One thing the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed is the need for employee training and skills development. Although lockdowns have reduced access to offices and increased job insecurity, they have provided the time and opportunity for building skills. Demand for professional development has grown. However, since early 2020, the only option for employees to upskill has been […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
3 things we need to get right to ensure online professional development works
We all politicize history
Here’s an interesting question for historians: Why do ideologues never seem to be aware of their own ideology? Such is the case with the recent report from the Texas Association of Scholars and the National Association of Scholars’ Center for the Study of the Curriculum, “Recasting History: Are Race, Class, and Gender Dominating American History?” […] … learn more→
Oh, the morality: why ethics matters in economics
“Morally bankrupt” is how a recently departing Goldman Sachs executive described the culture of the investment bank. As noted in Business Day, this view “is common among the bank’s critics, many of whom see the firm as a symbol of Wall street’s excesses and a culture of greed which has wreaked havoc on US business […] … learn more→
After the Greek rescue package: will Portugal be the next to fall?
Greece is rescued, for now…maybe. Perhaps it’s time to move on to the next basket case. So, which of the PIIGS is the next Greece? For the moment, Portugal looks to be the front-runner. The country’s public-debt-to-GDP ratio is above 100%, and with a forecasted growth rate of -3.3%, its economy is shrinking at a […] … learn more→
Unions are key to improving labor abuses in China
American consumers who are outraged to learn that sleek iPads and iPhones are made by underpaid, overworked Chinese laborers, take note: Long-distance support for workers who build for Apple Inc. and other companies is unlikely to have much impact. \”Ongoing labor rights violations in China, despite years and years of consumer campaigns in the West, […] … learn more→
China’s pollution puts a dent in its economy
Although China has made substantial progress in cleaning up its air pollution, a new MIT study shows that the economic impact from ozone and particulates in its air has increased dramatically. … learn more→
For the electric car, a slow road to success
The big electric car launches of 2011 failed to generate the consumer excitement that some had predicted. But as new battery technologies emerge and tougher mileage standards kick in, automakers and analysts still believe that electric vehicles have a bright future. … learn more→
When women rule
Voters often regard politicians with derision — so often, in fact, they may lose sight of the extent to which elected officials are role models for younger people. Indeed, new evidence suggests that when those politicians are female, they play a highly influential and positive role in the lives of young women. A newly published […] … learn more→
Iran oil threats, yet another reason to resolve to cut our oil use
I’m off by a week, but…Happy New Year! I hope everyone resolved to buy a higher fuel economy or electric car or to find alternatives to driving all the time, because it looks like it could be yet another year of oil and gasoline price spikes, thanks yet again to Middle East security issues. Iran/U.S. […] … learn more→
Who is behind the hacked climate emails? And when will the criminals be brought to justice?
When a hacker (or hackers) released a second batch of emails stolen from scientists last month, the immediate question that sprang to my mind was, “Why haven’t we found them yet?” And now, after months of apparent inactivity, it seems that British authorities are taking a renewed interest in tracking down the criminals who are […] … learn more→
