Unengaged employees are difficult to manage. In many cases, they aren't unhappy with their jobs – they just don't have much of a connection with their employers. They are perfectly content to clock in at 9 a.m. and punch out at 5:30 p.m., but they will be hesitant to take that next step to really
Continue reading »The construction sector was originally thought to be impervious to the economic recession that impacted so many other industries. However, in 2008 and 2009, many builders found that this wasn't the case. Rather, because new projects are approved so far in advance, the impact of the recession was simply delayed. Between 2009 and 2010, numerous
Continue reading »It's no secret that more companies are going green to reduce expenses and gain some public support. A number of studies have shown that consumers are more supportive – at least emotionally – of businesses that practice green operations and produce environment-friendly goods, highlighting the need for organizations to at least consider reducing their carbon
Continue reading »While Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota was the originator of the Kaizen work practices and philosophies, its leading competitor, Honda, is now looking to stress the importance of continuous improvement with a new series of advertisements. The campaign highlights Honda's penchant for innovation and continued evolution, regardless of the products and services being made. The commercial
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Business owners and entrepreneurs frequently have big, lofty goals, both company-related and personal. These obviously change from person to person and company to company, but could include the development of new products, reaching a new audience, international expansion or simply becoming an industry leader. While some of these dreams are easier to achieve than others,
Continue reading »Employee engagement is a buzzword thrown around constantly in the business world. It's a part of every executive and manager's vocabulary, but how many actually know what it means and how to meaningfully improve it? Recent analysis of employee engagement from MSW Research and Dale Carnegie Training explored the concept, and while the two organizations
Continue reading »So many businesses place their priorities on innovation, discovering new ways of making money and potentially improving operations. However, company leaders and executives need to remember one of the biggest expenses that every organization has to deal with – time. Even more so than money, time is a limited resource. You can never earn back
Continue reading »Kaizen revolves around the identification and elimination of wastes. By implementing Kaizen, businesses are able to improve production and streamline efficiency, enabling them to achieve the same or better metrics while decreasing or maintaining the costs of production. But what is a waste? Wastes may not be apparent in every business setting, InformIt explains. Even
Continue reading »The healthcare industry is going through some massive changes, spearheaded by the recent drive to convert paper files into digital electronic health records (EHRs). Participating hospitals and clinics can receive upward of $40,000 for making the transition, which is expected to improve collaboration between physicians, reduce the number of mistakes made, bolster the quality of
Continue reading »Disaster can and will strike any business. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc for businesses in the Northeast United States, while earthquakes and tsunamis impacted Japanese companies in 2011. The year before that, rampant flooding in East Asia destroyed components and resources for a number of organizations, setting some back by upward of a year.
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