Apple Users Are the Most Valuable Online Shoppers

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Blog on : Workplace Diversity and the Google Report that shocked everyone

So, suddenly everyone is talking about workplace diversity thanks to the Google Equal Employment Opportunity report on workforce diversity based on the data from January 2014.  In an age where almost all the big corporate houses are parroting how ‘multiculturally-diverse’ their outlook and workforce is, Google with its very cosmopolitan outlook has candidly revealed that they are far from the ideal scenario when it comes to the topic of workforce diversity, in an open attempt to address the issue.  

This Google report on diversity* might come as a surprise to many, but it points straight to the otherwise conveniently ignored topic of the lack of workforce diversity in many of the large organizations across the globe. Google revealed that 70% of the workforce are men, 61% White, 30% Asian. On the other hand, it might come as a surprise to many that only 3 percent of Googlers are Hispanic, 2 percent are Black and that women make only 30% of Google's workforce signifying a stark disparity in terms of the diversity of its workforce.

Ideally a workforce consists of an equal ratio of employees from every sphere of life including age, race, national origin, gender, marital status etc. While this might sound difficult and nearly impossible, it is expected that companies make an attempt to be more welcoming to the idea of a more balanced workforce in terms of diversity which will contribute to better results and broader perspectives in everyday problem solving scenarios.  The lack of diversity of workforce would be a stumbling block in the way of the success as well as the proper functioning of any company in terms of performance because the cultural experience that each person into the organization is unique and can be invaluable to the company.

We at [Your Company Name] strongly believe that a diverse, multicultural environment is fundamental to promoting creative thinking and enhancing the problem solving abilities of an organization’s workforce.  As an organization, we are proud to have a diverse workforce of White as well as Hispanic employees which again is a true representation of our greater community and social scenario. Using a number of metrics we assess and evaluate how your organization is faring with regard to workplace diversity. We also specialize in helping you recruit, train and manage your workforce to create a balanced multicultural workforce for a more productive, healthy work environment. Our globally acclaimed training programs are specially designed, to identify and overcome any kind of intercultural communication issues that might crop up in a diverse environment.

*Google's  EEO-1 report for more information

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The Big Picture: The Youth Unemployment Crisis

Alarmingly, the question of youth unemployment has become a major epidemic plaguing many of the world nations and therefore, has become a matter of grave concern across the globe. According to data from the World Economic Forum, 2013, youth make up an astonishing 40% of the world's unemployed. In 2012, the number of young-unemployed people below the age of 25 stood at a staggering 75 million worldwide, according to a report by the International Labour Office. The youth unemployment rate in Europe is 20%, in Spain it is 57% and in the US it is 21%. The United Nations define unemployed youth as 15 to 24 year olds who are actively seeking employment. At the World Economic Forum 2014, the topic of youth unemployment was discussed in The Millennial Challenge session. More specifically, it dealt with the relevant question of “How can the public and private sectors address the youth unemployment crisis".  The Speakers were Muhtar A. Kent, Robert Greenhill, Guy Ryder, Klaus Kleinfeld, Khalid A.  Falih, and Maria Fanjul.

In this session four main problems were identified as fundamental to the issue of youth unemployment:

1.      Lack of an entrepreneurial mindset

2.      A mismatch  between high youth unemployment across the globe and the dearth of qualified workers for many companies

3.      Misconception and prejudice towards certain types of jobs. For example, jobs in the manufacturing industry.

4.      Active labor policies that facilitate youth employment

Although many solutions are being constantly put forward in the hope of alleviating the problem, the need for a long- term strategic solution still looms large.  Youth unemployment further translates into long-term unemployment. This is because, about one in every six young people in the  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) countries is neither employed nor in training.  It is anticipated that the leaders of tomorrow will be capable of delivering a unified solution that could be successfully implemented worldwide. The future of the world stands bleak if the youth is not empowered!

Do watch the video. Comments and ideas are much appreciated.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Content by info@AlphaSMC.com

Global Design Trends 2014

Infographic: Shutterstock's Global Design Trends 2014

You Have The Right to Know: The GMO Tug of War #GMO

GMOs have been either banned or strictly require labelling in over 60 countries or so. However, things seem to be heading towards a different direction in the United States where the GMO debate is intensifying with each passing day. The results of many national surveys clearly suggests that more than 90% of Americans would like to know if their food contains GM ingredients.

Despite many renowned scholars in the field coming forward to vouch that GMO’s are anything but sustainable and has the potential to destroy the planet, countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, China etc. continue to follow the GMO bandwagon with U.S leading the way. However, nations like South Africa, Peru, France etc., have taken legal action against the Monsanto Company on the question of GM food safety and ensuing health concerns. With more and more consumers demanding the right to know what they are eating and the public outrage against GM foods gaining momentum in the U.S and elsewhere, the reassessment and regulation of the safety standards of the GM foods before being introduced into the market, has become a matter of immediate concern. This in turn, translates into the need for food labelling schemes and judicious government intervention in the case of GM foods. 

