Massimiliano Magrini posted a blog postWi-Fi Delivers a Next-Generation Customer Experience for RetailersMobile phone users were forecasted to total 4.55 billion worldwide last year and an increasing number of users are turning to their mobile devices to access Wi-Fi. It is well understood that consumers are increasingly sophisticated and expect to be able to tap into the web with ease wherever they are-be it in stores, restaurants, cafes, music venues or local shopping centres. Hotspots are growing accordingly as well. By 2018, Maravedis Rethink forecasts growth to around 12 million commercial hotspots worldwide. Herein lies a great opportunity for brands to not only reach consumers seeking free Wi-Fi from their locations but also derive valuable insights on behaviour of customers within specific localities.Retail is an industry that has undergone rapid changes in recent years. Retailers have become leaders in Wi-Fi innovative solutions and technologies to meet the global demand. According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers worldwide will use mobile phones to purchase $120 billion in goods and services in 2015. Guest Wi-Fi access is a powerful toolthat empowers retailers to engage shoppers even more through omni-channel strategies with the proper integration of in-store, online and mobile channels.Customer surveys have highlighted how shoppers are using guest Wi-Fi today:6 in 10 customers use their mobile phones for assistance or guidance in stores61% have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experienceAlmost 40% of shoppers use in-store Wi-Fi to browse the retailer’s websiteNearly 50% look for deals, coupons and offers online to use in stores46% buy products in-store after using a mobile device to research themProviding Wi-Fi access in stores allows retailers to transform their customers’ digital experience. They can offer promotions such as push coupons and special offers or design customized marketing messages to the in-store shopper. Guest Wi-Fi also gives retailers access to powerful analytics tools to track data about the target audience and gain valuable insights on each shopper’s preferences, behaviours and purchasing patterns. Stores can utilize these insights to personalize customers’ engagement, hence gain differentiation and competitive advantage in the market.Finally, retailers can integrate social media channels with guest Wi-Fi portals to encourage customers to opt for marketing programs. Brands can certainly benefit from shoppers as loyal promoters on social media networks.The retail industry is becoming more and more focused on metrics that influence the customer journey. As a result, brand engagements are more aligned with customer preferences. In store real time communication is the most valuable source of information during the critical phase of decision making process for consumers, getting the right data providing the most valuable service for consumer at the same time can represent a competitive edge for the retailing industry.Massimiliano Magrini is the co-founder and managing partner of United Ventures.See More

Now here’s a scary thought:"The less people know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy consumption and the environment, the more they want to avoid becoming well-informed, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. "So reads a press release about a recently published study that explores the links between awareness of social issues and dependence on and trust in government.   Researchers at the University of Western Ontario and other universities reached these conclusions following a series of studies in the US and Canada.   Researchers presented participants with simple and complex descriptions of the same problem and found that people reading the more complex description felt higher levels of helplessness.  One of the conclusions that co-researcher Aaron C. Kay, reported was that:"people tend to respond by psychologically ‘outsourcing’ the issue to the government"   So what does this mean for educators, especially those who teach complex issues and like to emphasize critical thinking?  The authors suggest:  "Beyond just downplaying the catastrophic, doomsday aspects to their messages, educators may want to consider explaining issues in ways that make them easily digestible and understandable, with a clear emphasis on local, individual-level causes." To learn more, check out Ignorance Is Bliss When it Comes to Challenging Social Issues at  http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/11/ignorance.aspx. 

