• Sustainability Metrics Drive Sourcing and Procurement Decisions

Sustainable procurement is more than a buzz word. It is strategic purchasing that supports corporate goals and is guided by sustainability metrics. Peter Drucker observed that "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it." Ergo…measure the results of sustainability efforts and the business is mo...

• Social Enterprise… A Business with a Blogging Conscience

Everything has intended and unintended consequences. As the world’s population increases due to better health care and nutrition delivery, the unintended consequences include increasing poverty rates and environmental damage. Out of these unintended consequences has grown an industry made up of soci...

• Mitigating Cyber Security Risks in the Supply Chain

Mitigating Cyber Security Risks in the Supply ChainMinimizing cyber risks in the supply chain is a modern challenge needing urgent attention across industries.

• The Ten Things You Should Do During a Recession

#3 Meet Your Banker. - By Fred McKinney

• Suppliers Go Deep Into the Market with Multi-Channel Networks and YouTube

The Multi-Channel Network is a growing phenomenon that takes YouTube to a new level of influence. It is an advertising model that holds great promise for suppliers pursuing brand awareness.- By Wilfred Smith

• Financial Services Industry, Technology and Supplier Innovation

The conservative financial services industry is experiencing a technological transformation accompanied by increased cyber security risks. This sets the stage for supplier innovation. - By James Hsu

• STEM_Why - And How - To Apply STEM Solutions In A World Of VUCA

Our volatile, uncertain world needs staff with the innovative, STEM-based skills to rapidly adapt. Understanding the reasons STEM is the solution and taking guidance from industry leaders will help companies of all sizes compete.

• Creating a Personal Brand that Takes You in the Right Direction

Creating a Personal Brand that Takes You in the Right DirectionAt some point in their career, many leaders decide they need to brush off their current image and find a new or stronger direction. It is really about reinventing a personal brand, in order to advance in a way that better reflects passio...

• Corporate Governance and Its Impact on Supplier Relationships

Corporate Governance and Its Impact on Supplier RelationshipsDiversifying Board Representation a Win-Win-Win for Companies, Shareholders and the Public

• Understanding Dodd-Frank’s Minority Supplier Provisions

Tucked Into Dodd-Frank Are New Rules and Opportunities For Minority Businesses

• The Virtual Organization: Network of Relationships for Innovation

The true power of the virtual enterprise will not be fully unleashed until large corporations understand the importance of virtual networks to disruptive innovation. It is networks of relationships that hold the future of innovation.

• In China’s Shadow, Taiwan Offers MWBEs Tremendous Business Opportunities

In China’s Shadow, Taiwan Offers MWBEs Tremendous Business OpportunitiesTaiwan’s small size does not match the enormity of the business opportunities

• Workforce Development: What’s In It for Industry?

Workforce Development: What’s In It for Industry?Workforce development is a concept that gets a lot of attention today because it implies jobs, employment, sustainable wages and a host of other positive results. It also evokes an image of people sitting in training classes or working in trade appren...

• Restructuring Your Debt

Restructuring Your DebtBy Morris BocianToday, many business owners are caught in a cash crunch. Although many entrepreneurs are in denial regarding their situation, many other entrepreneurs do not understand the process necessary to identify and address the difficult issues needed to survive. If yo...

• A Call of Duty: Using Technology to Retain Veterans in Post-Military Jobs

Employers hire veterans to take advantage of their training and skills. The next challenge is increasing employment retention rates, and technology is helping.

• Nurture Your Business Using Strategic Alliances

Nurture Your Business Using Strategic AlliancesBy Morris BocianA typical entrepreneur starts small and hopefully sees the business grow over a period of years. This approach takes time, effort and plenty of both patience and money. Strategic thinking in a global economy often changes the way we co...

• Is an Equitable and Inclusive Resource Sector Possible Only if the Government Changes Course

Is an Equitable and Inclusive Resource Sector Possible? Only if the Government Changes Course.Canada’s government has a poor history of balancing national interests with inclusivity, but the next chapter for Canada’s resource sector could be managed differently.

• Taking the Giant Leap into the Future of Communication in the Virtual World

Taking the Giant Leap into the Future of Communication in the Virtual WorldThe virtual world already exists, but so much more is coming. It is already changing how people communicate, and just around the corner is communication already being humanized in amazing ways. It is a clarion call to diverse...

• Financialization Impacts on Economic Equality

Financialization Impacts on Economic EqualityFinancialization is a trend in which risky financial markets, rather than just financial institutions, make up a significant percent of GDP. Analysts believe this trend is contributing to growing economic inequality.

• Women-Owned Businesses Increasingly Turn to Social Media for Success

Women-Owned Businesses Increasingly Turn to Social Media for Success Women make-up one of the fastest growing segments of small business. Certainly, factors like increased access to capital has had a major influence, but probably not as much influence over the last few years as social media. Growing...

• Purpose is the ‘Why’ of Everything a Business Does

Purpose is the ‘Why’ of Everything a Business DoesPurpose drives mission and vision and goes right to the heart of a business. Leaders with Purpose understand the ‘why’of a business and attract others who believe the same.

• Avoiding the Trees of Poor Decision-Making in Golf and Business

Avoiding the Trees of Poor Decision-Making in Golf and BusinessSometimes it is necessary for golfers to decide whether to drive through the trees or keep on putting. A series of bad decisions can lose the game. In business, a series of bad decisions can mean losing the business.

