The courts decided long ago that money is an important component of political speech. Campaigns need it to succeed and citizens need it to raise their voices during the election process. After all, a campaign advertisement on television reaches a lot more people than a megaphone at the local park. So, how can citizens and businesses use their resources to influence the … [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]
Impact Investing – Making a Difference in the Community
More jobs. Affordable housing. Sustainability. These are among the many areas in which impact investing has been put to use, not only in Arizona but also around the country and world. There has been a growing demand for this type of investment, as more people are looking for ways to not only earn a return on investment, but also to put their money toward making the world a … [More]
Top vs. Bottom Performers: What Role Does Technology Play?
Our IT firm was curious about the role technology strategies play in separating exceptionally successful firms from those that are stagnant in growth. We reviewed the business practices for dozens of local small and mid-sized businesses ranging from 20 to 500 employees, and we took an in-depth look at everything from mitigating risk and developing IT standards to budgeting, … [More]
Occupancy Efficiency
While talent continues to reign supreme on the list of top concerns for companies today, a new survey of corporate executives underscores the challenges they are facing in today’s economic environment. Of the 176 Americas executives surveyed by CBRE Group, Inc., 52 percent named economic uncertainty as a top-three concern, up from 36 percent in 2016. As a result, 87 percent … [More]
Employee Retirement Plans Are for Small Businesses, Too
Small-business owners probably think they have enough headaches already, what with meeting payroll, dealing with government regulations and pleasing customers. After all, setting up a retirement plan for their employees is just extra red tape and possibly expense — headaches that they can do without — right? But creating such a plan is more doable than they may realize and … [More]
Shawn Linam: Challenging the Odds in Aerospace
Shawn Linam started her career training astronauts to use the robotic arm on the Space Shuttle. In 2001, she co-founded Qwaltec, a satellite operations and mission readiness firm, which she doubled in size in two years. Headquartered in Tempe, Qwaltec has an office in Maryland as well as employees in California, Colorado and New Mexico. It has subcontracted on projects with the … [More]
Paid Sick Leave Impacts Preventive Care
More than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act and do not have to pay for 15 preventive screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Yet, despite this advantage, many are not utilizing these lifesaving screenings and are contributing to the nation’s soaring healthcare costs, which reached a whopping $3 … [More]
Stress Relief where Tech and Healthcare Intersect
Buzzies is a new wearable technology that can reduce a person’s stress in as few as 30 seconds. Created by neuropsychologist Amy Serin, Ph.D., and launched last December by her Phoenix-based company The Touchpoint Solution, these non-invasive devices use patent-pending neuroscience technology to not only relieve stress and anxiety but improve focus and performance, reduce … [More]
Avoid a Costly Flu Season
When it comes to flu season, both employees and employers are at risk. According to the National Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers with the flu each year. The loss of employee earnings is estimated at $16.3 billion annually and the overall economic burden is roughly $87 billion. Given that the flu can … [More]
How Much of Arizona’s Economy Goes South?
Trade with Mexico has been a hot topic for the past few years. That currently still holds true, but the tenor of that discussion has changed. Given the differing attitudes emanating from the various national and state policy makers, In Business Magazine is taking a look at cross-border trade’s place in Arizona’s economy. WalletHub recently conducted a study to gauge the … [More]
Corporate Tax Reform: It’s Not Big Business vs Small Business
Reforming the U.S. corporate tax system could provide a major boost to U.S. economic growth and competitiveness, but progress continues to stall due in large part to small-business advocates who claim that corporate-only reform is unfair and economically harmful. Our studies have found significant flaws in their arguments. Corporate tax reform is one of the most important … [More]
Driven by Computer
My test ride last month in a self-driving car was boringly uneventful — which is exactly what the goal was. Waymo’s cars first hit the streets last April after logging one billion miles in a simulator where common and uncommon scenarios were imagined and tested, aiming to program the cars to drive like a responsible adult and not careen like a ride at Disneyland. One billion … [More]
E-Fraud Risk in Global Retail
Online shopping has become a mainstay for consumers. In 2016, e-commerce spending exceeded $22 trillion. By 2025, an additional 1.8 billion consumers will enter the market, spending an estimated $30 trillion. Because the Internet is a borderless world, international e-commerce is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. In fact, just 40 percent of e-commerce sales … [More]
A Business’s Accountability in Human Rights Violations
Corporate human rights abuse is a topic getting more and more visibility, and most companies today are aware of violations across the world and are keen to not promote such abuses. But how much of a duty does a company have to actively monitor whether its activities lead to human rights abuses? Do companies face legal or reputational risks if they don’t take steps to actively … [More]
Omni-Channel Engagement Trending for 2017
Online-offline connected experiences will be the focus in 2017 as chief marketers, largely not satisfied with the current state of omni-channel engagement, work toward bridging that disconnect. According to a recently released study from the Chief Marketing Officer Council, one of the biggest challenges for marketers in 2017 will be understanding the connected customer journey … [More]
