A message from Tim Cook

May 19, 2015

Gender-Diversity Could be Holding IT Industry Back in Innovation

Currently, only 15% of technical roles are held by women (1), demonstrating a lack of gender-diversity that could be holding the industry back when it comes to innovation. The National Center for Women & Information Technology reports that an analysis of 2,360 companies found that those companies with women on their executive boards outperformed companies will all-male executive boards. Furthermore, gender-diverse management teams showed superior return on equity, debt/equity ratios, price/equity ratios, and average growth. (2) Monica Eaton-Cardone, founder and CIO of Global Risk Technologies, most well known by its US counterpart, Chargebacks911, insists that costly mistakes could be prevented if the IT world was more diverse.

According to a 2014 survey of 567 U.S. executives conducted by the Ponemon Institute, 43% of companies had data breaches in the past year, a 10% increase from the prior year. Even high profile companies such as Target, PF Changs and Goodwill were on the receiving end of data breaches, highlighting the need for innovation in this arena. Yet despite the rise in security breaches, 27% of companies surveyed didn’t have a data breach response plan in place. The Ponemon Institute survey found that even among companies that do have data breach plans in place, employees are not convinced that they will work. Only 30% of those responding to the survey said that their organization was “effective or very effective” at creating such plans. (3)

Eaton-Cardone says that having more gender-diverse teams in the IT industry could help create effective solutions in protection against data breaches. Cybercrime costs approximately $12.7 million per year, with smaller businesses being hit harder than large business. (4) Per Eaton-Cardone, the innovation created from gender-diverse teams could help curb this annual hemorrhaging of funds due to cybercrime.

Data breaches are not the only issue when it comes to unwanted collection of personal information. Data brokers are able to gather hyper-specific personal information from consumers and sell it to marketers. The FTC recently called for legislation to bring transparency to the multibillion-dollar data-broker industry in order to give consumers more control over how their data is being used. (5) However, legislation may not be enough to protect consumers from the mining of personal information by data-brokers.  Eaton-Cardone suggests more innovation in the private sector would create products and systems to protect consumers from having their personal information sold to a third-party company.

“The only way we are going to see these solutions come about is by having a fresh point of view in tackling the issue,” says Eaton-Cardone. “Since women are the majority consumers, women have more of a vested interest in solving the problem.”

Gender-diverse teams increase innovation as men and woman bring different viewpoints, ideas and insights into the workplace, all of which enable better problem solving. Diversity is crucial to creative development, and gender-diverse teams provide a wider industry knowledge. The additional benefit to gender-diverse teams is that they attract and retain talented women in the workplace. As the IT industry currently lacks a strong female presence, gender-diverse teams can go a long way in bridging this gap. (6)

Eaton-Cardone, a long-time advocate of women in business, joins the minority of women who hold an executive position in a technical field. In 2012, only 30% of CIO jobs at Fortune 250 companies were held by women. (7) Eaton-Cardone is able to excel at her position of CIO despite lacking a formal background in IT. Eaton-Cardone founded Chargebacks911 to address an unmet need in the credit card industry, then taught herself how to build the IT component required to support the business. Through her work in putting processes in place to help merchants and banks achieve sustainable payment-processing practices, Eaton-Cardone has earned a reputation for creative business solutions.

“Gender should not stop anybody from pursuing their dreams,” says Eaton-Cardone. “If we can encourage men and women to work together, not only will we be able to make major innovations in the tech world, we’ll be nurturing female talent in the process.”

July 10, 2014

Banking On Reemployment

Fifth Third Bank is using its advertising to help people find a job. Curious, isn’t it? But that’s just what Fifth Third Bank and agency of record Leo Burnett are doing in a new campaign, Reemployment. The campaign features actual job seekers participating in Fifth Third’s reemployment program.

“It’s a brilliant way to connect people to their neighbors on one of the most meaningful issues that affects us as a nation.”

Tweet this news: Can a bank help people find jobs? @FifthThird answers with new campaign: Reemployment. 53.com/reemploy.

In addition to leveraging its advertising media to help job seekers reach prospective employers, Fifth Third is encouraging the public to use social media to give the candidates even more exposure and to help additional job seekers.

