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Maybe you were building a new business and well on your way to new heights and great things before Covid-19 -- growing like crazy and hiring folks left and right. Now you're faced with the new post-pandemic reality that bringing your people back to the office, or finding suitable replacements, isn't going to be as quick and easy as you thought. I've got some advice for you: If you want to build a sustainable, long-term and committed workforce, which is the foundation for every successful startup, please don't beg or bribe your people, or any new people, to return to work or join the team. Startups are hard enough when everyone's fully on board, pulling in the same direction, and excited about the journey. Getting good players isn't difficult; getting them to play well together is the whole ball game. If people are going to be asked to give it their all, then it is important that they share in, and are connected to, the vision -- the dream -- and shown a credible path to get … [Read more...] about Don’t Bribe Them to Come Back–Tell Them to Stick It

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Hamburg-based travel retailer Gebr. Heinemann was rejoicing this week as it ousted Dufry by winning the tender to run the core retail business at Düsseldorf Airport, Germany’s fourth busiest air gateway after Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin. Heinemann—with revenue of $2.2 billion (€2.1 billion) in 2021—will run a new ten-year concession to operate four duty-free and travel retail stores across all three terminals (A, B, C) from January 10, next year. The 43,000 square feet of space is currently operated by World Duty Free, a Dufry company, and will be stocked with familiar products ranging across liquor, tobacco, confectionery, beauty, fashion, accessories, watches and jewelry. The victory is sweet. World Duty Free, acquired by Dufry in 2015 , took the Düsseldorf concession away from Heinemann in January 2013 after 20 years at the airport. Getting it back was always going to be an objective for family-owned Heinemann which … [Read more...] about Dufry Loses Retail Toehold In Germany As Heinemann Returns To Country’s Fourth Busiest Airport

A view of the flood at Taman Sri Muda on Dec 21, 2021 (Photo by Shahrill Basri/The Edge) - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 27): Fifty Taman Sri Muda flood victims have filed a suit against the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), Putrajaya and eight others seeking RM3.7 million in damages for the devastating floods that hit the neighbourhood last December. In their statement of claim sighted by theedgemarkets.com , the resident plaintiffs are also suing the director-general of the Meteorological Department, director-general of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, and the Selangor state government. The plaintiffs claim that Nadma had failed to ensure the assignment of officers at the relevant central points to facilitate the smooth handling of the disaster. They also claim that Nadma had failed to ensure all districts, states and the federal level had the relevant resources needed to conduct search and rescue as well as to provide supplies in a swift … [Read more...] about 50 Taman Sri Muda flood victims sue Nadma, Putrajaya, eight others for RM3.7 mil

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on June 20, 2022 - June 26, 2022. - A + A THE momentum to adopt environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and sustainability practices in the capital market has picked up significantly in the past few years. By the third quarter of 2021, assets in global sustainable funds hit a record high, according to investment research firm Morningstar. At the same time, more than 70 countries — including the biggest polluters — have set a net-zero target and over 1,200 companies have put in place science-based targets to reach net-zero emissions, according to the United Nations. In Malaysia, at least 44 out of the 54 Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) funds approved by Securities Commission Malaysia were launched in the last two years. As at December 2021, 94% of the top 50 listed companies in Malaysia had ESG strategies and 68% had emissions reduction policies, according to PwC’s research. … [Read more...] about HONOURING MALAYSIA’S BEST PERFORMERS IN ESG EXCELLENCE: The Edge to roll out Malaysia’s first ESG awards

Telfs-Buchen, Austria (CNN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told G7 leaders during a virtual meeting Monday that he wants the war in Ukraine to end by the end of 2022, according to a source familiar with his remarks , as leaders worked to starve Russia of its oil revenues and mitigate the economic fallout of the conflict. The dual missions -- sustain support for Ukraine while easing economic pressures at home -- have defined this year's summit of leading democracies, held high in the Bavarian Alps. While largely united, the leaders are all facing their own political imperatives to see a momentum shift in the fighting and bring an end to the conflict quickly. To that end, leaders were nearing an agreement to try capping the price of Russian oil, depriving the country of revenues that have soared amid the global spike in energy prices. Details were still being ironed out, including whether the top buyers of Russian oil would agree to the limits, but US officials … [Read more...] about G7 leaders work to ‘starve’ Russia of oil money as Zelensky says he wants the war over by the end of the year

