Failing a class? Should you go for an ‘Incomplete’ or will you hit ‘Restart’ and try again?

(Aaaaaaand… student write-in questions are back! With many terms winding down, I am receiving letters that include various levels of frustration and failure. You’ll see themes of them over the next several posts. Hopefully, the discussions will be helpful to anyone facing a similar issue.)

Hello Ellen,

Thank you so much for doing what you do. I wish I had known all these lessons as a student before I put myself in this situation.

I think I’m failing a class. I e-mailed my instructor about possibly taking an Incomplete, but I haven’t received a response.

I really have no excuse about my situation. I stopped going to class due to anxiety, which resulted in missing more classes. I can’t withdraw from the course, so without the Incomplete, I have to face failure.

Do you think it is better to fail the class and repeat it the following semester?

Student

*********************************************************

Hello,

Thank you so much for your kind words. Let me see if I can help, based on my experiences with Incomplete grades.

I hope your professor e-mails you back so you can hash out this situation, or you can talk to the prof in class before your term ends. Here is my advice in the meanwhile:

I would be very honest with your professor since it sounds like you know exactly what led to this outcome. Honesty is the only way that you’ll have a shot at resolution.

Say, “I stopped coming to class due to anxiety and the problem kept building. Here is what I’ve done that I feel went well (show examples of any successes you had). I am wondering if failure is the only option, or if there is any way that I can take an Incomplete for the course?”

You’ll also need to say, “I have a concrete plan so this doesn’t happen again.” Then lay out your concrete plan. Of course, if you are very close to the end of your term, then there won’t be time to implement a big plan and your professor will know that.

Here is my history with an Incomplete:
-Every school’s policy differs. At my last college, you could only receive an “I” for a non-academic matter and you had to finish a certain percentage of the course successfully. At that school, an “I” would only apply to a student with a medical or life emergency that prevented continuation of the course.
-Other colleges are far more liberal with their Incomplete policies; the justification is completely left to the professor. Know which way your college goes before making the request.
-When you get your Incomplete contract, there is usually a list of what you still have left to do and a date you need to finish. At my current college, students have one year to turn around an Incomplete. Otherwise, the grade reverts to what it would have been without the Incomplete.
-Historically (finishing my 14th year of teaching), less than 1% of the students I’ve worked with actually finish an Incomplete. They end up retaking the whole course because the lingering work becomes an afterthought.

If you feel that you have enough assignments that will “count” and you can truly salvage your grade, try for the “I” (based on your school’s policy, of course!).

If you’d be better served by a fresh start, then retaking the course is the right thing to do.

I would talk to this prof, even if you don’t ask for the Incomplete, particularly if he/she would be your professor next time. You’ll want to discuss your plan of attack for another go-around.

If you will not take a course with this professor again, by all means, talk to the new prof early. Say,“I took this course once before and failed it. Here is where I went wrong, but I have a solid plan to do things differently this time (then mention those things). Is there any advice you can offer for someone retaking this course?”

There is no shame in starting over and there can be many benefits to having a feel for the material walking in. A completely clean slate does give you that benefit.

One thing that I want to ensure is that you get some support for the anxiety you’ve been experiencing. Please talk to your adviser and someone in Counseling Services, at the very least. There are mechanisms on campus to help you deal with anxiety so it doesn’t hinder your academics. If your class is the source of the nervousness, they can help with that, too.

I wish you luck and would love to hear the outcome!

“The hits just keep on coming” (a line from another one of my favorite movies). I met a gentleman on my flight home last night that is in his mid-40’s and is a successful small business owner. As the conversation progressed and we learned more about what each other does for a living, we eventually began discussing his thoughts on recruiting and retaining millennial talent.

He expressed a lot of the same frustrations that I’ve heard from other senior leadership and hiring managers from different brands and agencies. He shared how tough it is to identify talent that he believes is “ready for the pros”, and even tougher to retain quality talent. The good news is that this gentleman has taken some necessary steps and adjustments to figure it out and make it work and has a thriving business to show for it.

There are clearly some challenges for employers in recruiting and retaining quality talent that is unique to the millennial generation. Adjustments need to be made across the board because we all need each other’s contributions to grow and be successful. No organization will be able to sustain over time without recruiting and retaining new young talent. And not every millennial is cut out to be an entrepreneur and work for themselves; someone has to work for the existing corporations and businesses for our economy to thrive.

I hear many hiring managers express their frustrations about how ill prepared and unprofessional many millennials are. I hear many millennials express their frustrations about how archaic, irrelevant and oppressive the expectations are of senior leadership and hiring managers. I hear a lot about how things “should” be but are not.

One of my favorite quotes is “Life is not how it should be, it’s how it is”. We should all keep that in mind.

5 Tips employers should keep in mind for recruiting & retaining millennial talent:

1. Don’t overlook or accept unacceptable behavior during the interview. If the candidate displays behavior or conduct that you believe lacks professionalism or appropriateness, do not overlook it and hire them anyway. This sends the message that the behavior is okay and will be accepted at the organization. Manage expectations from the very beginning and don’t compromise standards in areas where you are not willing to be flexible.

2. Diversify your candidate pipeline. If you keep looking in the same places you are likely to continue to get the same results. That’s great if you are batting a thousand. If not, expand your search options. There are a number of young professional groups, organizations, fraternities and sororities to explore and build relationships with. I know of organizations with Diversity & Inclusion programs that struggled with finding diverse candidates but have never had a relationship with a single HBCU. Expand your reach and diversify your candidate pipeline.

