Tag: 3BL

Originally published by Ericsson

In this blog, I wish to offer some perspectives on leadership in large organizations concerned with the phenomenon of quiet quitting. Old wine in new bottles or not, quiet quitting is an outgrowth of a new set of prevailing orthodoxies about the meaning and demands of work. It refers to a lack of motivation on the part of workers to do more than the bare minimum, and it challenges the ethos of giving one’s full attention to the business of the organization, rather focusing on one’s own needs and preferences. It is always hard to put words to what is going on around us in real time, but important changes are taking place in what people expect from work that need to be given appropriate thought so that we can see them more clearly.

Let’s go back in time so we can move forward to where we are now. Were we to talk about leadership twenty-five years ago, we would surely have brought up Jack Welch, the legendary head of General Electric, or GE. We would have noted his decisiveness and strategic clarity and admired his grand ambition. We might have lauded his fixation on shareholder value. What we would not have talked about, or perhaps even known about, was how fiercely intimidating he was with others, and how he bet the farm on an entirely new and, ultimately unsuccessful, business model to become a nonbank bank to finance his customers’ purchases of GE’s industrial products, as well as many wide-ranging projects outside the realm of GE’s usual businesses.

Jack Welch is not considered a great leader today. He botched the choice of the person who was to succeed him, he was ultimately responsible for the destruction of considerable shareholder value, and he managed to massively pollute the Hudson River in New York State in the process. Jack Welch exemplified an era where the prevailing ethos was one of fear-driven performance and macho competitiveness.

Today we talk about quiet quitting in the spirit of thinking about what makes work fulfilling and we are coming to believe that work should meet three fundamental criteria to pass through a threshold of satisfaction. It should take place in an organization that has a purpose one can align with. It should provide an opportunity to make an impact in achieving that purpose. And it should provide a working culture and style of leadership that one can comfortably abide with.

Not everyone has the good fortune to experience working under these three conditions, but they are, nevertheless, animating factors for large numbers of people. And one of the byproducts of these aspirations is the increasing number of people eschewing strong commitments to jobs that are uninspiring, overly taxing, and ultimately meaningless. They feel that there are other things to do right now that are more important on a personal level than marking time at work and selling one’s soul for someone else’s benefit.

In thinking about leading in the age of quiet quitting, especially in the context of Ericsson, an organization of mostly knowledge workers that has always aspired to meet the three conditions mentioned above, it can be useful to think back on what leadership meant in the past and then see how those ideas fit with today’s realities.

Before moving further into the past, however, I should state where my perspectives on leadership come from. I was Program Director for Executive Development at Ericsson for fifteen years from 1997 to 2012 and thus able to observe what leaders did in their roles and discuss with them the challenges they faced. I came to believe that there were seven capabilities that leaders must possess and practice. They make up, at a high level, the leader’s toolbox. It is a personal view, much influenced by the leaders I met at Ericsson, and I will lay them out after a brief detour to think about, arguably, the most famous leader of them all, Napoleon Bonaparte.

We first started talking about leadership with Napoleon over two hundred years ago because people were fascinated by how successful he was. What was it that allowed this man of diminutive stature to win consistently on the battlefield, so often against what seemed to be overwhelming odds? Those studying Napoleon came up with certain characteristics. He was courageous. He was incredibly clever and strategic, devising attacks that no one else envisioned, and he led with utter self-confidence. He was also charismatic. People wanted to be on his team. Going into battle with him meant that good rewards would surely follow. It was worth it to follow this man. As to purpose, if toppling the old order of Europe and bringing down its kings and queens was your thing, then you could well believe you were part of something worthy and important. When you read about Napoleon, a ‘great man’ if ever there was one, you were led to believe that had he not existed, then nothing that he accomplished would have gotten done by anyone else. The leader as exceptional genius entered our imagination.

Setting Direction, the first of the seven capabilities, is a mild way of stating what Napoleon was able to do brilliantly. What has changed is the fact that the leader does not do that setting alone, anymore, and direction refers to more than tactics on the battlefield. Setting direction today involves embodying an organization’s culture and values, articulating its vision and purpose, imagining its future, showing how it adds value to the communities in which it operates, and doing all of that with an authenticity that directly connects with people. People no longer wish to work for organizations whose direction is not communicated in those terms.

