Why CEO Candidates should try working in Human Resources

A new school of thought is stressing on the fact that CEO hopefuls must try their hands in human resources at some stage of their careers. It strengthens their competencies and they can gauge others’ better in turn. It prepares them for corporate strategy as they get involved in planning for development. Talent acquisition has become so critical and these aspirants will then get a hands-on experience at the same. Succession planning for the future must be done by the top management rather than at department levels. In order to succeed at implementing business innovation, organization development is crucial and the future CEO needs to realize this.

The 15 Social Media trends that defined a Generation

Social media has proven to be amongst the critical tools used in digital marketing campaigns. While newer platforms are emerging, some older ones provided marketers with trends for entire generation. One of the earliest trends which came in vogue in the year 2010 was for women to reveal their respective bra colours to generate breast cancer awareness. Inspired by the Christopher Nolan series, the Batmanning trend involved people posing as bats. Cinnamon Challenge, Lion King-ing, The Cup Song, Gangnam Style, Milking, Goating, Harlem Shake, 100 Happy Days, No Make-up Selfie, Ice Bucket Challenge, Wake up Call, Feeling Nuts and Thumbs up for Stephen are some of the other major trends which went viral on social media.   

Tourism Industry faces Chinese Colonization

China is now the top source of inbound tourists to Sri Lanka relegating India to second spot. However, many Chinese nationals have taken to illegal immigration and even set up businesses in Sri Lanka severely hampering local travel jobs. Many have gone on to become unauthorized tour operators and guides acting on behalf of some fictitious agency back in the mainland. Thus the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) has enforced strict norms for all tour operators to comply with in order to curb this negative trend. 

SEO or SEM?

SEO and SEM remain the top methods for succeeding at digital marketing. In order to determine, the better tool, business analysis was conducted using data. First one has to analyze the goal. SEM is the clear winner when we look at leads, paid traffic, targeting or inbound phone calls. The jury is divided when it comes to aspects such as emails, contact forms, branding and walk-ins. SEO gets the higher rating when we analyze website, organic or referral traffic. In case of tight budgets, SEM is the desirable option. In terms of time frames, SEO will win marathons while SEM is the sprinter. Location is less important when it comes to either of the two strategies.

Training for a Reason

Corporate training is such an important cog for most organizations, yet it is often ignored due to sales pressures. Dale Carnegie is a top institute for teaching MBA, yet training courses at the college have rarely been a success. Most management training programmes can be categorized into four levels. At basic level, it is about the reaction of the trainees and how favourably they react to the programme. Next up, is the indoctrination of knowledge and skills during the time period. Then there is the level which enhances behavior. Finally, at top level, the organization gets the desired results post training. Unfortunately most trainees do not progress after the first two levels and this leads to high levels of attrition.

Travel & Tourism to New Zealand in 2019

As per market research conducted by real estate and management consulting giant Jones Lang Lasalle, New Zealand is experiencing a massive boom in construction of high end tourist properties. Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton have joined in the queue. The country is also enjoying increased numbers of inbound tourists. China, India, Indonesia and Latin America are proving to be the top sources of tourists. Chinese tourists’ numbers have increased so much that a direct flight has started from Beijing to Auckland.

5 Ways Search data can inform your Marketing Strategy

In order to develop the firm’s marketing strategy, a thorough business analysis must be undertaken. This data can help product strategy by understanding what customers like or not so new product launch may be considered. Hypothesis tests can be launched online to gauge the product pricing. Competitor study can be conducted to find out their strengths and weaknesses. One can also deduce brand awareness and identify ways to strengthen the same. Granular data can even be extracted to track potential customers in geographically close area.

Adjusting Marketing Strategies to Suit the Digital

Marketing strategies are being reworked to suit the present needs. Digital marketing is now something organizations are increasingly relying upon. Thus age old practices have evolved for the current scenario. Social media for example is proving to be a beacon for advertising whereas other forms are getting obsolete. Due to the digitization, recording is more stable now and opportunities are not being missed frequently. Ultimately, any firm’s success in marketing their product- digitally or conventionally- depends largely on the level of creativity and business innovation effected.

US Travel & Tourism employs 6 times more people than Automotive Sector

Business research anchored by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has opened up some startling facts. There exist more than five million tourism jobs at present in the USA which is more than double of the numbers held by the banking industry. This report was launched at a convention in the town of Austin in Texas. About 8% of the country’s GDP was generated from the tourism sector. Also the sector has among the best ratios of number of jobs created per million dollars invested.

Employee Engagement at Discover Financial Services: Everyone, Everywhere & Everyday

Discover is among the world’s predominant finance companies while being especially known for issuing cards. However, the organization also rates highly on employee engagement. In fact at Discover, nearly ninety percent of employees undertook a survey as part of internal business research to gauge effectiveness of process.  The motivation levels among employees is so high that about three-fourths of them have opted to work extra in related activities. This rate of success is phenomenal for a firm with more than fourteen thousand employees spread globally.