• Performance Management: Setting goals and measuring success for growth in a flatter world

In a competitive market, how do companies make sure they are staying ahead of the curve and succeeding in providing the best possible service for their client? “If you’re without any benchmark, you really don’t know how you’re doing,” says Albert Chen, CEO of Telemon Corporation. Performance managem...

• Driving Gender Equality Through Meticulous Talent Management

Driving Gender Equality Through Meticulous Talent ManagementTech organizations have carefully constructed policies to drive gender equality in the talent process, but they are not enough. Bias continues to express itself in more subtle ways. New approaches are needed to tear down the barriers once a...

• Building a Strategy for Doing Business With Healthcare Companies

The Value of Life Sciences. - by Sharon Ross

• Leadership Development Strategies for the Modern Organization

Leadership Development Strategies for the Modern OrganizationLeadership development needs to reflect the changing needs of both the organization and the workforce. Strategies should incorporate things such as soft skills development and blended learning opportunities that include immersive, virtual,...

• Social Media + Marketing: How Changing Boundaries Are Leading To New Forms Of Collaboration Within And Across Organizational Structures

Social Media + Marketing: How Changing Boundaries Are Leading To New Forms Of Collaboration Within And Across Organizational StructuresAs social media permeates all parts of modern work culture, corporate communications and marketing are merging in new ways. Rather than being treated as an isolated...

• How to get your brand inside that exclusive club available only to the market leaders

In the town of Montclair, New Jersey, there is a trendy and exclusive nightclub called Divas. It resembles something you might find across the river in the Big Apple and, just like they do over there in Manhattan, every Friday and Saturday night, a bunch of hopefuls line up outside behind a velvet r...

• Research-supported Methods for Advancing Corporate Equality

Combining the well-meant aims of equality efforts with practical, data-driven methods can offer businesses realistic, research supported tactics for advancing corporate equality.

• Social Media is Promoted to the C-Suite

Executives may be quick to say there is not enough time to learn and use social media. They would be surprised to discover the benefits they are missing out on.

• Aligning Minority Supplier Development with Procurement Trends and Issues

Aligning Minority Supplier Development with Procurement Trends and IssuesImprove the Effectiveness of your Programming by Linking it with Current Challenges

• Leverage the App into a Customer Relationship

Leverage the App into a Customer RelationshipMobility is changing the way businesses connect with customers. Now apps are proving to be the ideal tool for unleashing mobility’s full power as a value creator.

• Transparency & Accountability are Basic Tenets of Sustainability Reporting

Standardization still eludes sustainability reporting, but the foundation of every report should be transparency and accountability.

• A Primer on Doing Business in Africa: Ghana

Located on Africa’s Western Coast, Ghana is often cited as one of the continent’s success stories. The country has a stable government, ranked second after Mauritius on the 2009 Failed States Index for African nations. A former British colony, it was the first sub-Saharan nation to achieve colonia...

• Data Centers...New Opportunities in the Technology Industry

Data Centers...New Opportunities in the Technology IndustryData centers began when very large companies realized they needed to manage scattered informational technology (IT) locations better to achieve more efficient data processing and improve data security. Centralizing the processing equipment i...

• Doing Business in Africa: Building on Zambia’s Growth

Zambia is Actively Seeking New Partners to Expand on its Decade of Growth

• Collaborative Computing Offers MWBEs Expanding Opportunities

Anytime the word ‘collaborative’ is used, the implication is that there will be some sort of sharing and interaction. When people collaborate, they work together to achieve something greater than could be achieved working alone. That is the same principle behind “collaborative computing.” The princi...

• Circular Supply Chain Meets the Circular Economy and Everyone Wins

Take the principles of the circular economy and apply them to the supply chain, and the result is a stronger corporate sustainability effort. Still in its early stages, the circular supply chain takes the next steps beyond the linear supply chain.

• Fully Leveraging Networks Through Connectional Intelligence

Connectional Intelligence is the ability to effectively use networks and relationships to drive innovation. Organizations are learning to embrace outside insights for internal success. - By Gerald Donald

• Letting the Market Drive the Corporate Sustainability Model

Letting the Market Drive the Corporate Sustainability ModelMarket driven sustainability models recognize that external forces are driving a need for supplier alliances that compound results.

• Driving Change Through Innovation in Healthcare

Driving Change Through Innovation in Healthcare- by James HsuAs with any other business sector, innovation is quintessential in healthcare industries. Rapid scientific advancements in the understanding of biological processes have fuelled radical changes in nanotechnology and genetics, as well as i...

• New Challenge: Separating Good and Bad Data

Just because data is accessible and plentiful does not mean it is all good. Inadvertently using bad data can cost a business in many ways, including poor decision making and missed insights.

• Mobility: New Horizon of Supplier Opportunities in the Auto Industry

The auto industry is ever adapting to new technologies to meet the needs of digital generations in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Disruptive technologies include diverse mobility applications which are creating new opportunities for innovative suppliers. - By Wilfred SmithTechnolo...

• Flying Food Group Takes Quality into the Skies

Do airlines serve five-star quality food? Yes, if it’s the superior meals prepared by Flying Food Group that carefully matches the food to the destination. - By Simone Summers

• Charging Up the Electrified Vehicle Industry with Supplier Innovations

Automakers are committing to mass-producing electrified vehicles, and to achieve this, they need the help of innovative suppliers. This is an industry on the cusp of major growth, that openly invites new technologies for hardware and software.-- By Wilfred SmithThe electrified vehicle industry has ...