Guest Blog by Jenna Giulioni The following post is an article that my 15-year-old daughter wrote for her high school newspaper.  It strikes me that we adults might benefit from this teenage wisdom on how to reach our goals. As the new school year fast approaches, there are two types of people, those praying for summer not to end and those who are looking forward to a fresh new start.  The beginning of the school year is the kid version of the real New Year.  Resolutions are made, although often not as officially.  ‘I’m gonna get all A’s!’ ‘I will be organized all year.’ ‘I am going to study extra hard for every test!’ As good as the intentions are, usually those big goals get tossed to the side and forgotten after a matter of weeks.  The things that seemed so important suddenly fall second to the newest America’s Next Top Model episode or a simple case of laziness.  Those expectations slip further and further away until the memory of them is gone and the whole process is repeated next year. So, what are some ways for the important goals for this year not to slip away? 1.    "Don’t be afraid." -Isabella, Sophomore At the end of the day, the only thing that can hold a person back is themselves.  Sometimes you are afraid to fail or afraid of what others will think.  But when it all comes down to it, you only have yourself to deal with… it only matters whether or not you tried. 2.    "Push yourself." -Alma, Junior You will never find out what you can achieve without pushing yourself to your limits.  Take the honors or AP class, try out for that sport, talk to those new people.  You will never know what you can do until you try it. 3. "Remind yourself of why you made your goals." -Sarah, Sophomore Sometimes, the biggest problem with moving forward is forgetting why you wanted to do it in the first place.  Try writing down why you want to reach your goals, whether it’s for college, your family, or just for yourself.  Even the most focused person will have their down days and need their memory jogged. 4.    "Don’t psych yourself out." -Dashel, Sophomore Of course your goals are important, but they are not the whole world.  And although it is preferable to stay directly on course and hit your goals right away, that won’t always happen.  Prepare for setbacks, not everything will be perfect, but in the end, you can do it. The post Back to School Inspires Goal Setting appeared first on Julie Winkle Giulioni.

Eric Openshaw's blog post was featuredCutting Your Way to GrowthWhen Hewlett-Packard announced it was splitting its legacy personal computer and printer business from its enterprise technology infrastructure, software and services business, its stock jumped nearly five percent in a single day. The news came on the heels of a similar declaration from eBay that it was spinning off PayPal, its payments processing business—an announcement that garnered it a seven percent boost in share price. Other tech giants have followed suit, including IBM, which is unloading its chip-making unit, and Symantec, which is separating its data security and data storage groups.This is something of a counterintuitive trend. While megamergers may characterize certain industries, such as pharmaceuticals or airlines, in other industries, including technology, consumer packaged goods, and industrial products, the opposite seems to be true. More and more companies are splitting into separate businesses or selling off pieces that are no longer core to their operations—and Wall Street is applauding their moves.The motivation behind these decisions is sobering, however. Enterprises today are faced with mounting performance pressure. Return on assets for U.S. corporations has been falling steadily since 1965; over the same period, the rate at which individual companies lose their leadership position has increased by 39 percent. Companies have responded in a range of ways in an effort to improve shareholder returns--from adding more debt to their balance sheets to offering more dividends and buying back stock. But they are finding one of the most effective ways to unlock value is through divestitures and business splits.  