To be able to set direction, a second capability comes into play one of. The leader, by the very nature of her role, thinks about the future constantly since the organization that she is leading today merely exists as a precursor to what the organization should think like and look like tomorrow. No one else has that remit, no one else is charged to see far ahead with all its explicit and implicit ramifications.

What has changed, surely, is that the future comes sooner now. It comes whether we plan for it or not, and it comes from everywhere, not just from the familiar drivers of change. And, considering today’s speed of change, when it does come, it can dissolve again quickly into something else entirely.

If Managing Change was always a key leadership capability, it is doubly so when change is constant. Understanding how things might pan out, grasping how employees are going to be affected by a change, by that future that is coming, inexorably, and taking the organization on as smooth a ride as possible from here to there, is an essential task for which the leader is ultimately responsible. The skills of visioning, timing, listening, communicating and risk management involved in managing change are vital and daunting.

Another quality of leadership that is in ascendence is Forming and Managing Teams. Like many Americans, my favorite leader is Abraham Lincoln. He was as an outsider, a man of limited experience at a time of crisis, and he was able to defeat much more experienced men than he to be elected President of the United States. Those who lost out could easily have weakened him and thwarted his plans. Then, when in office, he formed a team of rivals. He put all those who had opposed him into his cabinet and asked for their council, treating them with the respect he thought they deserved. At the end of day, they managed to save the union with each one’s talents yoked to those of the others. Talk about leading with purpose!

Today, with operations spread out over the globe, and many people working from home with little visibility, forming good teams is vital. And understanding that it is the diversity of thought within those teams that makes them powerful is fundamental. Leaders who can build teams that work with enthusiasm and commitment by recognizing the talents of each individual member are essential in knowledge industries for those who work anonymously, unseen, uncared for, and unrecognized, will be the ones who quietly quit.

Connected to forming teams is Developing People so they can perform well in whichever teams they find themselves. Good leaders sense what others are capable of. They give support and show trust. They encourage and stretch, coach and give feedback. There is a new generation of workers craving feedback, open for challenges to learn and shine. Good leaders respond to those desires.

Learning is essential for survival, and it goes for leaders as well. Today, we add to the list of everything else leaders need to learn the imperative of learning about the people around them. The more curious leaders are, the more people will come to them in a spirit of openness. The leader’s attention to, and interest in, what people have to say is a powerful motivator for working happily.

Leaders who learn ask questions. Why are customers buying from us? Why are they not buying from us? What were our assumptions about what would happen when we made that decision three months ago? What, in fact, did happen and how come it did? How can we get more out of the diversity manifested in our team? What is going on with students that we did not see three years ago? And what is quiet quitting and to what extent is it happening here? Curiosity goes a long way toward building a culture of frankness. The engagement involved in learning as a team pushes back against those who feel themselves left out.

Finally, the leader is the one Making Decisions and taking responsibility for the decisions she makes. Any leader who cannot own up to her decisions when things go badly will not succeed. Making decisions, once the capabilities above have been activated, is what the leadership role ultimately comes down to. Good decisions derive from setting a good direction, focusing on the future, deftly managing change, building great teams, developing people, and keeping the flame of curiosity burning bright through learning every day. Lincoln, alone, made the hard choices, and he knew well that he and the entire nation would have to live by them.

Quiet Quitting raises the stakes of learning and listening and quickens the need to think about the future, especially with regards to developing a culture of working with purpose since purpose is a stronger motivator than quarterly results or getting a promotion or meeting deadlines. And it is imperative upon any leader today to think hard about how to develop people, how to give them the tools and perspectives they need to succeed on their own terms and in a way that does not corrupt their values or curb their enthusiasm.

What we expect from leaders will always adjust with the times, even if the capabilities they need to possess are constant. In the age of quiet quitting, we expect leaders be in touch with the currents of change that puts purpose at the apex of what people seek from employment. Those who work for large organizations have choices. They do not wish to spend their lives doing things that have no meaning, not to speak of polluting the beautiful Hudson River.