3. Offer relevant incentives. This will vary by the type of organization you run, but there are universal incentives that appeal to this generation that are different from generations past. Take the time to understand what drives and motivates your millennial team members and develop incentive programs based on those drivers.

4. Don’t put them in a box. Fuel their entrepreneurial spirit and allow them to feel a sense of ownership. This does not mean just give them the keys to the shop and walk away, but empower them through a sense of ownership and control of their own destiny within the organization. Take time to help them understand how the organization profits and what they can do to directly contribute to that profit. But don’t stop there, based on the incentive plan suggested above, show them how what they do can allow them to share in the profits.

5. Address the need for inclusion and involvement. I cannot emphasize this point enough. This generation wants to be involved in the workplace as well as in the community. Hear them out and take their recommendations seriously and help them understand how what they would like to see done in the company as well as the greater community can be done within the parameters of the company mission and values. Allow them to help drive how the company makes money and makes a difference.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

#NoShortcuts #Millennials

The question in the title of this post is on the hearts and minds of thousands of millennials and their parents across the nation during this graduation season. What used to be a pretty standard process of graduate college – get a job in “your field” – get your own apartment – get married – and start a family, is not so standard anymore.

With an incredibly high unemployment rate for millennials and frustrations with acceptance and inclusion in various corporate environments, many millennials are opting to move back home while they look for a job or start their own business. Starting a family is being placed on the back burner for now; that’s another post for another time.

So what is next? Here are a few safe assumptions… A number of graduating millennials will go on to grad school and some will land jobs and thrive in their careers. And based on what I’m seeing and hearing, many will spend time navigating the waters of uncertainty as they realize there are things they still need to learn about how to make the right career choice, master the interview process and excel in the workforce. Many millennials will have the revelation that many of their older millennial peers and prospective employers have already realized. That revelation is that there seems to be a “preparation void” between the time graduation takes place and the time the first job begins.

I read a blog post yesterday by one of my Millennial All-Stars that spoke about how her parents charged her rent to move back home after graduating college. This is great preparation to equip millennials and properly manage expectations to help them to thrive in the “real world”.

To my graduating millennials, below are seven critical lessons where I encourage you to proactively seek a deeper understanding. Engage parents, mentors, millennials coaches or whatever organization or resource is available to you. Knowledge and insight on the below topics will significantly help prepare you for what’s next and lead you to success.

Proactively seek guidance and direction in the following areas…

1. How to properly prepare for and perform during the interview process
2. Developing good money management habits (Pay rent to your parents)
3. Best practices for Social Media usage
4. How to transfer valuable information into actionable knowledge
5. How to recognize your gifts and choose the best career path
6. Effective on and off line networking & relationship building
7. Building Culturational Chemistry in the workplace (how to bridge cultural generational gaps to increase your value)

It’s something about the whole process, from the whispers of a great film coming along, to the trailer that keeps us hanging on for the full feature. And then it’s here – opening weekend. Fans dress up like their favorite characters; enemies set aside differences for a night as they are there only to indulge.

After the movie ends you hear, “well that’s not who I would have picked for that role”, or “it was nothing like the book”. But that’s the best part of a film, it’s created out of the imagination of the director and their team. This imaginative representation, whether ours or someone else’s, gives us an opportunity to see our favorite characters come to life, or give us new ones to believe in.

They are double edged swords, with the ability to increase our knowledge and culture awareness, breakdown walls, highlight different perspectives from all over the world, expose and undo stereotypes, allow us to critically think and analyze some of the world’s biggest issues we all try to avoid to speak of at dinner parties. However, they also have the power to do the exact opposite. Close our minds, reinforce the negative stereotypes we have of our fellow men and women,

But above all, beyond the positive and negative, movies entertain. Take for example the role of movies in the United States Great Depression. Movies offered an hour and a half vacation from reality. Movies about high society and the rich gave people an opportunity to hope.

Today, although we aren’t in quite dire circumstances, movies still provide that same escape. A very expensive escape though. The entire movie industry in 2012 grossed just over $12 billion US dollars. You can imagine that requires both a dedicated staff and the right technology to support the thousands of transactions, tracking of royalties and contracts, and budgeting for these expensive flicks.

Without the technology, they would require more financial support staff, and all those salaries can add up. And maybe even stop one of your favorite flicks from never even making it to the theatres. Check out this brief white paper covering in-depth how Lions Gate is running on the very best software to help Hollywood keep its head on and finances straight.

Not surprisingly, 95% of social media users were offended by Jeffries’ words, while 3% had no issue and 2% cracked jokes. What do you think? No big deal or do you take serious issue with it? Let me know in the comments! And as new topics trend, feel free to reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook and tell us what you’d like to see on our Trend Tracker!

I join the millions who are happy to read that Ms. Jolie is making a fast recovery. Her story is another reminder of the need for education and outreach, and brave decisions. And, she points out the crucial issues of access, cost and preventive health care (though the discussion is one much broader than breast cancer). As sad and terrifying as her experience must be, however, she’s fortunate to have deep emotional and financial support. It’s a stark reminder of health care haves and have-nots.