• Developing A World-Class Supplier Program Requires Commitment and A Vision to Be The Best

Developing A World-Class Supplier Program Requires Commitment and A Vision to Be The BestBusiness owners work hard to make gains and strive to be the best. But how do they know whether their work is paying off? How can they tell whether they are getting closer to being the industry standard, or whet...

• Lessons from the Golf Course: Changing Cultures of Exclusion

Lessons from the Golf Course: Changing Cultures of ExclusionChanging the global professional golf industry's culture of exclusion has proven to be a slow process. What can businesses learn from this process?

• Using Technology to help with Veterans Retention

A Call of Duty: Using Technology to Retain Veterans in Post-Military Jobs Employers hire veterans to take advantage of their training and skills. The next challenge is increasing employment retention rates, and technology is helping.

• Wanted: Food and Beverage Industry Suppliers Ready to Innovate and Collaborate

The food and beverage industry is one of the most volatile industries found today due to a mix of complex factors like climate change and changing customer preferences. It is the ideal setting for innovative and collaborative suppliers to start or grow their businesses.------By James Hsu

• The Modern Biases Keeping Women Away From Stem Fields

The Modern Biases Keeping Women Away From Stem FieldsDespite many of the blatant barriers and biases being removed from STEM fields, the number of women in STEM remains low. What are some of the next-level biases that still need to be addressed, and how can this bias be overcome?It’s hard to argue ...

• Optimizing Cross-Cultural Talent in the Workforce

Developing a Human Resources culture that is anchored in HR data and analytics is a process. It is a journey over time that moves HR from reporting to analytics.By Belinda Jones

• Offshoring or Domestic Outsourcing in the Financial Services Industry

The financial services industry continues to face headwinds in the post-Recession era. In an effort to cut costs, the big question is: Offshoring, domestic outsourcing, or both?- By James Hsu

• The 4 Keys to a Successful Social Media Strategy for Your Small Business

Setting yourself up for success in social media can be as simple as focusing on just four strategic steps. - By Joshua Ferdinand

• Workplace Culture_Fixing The Fruit Diagnosing And Improving Toxic Workplace Cultures

Canada’s offices are like the proverbial orchard, where their cultures are known by their visible harvests. Here, learn how to identify and repair office cultures that have gone rotten.

• Using External Big Data to Drive Insights into Opportunities

Using External Big Data to Drive Insights into OpportunitiesExtracting business insights from external Big Data is a complex challenge. Companies mastering that challenge are discovering new opportunities that enhance competitiveness.

• Organizational Coaching Helps People Rise to Their Level of Leadership

Organizational Coaching Helps People Rise to Their Level of LeadershipCoaching develops in-house leaders for succession. What many do not realize is that a quality program also improves individual position performances specific to the organization, enhancing business results long before succession ...

• The Big Picture: Comprehensive Measurement of Inclusion of Veterans

The Big Picture: Comprehensive Measurement of Inclusion of VeteransHistorically, the results of veteran and other inclusion programs have been measured in a piecemeal manner with metrics offering information about factors like recruitment totals and spend per FTE. Metrics that give a more comprehens...

• New Era of Value Creation Through Corporate-Aboriginal Economic Unions

New Era of Value Creation Through Corporate-Aboriginal Economic UnionsBuilding economic bridges between corporate Canada and Aboriginal businesses benefits the country as a whole. Creating successful value-creating alliances is just common sense.

• Keeping Diversity and Inclusion Programs Moving Ahead

Putting a diversity and inclusion program in place and reporting benchmarked results does not guarantee progress. Results must be connected to improved strategizing and decision-making

• Small Reach for Technology Can Lead to Big Competitive Advantage

Small Reach for Technology Can Lead to Big Competitive Advantage Access to quality marketing info via technology asset to MWBEs

• Outsourcing Risks Overcoming Barriers to Achieve Great Results

Start by finding partners to build long-term relationships

• Best Practices and Benchmarking for Supplier Diversity

Best Practices and Benchmarking for Supplier Diversity

• Small Manufacturers Eying the Industry 4.0 Transformation

Small Manufacturers Eying the Industry 4.0 Transformation Industry 4.0 is thought of as an event that applies to large manufacturers because it includes stepping into the realm of sophisticated technologies like AI and IoT. The truth is that Industry 4.0 is as valuable to small businesses as it is t...

• The Virtual Organization: Network of Relationships for Innovation

The true power of the virtual enterprise will not be fully unleashed until large corporations understand the importance of virtual networks to disruptive innovation. It is networks of relationships that hold the future of innovation.

• Strategies to Successfully Develop and Manage Effective Outsourcing Relationships

Global outsourcing is no longer just for big corporations. Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBE) also embrace the idea of delegating manufacturing, back-office support and other functions to qualified outsource providers. However, many MWBEs still put themselves at risk by focusing only o...

• How Industry Trends Are Driving Energy Companies’ Supplier Needs

Despite the current troubled economic times, it makes sense to do business with the energy industry.

• Improving The Post-Pandemic Talent Recruitment Process

Improving The Post-Pandemic Talent Recruitment ProcessFrom a worldwide pandemic to international protests against social injustices, 2020 gave many recruiters a sudden reset. Now that COVID-related hiring freezes are coming to an end, how can recruiters improve the way they fill open positions?

• Execution Getting it Done!

Execution Getting it Done!Thomas Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize winning author wrote:“Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up.It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.Every morning a Lion wakes up.It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death.It...