Chart from the Cornucopia Institute

With "Non-GMO" or "GMO-free" foods gaining popularity, many companies have started making the much desired shift towards making their products free of GMOs. In order to cater to the rising demand for GMO free food, companies including the likes of General Mills are in the process of making GMO-free variants for their very popular brands. By 2018, Whole Foods intends to make labelling mandatory for their stores across the U.S and Canada. Also, the very popular Ben & Jerry's officially became GMO-free in 2013. Chitpotle chain of restaurants that serve Mexican food, openly disclosed the presence of GMO in their food and at the same time made a firm commitment to make their food free of GMOs as much as possible and voluntarily started labelling their products with the intention of gaining more consumer acceptance and trust.
Content by info@AlphaSMC.com

Companies like Monsanto have allegedly spent millions of dollars for lobbying against labelling of GM foods in the U.S. It is assumed that in 2013, the company made a donation of over $5 million USD in support of the anti- GMO labelling campaign in the state of Washington.

The infographic below, created by The Cornucopia Institute, outlines the  list of  corporations and organizations that are supporting and opposing I-522, which is a citizen’s initiative in Washington and might go on to become the first state to make clear labelling of genetically engineered ingredients on food packaging mandatory. Companies like Monsanto and General Mills are against GMO labelling whereas companies like Stonyfield, Annie’s, Nature’s Path etc. support the I-522 campaign. 

References:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/11/monsanto-anti-gmo-labeling.aspx

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/18/us-usa-food-gmo-analysis-idUSBREA1H1G420140218

http://gmoreport.blogspot.in/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-ells/chipotle-gmos-no_b_4063994.html

What is GMO?

So lately while we have been obsessively counting calories in each morsel of food and deliberating over the plethora of dietary information found strewn all over the internet, are we forgetting or rather conveniently ignoring the bigger picture? You might be familiar with the amount of carbohydrates and proteins that you are consuming on a daily basis, but chances are, you are unaware of the fact that the food that you are eating right now is genetically modified. Yes, we are talking about GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms!

GMO- An Overview

GMO’s are Genetically Engineered Organisms, both plants and animals, whose genetic material has been altered through gene splicing techniques of biotechnology. In GMO’s, the DNA from bacteria, virus or even other plants or animals is introduced into the genetic material of other organisms artificially, thereby, resulting in the production of organisms that do not occur in nature. This is indeed different from traditional crossbreeding techniques.

Ever thought about eating a strawberry recombined with fish DNA? As weird as it sounds, this is the basic concept behind GMOs. Another example would be combining the DNA of corn with a bacterium known as bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), known for producing a protein that kills insects. This trait of the Bt is in turn passed on to the corn, which makes it produce its own pesticide.

 In the United States, the Flavr Savr tomato introduced by the Monsanto Company (MON) 20 years ago became the first GMO that was approved for human consumption. Corn, soy, canola, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya etc. make it to the list of widely consumed GM foods. More recently, GM salmon became the first GM animal that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for consumption by humans. This would further pave the way for more experiments on cows, pigs etc. and serve as an impetus for the prevalence of untested GMO foods in the market on one side, as well as an overwhelming uproar of ethical concerns on the other. Despite the many qualms about GMO and the possible side effects of human intervention in the process of creation, it might come as a bit of shock to learn that around 75%-80% of all the food products in America contain GM ingredients in one form or the other.

So this genetic manipulation is our way of challenging Mother Nature by developing organisms with lucrative claims of better yields, resistance to diseases, enhanced flavour and nutritional values, reduction of allergenic potential, tolerance to pests, cold and drought, lesser cost etc.  This enhancement of particular desired traits through biotechnology is much faster and more accurate than conventional techniques of breeding. So if GMO sounds like the solution to creating perfect organisms without any inherent flaws, what is all current anti-GMO buzz about?

GMO’s have gone on to become the most contentious issue faced by the food industry till date. Though they were initially thought of as the much awaited solution to starvation and hunger plaguing our world, there is a lot of scepticism and speculation surrounding the topic due to the uncertainty of what it could possibly do to our health and environment in the longer run.  Much of this concern stems from the lack of conclusive evidence to prove that GMO does not pose a threat to human health and does not lead to potential environmental hazards. The lack of long term scientific studies on humans along with the disturbing results evident from animal studies point to issues related to increased mortality, decreased fertility, slower growth rates etc. There is also the question of the violation of farmer’s rights and consumer’s rights in connection to GMO production and sale.

So, in the guise of producing more cost effective and appealing products, we might end up creating mutant organisms with the potential to alter the course of history itself. Or, are all our fears unfounded and baseless? 

Content by info@AlphaSMC.com

Twitter Bios - Women Leaders in their Fields

Twitter IPO is coming out soon and it will be historically seen as the most popular offer of the year 2013. We look into how this company has achieved so much and has become a leader in what is now a new way of journalism, but in 140 characters. In 140 characters you have also to put your Bio/Resume. Most of the users put what they are, what they want and how they define themselves. Some make a statement and some just don’t. We always say that you should be able to do an elevator speech but definitely this has pushed the limits.  We picked the most popular women in business and politics. You be the judge of whom made the best job and use of the 140 letters. We like Hillary Clinton; the black and white picture, the glasses, the hair, the chic bio and that “ I am working and exactly know what I am doing look”.