Unfortunately, her nod to “wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives” is less helpful. Steve Jobs was famously regretful of his choice to pursue alternative therapies. He wished – too late – that “conventional” (science-based) therapies had started earlier. Instead, he tried dietary supplements, juices and acupuncture for nine months while his cancer spread. I’d hate to see Ms. Jolie provide a platform to physicians like Christiane Northrup, who has used Tarot cards to diagnose illness, or celebrities like Suzanne Somers, who apply, ingest and inject unapproved products in an attempt to stay young, and Jenny McCarthy, who uses the very unfortunate story of her son to create fear and confusion around vaccines.

When it comes to managing one’s health or the health of one’s family, most people don’t have enough knowledge to evaluate a medical product claim or even formulate the right questions to ask a health care provider. This all makes the public an easy target for purveyors of alternative medicines and bogus devices.

So, while some push for greater access to health care, a parallel effort must be made to fund research and education. Dropping information – even crucial or compelling data – onto the heads of an unprepared public, or expecting a response to another “call to action,” is unproductive and unrealistic. We need a massive, sustained effort to enhance health and science literacy.

SAP Headquarters, Building 1 Source: Wikipedia

During 2012 the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) market experienced sluggish growth of just 2.2%, yet Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), financial management and Human Capital Management (HCM) applications showed potential for breakout growth.

Through the challenging times of the previous year however, SAP still retained worldwide market share leadership. These and other insights were recently published in the recent report, Market Share Analysis: ERP Software Worldwide, 2012 authored by Chris Pang, Yanna Dharmasthira, Chad Eschinger, Koji Motoyoshi and Kenneth F. Brant.

Key Take-Aways

• Overall market growth of just 2.2% and the top ten vendors owning 64% of the worldwide ERP market is leading Gartner to predict further consolidation of the industry.
• SAP had just over $6B in total ERP software revenue in 2012, leading the worldwide market with 24.6% market share. Oracle had $3.12B and Sage, $1.5B in software revenues for 2012. Oracle’s market share was 12.8%, and Sage, 6.3%. The following graphic shows worldwide ERP market share for 2012.

• Infor achieved 49.5% revenue growth in 2012, increasing their 2011 sales from $1B in 2011 to $1.5B in 2012. Their market share increased from 4.2% in 2011 to 6.2% in 2012.
• Microsoft achieved 4.2% revenue growth in 2012, increasing revenue from $1B in 2011 to $1.1B in 2012. The majority of these sales are for the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP system.
• The fastest growing ERP vendors in 2012 include Workday, Cornerstone OnDemand, WorkForce Software, Ventyx and NetSuite.
• Workday grew 114.7% in 2012, increasing revenue from $88.6M in 2011 to $190.3M in 2012.
• Cornerstone OnDemand grew 61.5% in 2012, increasing revenue from $58.4M in 2011 to $94.3 in 2012.
• WorkForce Software grew 39.8% in 2012, increasing revenue from $11.8M in 2011 to $16.5M in 2012.
• NetSuite grew 34% in 2012, increasing revenue from $139.7M in 2011 to $187.1M in 2012.
• SaaS-based ERP revenues are projected to grow from 12% worldwide in 2013 to 17% in 2017. The following graphic from the report Gartner’s Market Trends: SaaS’s Varied Levels of Cannibalization to On-Premises Applications published: 29 October 2012 shows this progression. You can find a research roundup at the previous post SaaS Adoption Accelerates, Goes Global in the Enterprise, which provides additional insights into which factors are driving SaaS adoption.

Bottom line: SAP’s continued market dominance depends on how well the company orchestrates it core ERP strategy with the following areas: BusinessObjects 4.0, its highly regarded analytics suite; social application adoption (StreamWorks and SuccessFactors Jam); the many Cloud-based initiatives they have including SuccessFactors and BusinessbyDesign; mobility platform wins; and major wins with their SAP Sybase DBMS and HANA architectures.

In the wake of the building collapse in Bangladesh that killed well over 1,000 people, it is time to ask some difficult questions about the activities of the brands sourcing from the Rana Plaza complex. International attention has focused on poor health and safety practices, accusations of slave labor and the view, voiced in many places, that the price of clothing is now just too cheap. These debates are set to continue, but there are some very specific lessons we must learn from this tragedy. That also leads to a number of questions that the brands sourcing from unsafe, illegal Bangladesh factories must answer.

1. Codes of conduct are not working.

Most brands have supply chain codes of conduct that seek to ensure that workers in outsourced factories are protected, paid properly and treated with dignity. In the case of Rana Plaza the codes of conduct failed and the rhetoric of worker protection was not matched with reality on the ground. Why did the codes of conduct fail and why did factory inspections not reveal unsafe working practices and illegal building structures?

2. Brands cannot hide behind their sourcing companies.

Many of the large brands that we now know were sourcing from Rana Plaza were not immediately sure whether their products were actually being made in those factories or not. Some even tried to shelter behind an excuse that it was their sourcing companies that placed orders in unsafe factories. That is simply not good enough and such brands need to explain why they did not do enough to ensure that their own products were made in a responsible way.

3. Brands cannot hide behind industry initiatives.

It is equally true that some brands created a smokescreen around their activities by citing their involvement with institutions such as the Ethical Trading Initiative. Such initiatives can help committed brands to improve their social responsibility performance but are no substitute for making sure that a brand’s own products are made in a safe and responsible manner.