• Building a Brand Around Sustainability Key to Technology Success

Sustainability is quickly becoming a watchword for minority firms looking for contracts in the technology industry. Clients care about the environmental impact all the way down the supply chain, and minority owned businesses that can help provide solutions to sustainability issues are in high deman...

• Both Sides Now … Financial Services Industry Opportunities for MWBE Customers and Suppliers

The financial services industry is going through a major shake-up initiated by the recession. Its focus is on rebuilding customer brand loyalty and strengthening sustainability, and that equates to MWBE opportunities. - By James Hsu

• Building Capacity Through Relationships with Financial Services Companies

Leveraging relationships with financial services is a strategy for capacity building. It is a way to break down hurdles to accessing the capital needed for growth. - By Wilfred Smith

• More Companies are seeing Green, and it’s not the bottom line only!

If business had a fashion sense, “green” would be the new “black.” From toothpaste to roofing supplies, from plant fertilizers to baby food, choosing products that are environmentally friendly is driving consumer choice and, in turn, the manufacturers who feed that demand. - By Anaga Dalal

• Gaining a New Perspective on the Dodd-Frank Act

From any perspective the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act has been frustratingly slow. For savvy businesses, suppliers and consultants, it offers a sea of opportunities. - By Ravi Singh

• Get Creative Restructuring Your Debt

Get Creative Restructuring Your DebtToday, many business owners are caught in a cash crunch. Although many entrepreneurs are in denial as to their situation, many other entrepreneurs do not understand the process necessary to identify and address the difficult issues needed to survive the crunch. ...

• Understanding Phishing and the Threat It Poses To Your Business

Understanding Phishing and the Threat It Poses To Your Business One Phish, Two Phish … More Phishing, More Problems

• Building Strategic Alliances in a Challenging Economic Environment

Can Minority Companies Overcome the Emerging Challenges in Supplier Diversity?

• Turning a Loss at the 72nd Golf Hole into a Business Success

How a golfer responds to losing a golf game can reveal how the person will respond to losses in the business world. A bad outcome can be a major defeat or a temporary setback. - By Vincent Pane

• Melding the Manufacturing Sector and the Gig Labor Force

Gig workers are having a major impact on how work gets done. Manufacturing can benefit by closing skills gaps and accessing high-tech skills in a cost-effective way. - By Donna Benjamin

• Taking Advantage of Supply Chain Segmentation in The Technology Industry

Companies, especially those with global supply chains, are moving toward supply chain segmentation for more effective management and higher profitability. Suppliers who understand this trend are in a better position to take advantage of the segmentation for business growth. - By James Hsu

• Engaging the Workforce in the Global Business Services Model

Engaging the Workforce in the Global Business Services ModelMoving to a Global Business Services model is a natural progression from siloed shared services and outsourcing to a framework supportive of continuous change. It requires a collaborative culture and supportive resources.

• Digital Opportunities for Suppliers in the Energy Industry

The energy industry is being disrupted by technology across operations and infrastructure. The reality is that the industry is playing some catch-up, and that creates supplier opportunities. - By Donna Benjamin

• Creating Solutions to Evaluate and Manage Reputation Risks

More Enterprises Investing in Protecting Their Reputations. -By Vivian Tse

• Humanizing Leadership Skills for Workforce Digital Fluency

Humanizing Leadership Skills for Workforce Digital FluencyHumans and digital technology are now partners, with important implications for the style of leadership needed to manage the collaboration. In a reimagined workforce, leaders are skilled in enabling both, so soft skills are elevated as key su...

• Need for Financial Services Cybersecurity Presents Business Opportunities

The financial services industry is under cyberattack, and usually from unknown sources. The need for innovative approaches to cybersecurity has never been greater. - By Donna Benjamin

• Mastering Metrics and Measurements to Improve Innovation

Quantifying the innovation process with metrics and measurements can improve results by driving strategy and performance. Choosing the intended results is the first step. - By Shaniqua Thomas

• Financial Services Companies Forging Better Relationships with Suppliers

Financial Services Companies Forging Better Relationships with SuppliersDifferent Metrics Involve Creative Approaches

• Managers Know Intuitively that the ROI on Diversity Recruitment is Good for Business

The new hire must learn the employer’s business methods and job responsibilities, while also adapting to a unique culture.

• Crescent-Shaped Croatia Brings Full Round of Investment Opportunities

Croatia has been quietly strengthening its economy, transportation system and technology status. It is ready to welcome foreign investors looking for places not yet popular but ready to rapidly expand economic global reach. Some call Croatia a hidden investment gem.

• Perseverance Pays: Doing Business with Healthcare Companies

Perseverance Pays: Doing Business with Healthcare CompaniesFor small minority and women businesses, the healthcare industry is one of the most difficult sectors to break into. Finding a way in to the supply chain of big-name pharmaceutical companies like Merck and Eli-Lily, and big name healthcare c...

• How the World’s Biggest Corporations Are Making Themselves Sustainable

Sustainability often means taking care from the top to the bottom of the supply chain. Here, the unique sustainability approaches of companies of all types are showcased.

• Financing and Managing Business Growth

In today’s business environment, minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) face steep challenges and unprecedented opportunities. By most accounts, minority communities will comprise some 40% of the U.S. population by the middle of the century. And yet, minority companies currently make up a sma...

