Software

U.S. stocks again started the day mixed after a report said that U.S. retail and food services fell more than expected last month. Investors are also digesting a slew of quarterly earnings reports from banks, as JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ) and Citigroup Inc. ( C ) recorded income declines, while Wells Fargo & Company ( WFC ) said that profit jumped. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500 are poised to finish the week lower, while the Nasdaq may end up higher for the week. All three major indexes finished lower yesterday. Key Takeaways Stocks are mixed again this morning, with the Nasdaq gaining and the Dow and S&P 500 falling. Retail and food sales sank 1.9% in December, marking the biggest drop in 10 months. JPMorgan and Citigroup reported falling quarterly profit, while Wells Fargo reported fourth quarter profit that beat analysts' forecasts. The University of Michigan will release its Consumer Sentiment Index for … [Read more...] about Stocks Mixed as Retail Sales Drop Most in 10 Months

Tesla, Inc.'s ( TSLA ) shares reversed course from their recent downward trajectory and rose by 3% on Monday, Jan. 10, after key analysts upped their price targets for the stock. Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Delaney confirmed Tesla as a Top Pick for his firm, and Tesla bull Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley said that the company was a winner in the electric vehicle (EV) race. Both analysts increased their price targets for Tesla shares. The increase in share price came after a bruising four-day period for the stock during which its price fell from $1,200 to as low as $980. The decline occurred even after Tesla announced record delivery numbers . Key Takeaways Electric carmaker Tesla's stock reversed course and rose yesterday after key analyst revisions to its price targets. Noted Tesla bull Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley revised his price target to $1,300 from $1,200 and stated that Tesla was winning the EV marathon. Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Delaney rated Tesla stock a Top … [Read more...] about Tesla (TSLA) Stock Rises After Analysts Boost Price Targets

Tired, deflated, hanging by a thread: These are just a few keywords your average American worker might use to describe themself these days. And who can blame them, as we head into year three of the pandemic? Compared with the “before times,” remote employees are working longer hours, attending more meetings, and juggling more communication channels. According to Zendesk, more than a quarter of working American adults say they now suffer from some form of depression, and nearly 60% report negative effects of workplace-related stress. advertisement advertisement So, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when 47.4 million Americans resigned from their jobs last year—with another 52% eyeballing the exit. To be sure, myriad factors have contributed to this mass exodus, but it’s worth noting that toxic culture is the top predictor of voluntary turnover. In fact, when compared with salary, toxic cultures are 10.4 times more likely to push an employee … [Read more...] about One key way to prevent employee burnout? Addressing toxic clients

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Whether you’re a manager at a company with 3,000 employees or three, something that leaders across industries have learned in the past two years is that giving employees more flexibility is key to retention and recruiting of new hires. The pandemic forced the majority (~70%) of the US workforce to adapt in a plethora of different ways to keep everyone healthy while still continuing to work efficiently. Companies that previously had 0% of their employees working remotely had to figure out how to seamlessly transfer all operations to a 100% digital environment. While obviously a ton of bad things came from the pandemic, that’s not to say there weren’t learnings and lessons discovered across the board. The reality is that more talent in every part of the country, and the world, now has access to greater opportunities because of the increased normalization of remote work. Gone are the days where you have to live in San Francisco … [Read more...] about 30 Executives’ Perspectives On Remote, Hybrid, And In-Office Work

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin 2021 brought rising shipping and oil costs and major supply issues, largely driven by shipping disruption, container shortages, COVID staffing challenges and Brexit red tape. 2022 has brought even more challenges, the devastating war in Ukraine has exacerbated global retail issues as 86% of SMB supply chains have already been or expect to be impacted by the conflict abroad. The resurgence of Omicron in China kick-starting Covid restrictions is also predicted to have a major impact on the supply chain well into the summer . ADVERTISEMENT So the ongoing and ever-changing supply-chain issues are a constant theme for retailers - small businesses are feeling the brunt. Insights from Software Advice’s new Small and Midsize Business Retail Supply Chain Survey show “nine out of ten small and midsize business (SMB) retailers feel that larger companies have an advantage over them in their ability to procure … [Read more...] about Can Small Businesses Adapt Their Supply Chain With Current Challenges?

advertisement advertisement At a time when young companies struggle to find technology sectors not dominated by Silicon Valley’s giants , most startups remain oblivious to one of the largest markets in the world, the U.S. Defense Department. The military awarded $445 billion in contracts in 2020. By comparison, last year’s global market for software-as-a-service, one of the hottest sectors for startup creation and investment, was estimated at $104 billion . There’s a willing market here, too. The Pentagon is eager for help from the nation’s innovators. The military is clamoring for cutting-edge technologies in areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and autonomy. To attract interest the Defense Department is handing out unprecedented numbers of small contracts and in 2020 seeded 1,635 firms with more than $1.5 billion in early funding. Dozens of outreach programs across the military now offer quick revenue to early-stage companies. … [Read more...] about Why the defense industry could be the most transformative market for startups

In the months prior to the outbreak of civil war in Syria, I led a State Department delegation on a controversial trip to Syria that included a sit-down with Bashar al-Assad. Our intention was to muscle the Syrian dictator on a series of security issues in the field of technology. The weaponization of widely available consumer technology was making it easier to surveil, spread disinformation, and both develop and destroy political movements. Our delegation was there to apply political and economic pressure to try to get Assad moving in the right direction. advertisement advertisement The thing that made this delegation walking into Assad’s office different from any other was that it was not composed of diplomats or government officials from the Pentagon or CIA. It was comprised of senior executives from American companies including Cisco Systems, Verisign, Microsoft, and others. Our view was that the companies held the power to be more persuasive under … [Read more...] about From Cold War to ‘Code War:’ Why government needs tech talent now

Authenticity is the new brand standard. The most authentic brands in the world are also the top brands, period. When people think of authentic brands, they usually come up with companies like TOMS, Ben & Jerry's, and Lego. What do all of these brands have in common? Social purpose. That's not surprising considering nearly two-thirds of consumers want businesses to take a stand on current social issues. More than 80 percent of consumers surveyed in a recent study allow a company's social purpose to drive their purchasing decisions when quality and price are about the same. While it's clear that taking a stand on social issues contributes to your brand's authenticity, you're likely wondering what else you can do to be seen as authentic. According to the Journal of Consumer Psychology , a brand's authenticity is judged by the consumer's perception that a brand is driven by the need to be caring and responsible, its need to be loyal to itself … [Read more...] about 3 Things Your Brand Needs to Be Authentic