4. Providing poor people with increased incomes is no justification for abysmal labor practices.

While it is true that garment factories have provided much needed jobs and incomes, a minimum wage of only $38 a month is still tough to live on in urban areas such as Dhaka. Providing incomes to workers is no excuse for exploitative working conditions and the treatment of people as modern day slaves. Why are brands not raising the bar and ensuring that workers are paid living wages and ensuring their safety?

5. The tragedy cannot be separated from corruption.

We now know that the illegal building that housed the factories was at the center of a number of corrupt activities involving the owner, construction companies and building inspectors. Moreover, it seems that the owner had close relationships with people in government. In a business environment where corruption is endemic, the brands that source from Bangladesh sweatshops need to explain in detail why they continue to do business in a location where it is difficult to get anything done without being involved in or complicit with some sort of corruption along the supply chain.

6. Workers are an important part of the solution.

And yet, workers rights have been exploited, unions have been barred and in most factories worker complaints procedures and grievance mechanisms are nonexistent. Allowing workers to raise their own concerns about their treatment and their safety is an important part of improving working conditions. The brands need to tell us why they have been happy to see workers denied basic rights and worker representation side-lined.

7. There is a major disconnect between compliance departments and the procurement process.

To be blunt, compliance managers want to ensure that factories follow corporate codes of conduct, but procurement departments are interested in little more than price and delivery times. When there is a conflict between the two departments, we now know who wins in the battle for cheaper goods. Why is compliance not fully embedded into the procurement process?

8. Responsible brands will tell us why they are in Bangladesh.

If low-cost production, quick turnaround times and the flexibility to change orders with little notice are the reasons for being in Bangladesh, why do the brands not tell us why that also means that they are willing to tolerate hazardous working conditions and the abuse and exploitation of Bangladesh workers?

9. Trade rules need to favor developing countries but also protect human rights.

While preferential trading status has been granted to many developing countries, including Bangladesh, in order to encourage growth, development and poverty reduction, such initiatives must also protect the rights of workers. There now needs to be a concerted effort to integrate worker protection and human rights into world trade rules. I wonder if the brands are willing to take a lead?

10. We are now at a turning point.

It has taken more than 700 deaths for the public to wake up to the fact that the true price of low-cost clothing is exploitation of labor and unsafe working conditions among some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Protests against high street brands in Europe should signal a wake-up call for those brands that continue to push down prices at the expense of basic human rights. Let’s have a comprehensive explanation from these brands about why their products are so cheap and let’s see some transparency over how much is being paid for clothing as it leaves the factory gates in Bangladesh.

By Richard Welford, one of the founders and the chairman of CSR Asia. 

The most popular U.S. categories during Q1 were:

1.      Digital Content & Subscriptions
2.      Apparel & Accessories
3.      Sport & Fitness
4.      Consumer Electronics
5.      Consumer Packaged Goods

On May 6, PwC published a report stating that Chinese consumers shop online more than any other country.  The consulting firm found that China has emerged as one of the world’s most wired retail markets with online sales amounting to $211 billion in 2012.

Internet merchants are taking advantage of the rapid growth.  This past week, U.K.-based Marks and Spencer announced that it is hiring an additional 500 jobs for its e-commerce distribution center.

Credit: Commons/Wikimedia

Industry insiders are citing several factors for the increase in web-based transactions.  First, more consumers are purchasing more lifestyle and retail products online.  Social media sites such as Pinterest are enabling users to find popular items being offered by a variety of department stores.

Secondly, consumers are able to find niche products online, which have traditionally been more difficult to discover through traditional retail stores that offer commoditized items.  Shoppers are able to get more value for their discretionary dollars by purchasing customized and/or tailored products.

“Over the past five years, e-commerce has grown at a pace at least twice as fast as total retail sales and that trend will continue over the next five years,” according to a recent post by Practical Ecommerce. “In 2012, e-commerce had a healthy 14.8 percent growth rate over 2011, easily eclipsing the total retail sales growth rate of 5.3 percent. By 2017, the Internet will account for ten percent of all U.S. retail sales when online sales will reach $370 billion, up from $231 billion this year.”

In the United States, online shopping now accounts for 8 percent of all retail sales, according to 3DCart.  Additionally, Internet-based transactions are expected to outpace sales at brick-and-mortar stores over the next 5 years.  Thus, more consumers are shifting their preferences towards efficiency (shopping from home) and taking advantage of competitively priced shipping.

Aside from the surge in online sales, purchases made through social media is also growing at a fast pace and is expected to reach $14 billion by 2015.

The gay rights advocacy is stirring controversy across the Atlantic for their attacks on faith-based groups and religious expression.  The gay rights protestors contend that a range of religious groups, including Christian, Muslim and Jewish organizations, has received funding from Britain’s official lotto organization in the past two decades.

Some contend that such a diversion of public funds towards faith-based organizations may represent an institutional bias towards an anti-gay stance since the recipients have published anti-gay literature.  Each year, the National Lottery sends tens of millions of dollars to various non-profit organizations to finance community projects that are designed to improve lives.

Credit: Commons/Wikimedia

Britian’s National Lottery is seen one of a few benchmarks for other lotteries around the world, including the United States.  The organization sells tickets online and helped to fund the 2012 Olympic Stadium in London.

Similar pro-gay protests are expected to be launched in U.S. states that have lotteries which provide funding to faith-based initiatives.