Focus on FocusNot long ago these companies were fixated on growth, snapping up smaller entities, multiplying their products and services, and moving into adjacent businesses. But that growth had a downside: loss of focus due to numerous competing priorities. What we are seeing now is a form of "reverse diversification" in which enterprises are slimming down in order to concentrate their resources on a narrower customer base or set of products and services.Even within a business that serves a relatively circumscribed customer segment, there are three distinct business types operating in tandem: an infrastructure management business, consisting of high-volume, routine processing activities such as logistics, manufacturing, maintenance, or call center operations; a customer relationship business organized around gaining a deep understanding of specific customers and using that knowledge to help them find the products and services that best meet their individual needs; and a product innovation and commercialization business that involves coming up with ideas for new products and services, developing them, and bringing them to market.Maintaining these three business types under the aegis of a single corporation is a vestige of a vertical integration approach that made sense when huge companies dominated the business landscape and scale trumped just about anything else. But today, juggling the needs of each can place large players at the mercy of more nimble competitors that concentrate on just one and do it extremely well. For this reason there is a growing movement towards "unbundling the corporation"—spinning off one or more of the business types to companies that specialize in them. For example, the trend towards outsourcing over the past several decades largely involves shedding infrastructure management businesses like logistics and manufacturing and moving them to companies that can provide world-class capabilities in those areas.Regardless of which path companies use to slim down, the ultimate objective is the same—focusing on what they do best by removing the distractions and resource drains that create barriers to growth and lead to lower valuations. In getting to this point, business leaders need to take a hard look at their portfolio of businesses, as well as the business types within each, and answer some important questions:What components of your business are potentially undervalued? Are there any that are "dead weight" that may be driving down value?Have you assessed what your company truly does well—infrastructure management, customer relationship management, product innovation--and what others do better? The latter are candidates for unbundling.Are you positioned to execute should an opportunity to divest one of your businesses arise?What imminent threats may arise from competitors who are unbundling their portfolios? Do these transactions present any buying opportunities?What does it take to compete as a more focused, more agile player?These are not one-time questions. Executives need to be continuously evaluating their portfolios and asking not just what they can acquire--but what they can divest that will increase their focus on value-creating businesses and activities.Ready, Cut, GrowCompanies that choose to pursue reverse diversification and pare down into focused businesses will no longer need to juggle the warring demands of a complex portfolio. Those that unbundle further to focus on a specific business type--whether it is infrastructure management, customer relationship management, or product innovation—can become even more nimble, learning faster, adapting more quickly to changes in the environment, and accelerating performance improvement. They can also benefit by collaborating with equally specialized, world-class players in the business types they have shed.But increasing fragmentation does not mean the business ecosystem will be made up of myriad smaller players. On the contrary, those companies that have been able to strip down to their core business will be in the best position to command their chosen markets, grow rapidly both organically and inorganically, and generate the greatest value for all stakeholders, from investors to customers. In particular, both infrastructure management businesses and customer relationship businesses have powerful economies of scale and scope that will lead to increasing concentration and consolidation of specialized players. Ultimately, by cutting their way to focused businesses, companies can once again be poised for growth. Eric Openshaw is a vice chairman and the U.S. Technology, Media & Telecommunications Industry leader for Deloitte LLP. John Hagel is co-chairman of the Deloitte Center for the Edge LLP. Paul Sallomi is a vice chairman and the U.S. Technology sector Leader for Deloitte Tax LLP.See More

