Category: Business

Impact Lab > Business
Analysis, Business, Science & Technology News

The fallacy of big data and why we need even bigger data

The value of data is only as good as the information and insights we can get from it. The information and insights will help us make better decisions and give us a competitive edge. The promise of big data is that one could glean lots of information and gain many valuable insights. However, people often don’t realize that data and information are not the same. Even if you are able to extract information from your big data, not all of it will be insightful and valuable.

 

 

Continue reading… “The fallacy of big data and why we need even bigger data”

Analysis, Business, government

USPTO Director Kappos delivers speech on software patents, the PTO and innovation

Director David Kappos

Director of the USPTO David Kappos delivered a keynote address last week  to the Center for American Progress that focused on software patents and the smartphone “patent wars.”  The speech is noteworthy for the Director’s strong defense of software patents. The entire speech is worth reading – here are a few excerpts to induce you to:

 

Continue reading… “USPTO Director Kappos delivers speech on software patents, the PTO and innovation”

Analysis, Business, Latest Trend, Money Talk

Your guide to offshore banks that may be right for you

The number of offshore banks where savers can keep their money and receive good rates is dwindling.

People trying to save are having a tough time at the moment.  It is very difficult to get a real return on savings because of low interest rates and relatively high inflation.  And there’s still the question of safety: the banking crisis which left millions of savers worrying about the security of their banks was only a few years ago.

 

Analysis, Business, Economy

Will entrepreneurship save the country?

William Sahlman, professor of entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School

The U.S. economy is in a tough state, with mile-high deficits and slow growth in jobs. There are other countries that are pulling ahead, but some cling to the hope that startups and the spirit of entrepreneurship embodied in Silicon Valley could save the country. That’s one of the conclusions reached by a team of Harvard Business School professors who toured the valley this fall.

 

 

Continue reading… “Will entrepreneurship save the country?”

Business, Science & Technology News

EyeSee – seeing-eye mannequins that check out customers for age, sex, and race

Seeing-eye mannequins

The high-fashion mannequin maker Almax has released the new $5000 EyeSee mannequins.  The mannequins contain cameras in their eyes that are connected to facial recognition software that analyzes customers’ faces, classifying them by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. The cameras also can tell merchandisers when the store is getting crowded, and what products or clothing are attracting the most attention.

 

 

Continue reading… “EyeSee – seeing-eye mannequins that check out customers for age, sex, and race”

Analysis, Business, Internet

Chinese e-commerce company had $3 billion in sales in just one day

Three billion dollars is almost triple the entire 2011 Black Friday sales of e-commerce sites in the United States.

The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba shocked the web last week with the news that its subsidiaries Taobao (like a Chinese eBay) and T-mall (like Amazon) sold a massive $3.06 billion in product in a single 24-hour period.

 

 

 

Continue reading… “Chinese e-commerce company had $3 billion in sales in just one day”

Analysis, Business, facebook, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News, Twitter

Social media in the workplace – Is anyone actually working?

Everyone spends their time discussing the work they should be doing rather than actually doing it.

It seems like almost everyone is social today.  Every minute, Twitter users average 100,000 tweets, Facebook users post 684,478 pieces of content, Tumblr blog owners publish 27,778 new posts and Flickr users add 3,125 new photos. Facebook and Twitter are great tools for connecting and communicating with people in our social lives, or for brands communicating with customers, the real value of pure-play social tools as standalone applications within a business has yet to be proven.

 

 

 

Continue reading… “Social media in the workplace – Is anyone actually working?”

Analysis, Business, Globalism, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

The world’s top cities for startups

Silicon Valley tops the list.

The world’s unquestionable leader in generating high-tech start-ups that launch new technologies that change the way we live and work is Silicon Valley. Many cities around the world have tried to emulate its success. But until recently, the data has been lacking to calibrate and rank how far they have come.

 

 

Continue reading… “The world’s top cities for startups”

Business, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Wharton School and startup Evolv use big data to predict when you will quit your job

“These models will predict your likelihood of separating from your employer based on everything we know about you and the position.”

You did everything by the book when you went in for that job interview. But, after going through all the effort, would you feel slighted if the interviewer made the ultimate decision about whether or not to hire you based on an algorithm?

 

 

Continue reading… “Wharton School and startup Evolv use big data to predict when you will quit your job”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.