California, Michigan, and Mississippi are among three states that are positioning themselves after the U.K. National Lottery’s online ticketing service.  Ted Dhanik, CEO of Engage:BDR, said in May interview that the company’s recently-launched LottoGopher lets consumers “buy lotto tickets legally in California”.

Most lotto-based revenues in California are applied towards the state’s educational system.  However, more conservative states such as Mississippi that are considering establishing an Internet-based lottery could have some funds diverted towards faith-based groups.

Thus, the following questions would be posed: Should taxpayer-generated revenues be donated towards religious organizations?  If so, should stipulations be put in place that such groups cannot have published inflammatory remarks towards the gay community?

Which leads to another question: Would not government-related agencies infringe upon the freedom of religious expressions by doing so?

In Mississippi, Rep. Bobby Moak of Bogue Chitto has introduced legislation in each of the last two sessions in the state legislature that would legalize an Internet-based lottery within the state.

“The current leadership – the governor, lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House — are not for expanding gaming,” said state Rep. Richard Bennett, chairman of the House gaming committee. “It would be a hard sell, regardless of what my committee wants to do. I think you’d have to see a change in leadership before it will pass.”

I have spent my entire professional career studying, mentoring and marketing to this generation. After years of helping brands make money off this audience, I am now dedicated to helping brands make money with this audience. This is a talented, educated, driven and informed generation that has experienced 53 straight months of double digit unemployment. Empowering them to leverage their gifts and talents and transferring all that information into knowledge will benefit us all.

To ensure our collective success, the conversation about the real issues, challenges and proposed solutions has to be had with all stakeholders. That includes the millennials, their parents, the brands that market to them, the companies that employ them and the government that governs them.

My career in advertising and marketing has allowed me to watch this generation grow up through a qualitative and quantitative lens. Because of that, I have a deep understanding of the good, the bad and the ugly. And each generation has their own version of good, bad and ugly. When discussing the millennial generation as many people are discussing today, things have to be put in proper context.

There are generational shaping events that have impacted this generation that this world has never seen or experienced before just based on technology alone. Things have grown and changed at an inconceivably rapid pace and continue to do so. So much so that there are very distinct differences between older millennials and younger millennials due to those rapid changes.

The other factor to consider as Joel referenced is the role that the older generation has played in this generations outlook and perspective on life. We have not set the best examples or left them a world that is in the best of shape.

Millennials definitely have some work to do and some serious giants to slay. The reality is, that the previous generations, albeit unintentional in many cases, created and/or left those giants. Each generation has a responsibility to the generation that follows. One of those responsibilities is to set them up for success and leave things better than we found it. We have to be teachers, preachers, mentors and role models. It sounds cliche but its real. We also have to understand that each generation does things differently. And because millennials way of doing things is very different than we’ve seen before, doesn’t mean it’s wrong or it won’t work. We can’t get so caught up in the tactics that we lose sight of the strategy

Everything starts with a decision. We all have to decide that we want to make things better for the collective good of us all. This can not be done effectively until we recognize that we’re all on the same team and share the same ultimate goal of winning.

Once we decide we want to improve things for the greater good of our society, we then have to believe. Millennials have to believe in Generation X and Boomers, and Generation X and Boomers have to believe in Millennials. It’s actually our differences that inspires innovation and makes us collectively stronger.

Then comes the action. We have to start by bridging those gaps. We have to bridge the cultural gaps and the generational gaps. This is the most diverse generation we have ever seen and multiculturalism is the norm. We need to establish Culturational Chemistry across all disciplines. That is done through understanding, embracing and respecting our differences and then exercising the power of inclusion.

Thanks for sharing Joel. Nice job!

According to Samsung, the use of electronic health records (EHR) and cutting-edge technology will improve operational efficiencies and cut costs.  At OMC, Samsung installed smart display monitors which transfers and stores data on the cloud.  The hi-tech monitors also eliminated the need for traditional pc hardware and mouse interaction.

The company claims that the technology reduces acquisition costs as well as IT maintenance.  “The new workflow is significantly faster and has cut my dictation and chart completion time by more than 30 minutes every day,” said Dr. Rebecca Corley.

Obamacare Mandates

There are mandates to the Affordable Care Act that requires healthcare institutions to move towards electronic health records.  However, most hospitals and government agencies are falling behind schedule in meeting this requirement.   In April, the U.S. Defense Department disclosed that it probably wasted $1 billion of taxpayer money over the course of five years in trying to implement an EHR initiative.  The Pentagon’s program managers were not able to digitize health records across multiple government agencies each using incongruent technologies and databases.

Credit: Commons/Pixabay

Many medical practitioners remain skeptical that the industry can successfully digitize its working environment by 2014.  This week, the American Medical Association (AMA) urged the nation’s lawmakers to incentivize physicians to adopt electronic health records.  The AMA is arguing that bonus programs can be used to motivate overburdened and overworked doctors to optimize their clinic’s IT systems.

“The three big changes most practices are dealing with are the conversion to ICD-10, adopting electronic health records to qualify for the federal meaningful use incentive program, and changing to a new practice model such as an accountable care organization or patient-centered medical home,” AMA stated on its website.

The organization argues that physicians across the country are overworked and face burdensome regulations that make it difficult to devote time and energy to digitize their medical practices.  “Many are wondering how they can implement all of these changes and still manage the day-to-day demands of running a practice,” stated AMA’s article.