Fifth Third piloted the first-of-its-kind reemployment program in 2012. The Bank identified mortgage customers who were behind in their payments due to job loss and offered to help them land a new job with NextJob’s comprehensive job search program. The assistance included one-on-one job coaching, NextJob’s proprietary online training program, called the Job Seeker’s Toolkit, and weekly coach-led job club webinars. On average, participants had been out of work for 22 months and were long-term unemployed. After six months, nearly 40 percent had landed jobs. The two companies deployed the full program to mortgage borrowers in 2013 and quickly extended availability of the Job Seeker’s Toolkit to all Fifth Third online customers.  Follow the campaign.

June 28, 2014

Harnessing Innovation and Cooperation to Create Good Jobs and Growth

By Bill Clinton: The United States passed a major milestone last month, having now regained all 8.7 million of the jobs lost during the Great Recession. But many American families, businesses, and communities are still living with the legacy of the most severe contraction in decades. Wages have stagnated, poverty has increased, social mobility has decreased, and too much human potential is being left untapped.

The good news is that we have the best chance since World War II to align America’s challenges with its opportunities—to harness the positive forces of our interdependence and invest in the kinds of projects that will promote broadly based prosperity. Whether finding new ways to open unserved markets or putting people to work modernizing our nation’s infrastructure, there are many ways to create good jobs by solving some of the biggest problems facing our communities. The key is seeing the opportunities beyond the obstacles.

Earlier this week, I heard from some remarkable people who are doing just that. Hillary, Chelsea, and I joined with nearly 1,000 business, government, and civil society leaders for the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in Denver. The gathering demonstrated something I’ve seen time and again in America and across the world: that wherever people are working together to try to achieve positive goals, good things are happening. In an age where creative cooperation is the foundation for any enduring success, we all have a role to play. Savvy businesses are recognizing the value of investing in the people they employ and the communities they serve. Non-governmental organizations are growing increasingly adept at answering the “how” questions, finding ways to solve problems better, faster, and at lower cost. And, creative state and local officials are proving once again that smart government policies can dramatically improve lives and livelihoods, especially when they partner with businesses and community groups. Read the full article…

June 27, 2014

Juliet V. García, Ph.D Receives Medallion Award

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and its Chair Rep. Rubén Hinojosa today announced that Juliet V. García, Ph.D. will be awarded one of its highest honors—The Chair’s Medallion Award—in recognition of her accomplishments, leadership, and outstanding service to the Latino community at CHCI’s 37th Annual Awards Gala on October 2, 2014 in Washington, D.C.  The event is the largest gathering of Latino leaders in the country and is part of CHCI’s Hispanic Heritage Month events.

“It has been my most sincere privilege to serve the people of South Texas, to help tell the myriad of stories that each dream for themselves and for their families, to witness their struggles against great odds to earn a degree and launch a career and to understand the vast potential of the people of this region that for too long have been denied the opportunities that come from obtaining a college degree,” said Dr. García.

“I am so pleased to recognize and celebrate Juliet García and the amazing work she has done and continues to do on behalf of Latinos and Americans in South Texas,” said Chair Hinojosa.  “Her leadership has led to her being recognized as one of the ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ by Fortune magazine and her personal path and many professional successes prove that the American Dream is achievable through higher education, hard work, and most importantly by giving back to our community.” Read the full article…

June 9, 2014

Job recovery in Southern California is outpacing U.S. gains

Southern California fell harder in the recession than the rest of the country and took longer to recover, but now the region’s job gains are outpacing the national employment upswing.

Each month since April 2012 except one, Los Angeles County has seen at least 2% year-over-year job growth, compared with a 1.7% average across the country.

Read the full story by LA Times Writer: TIFFANY HSU

May 28, 2014

The Civil Aviation Flight Simulation and Simulation Training Market Expecting Growth

Aviation Flight Simulation and Simulation Training 

The civil aviation flight simulation and simulation training market developed out of the need to replicate real flying training by using motion and visual systems for pilot training, evaluation of performance and for research purposes. Given the importance of aircraft safety, flight training and simulation has evolved to become a key market within the aviation Industry. Market research firm, Visiongain has determined that the value of the global civil aviation flight simulation and simulation training market  in 2013 reached $5,487 million, with 10 years of growth expected.

Visiongain expects that the market will become increasingly competitive as providers are motivated by the need to adopt advanced motion and visual technologies which replicate updated flight models and comply with regulatory requirements whilst still maintaining reasonable unit costs for their customers. The growing global demand for air travel and the subsequent hiring of new pilots over the next twenty years will provide simulator and training services providers with ample opportunities to develop and expand their businesses.