• Turning Online Video Content into New Business

YouTube has been the acknowledged innovator and powerhouse in online video. Now an expanding industry, it offers innovative entrepreneurs new business and revenue opportunities. - By Karen White

• Turning Content Channels Into Cash: How Minority Suppliers Can Use Dedicated Content Channels To Raise Awareness, Grow Their Reputations, And Boost Sales

Turning Content Channels Into Cash: How Minority Suppliers Can Use Dedicated Content Channels To Raise Awareness, Grow Their Reputations, And Boost SalesFor smart suppliers in 2017, content channel marketing has the potential to unlock new opportunities to connect with existing customers and conver...

• ChemicoMays - On the Cutting Edge

ChemicoMays - On the Cutting EdgeChemicoMays is perhaps one of the very few chemical management companies that are process not product driven. They focus on everything that it takes to ensure the client’s goal is reached without compromising on standards. They have 50 years of experience to offer y...

• Medtronic Accomplishments in Supplier Diversity Space are Just the Beginning

Medtronic Accomplishments in Supplier Diversity Space are Just the BeginningMedtronic has developed a world–class global supplier diversity program by embedding supplier diversity in the organization's DNA. It is an impressive effort producing results that are the envy of other companies across...

• The eBook Revolution is a Source of MWBE Business Growth

The eBook Revolution is a Source of MWBE Business GrowthOne of the best ways begin a discussion on the eBook revolution and how it provides business growth opportunities for minority and women business enterprises (MWBE) is to talk about marketing in the age of the Internet. A lot has changed in a s...

• Immature Zambia Market Presents Investment and CSR Opportunities

Zambia is an immature market putting out a welcome mat for foreign investments. It is a country rich in opportunities for economic success and corporate socially responsible investing. - By WILLIAM BELL

• Counting Best Practices in the Financial Services Industry

The financial industry is a key economic engine, meaning support for supplier diversity does matter. Leading companies are implementing key best practices to ensure progress. - By Donna Benjamin

• Unleashing Your Inner Genius: Leveraging the Expertise of Executive Coaching

Unleashing Your Inner Genius: Leveraging the Expertise of Executive CoachingOf the small businesses that fail, some eighty-five percent fall short in their first five years. Flawed business models, a weak product or inadequate marketing top the list of common reasons for these collapses. Increasi...

• Transforming Worker Skills to Match a Transforming Green Economy

Transforming Worker Skills to Match a Transforming Green EconomyWhile technology has brought innovation to people’s lives, it has also created job vulnerability for millions of workers. With the right skills training, the transformation to a green economy could be the path to opportunities for these...

• Seamlessly Aligning Procurement and Business Strategies

Seamlessly Aligning Procurement and Business Strategies A successful procurement strategy is one that seamlessly integrates business strategy with procurement objectives. In order to truly maximize cost savings, procurement strategy must operate in sync with business strategy and evolve into the fut...

• Aging Golfers Tell a Tale of the Need for Reinvention

Golfers age, just like businesses, and age has inevitable consequences. Reinventing the golfer means using golfing experience and knowledge in new ways, while reinventing a business requires adapting to new technologies and becoming more flexible. - By Vincent Pane

• For a More Just Supply Chain: Ending Human Trafficking and Forced Labor

For a More Just Supply Chain: Ending Human Trafficking and Forced LaborEnding human trafficking in supply chains is possible through business model changes and collaboration with governments. Holding suppliers accountable by changing price expectations and increasing transparency are just two strate...

• Leading—Edge Suppliers Drive Transformation in the Insurance Industry

The insurance industry is ripe with supplier opportunities as companies transform their claims processing to achieve operational excellence, and products and services to enhance their competitive advantage. Technology is at the heart of the transformation. - By Donna Benjamin

• Using Social Media As a Resume Builder for Small Businesses Ready to Grow

When discussions turn to resumes, the topic usually concerns resumes for individuals. Resume building means adding accomplishments that promote a reputation by presenting experience and education. Typical accomplishments include earning an award, holding a responsible position, getting a promotion, ...

• Peru: Excellent Destination for Foreign Investment

Peru is seldom in the headlines, but that may be due to the fact the country is busy becoming a leading emerging market. This is a country that “walks the walk” of progress. - By William Bell

• Israel is a Major Destination for Business Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Israel is a Major Destination for Business Innovators and EntrepreneursIsrael has evolved into a global destination for business innovation by promoting and attracting entrepreneurship. The country has a high investment potential as a leader in R&D and startups per capita.

• Guanxi: The Business of Relationships in China

Guanxi: The Business of Relationships in China - by James HsuUnderstanding the nuances of Guanxi in Chinese business culture can make all the difference whether or not you are successful. It applies not just to business but all aspects of life.

• Developing a structure to help small businesses manage more effectively

Developing a structure to help small businesses manage more effectivelyA Strong Board is Essential in Realizing the Vision of the Company

• A Primer on Doing Business in Africa

Africa is Calling. Are you Ready for the Next Global Shift in Business? - by William Bell

• Very Poor Countries on the Wrong Side of a Growing Logistical Divide

Very Poor Countries on the Wrong Side of a Growing Logistical DivideThe gap between developed and developing countries has been a global concern for decades, but skyrocketing oil prices and the general growth of world markets threaten to widen the gap between the developing and least developed count...

• Energizing Diverse Suppliers: AGL Resources

Energizing Diverse Suppliers: AGL ResourcesAGL Resources — positioned to become one of the nation’s preeminent distributors of natural gas — is no stranger to the massive uptick in green thinking throughout the energy industry. Though the Georgia-based company has deep roots and is parent to the st...

