Apprenticeship programs give employers competitive advantage
Something old is new again. Apprenticeships, an ideal means to train future workers, have been around for centuries throughout the world. A formal statewide apprenticeship system was created in California back in 1939. Yet today, apprenticeships do not readily come to mind as people plan for careers or employers look for skilled workers. That mindset Read More →
Expand public-private partnerships to increase affordable housing
More than 1.5 million low-income California renters spend more than half their income on housing, according to a recent Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report. That’s up 28 percent since the housing market crash. There is a role for federal and local policy in trying to address this issue, but we cannot hope to Read More →
Forced arbitration violates your rights
By Lisa Spiwak Arbitration has become very popular as an alternative dispute resolution to the traditional court system. Arbitration’s popularity stems from the fact that it is a way to resolve legal disputes outside of the courts in a faster, cheaper and more flexible manner. Arbitration awards are completely binding on the parties and those Read More →
Internet of Things lights up CES
By David Newton LAS VEGAS — Another year at the Consumer Electronics Show and more records fell. Attendance topped 173,000 — including 50,000 from outside the U.S. — with 3,800 exhibitors covering 2.5 million square feet. But this year did not have any truly impressive, jaw-dropping product-tech debuts and felt very much like the last Read More →
Top 10 ‘wish list’ for leadership
Many Americans would agree that our nation is more divided than ever and could use a new crop of leaders. Here’s my New Year “wish list” for better leadership and a new focus in areas ranging from politics to sports to business to universities to the military. 1. A cessation of inflammatory, hurtful and incendiary Read More →
It’s déjà vu for investment bankers
We’ve been there before. The movie “The Big Short” explains how and why the financial services industry helped to bring down our economy during 2007-08. Banks took home mortgage loans that were made based on shaky credit and pooled them into a basket of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) that were backed by the homes. These were Read More →
Workplace stress: use it or lose it
Workplace stress is a very individual phenomenon. It can kill through hypertension and mismanaged emotions. On the other hand, it can be a very valuable tool for leaders at every level to use to motivate their folks. Let’s take a look at the phenomenon of stress. Unmanaged stress is likely the single most important and Read More →