However, leadership is not just a toolbox in the sense that you can pass that box along to someone else and expect the same results. People use to teach leadership as a Jack Welch toolbox, just do like he did, and things will be fine. Do like Jack! Go be Napoleon! Act wisely like Lincoln!

We don’t believe that you can copy/paste from great leaders’ toolboxes anymore. The person doing the doing is what makes the difference. If the leader has no sense of purpose, no humanity that others can relate to, no feeling for how the world is changing and where it is heading, no humility to admit that there are things she does not know, and, above all, no authenticity in how she goes about doing things, then no realignment in the mix of the seven capabilities will satisfy those who are seeking a more meaningful connection with the work they are asked to do. Only Napoleon can be Napoleon.

Quiet Quitting may be real, but it will not be the term we remember for the age we are entering. What might be remembered is that this was an Age of Purpose, or an Age of Authenticity, or even an Age of Humility. In any case, it is an age of change and change is always a good time to think about how we go about leading others.

This blog is part of a series on quiet quitting

The meaning of quiet quitting by Heraldo Sales-Cavalcante

Why Gen X is quiet quitting in tech by Pascal Potvin

Why do people quiet quit? Let’s look at the theory by Roman Zhohov

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Ericsson here.

To kick off Financial Literacy Month, Secret Deodorant is launching a new financial empowerment initiative, aiming to provide 1 million young women with educational resources — including courses, apps and books – created by highly renowned female financial experts.

Did you know that Gen Z adults report the highest level of stress compared to any other generation?1 And the biggest cause of stress is money. Financial stress disproportionately impacts women, particularly women of color. Black and Hispanic women generally have higher unmet financial needs, more student loan debt, and are more likely to struggle financially while in school.2 In fact, this disparity begins to take a toll on a young woman’s financial journey as early as adolescence.

As a longtime champion of women equality and advancement, Secret partnered with Seneca Women, a global leadership platform dedicated to amplifying women’s voices, to host a live, on-stage conversation at the New York Stock Exchange with an alliance of financial experts. To empower young women to take control of their financial wellness, experts offered practical, tangible advice geared to the needs and concerns of Gen Z women.

Financial experts partnering with Secret on this initiative include:

Carmen Perez, creator of MUCH budgeting app, helping individuals manage their money and paychecks.Marsha Barnes, CEO and founder of The Finance Bar, helping individuals start their journey to financial wellness.Berna Anat, Financial Educator & Hypewoman, helping BIPOC and first-gen folks feel seen in the money world.Jamila Souffrant, founder of Journey to Launch, helping individuals launch into financial freedom.Giovanna Gonzalez, founder of The First Gen Mentor, helping first-generation students and young professionals of color entering the workplace to confidently manage their money.

For the past 60 years, Secret has been at the forefront of women’s lives — giving them the confidence they need to take on any challenge. Financial wellness, a fundamental enabler to women’s equality and advancement, is key to helping them achieve that confidence,” said Freddy Bharucha, Senior Vice President, North America & Global Personal Care, Procter & Gamble. “We are creating a bank of resources — from expert coaches and formal class offerings to education and awareness — our new financial empowerment programming offers a multi-faceted approach to reach young women where they are and support them on their journeys to financial wellness.

Secret’s initiative will roll out in multiple phases to further reach young women, with the first already underway on social media through #SecretMoneyMoves. Join the social conversation today to watch a series of financial literacy social content that tackles the ins and outs of relevant financial matters, including:

How to create a budgetPaying off debtNegotiating your first salaryUnderstanding your credit score 
 

I understand how imperative it is to be well-versed in the world of finances. From understanding how to get your first credit card, student loans, to how to apply for a mortgage and dealing with debt, it’s a lot to take in,” said Marsha Barnes, personal finance expert and founder of The Finance Bar. “Through financial therapy and education, I can support women throughout their experiences and partnering with Secret will give me the opportunity to extend a helping hand to more women in need. I look forward to making a meaningful impact in young women’s lives as they embark on their personal journeys to achieve financial wellness.

Secret has also joined forces with Prosperity Now, the nation’s leading racial economic justice organization, to extend educational resources to young women in need. The organization’s mission is to drive economic opportunity for all and build equitable economic power by creating impactful systemic change by centering those who have been historically excluded, amplifying community-rooted solutions, and energizing them through research, advocacy, policy and narrative change.