In a posting on the Economix blog of the New York Times, of 15 majors, education had the lowest unemployment rates: of recently graduated BAs/BEds, of BAs/BEds with work experience, and MAs/MEds. Admittedly, few get rich on an education degree.  But they do stay employed.View the details at:http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/want-a-job-go-to-college-and-dont-major-in-architecture/?ref=business

David Hale's blog post was featuredThe Changing Face of Human ResourcesHR is undergoing a major overhaul. Advances in data mining technology and the emergence of mobile workers are creating a tectonic shift in the way companies manage their workforce in the field and the way employees get work done. Not only that, but it is also having a major impact on the way companies are meeting staffing and hiring needs.Managing a Mobile WorkforceMobile, on-demand workforces are on the rise and while they provide flexibility for both the employer and employee, with them come a new set of challenges, such as managing where your employees are at any give time. Questions HR managers often ask themselves pertain to productivity and whether their employees are completing the task at hand in a timely manner.Today, there are solutions that can help mitigate these concerns. Mobile workforce management solutions that provide real-time visibility into where your workers are and that enable managers to send specific job assignments via their mobile devices. Conversely, employees can keep their managers up to date on the status of their work and can provide updates in real time from any location. For example, if you need to leave early on a Tuesday for your kid’s piano recital, you can block your schedule so no work is assigned that afternoon and have outstanding tasks auto-assigned to another field team member.Another major benefit of using mobile workforce management solutions is the increase in employee engagement and communication across teams. For example, in the retail sector, dispatchers often have to deliver truckloads of products across many stores. By leveraging mobile workforce management solutions, these teams can better coordinate to meet delivery schedules and ensure that products are getting to the right store at the right time.StaffingHR managers are realizing the power of leveraging data to allocate the right person for the right job. Data is also widely used to gain insight into business metrics - for example, companies can determine how many workers are needed at any given time giving the scope and timeline of a particular project. Thanks to the advent of workforce management solutions, HR managers now have a wealth of knowledge they can use to better schedule and manage activity across their organization.HiringThe abundance of data available to HR professionals has also led to the development of labornomics, best described as hiring based primarily on data and statistics. While one can still find value in evaluating traditional cover letters and resumes, the fact is human resources is entering the next phase of its existence, and technology will continue to play an even more integral part in determining who gets the job.Data can be one of the strongest tools for HR managers when it comes to evaluating and engaging with potential recruits. Utilized properly, data can accelerate the entire recruiting process from posting openings to sourcing candidates, reviewing resumes and making offers. According to a survey by Spherion Staffing, 47 percent of millennials have indicated that a prospective employer’s online reputation matters as much as the job it offers. HR pros are coming to the realization that there’s a connection between having a compelling data strategy and finding the top talent for the job.In addition to utilizing data science to hire the right employees, companies are now investing their own internal data analysis to better understand what is and isn’t working when it comes to employee efficiency and success. Traditional performance numbers such as closed leads are being combined with crowdsourced information like social recognition data. This means companies are able to provide employees with real-time feedback rather than just an annual review.One thing is certain, tapping into your company and employee data offers a wealth of opportunities and allows HR departments to hire, staff and manage employees at a much larger scale than ever before. This allows them to take a more strategic approach to meet their HR needs and ultimately work smarter and more efficiently. The next generation of Human Resources is here.David Hale is CEO of Gigwalk.See More

First impressions apply to organizations as well as individuals.  If you’ve ever hired someone, you know that employers have a short window during which to capture the hearts and minds of a new employee. Unfortunately too frequently the window closes… about the same time that a door opens and the disappointed, disillusioned employee walks out! We’ve all had that new employee experience. What drew you in?  What pushed you away?  What did your introduction to the job telegraph to you?  And what long-term effect did these early messages have on how you felt about the work? The job? Yourself? For most of us, those first precious hours and days were dedicated to paperwork, processes, and procedures. Well-meaning leaders concerned themselves with your ‘on-boarding’ and ‘time to productivity.’  Right? But all of this likely did little to bond you to the organization, excite you about the road ahead, or ensure your long-term commitment. Organizations have a great opportunity to help new workers get off to a powerful and lasting start.  But they need to change their approach to welcoming new hires. Best-in-class employers who enjoy high levels of satisfaction, engagement, and retention among new employees do three things differently.  They: Ensure connections: One of the primary psychological needs we bring to the workplace is the need to engage in supportive relationships. Engineer relationships consciously from the start to ensure that new employees have a ready-made network that will help them through the transition. This can be as simple as a lunch rotation and as choreographed as formal mentoring. How it happens is less important than that it happens… early in the transition. Help others contribute quickly: Protracted training programs, extensive shadowing, and elongating time to productivity - this is a recipe for new employee disengagement. Help people quickly find ways to feel competent, effective, and productive. Facilitate the use of their strengths early. Identify small projects and quick wins to establish a sense of momentum. Meaningful contribution builds a sense of commitment. Begin the career development conversation: Invest in employees and they’ll invest in you. Demonstrate your commitment to their futures and it will enhance their commitment to yours. Keep the initial employment interview going by continuing to learn about the new employee’s strengths, interests, passions, and goals. Take steps from the start to clarify how the employee wants to express him/herself and grow… then work together to find ways to make it happen. Onboarding for genuine, long-term results comes down to this: De-emphasize the process and paperwork that is normally the (less-than-warm) welcome to a new job. Focus on connections, contribution, and career development. And watch as your new employees:     Confirm that they made a great choice in accepting your position.     Quickly become powerhouse contributors.     Settle in for a long and productive career with your organization. The post A Word about Welcoming New Workers: Three Secrets to Satisfaction, Engagement, and Retention appeared first on Julie Winkle Giulioni.

