New York SBDC Research Network

As we prepare to move office, I came across a set of booklets we have. They are from BoardSource and they cover topics such as Structures and Practices of Non-Profit Boards and Ten Basic Responsibilities of Non-Profit Boards. I went looking for current editions of these works and discovered this article: The BridgeSpan Group surveys non-profit organizations to help them get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses. When they surveyed 131 non-profits, what they discovered was that for all their strengths, they were falling behind in other areas. The average score across all statements is 2.92. Overall nonprofit organizations exhibit important strengths: leadership’s vision, having skilled and effective staff, and having an inspiring culture that promotes values and produces results. However, those very strengths are often undermined by what they consider to be their organizational weaknesses, which include their nonprofits’ ability to develop and build staff skills over time. Th...

The high cost of these keywords is the result of competitive bidding, according to the report. For mesothelioma-related keywords, attorneys set high bids in Google AdWords because they stand to receive large sums of money when a plaintiff in a lawsuit gains a favorable judgment or settlement. One thing to note is that keywords with the highest average CPCs tend to be more niche and do not generally correlate to the biggest overall ad spends. An analysis of 2014 data by Adgooroo found the top keywords by spend are for the most part broader terms, such as "free credit report" and "car insurance." Read more from MarketingProfs

The use of technology for bettering health is on the rise. Indeed, wearables and similar markets are projected to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years. In this slideshow, PersonalTech MDM shows where the boom is expected to happen and what practitioners should know. Special thanks goes to the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s online Master of Science in computer science program for allowing us to use this data.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans ten years ago this week, it devastated the local business community as well as individual citizens. According to a  report by ABC News , insured losses alone totaled $40 billion. That’s a sobering statistic given the inevitability of disasters and emergencies. It can be especially daunting when you think about the whole range of potential events. Natural disasters, technological failures, pandemic—the list goes on. The good news is that you can take steps now to prepare for disasters, mitigate potential damage and plan for how your business will recover.  Hurricane season  is already underway in the Atlantic and Pacific, and September starts  N ational Preparedness Month  with this year's theme of  " Don't Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today, " so read on for tips, resources and training to help make sure your business is prepared and can recover when disaster strikes. What Did We...

Sentiment among sole proprietors and other small business owners fell in July, according to the latest Thumbtack survey, suggesting similar readings in other surveys. Thumbtack noted concerns about future conditions and referenced headlines about Greece. Inflation expectations fell further and employment sub-indexes were lower. The Thumbtack index of small business sentiment has shown a tendency to anticipate moves in other sentiment indicators. • The Thumbtack sentiment index dropped ... Its three-month moving average has also declined modestly, bringing it in line with declines in major consumer sentiment surveys, although it has remained somewhat more resilient than the Small Business Optimism Index published by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB). All four indexes have declined over the course of 2015. Bloomberg See Thumbtack

Per the New York Times: The National Labor Relations Board in Washington on Thursday made it substantially easier for unions to bargain for higher wages and benefits, potentially opening the door for organized workers at fast food chains and other franchises to negotiate with the larger corporations, like McDonald’s and Yum Brands, rather than with individual restaurants, where they would have a harder time achieving their goals. The ruling, which may eventually be challenged in court in a variety of individual disputes, changes the definition of a crucial employer-employee relationship that had held in some form since the 1980s. Now, a company that hires a contractor to staff its facilities may be considered a so-called joint employer of the workers at that facility, even if it does not actively supervise them. A union representing those workers would now be legally entitled to bargain with the upstream company, not just the contractor, under federal labor law.

Are You Stressed?  Saturday, August 15, was National Relaxation Day, a day dedicated to unwinding and enjoying our personal lives. But for most of us, relaxing on the weekend isn't the challenge. We could all do with a little less stress at work, too. In this newsletter, we look at how stress affects business owners, executives and employees as well as what to do about it.   The Biggest Driver of Stress: Lack of Control No one is surprised to learn that owning a small business is intensely stressful. It certainly isn't a surprise to business owners.   One study points to lack of control as the largest source of stress. Even worse, obsessing over things that you don't have the power to change can have physiological effects such as raising your blood pressure and emotional effects like reduced...