Standardization of Systems

Standardization of information systems is a requirement for comprehensive and effective data mining.  It’s also becoming a business opportunity for solutions providers.  For instance, Dicom Systems specializes in enabling clinics and hospitals to digitize their health records through the use of proprietary routers.

“Our best in class routing products resolve the challenges that far too many clinicians are presented with in multi-vendor, multi-facility imaging and reporting communications,” said Dean Whitt, vice president of business development.  By standardizing the protocol for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting information in medical imaging, disparate communications systems can “talk” to each other.

The major challenge for hospitals is upgrading legacy systems into contemporary practices suited for the Information Age.  Many use disparate systems and outdated processes that often make it difficult for outside parties to retrieve patient data.  Managers often fear the repercussions of delivering false data that could result in harm to patients.

Some institutions don’t possess the IT expertise to coordinate a large scale project or overcome entrenched interests opposed to change.  Thus, conversion to electronic health records may sound easy.  But a digitized medical environment requires real-time access to accurate information.  There’s no room for error.  The AMA may cal for incentives.  However, it will take more than cash from the federal government to institutionalize an optimized information system across a large-scale institution.

However, libelous accusations can now be easily tracked down and legal action can be taken in court.  In April, a Texas couple was awarded over $13 million in a defamation case they made against an individual who harassed them online through multiple false accusations on web forums.

As Mark Twain said, “a lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Defamation

In a related case in Canada, a teacher from British Columbia sued his ex-girlfriend for posting defamatory material on the web for more than two years.  After the relationship ended, the woman started spreading lies on websites that her ex-boyfriend was a pedophile and that he was dating his much younger students.

The ex-boyfriend sued the woman in Malaysia where a judge found her guilty of defamation.  The woman was ordered to pay $66,000 in damages.  Additionally, the Malaysian judge ordered search engine providers Google, Yahoo and Bing to block the teacher’s name from being searchable.

Credit: Commons/Wikimedia

Reputation Management

Individuals and companies are not immune to anonymous defamation.  Motivated aggressors can use software to hide their digital footprints and thus continue to spread false information on their targets.  Misleading information and blatant lies that go viral can result in gains or losses for investors.

For businesses, reputation is directly tied to its ability to monetize from its product and service offerings, according to Brad Merkel of reputation management firm ReviewBoost.  According to Merkel, “80 percent of customers read reviews before making a buying decision”.  He also says that companies with a good reputation can improve their conversions by up to 300 percent.

Reputation management is a subset of the marketing function.  Companies can take several steps to monitor their reputation online:

1. Monitor news outlets, web forums, and discussion threads
2. Create a channel where complainers can communicate with your business
3. Address online complaints before they get worse

Anonymous Attacks

Offended parties may not be able to completely scrub misinformation or false data from the Internet.  What happens on the Internet often stays on the Internet.  Websites that are ignored by administrators often become legacy pages that no longer feature updates or revisions to its content.

While the U.S. constitution protects the right to free speech (which covers opinions), blatant lies that result in damages are not.  Through the use of technology, the nation’s court system can now trace offending parties by tracking their IP addresses which each of which is tied to a specific computer.

What makes the Internet unique is its ability to spread information seemingly at the speed of light.  Additionally, software technology can disguise the source of the information however accurate or inaccurate.

As the Texas case shows, judicial systems around the world are beginning to combat libelous claims made on the Internet.  Those who spread false rumors should beware.

Massachusetts police confirm bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been laid to rest. The announcement ends days of controversy over where to bury him. Several cemeteries would not accept the suspect’s body, and a plan to bury him at a prison fell through as well. Tsarnaev’s wife also refused to pick up his body when it came to organizing his burial. She instead allowed his relatives to claim the remains and deal with the necessary arrangements.

It’s officially complete! Construction workers bolted a 408-foot spire on the top of 1 World Trade Center on Friday, completing the project, and making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. It will serve as a TV broadcast tower, and is expected to open for business in 2014.

Attention Whole Foods shoppers! You may want to check that chicken or soy chicken salad you packed for lunch today. Whole Foods mistakenly mixed up labels for chicken salad and vegan soy chicken salad at some stores’ cold food bars earlier this week. Interestingly enough, the supermarket’s admission of the mix-up comes the same day as praise for its business model and recent success.

However, Gov. Snyder and his staff are facing significant opposition in both the state House and Senate.  Many members view Internet-based lottery as a precursor to more widespread licenses for online gambling and casinos.

Additionally, retailers in Michigan are lobbying against any bill that would legalize Internet-based lotteries due to fears that it will drive many stores out of business.  Players who purchase lottery tickets at convenience stores often buy multiple items such as groceries and snacks.

In 2012, about 11,000 stores in Michigan were selling lottery tickets which generated $172 million from gambling-related revenue.  That amount is derived from 6 percent commissions on total lotto sales in the state of $2.4 billion.   In Michigan, Gov. Snyder wants to launch iLottery in early 2014.  Michigan lottery officials estimate the iLottery could increase lottery profits by as much as $471 million in its first seven years.

Credit: Commons/Wikimedia

California, Delaware, and Mississippi are considering similar proposals to make gambling available online to its residents.  On the west coast, Engage:BDR recently launched an online lotto portal in California.  Ted Dhanik, CEO of the marketing firm, said in an interview earlier this week that LottoGopher lets consumers “buy lotto tickets legally in California”.