• Taking Leadership Lessons from Amazing Brazilian Women

Brazil’s roaring economy is in no small part due to the leadership of pragmatic, educated women. Taking its rightful place on the global stage, the country is entering a new era of participation on many levels.

• Purpose is the “Why” of Everything a Business Does

Purpose is the “Why” of Everything a Business DoesPurpose drives mission and vision and goes right to the heart of a business. Leaders with Purpose understand the “why” of a business and attract others who believe the same.

• Growing Through Green:Mercedes Electric Delivering Solutions One After Another

Growing Through Green:Mercedes Electric Delivering Solutions One After AnotherBy Elizabeth ThomasAgainst the backdrop of a tumultuous national economy marked by failing enterprises and budget setbacks, Mercedes Electric Supply is thriving — and even poised to expand.

• Crowdfunding: Giving Minority Businesses Hope

The fact that the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency felt compelled to prepare a January 2010 report “Disparities in Capital Access between Minority and Non-Minority-Owned Businesses: The Troubling Reality of Capital Limitations Faced by MBEs,” is disturbing. Given the ...

• The Importance of Risk Management for Minority Companies

Recently, more than 40 corporate and public agencies met with representatives from about 120 minority-owned companies looking to bid on contracts in an event organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The contracts were big, but so was the number of rep...

• Outsourcing Is Not For Everyone Look At The Numbers First

In today’s market environment if you want your business to thrive you need to be:

• 5 Steps to a Better Workplace Environment

The average U.S. worker spends more than 1,777 hours each year in his or her office, according to the Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Minority and women business owners, especially in smaller operations where night and weekend hours are common, may spend an additional ...

• As More Corporations Move To Improve Their Supply Chain, The Challenge Is For Minority Companies To Keep Up With Changes

For most minority- and women-owned businesses, being a supplier for a large corporation presents a conundrum of sorts-maintaining their identity as a relatively small, diverse organization, while functioning at the speed and efficiency required by their customers. This is especially true today, as t...

• MWBEs Need to Learn how to Network After Networking

As the business environment becomes decidedly more global, so does the need for networking on a global basis. Globalization has made MWBE participation in business trade missions a critical success strategy. That is why organizations like the WBENC Regional Partner, Astra Women’s Business Alliance, ...

• Côte d’Ivoire Makes a Remarkable Economic Recovery

Côte d’Ivoire’s economy is on an upward trend with a stabilized government and the pursuit of foreign investors. The goal is set: Become an emerging economy by 2020. - By William Bell

• Joint Ventures, Teaming Agreements, and Strategic Alliances

Joint Ventures, Teaming Agreements, and Strategic Alliances- by Shaniqua ThomasWhat is a Teaming Agreement? When two or more companies combine resources to bid on a government contract, it is known as a ‘teaming agreement.’ Usually, a teaming agreement is composed of a large corporation and one or ...

• Supplier Diversity: Retail Offers Contract Variety and Extensive Opportunities for Minority Firms

Supplier Diversity: Retail Offers Contract Variety and Extensive Opportunities for Minority Firms The retail industry has been facing some tough quarters as a result of the recent recessionary period, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still opportunity for minority firms. The most recent data (2009...

• Navigating Opportunities and Valuing Potential in Technology and Media

Technology and media represent an area of incredible growth opportunities for investors. When investing, there are several factors that need to be considered.

• Just How Safe is Doing Business on Your Smartphone?

Fast, yes, but how secure? - by Karen White

• Technology Integration Group Helps Others Power Up Their Strategic Goals

TIG is a remarkable small company prov Technology Integration Group Helps Others Power Up Their Strategic Goals

• Getting and Keeping Customers Strategies for Customer Engagement

Running a small business is no easy task for anyone. However, the challenge is even more daunting for women and minority business owners. What are the benefits for them in terms of utilizing customer relationship management (CRM) processes in their businesses?

• Streaming Real Life with Technology

Live streaming is the new social media phenomenon. As the digital generation embraces social streaming with gusto, what’s in it for business? Answer: Plenty! - By Karen White

• Developing Contextual Leaders Ready to Adapt in Dynamic Environments

Old-style leadership development worked at one time but not in the dynamic business environment in which change is constant. Contextual leaders can adapt their thinking and approaches to strategy and problem-solving to fit the circumstances. - By Dave DeSouza

• Mauritius Gets A Second Look And Investors Like What They See

Historically, the Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, French and British played a role in the history of Mauritius. Today international investors are rediscovering this ideally located, independent island gem in the Indian Ocean. - By William Bell

• A Financial Lesson in Small Business Outsourcing

A Financial Lesson in Small Business OutsourcingI’m sure most of you know the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention.” This expression very much applies when we experience an economic meltdown such as what we have been going through since December 2007. In volatile times, we need to realisti...

• Making Change Business as Usual in the Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry faces challenges in making change a core element of its culture, even as processes are transformed through technology. It is usually people who stand in the way of turning a manufacturing company into a dynamic one that embraces change. - By James Hsu

• Social Media and Supplier Diversity Make Innovative Partnerships

Social media is transforming supplier diversity by deepening corporate-supplier partnerships through increased connectedness. It is also increasing opportunities on both sides of the equation. - By Valerie Gomez

• Authentically Including Men as Sponsors and Mentors of Women

It really does not make sense to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives to advance inclusion of women without talking to the people in power who can bring change. Those people are men.