Click here to learn more about Secret’s new financial empowerment programming.

1American Psychological Association: Stress In America: Generation Z, October 2018. 
2Brookings: Student loans, the racial wealth divide, and why we need full student loan debt cancellation, June 2021. 

By Gina DiPietro

Tim Huffman stands in awe as water flows down a scenic stretch of the Catawba River.

“From rolling waves of granite to 40-foot rock bluffs, it’s not the sort of geology you’d expect to see in this part of South Carolina,” said Huffman, senior project manager at Duke Energy. “It’s like a transport to the mountains.”

Despite its natural beauty, the town of Great Falls, S.C., has been economically depressed since its textile mills closed in the 1980s. Tourism is expected to rise, however, as a result of new whitewater runs, a state park, hiking trails and other projects at Great Falls Reservoir.

“People are going to have a great deal of fun out here,” Huffman said. “They can fish, kayak, canoe, stand-up paddleboard, whitewater raft, you name it.”

One of two whitewater runs, the long bypass river channel, is open to the public during scheduled flow releases. It is a free community resource that will complement a diverse mix of other recreation in the coming years, said Christy Churchill, recreation project manager at Duke Energy.

“From a pedestrian bridge that will connect to a new state park at Dearborn Island, and all sorts of hiking trails, you don’t have to be a kayaker to enjoy it here,” Churchill said. “Maybe you like to fish, flat-water paddle, or just walk the trails and look at historic interpretation information.”

As part of its Catawba-Wateree license, issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Duke Energy enhanced public recreation, as well as habitat for fish and other aquatic life, a collaborative process with stakeholders in communities where its hydro facilities are located.

As a result, the company can meet customers’ needs with sustainable, carbon-free electricity. The Catawba-Wateree Hydro Project, 12 hydro stations and 11 reservoirs in North Carolina and South Carolina, generates 799 megawatts of electricity, which, on average, is enough to power more than 639,000 homes. Hydropower also contributes to decarbonizing the Duke Energy grid.

To build the whitewater runs, the company returned water to a river channel that was diverted in 1907 to create the Great Falls and Dearborn Hydroelectric plants to produce power. Huffman’s team modified two dams, bringing a managed flow of water to the long and short bypasses.

“It’s a first-of-its-kind project for Duke Energy,” he said. “You’re looking at seven years of work from concept to final engineering and then another two years to construct it. So, it’s extremely complex.”

Duke Energy consulted S2O Design and Engineering, the same team that worked on the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Kayakers, paddlers and others who wish to navigate the long bypass river channel, a 2.25-mile downstream channel with rapids the paddling community has classified as Class II and III rapids, during scheduled flow releases can do so through the Nitrolee Access Area.

Farther south on Great Falls Reservoir, pneumatically controlled steel gates were installed to provide aquatic flows, recreation flow releases and flood management. The .75-mile short bypass river channel will have a faster flow of water than the long bypass river channel, creating rapids for skilled paddlers.

It’s an exciting time for an area that hasn’t attracted many tourists, said Glinda Coleman, executive director of the Great Falls Home Town Association.

“I’ve heard nothing but positive comments from folks. People are excited,” Coleman said, “because we know it’s going to be a wonderful boost for economic development in Great Falls.”

A bar opened in town, she said, and people have begun to look at vacant properties along Main Street; others have expressed an interest in building campgrounds in the town that’s located about halfway between Charlotte and Columbia, S.C.

“Duke Energy went out of its way to help us connect the town of Great Falls, its downtown area to all of the projects,” Coleman said.

“And that’s what we strived for: ensuring our community benefits from all this development. So, we’ve appreciated the partnership tremendously.”

Just as important as making it fun, Huffman said, was including safety features. It’s why the river is channelized toward the west bank.

“If a trip doesn’t go as planned, a person would naturally go with the flow toward the bank where there are other people,” he said, “or to an area where they can self-rescue.”

Self-rescue features – exit steps, rescue rings and grab bars, for example – were installed throughout the long bypass structure. And Huffman noted other design safety elements, like energy dissipation pools.