This week, Delaware officials began negotiations with the winners of the bid to introduce online casino systems in the state by September 2013.  A partnership between Scientific Games and 888 Holdings is expected to manage and operate Delaware’s new “iGaming” system.

Online gaming is expected to face tougher hurdles in Mississippi where river- and land-based casinos are opposing efforts by some politicians to legalize online gambling.  Rep. Bobby Moak of Bogue Chitto has introduced online gaming legislation in each of the last two sessions in the state legislature.

“The current leadership – the governor, lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House — are not for expanding gaming,” said state Rep. Richard Bennett, chairman of the House gaming committee. “It would be a hard sell, regardless of what my committee wants to do. I think you’d have to see a change in leadership before it will pass.”

If you thought the dramatic trial of Jodi Arias was over after the jury found her guilty of first degree murder, think again. The jury still has to announce whether she’ll be executed or receive a life term in prison. Jodi Arias was placed on suicide watch after comments she made in an interview shortly after being convicted of first-degree murder.

R.I.P Cubicle

Dare we finally say – the cubicle is dead?  Many have wanted to, and recently, The Wall Street Journal officially announced the death of the cubicle. But this workplace transformation is not new in the world of the entrepreneur – in fact, they are leading the change.

Generally, societal, technological and cultural changes play out faster in the world of entrepreneurs. They are the ones most drawn to experiment and challenge and who have the lowest barriers to change. Entrepreneurs also know that they live and die by the talent they surround themselves with and keep.  A revolving door of talent is not helpful.

According to Jamie Paris at Infomedia, a website design and marketing shop, “We are so fortunate to have the people we have, our greatest success comes from them being unleashed.”

A one-size-fits-all workspace, as a result, is long gone.  The hunt is on to create spaces that allow the entrepreneur to express their unique culture, that encourages spontaneous interaction, that screams that fun is a meaningful part of the creative process, and welcomes personal expression so people feel at home… at work.

Here are some ways to start ditching the cubicle and embracing a workspace that meets today’s demands and attracts tomorrow’s talent:

• Think like a great urban planner – vibrant cities have zones, and every great workspace should as well – zones to play, concentrate, collaborate, socialize, and create. All of this in an open environment that gives people choice and control over where to work but lots of serendipity in terms of who they bump into.
• Unchain the user – free up people to move.  Find ways to break the one desk = one person.  Let those who are willing to move during the day sit, perch and stand in a variety of places.  Work next to someone new – and do that often.
• Enable buzz and activity– part of this is not having a dedicated spot for everyone, since they will not be there all day! You need a critical density of people in the space to get buzz. Play music, encourage play – kill the white noise machine.  Walk through, if voices are quiet and guarded you don’t have it right.
• Let the inmates run the asylum – creativity is enabled when people are free to be themselves.  Recognize that not everyone creates or shares the same way — some go digital, some love doodling, some love Legos, make sure spaces are available everywhere to support the lightening inspiration.  Express the personality and culture of the company by encouraging employees to personalize the space — allow workers to bring their bikes, pets, pictures and crazy iconic objects to work.  This allows them to be themselves, feel more comfortable and let the creative juices flow.
• Bring personality, culture, color and nature into the space – a study from Texas A&M University found that flowers and plants increase workplace productivity and creative performance. In fact, men who participated in the study produced 30% more ideas when working in environments with plants.  Similar studies exist for the impact of color and light.  Nature is designed the way it is for a reason!
• If you’re looking for a new space, find one with personality – architecturally interesting, with stories, high ceilings, raw floors, exposed brick, lots of natural light and tie to nature.  Big and open, and don’t you dare fill it with cubes.

A well designed space and a strong culture can help with attracting the right talent and help the team become brand ambassadors faster and more effectively.  Duncan Logan, founder of RocketSpace, an accelerator for high-growth, seed-funded technology startups, knows the importance of good office space and uses it as “a platform for building an ecosystem for technology and new media companies.”  “Companies here specifically mentioned RocketSpace in their ads as a draw for potential employees because the environment makes a difference to these people, and the market for talent is very competitive.”

More often than not, today’s work is that of co-creation.   People still need and want to come together in a physical space.   They come for very simple reasons: people need people, people need technology and people need spaces that bring those two together in effective ways.  We also need ties and trust to those we innovate and create with.  Coming together in a shared space is still one of the best ways to build these ties.

For all these reasons, a work space still matters very much to entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs are leading the way in creating the post-cubicle world.

An area where we all have to do better in establishing Culturational Chemistry in the workplace is in effective communication. After all, that is the key to any successful relationship.

Where I’ve seen this become challenging at times is in the different forms of communication. Facebook, texting and tweeting are becoming more acceptable forms of communication in the workplace, which bodes well for millennials. These communication forms are native language to this generation. A source of frustration for older generation leadership however, is the expressed inability of millennials to communicate effectively in more traditional channels of communication. This includes in person meetings or presentations, emails and phone calls. The permeating belief is that because the more millennial-friendly forms of communication mentioned above tends to lend it self to shortened and abbreviated language and slang terminology, this hinders many millennials from communicating in an effective and/or professional manner in the more traditional means of communicating.

My suggestion to all of you in senior leadership is to provide clear-cut examples of what is acceptable and appropriate for all forms of communication to your new young talent from day one.

And to my millennials, here are a few tips you should keep in mind.