• Turning Social Media Big Data into Innovation by Way of Analytics

Social media supplies a steady stream of data. Buried in that data is the path to innovation via analytics that provide insights. - By Donna Benjamin

• Power of Artificial Intelligence in the Present and the Future

Power of Artificial Intelligence in the Present and the FutureArtificial intelligence (AI) is still in its infancy, yet it is driving significant improvements in the lives of both people and business operations. If its capabilities are achieving remarkable results now, the future of AI stretches the...

• Expanding Your Digital Footprint: Using Social Media to Build Your Business

Expanding Your Digital Footprint: Using Social Media to Build Your Business- By Anaga DalalTwitter, Facebook, Flikr, YouTube and LinkedIn are just a few of the now abundant forms of social media that are rapidly changing people’s daily interactions as well as the everyday business landscape. Taken t...

• When Your Debt Burden is Too Much to Bear

Today, many business owners are caught in a cash crunch. Although many entrepreneurs are in denial as to their situation, many other entrepreneurs do not understand the process necessary to identify and address the difficult issues needed to survive the crunch. If you are facing a cash crunch, bei...

• Powering Up Brand Strength to Meet an Intense Competitive Environment

Powering up brand strength requires looking internally first to ensure the entire organization is engaged in the brand. Brands must be sold to staff as well as external customers.

• Taking Advantage of Desktop Virtualization

Taking Advantage of Desktop VirtualizationOne of the most successful minority businesses in the United States, SHI International Corp., was recently presented with Dell Inc.’s Partner of the Year Award. SHI is a global business with over 1,700 employees offering information technology services to a ...

• Nigeria: Does Newfound Stability Spell Newfound Opportunity?

Nigeria: Does Newfound Stability Spell Newfound Opportunity?Investors Have to Weigh the Risks Carefully

• Leveraging Social Media to Find Customers and Suppliers

Social media is evolving into social business, implying business intelligence. Conducting social business includes deliberately turning social media into an integrated tool for customer and supplier recruitment.

• Minority Supplier Opportunities in the Cloud

The cloud is much more than a workspace for minority suppliers - it can also be an opportunity space. Cloud computing is a major IT systems trend that top corporations are very interested in exploring. As more nimble adaptors than many would-be competitors, minority firms have the ability to look ...

• Building a “Sustainable Brand”

Building a “Sustainable Brand”By Morris BocianA common definition of “sustainability” is, “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” I would rephrase it to “building our generation - enabling future generations.”

• Sustainability in the Financial Industry Supply Chain

Sustainability in the financial industry has a much broader definition than in other industries. This equates to greater supplier opportunities to contribute to social and environmental impacts. - By Wilfred Smith

• Humanizing Leadership Skills for Workforce Digital Fluency

Humanizing Leadership Skills for Workforce Digital FluencyHumans and digital technology are now partners, with important implications for the style of leadership needed to manage the collaboration. In a reimagined workforce, leaders are skilled in enabling both, so soft skills are elevated as key su...

• Conquer the RFP Process By Differentiating Your Business

It is standard practice for large corporations to use the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to solicit proposals for goods and services or project work. Companies easily able to become Tier 1 suppliers have a large pool of resources in terms of assets and human capacity, making it easier to meet RF...

• A Passion for Entrepreneurship Takes Corium Solutions around the World

The entrepreneurial effort can head down many different paths. For Corium Solutions that path went global but only after grasping a series of events as opportunities.

• Why – And How – To Apply STEM Solutions In A World Of VUCA

Our volatile, uncertain world needs staff with the innovative, STEM-based skills to rapidly adapt. Understanding the reasons STEM is the solution and taking guidance from industry leaders will help companies of all sizes compete.

• CT Lottery and WSP Collaborate to Create an Industry Leader

CT Lottery decided to become an industry and state leader in supplier diversity. Collaborating with Winston Strategic Partners was the winning strategy for accelerating the process. - By Andrew Hale

• Best Practices in Procurement Apply to All Businesses Without Regard to Size

Best Practices in Procurement Apply to All Businesses Without Regard to SizeStagnant profits and decreasing profit margins led to a surge in activity for procurement experts throughout the world. Businesses large and small began to focus more on cost efficiency, and relied on some of the industry’s ...

• Making the Business Case for Cloud Computing and Data Security

Making the Business Case for Cloud Computing and Data Security- by Sherry BloomThe phrase du jour is “working in the cloud,” with the implication that businesses that aren’t out in the cloud are doomed. Yet what’s really going on with cloud computing, and how can it help minority and women-owned bu...

• As Virtual Care Matures More Employees See Unique Benefits

Virtual care has been increasingly accepted as a means of efficient delivery of health care services. Events like the COVID pandemic accelerated its acceptance and revealed significant opportunities for employers to leverage virtual care to help employees manage chronic conditions while also reducin...

• Sustain ability and the New Green Economy

An Opportunity for a Level Playing Field By Jasmine McNealy

• Lessons from the Tee: Golf Industry Strives to Attract Millennials

Some industries remain challenged when it comes to attracting millennials. The golf industry is one of the most challenged, so therein is found some guidance when the going remains tough. - By Vincent Pane

• Positioning the Organization to Capture Value in a Hyper-Changing Environment

Businesses need to maintain alignment between corporate effort and strategy. In a hyper-changing marketplace, driven by rapid technology advances, leaders must identify key levers at every turn that can capture value while maintaining alignment in a constantly evolving environment. - By Paul Lachhu

• Going Green without Going Broke

Going Green without Going Broke- by Morris BocianNot too long ago, companies used to budget hardware and software upgrades once a year, or every other year. With rapid technology changes and little hope of the trend abating, if small business owners want to keep up, they might feel that they are in ...

