seen as more trustworthy and have more of an impact on sales. Shyam Gopinath, assistant professor of marketing at Kelley, and two co-authors of … [More]
The Opportunity Zone Program (Part 1)
Buried in the recently enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the creation of the Opportunity Zone Program. This new federal income tax incentive program is designed to encourage private capital investment in Opportunity Zones — designated distressed communities throughout the United States (including possessions of the United States). Specifically, the Opportunity Zone Program … [More]
Allergic to Work?
Americans miss 24.5 million workdays each year due to “occupational asthma” and lose energy and focus due to sneezing, coughing and watery eyes. And these numbers are getting worse as the number of people with allergies is increasing and global warming, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, is fueling longer allergy seasons. With the EPA saying the lingering cold … [More]
Cyber-Secure Travel?
It has been recently reported that digital hotel door locks can be compromised by simple tweaks to their in-built security software, according to research from a cybersecurity firm. The hardware kit used to clone keys involves scanning the RFID tag or mag stripe included in a card key, which is then copied by a small device which is then able to generate a huge number of extra … [More]
A World of Difference in Leadership
Leadership has been a hot topic for several decades, and the ways women lead has landed at the top of the discussion. Although the pace has been less than dazzling, women have found their footing in every level of existing organizations or have created organizations to provide an environment suitable for them. I should know. I was one of the women who founded a company and … [More]
In Business for Good
Colleges have long been a source of innovative ideas, and in recent years many higher institutions of learning have adopted formal programs to assist students and faculty in starting up a business around their idea. The recent Collegiate Challenge, presented by Conscious Capitalism Arizona and hosted by Grand Canyon University, focused on encouraging startups that … [More]
Employers Benefit from Price Transparency in Healthcare
Employers as well as consumers have been pushing for price transparency in healthcare for some time, but now the idea is gaining momentum. Employers know price transparency can help their employees make informed healthcare decisions and, ultimately, better manage the cost of care. Nationally, healthcare represents nearly one-fifth of the total gross domestic product, and the … [More]
Capitalize on New Facebook News Feed Algorithm
Recently, Facebook announced some significant changes to its news feed algorithm that will, ultimately, affect both users and businesses. According to reports, Facebook’s executive team saw that news articles and marketing ads were creating an imbalance in the platform, drowning out all the personal moments people had to share. The new algorithm aims to correct this imbalance, … [More]