1. Face-to face communication is not just about your words. Studies show that human communication consists of 55% body language, 38% tone and only 7% of the actual words we use. If you aren’t accustomed to a lot of face-to- face communication, this may be something you need to work on to ensure you body is speaking the same language as your words.

2. Keep in mind that it is difficult to communicate tone and mood in an email. Always be aware of and sensitive to that. Email in the workplace is a formal form of communication and requires a level of professionalism that represents the company and not just you. Words should be spelled out correctly and in their entirety.

3. Your tone is the top percentage attribute on the phone, so make sure you use the appropriate tone based on what you want to convey. And as tempting as it may be to multitask, minimize your distractions and employ good listening skills. Believe it or not, the person on the other end can tell if you’re distracted or inattentive.

“When we change the way we communicate, we change society” ― Clay Shirky

#NoShortcuts #Millennials

Kidnapping victims Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard offer words of encouragement to the three Cleveland women.

The defense is expected to enter the plea Monday, making the accused mass shooter’s sanity the central focus of the trial.

In the graphic above, the amount of chatter about a brand is indicated by the size of the bubble, while the placement of the bubble shows the sentiment and the intensity of passion.

I have to say, I was amazed at just how much passion villainous women create! Viewers love to hate the evil moms and this intensity really stirs up a high level of engagement. We found that Cersei of Game of Thrones generated the largest share of buzz, with 58% of the overall conversation. Cersei was the most talked about TV mom, and she had one of the lowest Net Sentiment scores (4) and the second lowest Passion Intensity (56). Online consumers can’t stop buzzing about how controversial and evil she is – and how well the actress pulls off this icy role.

Everyone hates Cersei because she’s so good at being bad. Lena Heady ftw.

Ughhhhhh, I hate the Lannisters! And I freaking hate Cersei.

@angrygodofjebus I hate Cersei so much too. Which is the best feeling her performance could give.

Betty Draper of the critically acclaimed Mad Men – and currently, my new favorite show thanks to Netflix and weekends – received the third highest share of buzz with 11% of the overall conversation. And I guess in this case, a good thing, Mrs. Draper had the lowest Net Sentiment score (-10) and a fairly high Passion Intensity of 62. Verbatim revealed that online consumers hate and ranted about Betty’s deplorable mothering skills.

It’s season six and I still hate Betty Draper. #madmen

Welp. I officially effing hate betty draper.

Betty Draper was one of the most brilliantly appalling characters ever written

Betty Draper is ruining Mother’s Day… #MadMen

Betty Draper is easily the worst mother ever. #madmen

And finally, on a high note: Gloria Pritchett of Modern Family emerged as the most-loved TV mom, with the highest Passion Intensity score (97) and the highest Net Sentiment score (66). Despite generating only about 1% of the overall chatter, online consumers gushed about how Gloria is their much-loved, favorite character. I guess the formula here is it’s better to be hated than loved if you want the buzz!

My favorite is Gloria Pritchett.

Sofia Vergara. Have you seen her as the fabulous Gloria Pritchett in Modern Family? I think I’m in love!

Words cannot describe how much I love Gloria Pritchett!

Just for the record, I love Gloria Pritchett!

Who’s your favorite TV mom? Let me know in the comments! And to my fellow moms out there, have a healthy and happy Mother’s Day!

The Minneapolis-based company had about $40 billion in sales in 2012 and $32 billion in 2011. HomeServices is seeing rapid growth due to a recovering U.S. housing market as well as through recent acquisitions of other realty firms.  Last month, Russell Price – an economist for American Financial – told Fox News, “Rather than getting big 20 percent to 30 percent gains on either sales or prices any one year, we’re going to get a gradual improvement process that is much healthier for the economy rather than a sharp rebound.”

As a result, Berkshire’s holding company is becoming one of the largest real estate brokerage conglomerates in the United States.  This year, the real estate arm has gone on a shopping spree as Berkshire Hathaway struggles to invest a record $49.1 billion in investable cash that’s stuck on its balance sheet.  In 2013, HomeServices acquired Prudential Georgia Realty, Prudential Gaslight Realtors, and Guarantee Real Estate in moves that signal further consolidation in the industry.

However, HomeServices’ competitive moves in the housing market are being criticized as anti-competitive by other real estate firms.  A few years ago, the company settled a class action lawsuit for illegally fixing real estate commissions.

In April, Jonathan Cardella, the CEO of real estate firm Neighbor City, accused Buffett’s holding company of bullying practices in the housing market.  HomeServices recently sued the San Francisco-based company for allegedly posting copyrighted photos of sold properties.  Cardella denies those charges even as Buffett’s holding company recently sent a letter demanding that the latter cease and desist contacting HomeServices’ independent contract and agents.

Cardella is accusing HomeServices of attempting to limit the dissemination of real estate offers for sale, as well as, attempting to reduce transparency in a competitive industry.  According to Neighbor City, which posts available properties and real estate agents in Northern California on the Internet, HomeServices’ monopolistic actions would limit the eventual sales price of housing properties.

For his part, Warren Buffett remains bullish on a recovering housing market.  Earlier this year, Berkshire’s main investor told a gathering at Prudential’s real estate convention in Texas that he remains optimistic about the industry, especially properties in the Lone Star State.

“The coming years are going to be a lot better,” said Buffett. “We see it in all our housing related businesses. We have a brick business; we have a carpet business; we have insulation. We’re in all aspects of housing, and they’re all coming back strong.”