If you ever hope to approach the level of coolness exuded by Reggie Watts, LittleBits’s latest creation, the Synth Kit , might be your best bet. Success is not guaranteed: Watts’s mastery, which you can view in all its glory above or over on his YouTube page, takes time, creativity, ingenuity, and talent. But, with the Synth Kit, amateurs can at least start to make some noise. advertisement advertisement The Synth Kit, like the other littleBits kits, “breaks down technology into its very basic parts to bring the power of electronics to everyone,” LittleBits CEO Ayah Bdeir explained to Fast Company. But instead of using bits to build motors, lights, and motorized lights, the 12 magnetic pieces in this box click together to build an analog synthesizer, much like the ones sold by KORG , a partner for this project and an icon in the synthesizer world. Like the other kits sold by LittleBits–all of which are intended to make engineering and … [Read more...] about Craft Works: Engineer Your Way To Rock Stardom With The LittleBits Synth Kit

FILE PHOTO: Juan Ponce Enrile. INQUIRER FILES MANILA, Philippines — Former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, 98, is confined in a hospital due to COVID-19. In a post on his personal Facebook account, the incoming legal adviser of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos made an appeal “(t)o all my FB friends, critics, and enemies” to “(p)lease bear with me. I am in the hospital.” But it appears that the nonagenarian is asymptomatic, as he noted not feeling any discomfort and that his body temperature has been normal, except for a dry cough. “To my critics and enemies: Do not clap with glee. I am not going to die yet. Far from it,” Enrile also wrote on Facebook. “Since three (3) days ago after I entered Makati Med. when I was diagnosed ‘positive’ for COVID virus. I never had any discomfort. No chills. No fever. No headache. No malaise. My body temperature ranges from 36* to 36.8*. My body oxygen ranges from 96 to 99. All my physical vital signs and blood chemistry … [Read more...] about Enrile contracts COVID-19: ‘To my critics and enemies, I am not going to die yet’

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Go off the beaten path and drink local with the locals Like all major European capitals, Rome’s touristy neighborhoods are hard to avoid or, sometimes, resist. After a journey of missed connections, jumbled travel directions and mangled language if you’re not an Italian speaker, it’s tempting to fall into a neighborhood like Trastevere, where English is widely spoken and familiar menu items can entice you to give in and settle for something comfortable. But, don’t. If you want to eat and drink like a Roman, get off the beaten track. Just across the river, the adjoining historically working-class neighborhoods of Testaccio and Ostiense have bloomed in the past decade, becoming destinations for more authentic eating and drinking. They’re no secret to the well-traveled set or frequent visitors to Rome, but you’ll see few fanny-packers, selfie sticks and white sneakers here. Take the subway ( Metropolitana ) to the … [Read more...] about When in Rome, Drink Like A Roman

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Joe Biden is unlikely to dine with Kim Jong-un anytime soon. If he did, he might enjoy naengmyeon with a side of oi muchim . If Biden were to sit down with Ebrahim Raisi of Iran on the other hand, they might share a plate of khoresht-e hulu . A meal with Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela? Chivo al coco con mofongo might be on the menu. Over a seven-year period starting in 2010, residents of Pittsburgh could enjoy all of these delicacies at a take-out restaurant known as Conflict Kitchen . The premise was stunningly simple: Seven days a week, the proprietors served traditional dishes from nation-states in conflict with the United States. From Palestine to Cuba to Afghanistan, they rotated menus based on current events. For most of the proffered cuisines, Conflict Kitchen was the only option within driving distance. Although Conflict Kitchen is no longer open – and Pittsburgh is no longer a prime destination for chivo … [Read more...] about See The Provocative Designers Who Might Be The Next Nobel Peace Prize Winners At The Cooper Hewitt Museum

The pandemic’s shift to remote work could have long-lasting positive implications—if we get it right. advertisement advertisement We can already feel that we’re in a period of change, even if we can’t quite analyze it with the benefit of historic context yet. As Brian Chesky recognized in AirBnB’s going fully remote: “You can’t fight the future, we can’t try to hold on to 2019 any more than 1950. We have to move forward.” During the pandemic, the US went from only a 6% remote workforce to 22% . That is an astounding increase in a dramatically short time frame. The most remarkable byproduct of this transition is just how much employees came to embrace this new format for work. In a continuous year-long survey of US workers published by the Chicago Booth Review , 60% said working from home was better, substantially better, or hugely better than they expected; 26% said about the same; and under 15% said worse. Now that remote work is becoming … [Read more...] about Remote work shouldn’t be the antithesis of in-person work. Here’s how to do the format correctly