May 11, 2014

Justice Department Requires eBay to End Anticompetitive “No Poach” Hiring Agreements

Settlement Preserves Competition for High Tech Employees

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with eBay Inc. that prevents the company from entering into or maintaining agreements with other companies restraining employee recruitment and hiring.

The department’s Antitrust Division filed the proposed settlement in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose.   If approved by the court, the settlement would resolve the department’s competitive concerns and the original lawsuit filed on Nov. 16, 2012.

 
In its lawsuit, the department alleged that senior executives and directors of eBay and Intuit entered into an agreement, beginning no later than 2006, that prevented each firm from recruiting employees from the other and that prohibited eBay from hiring Intuit employees that approached eBay.

In the high technology sector, employees with advanced or specialized skills are highly valued and sought after.   Companies often heavily recruit and hire experienced and capable employees of other technology firms, offering significantly better job opportunities or pay.   The agreement between eBay and Intuit diminished important competition between the firms to attract highly skilled technical and other employees to the detriment of affected employees who had less access to better job opportunities and higher pay.

 
“eBay’s agreement with Intuit served no purpose but to limit competition between the two firms for employees, distorting the labor market and causing employees to lose opportunities for better jobs and higher pay,” said Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.   “The proposed settlement resolves the department’s antitrust concerns and ensures that eBay will not engage in similar conduct in the future.”

Previously, in denying eBay’s motion to dismiss the case, the district court found that the agreement alleged by the department, if proven, would constitute a naked horizontal market allocation agreement that was manifestly anticompetitive and lacking in any redeeming virtue, and thus could be found per seunlawful.

The proposed settlement would prohibit eBay from entering or maintaining anticompetitive agreements relating to employee hiring and retention for five years.   It would broadly prohibit eBay from entering, maintaining or enforcing any agreement that in any way prevents any person from soliciting, cold calling, recruiting, hiring or otherwise competing for employees.   eBay will also implement compliance measures tailored to these practices. Intuit is already subject to a similar consent decree, and for that reason was not a defendant in this case.

 
Today, the California Attorney General’s Office also filed a settlement in its related case, The People of the State of California v. eBay Inc., based on the same facts alleged in the department’s complaint.

   
This case and the proposed settlement arose out of a series of Antitrust Division investigations into employee recruitment practices at a number of high tech companies.   In September 2010, the Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against six high tech firms– Adobe Systems Inc., Apple Inc., Google Inc., Intel Corporation, Intuit Inc. and Pixar–for antitrust violations arising from “no cold call” agreements.   In December 2010, the Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Lucasfilm Ltd. alleging antitrust violations involving similar activities restraining competition for employees.   In both cases, settlements were filed at the same time the lawsuits were filed resolving the department’s competitive concerns.   Today’s proposed settlement with eBay is substantially the same as the court-approved settlements in the two prior cases.

April 20, 2014

A Career You Customize

Featured Guest: Cathleen Benko, vice chairman and chief talent officer for Deloitte LLP and coauthor of Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace with Today’s Nontraditional Workforce.

April 11, 2014

When Is the Right Time to Hire Sales Talent ?

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April 3, 2014

Los Angeles Attracts Chinese Visitors

Los Angeles (Feb. 26, 2014) – The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LA Tourism) announced the launch of “NiHao China,” an innovative, multi-pronged marketing strategy to maximize Chinese tourist visitation to Los Angeles, on Feb. 26, 2014 at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel.

Ernest Wooden Jr., President and CEO of LA Tourism and Dr. Xinjun Wang, CEO of Ivy Alliance Tourism Consulting, the company contracted by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) to implement the certification and assessment of Chinese outbound tourism operators, announced the initiatives at a media opportunity during the first of LA Tourism’s NiHao China training and certification program seminars.

NiHao China is a portfolio of international marketing, training and promotional initiatives to enhance the LA experience of Chinese travelers and grow LA’s market share of Chinese visitation. Los Angeles’ No. 1 overseas tourism market is China, and welcomed a record 570,000 Chinese visitors in 2013, a 21% increase over 2012.

“When I met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last spring in China, he told me that he expects 200 million Chinese travelers to depart on international trips by 2020, and that the Los Angeles – China relationship was the way of the future,” said Ernest Wooden Jr. “Our NiHao China program will bring the Los Angeles brand and all of our incredible attractions directly to aspiring Chinese international travelers, help prepare LA tourism and hospitality businesses to welcome them, and ensure they have the best possible experience in LA so they keep coming back.”