• Standing With Women and People of Color to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Funny, you don’t look like a…Too often this phrase has been used to marginalize women and people of color in a variety of professions, leading to widespread Imposter Syndrome. How can organizations support diverse leaders to overcome these feelings?

• Risks of Network Sharing: How Can It Impact Your Ability to do Business?

Network sharing is not a new concept, but it’s an expanding one. It refers to multiple businesses accessing share network bandwidth usually to connect to the same server. Originally a shared server involved partitioned file storage but a single operating system and application program. Like most tec...

• A Strategic Approach to Security Compliance: Certification and Competitive Advantage

A proactive approach to information security is a stated goal of many minority and women owned businesses. Creating a framework for security and validating it is another matter entirely. - by Paul Lachhu

• Camaraderie Before and After Golf Game Builds Business Connections

Camaraderie Before and After Golf Game Builds Business ConnectionsSaying that ‘business is done on the golf course’ often gets guffaws and suspicious looks from those who believe serious business can’t possibly take place during a competitive game. What they do not understand is that it is not just ...

• Finding The Foothold With Financial Companies

A Challenging Economic Landscape Hasn’t Reduced the Need for Diverse Suppliers

• US Trade Promotion Programs: Expanding Market Opportunities Abound

US Trade Promotion Programs: Expanding Market Opportunities Abound- By William BellFor many minority and women business owners, the idea of expanding operations overseas is attractive but seems too complex to carry out. For other minority firms, one or two relationships abroad are something their b...

• The Rice People Built a Business on Core Values While “Failing Up”

The Rice People Built a Business on Core Values While “Failing Up”After a Devastating Business Loss, Eva Sun Started Over by Adhering to Core Values of Respect and Integrity.

• Glimpsing the Future of Television: You-Tube Content Channels

YouTube TV was recently introduced to the market, marking the next step in the journey towards internet TV. Once a random collection of video content, it is now gelling into a major source of content channels. Experts wonder: What is the future of cable and satellite television?

• Workforce Development: What’s In It for Industry?

Workforce Development: What’s In It for Industry?Workforce development is a concept that gets a lot of attention today because it implies jobs, employment, sustainable wages and a host of other positive results. It also evokes an image of people sitting in training classes or working in trade appren...

• Working Relationships: Making or Breaking Employee Engagement

Working Relationships: Making or Breaking Employee EngagementMore than one-third of a typical American’s life is spent at work. An employee’s level of commitment and satisfaction with his or her company and his or her job is largely tied to the relationships formed with co-workers and managers.

• Minority Companies to Watch In The Healthcare Industry

ChemicoMays - On the Cutting EdgeChemicoMays is perhaps one of the very few chemical management companies that are process not product driven. They focus on everything that it takes to ensure the client’s goal is reached without compromising on standards. They have 50 years of experience to offer y...

• Optimizing the Cloud Infrastructure for Enterprise Application

One of the main tenets of operation for minority and women owned businesses ought to always be, “Why not us?” when it comes to tackling the latest technology. This isn’t to imply that every development is right for every firm, but rather to remind you that being open to trying new adventures is a h...

• South Coast Paper Thrives Through Capital Shortage, Hurricanes and Recessions

South Coast Paper’s growth was earned through efforts focusing on viability in manufacturing plants, and through effective sales and marketing. But real success was achieved through innovative sustainability efforts revolving around meeting customer needs. - By Sharon Rossm

• How to Do Business with Financial Companies

How to Do Business with Financial Companiesby Anaga DalalOne of the key industries that offers promise to minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) is the financial services industry, which has a broad consumer and customer base. For many Americans, building a relationship with your local bank o...

• Leveraging Mobile Technology to Enhance the Customer Experience

Leveraging Mobile Technology to Enhance the Customer ExperienceMobile technology has moved from being a technology silo to being an integral tool that enhances the customer experience. Mobile technology has moved beyond being a customer touch point to being an assistive aid during the customer journ...

• HR Empowers Employees to Proactively Pursue Digital Disruptions

HR Empowers Employees to Proactively Pursue Digital DisruptionsSome companies proactively take the lead as digital disruptors, while others react to events. Human Resources increasingly steers companies towards becoming proactive through empowerment of people from the CEO to the frontline worker.

• Developing Cross-Cultural Competency in the Workforce

Developing a Human Resources culture that is anchored in HR data and analytics is a process. It is a journey over time that moves HR from reporting to analytics.

• Businesses Taking the Lead in Reducing Global Carbon Emissions

It is not government but businesses that are leading the charge to reduce global carbon emissions. They realize it is good for people and equally good for business to take the leading role in making an impact on meeting global climate targets. - By Andrew Hale

• Gerrie Electric Sells Solutions and Service First and Products Follow

Gerrie Electric Sells Solutions and Service First and Products FollowGerrie Electric’s success is attributed to focusing on solutions and service first, and slow-but-steady growth. While competitors were struggling, this company was preparing to go global.

• Breaking the Mold Letting Women Bring Authenticity into the Workplace

Women are told how they must think, act and dress in order to be noticed for leadership positions. They are molded to fit the perspective of men on gender roles, and there is not room for authenticity. It is time to break the mold!

• Transparency & Accountability are Basic Tenets of Sustainability Reporting

Transparency & Accountability are Basic Tenets of Sustainability ReportingStandardization still eludes sustainability reporting, but the foundation of every report should be transparency and accountability.