New York SBDC Research Network

From Afar : On January 10, the U.S. Department of State unveiled a new-and-improved travel advisory system in an effort to make its rankings more easily understandable to the public. The new system gives every nation in the world a travel advisory ranking from one to four. Level 4 indicates “do not travel”; Level 3, “reconsider travel”; Level 2, “exercise increased caution”; and Level 1, “exercise normal precautions.” In addition, an interactive map color-codes countries by their official ranking: red for 4, orange for 3, and yellow for 2. Countries with a level 1 ranking are not color-coded. “While we will issue an overall travel advisory level for every country, levels of advice might vary for specific locations or areas within a country,” the State Department said in a statement. “For instance, we might advise U.S. citizens to ‘exercise increased caution’ (Level 2) in a country, but to ‘reconsider travel’ (Level 3) to a particular area within the country.” While the State

From Eater : It’s hard to believe, but before 1994, grocery stores did not sell packaged rotisserie chickens. Boston Market is credited with convincing consumers to pay for one of the easiest meals to make at home, in the early 1990s, and that’s when grocery stores saw an opening, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. Last year, Americans bought 625 million rotisserie chickens at supermarkets; Costco alone sold 87 million, according to the Journal, 36 million more than they did in 2010. Today, practically every major publication, from Bon Appetit to Buzzfeed, has published a list of ways to most efficiently transform a grocery store-roasted chicken into several meals. The pre-roasted birds, packaged in plastic or paper and sitting beneath heat lamps at national chains like Kroger and Costco, might be flavored with garlic and lemon or barbecue spices. In addition to the convenience, the smell is a draw, as the Journal points out. It’s enough to get people into the store i

From The World Economic Forum : Ten years on from the global financial crisis, the prospects for a sustained economic recovery remain at risk due to a widespread failure on the part of leaders and policy-makers to put in place reforms necessary to underpin competitiveness and bring about much-needed increases in productivity, according to data from the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2017-2018 . The Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018 presents a framework and a corresponding set of indicators in three principal categories (subindexes) and twelve policy domains (pillars) for 137 economies. Drawing on data going back 10 years, the report highlights in particular three areas of greatest concern. These include the financial system, where levels of “soundness” have yet to recover from the shock of 2007 and in some parts of the world are declining further. This is especially of concern given the important role the financial system will need to play in facilitati

Each year the  New York Small Business Development Center  recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Queens-LaGuardia SBDC  appears in our  2016 Annual Report .  Tony Yang   GIG Computers, Inc. Queens-LaGuardia SBDC Tony Yang started Gig Computers, Inc. from his dorm room while attending the University at Albany in 1995. Gig provides premium IT consulting service in upstate New York, including computer networking, VOIP phone systems, and data center solutions. He initially applied for a loan with NYBDC, who referred Tony to the LaGuardia SBDC for assistance with the financial projections. Business Advisor Rosa Figueroa prepared the financial projections that helped Tony obtain a $150,000 SBA guarantee loan to purchase equipment and expand the business to NYC. The loan enabled Tony to create four jobs and save six others.  The challenge was to secure a location for Gig Computers at a reasonable price. Rosa suggested NYDesigns,

From Disability Scoop : Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he’s rescinding more than two dozen guidance documents including several clarifying the implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Among the 25 revoked documents are a number of ADA-related items dating as far back as 1995 offering guidance on everything from service animals to accessible building practices as well as a 2016 letter on employment of people with disabilities... Disability advocates indicated they are particularly worried about the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to pull a statement issued under the Obama administration addressing the implications of the ADA’s integration mandate on employment. “The civil rights of persons with disabilities, including individuals with mental illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, or physical disabilities, are violated by unnecessary segregation in a wide variety of settings, including in segregated employment, vocational and day programs,” the

From Marketing Profs : What does it mean to be human (and a marketer) in a world where even the most creative and intuitive endeavors are being turned into automated, optimized, and streamlined processes? With the onslaught of stories about the launch of new, fantastic pieces of software or technological advancements that'll make life simpler and computers able to make essential data connections, it seems that we're quickly entering a full-blown "Artificial Intelligence Age." At the root of AI are perception and cognition, which also happen to be two of the fundamental tenets of the marketing industry. It's no surprise, then, that software, algorithms, and AI applications are consistently used to help marketers and make their job of "adaptive persuasion" more effective and efficient. Far from being a substitute for the creative process, though, data is empowerment. By offering deeper and more comprehensive consumer insights, data fuels curiosity

From ThomasNet : Currently, the industrial and commercial labor worlds are facing an unprecedented rate of rapid change. New technologies are becoming old-news almost as soon as they hit the marketplace, social attitudes fluctuate with the share of a Tweet, and government policies struggle to keep up with high tech developments. All of this adds up to the inability to predict how the workforce will evolve over the course of the next decade. With the future so uncertain, how can companies and individuals continue to maintain relevance? According to a report compiled by PwC , a global industry-focused service provider and consulting company, keeping up with the unknown realities of tomorrow means reshaping the traditional business conventions of today into flexible practices that can adapt and vacillate with the changing tides. The report’s conclusions are derived from the findings of a research project that began in 2007 and are based on the collected surveys from 10,000 people in