“This valuable program will greatly improve the travel experience for Chinese travelers visiting Los Angeles, and will make Los Angeles an even more attractive destination for Chinese visitors,” said Dr. Wang.

The NiHao China program addresses all of the critical audiences involved in Chinese tourism: Chinese travel trade, Chinese consumers, and Los Angeles attractions, hotels, shopping venues, and restaurants. In 2014, LA Tourism will continue to leverage its two tourism offices in China, in Shanghai and Beijing, to market the destination directly to travel trade professionals and individuals in China. LA is the only city with official tourism offices in China.

Los Angeles welcomed a record-breaking 42.2 million total visitors in 2013, the third consecutive record visitation year and is on track to reach 50 million visitors by 2020. In 2013, Los Angeles welcomed a record 6.2 million international visitors, and sold a record 27.2 million hotel room nights.

March 14, 2014

Are Employees Into Their Work?

With the political and economic repercussions from the 2008 financial crisis still unfolding, the thought of returning to pre-crisis global growth rates remains a distant one. More than half a decade on, business leaders are focused instead on maximizing the potential of their own companies, forging performance-oriented cultures designed to attract and satisfy  customers in the face of stiffening global competition.

So finds The Conference Board CEO Challenge 2014, a  recent report released based on a survey of CEOs, presidents, and chairmen from more than 1,000 companies around the world. As in previous years, executives were asked to identify and rank the most pressing challenges they face and their strategies for addressing each. Worldwide, Human Capital — how best to develop, engage, manage, and retain talent — was named the leading challenge among ten choices, followed byCustomer Relationships, Innovation, Operational Excellence, and Corporate Brand and Reputation.

“While earlier years saw major discrepancies between regions, challenges cited by CEOs for 2014 revealed global convergence,” said Charles Mitchell, The Conference Board Executive Director for Knowledge Management and lead author of the report. “The top challenges across all regions and nearly all countries converged around questions of internal strength — better products, smarter workers, stronger customer appeal and collaboration.”

CEO Challenge 2014 is the most comprehensive edition of the survey yet, reaching nearly 300 more executives than last year. It also added two new questions — about hot-button issues and leadership attributes — that offer even deeper insight on pressing concerns across continents and industries. Most notably, “Big Data” was named the leading hot-button issue, echoing the need for technology-driven, customer-centric innovations.

“In the years immediately after the crisis, we found CEOs struggling to respond to varied external dangers threatening the global economy and each region,” said Bart van Ark, Executive Vice President and Chief Economist and co-author of the report. “Facing the risk of depression and financial paralysis, matters like branding and customer relationships were considered afterthoughts. Now, basic survival is less of an issue than how to adapt to — and prosper in — a  growth environment likely to remain fairly sluggish. Fortunately, there is room to strengthen engagement, accountability, customer-centricity, agility, and more. In 2014, CEOs are asking not only what things get done, but how they get done.”

09 January, 2014

February 16, 2014

Guy Kawasaki – Lessons From Steve Jobs

 

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February 16, 2014

Richard Branson’s Top Tips on Hiring on Personality

Posted: Monday, September 30, 2013 – 11:28 Google +    

As part of LinkedIn’s How I Hire series, Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson explains why he hires employees on personality.

According to Branson, “there is nothing more important for a business than hiring the right team”.

“If you get the perfect mix of people working for your company, you have a far greater chance of success. However, the best person for the job doesn’t always walk right through your door,” he said.

“The first thing to look for when searching for a great employee is somebody with a personality that fits with your company culture. Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality.”

Branson said personality was key – however it’s not always something that can come out in an interview.

“If you have got a slightly introverted person with a great personality, use your experience to pull it out of them,” he said.

“It is easier with an extrovert, but be wary of people becoming overexcited in the pressure of interviews.”

He also said you can learn jobs extremely quickly once thrown “in the deep end”.

“Within three months you can usually know the ins and outs of a role,” he said.

“If you are satisfied with the personality, then look at experience and expertise. Find people with transferable skills – you need team players who can pitch in and try their hand at all sorts of different jobs.

“While specialists are sometimes necessary, versatility should not be underestimated.”

Branson also said not to get hung up on qualification – only look at them after everything else.

“If somebody has five degrees and more A grades than you can fit on one side of paper, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are the right person for the job,” he said.

“Great grades count for nothing if they aren’t partnered with broad-ranging experience and a winning personality.”