While we wait for the annual Horizon report of the 6 most significant technologies to affect higher education in the next 5 years, Audrey Watters of Inside Higher Education has shared her predictions One significant difference in approach distinguish Watters'  predictions from most others:  her list includes policies and practices related to technology as well as fallout from tit.  Among her predictions:The impact of accreditation and recognition for participation in open courses.  The impact of machine grading on work opportunities for graders, teaching assistants and even instructors.  The impact of open source materials on publishing--and the openness of faculty to the new economics of publishing.Check out the predictions at http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/5-predictions-higher-ed-technology-2012.

Sramana Mitra posted a blog postWhy Not All Private Unicorns Will Become Public UnicornsWe’re in yet another tech bubble led by Silicon Valley’s marvelous froth machine. However, this time, the bubble is constrained to two parts of the market, and thankfully, both are private.One, late stage, over-valued, over-hyped venture-funded still private startups. The ones among these that are valued at over $1 Billion are anointed Unicorns. This stems from an article by Aileen Lee with Cowboy Ventures, Welcome To The Unicorn Club: Learning From Billion-Dollar Startups.Two, over investment at the seed stage in private fledgling startups. For more on this, please read: Why 70k+ In Angel Investments Is A Problem.Thankfully, the public market is NOT in a bubble, hence when this one bursts, not much harm will be caused, except a lot of rich people will lose a lot of money.The Economist explains this well in a recent piece aptly titled Forthy.com:Yet judged by the financial yardsticks of the dotcom era there is as yet no bubble. The NASDAQ index of mainly technology stocks is valued at 23 times expected earnings versus over 100 times in 2000. That year Barron’s, an investment magazine, published an analysis showing that 51 listed technology firms would run out of cash within a year. On December 6th Barron’s repeated the exercise and found only five listed tech firms with wobbly finances.On the topic of Unicorns, the article has this to say:The second area of technology froth is in private markets. Their exuberance was demonstrated on December 4th when Uber closed a $1.2 billion private funding round that valued the five-year old firm at $40 billion. Baidu, China’s biggest search engine, is set to buy a stake, too. There are 48 American VC-backed firms worth $1 billion or more, compared with ten at the height of the dotcom bubble, according to VentureSource, a research outfit. In October a software firm called Slack was valued at $1.1 billion, a year after being founded. 2014 looks set to be the biggest year for VC investments since 2000.Well, unless several of these 48 VC-backed firms get acquired by larger companies at valuations greater than a billion, they will not end up with Unicorn level exits.To sustain a billion dollar valuation in the public market, thankfully, isn’t a joke this time around, as it had been during the dotcom era.I see fund managers being thoroughly irresponsible these days by investing at valuations that make no sense whatsoever.Frankly, in 2015, a correction will be more than welcome.More investigation and analysis of Unicorn companies can be found in my latest Entrepreneur Journeys book, Billion Dollar Unicorns. Photo: Rob Boudon/Flickr.Sramana Mitra is the founder of One Million by One Million (1M/1M), a global virtual incubator.See More

As I wrote in an earlier post, perhaps some of the discussions about the differences between Millenials and other generations might be basic generational differences that have existed throughout time, rather than completely unique characteristics of this generation.Here's another piece of evidence to support this alternative view.  In his analysis of three years' of the Allstate/National Journal Heartland poll, Ronald Brownstein found that Millenials, "fabled for preferring variety to stability, also echoed that sentiment" were nearly as likely to seek job stability (that is, a long-term job with a single employer) as those in other age brackets.  Read his analysis at http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/what-the-great-recession-wrought-the-state-of-the-us-in-3-years-of-polls/251010/.