Although he warns that it doesn’t mean you should take risks when building a team.

“Don’t be afraid of hiring mavericks. Somebody who thinks a little differently can help to see problems as opportunities and inspire creative energy within a group,” he said.

“Some of the best people we’ve ever hired didn’t seem to fit in at first, but proved to be indispensable over time.”

He also warns that hiring the wrong person at the top can “destroy it in no time at all”. He said promoting from within was a good idea as it the employee promoted can be inspired by the new role and “already know the business inside out, and have the trust and respect of their team”.

“Equally, bringing in fresh blood can reinvigorate a company,” he said.

“Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia recently brought in CEOs from outside – John Borghetti at Virgin Australia and Craig Kreeger at Virgin Atlantic. They have brought a lot of fresh ideas into the company, as well as experience of what the competition is doing well and what they are doing badly.”

To conclude, Branson said don’t rush into getting somebody through the door, “it is worth being patient to find the right person, rather than hurrying and unbalancing your team”.

“I heard a great line by Funding Circle CEO Samir Desai at the IoD Conference in London (quoting Apple’s Dan Jacobs) about making sure you hire (and fire) the right people: ‘It’s better to have a hole in your team than an asshole in your team!’,” he said.

– See more at: http://www.probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2013/09/richard-branson%E2%80%99s-top-tips-hiring-personality#sthash.DTkRrYge.dpuf

February 16, 2014

Hollywood Diversity Report: Making Sense of the Disconnect

February 12, 2014

The Bunche Center at UCLA releases the “2014 Hollywood Diversity Report:  Making Sense of the Disconnect.”  To download (and now print) a copy, CLICK HERE.  To read the UCLA press release, CLICK HERE.

This report is the first in a series of studies by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA to explore the relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry.

The Data

The report examines the top 172 theatrical films released in 2011 (ranked by box office) and 1,061 television shows airing during the 2011-12 season on six broadcast networks and 62 cable networks.

Major Findings

1.  Film Diversity

• Among film leads, minorities were underrepresented by a factor of greater than 3 to 1 and women by a factor of 2 to 1.
• Among film directors, minorities were underrepresented by a factor of 3 to 1 and women by a factor greater than 12 to 1.
• Among film writers, minorities were underrepresented by a factor of 5 to 1 and women by a factor of 3 to 1.

2.  Television Diversity

• Among broadcast comedy and drama leads, minorities were underrepresented by a factor of 7 to 1, while women reached proportionate representation.
• Among cable comedy and drama leads, minorities were underrepresented by a factor greater than 2 to 1 and women by a factor of less than 2 to 1.
• Among broadcast reality and other leads, minorities were underrepresented by a factor of more than 2 to1 and women by a factor of 2 to 1.
• Among cable reality and other leads, minorities were underrepresented by a factor greater than 2 to 1 and women by a factor of less than 2 to 1.
• Among the creators of broadcast comedies and dramas, minorities were underrepresented by a factor of less than 9 to 1 and women by a factor of 2 to 1.
• Among the creators of cable comedies and dramas, minorities were underrepresented by a factor of 5 to 1 and women by a factor greater than 2 to 1.

3.  Accolades

• The lack of diversity in Motion Picture Academy membership was reflected in Oscar awards.
• The lack of diversity in Television Academy membership was reflected in Emmy awards.

4.  Gatekeeping

• The dominant talent agencies contributed little to film and television diversity.

5.  Diversity and the Bottom Line

• Films with relatively diverse casts excelled at the box office and in return on investment.
• Television shows whose casts reflect the nation’s diversity excelled in ratings.

Conclusion

There is an apparent disconnect between the industry’s professed focus on the bottom line and actual staffing practices in film, broadcast television, and cable.  While findings suggest that films and television shows with relatively diverse casts tend to excel in terms of box office and ratings, respectively, the lion’s share of films and television shows examined lacked diverse talent in front of and behind the camera.  This disconnect does not bode well for the Hollywood industry, as the nation’s population continues to diversify at a dizzying rate.  Hollywood’s bottom line would be advanced by implementing forward-looking project development and staffing practices that are in sync with the emerging America.

For more information about the Hollywood Advancement Project, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about supporting this important research project and its annual diversity report, please contact Chia Yen, Executive Director of Development, UCLA Institute of American Cultures at cyen@support.ucla.eduor  310.206.6872.  To learn more about how to support the Bunche Center, you may also visithttps://giving.ucla.edu/bunche.