“We’re required to put about 3,000 cubic feet of water each second into the river as part of the official recreation release,” Huffman said. “That’s a lot of water. It would be like 3,000 basketballs coming at you at once.”

During recreation flow releases, the boater bypass channel will be carrying a smaller portion of that, about 400 cubic feet a second.

A healthy aquatic habitat for fish and other wildlife was created. Rock surfaces, placed by hand to blend in with the environment, also aerate the water.

“If you’re a fish, and you get a chance to swim in freshly aerated water, you’re going to do it,” Huffman said. “Those rocks will greatly enhance the habitat of the area for fish while creating a natural setting.”

And the catfish here are “just monsters. They’re huge,” he added with a laugh.

Of bringing the project to life, Huffman called it the pinnacle of his career. Even better, he said, might be the community’s response.

“It’s just amazing to see people going down these channels,” he said. “I believe it’s a great community resource that does nothing but forecast a bright future for this town.”

More improvements coming

In the coming years, Churchill said Duke Energy has also committed to:

Build the Lower Great Falls Canoe/Kayak Launch, another access area with parking (near the pedestrian bridge to Dearborn Island State Park), an ideal spot to access flat water in the lower part of the reservoir.Build a canoe/kayak launch with restrooms and parking on Cedar Creek Reservoir.Build a fishing platform just below Fishing Creek Dam.Upgrade the Fishing Creek Access Area (on Fishing Creek Reservoir) to add restrooms and a swimming beach.Provide funding to the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism to develop a state park on Dearborn Island.

More information about flow releases at Great Falls and other Duke Energy facilities: Recreation flow schedule

View original content here

Nasdaq

In our latest episode of ESG Trendsetters we highlight Array Technologies (ARRY), a leading American company and global provider of utility-scale solar tracker technology on a mission to maximize renewable energy production and accelerate the adoption of cost-effective and sustainable energy.

Hosted by Randall Hopkins, Head of ESG Solutions for Nasdaq’s Corporate Platforms business, the panel included Array’s Chief Commercial Officer and Head of ESG, Erica Brinker, Senior Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations, Cody Mueller and CEO Kevin Hostetler. The group discussed the importance of transparency when communicating ESG stories to stakeholders and Array’s three-tiered approach to ESG engagement that helps the company achieve meaningful impact when meeting its ESG goals.

Brinker noted that as a company that creates renewable energy, Array is held to a higher standard when it comes to ESG. The team welcomed the challenge but found beginning their ESG journey daunting. She lauded the help of Nasdaq OneReport in synthesizing Array’s vast amounts of information into a tangible ESG story, “I would say that Nasdaq OneReport has been a helpful resource in bringing calm to the madness,” said Brinker.

In just under a year, Array pulled together two sustainability reports, conducted a materiality assessment, set mid-term goals for the organization and then reported out metrics to leading reporting frameworks.

But to follow through with its ESG commitments, making goals and executing plans, the company needed consistent engagement in ESG to have an aligned team. Brinker credited Array’s three-tiered approach to ESG engagement as the strategy keeping ESG a primary focus to help meet Array’s targets:

Board oversightExecutive ESG steering committeeESG working groups

Array’s hard work has found success in telling its authentic ESG story to investors. When asked to offer advice to other companies, panelists said to make a plan that is ownable but actionable. Mueller added, “I think it’s all about being true to who you are, where you are on that journey and being transparent at every step along that path.”

When asked about future ESG plans for Array, Hostetler ended with an emphatic commitment, “I want to be clear, our ambition is to be a leader in ESG. We want to not only be a strong financial bet for our investors, but to also be known as a responsible company.”

Watch the full interview to discover how Array Technologies is making an impact as an ESG Trendsetter.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE: AB), a leading global investment management and research firm, and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at the Columbia Climate School announced today the launch of version 2.0 of the Natural Hazards Index (NHI) map application.

This NHI tool is the latest development of the continued collaboration between AB and the Columbia Climate School, featuring an interactive, publicly available application that examines physical climate hazard data in the United States. Developed by the NCDP and updated under this collaboration with AB, this map is now one of the most up-to-date, innovative tools that examine weather and climate change vulnerabilities, such as extreme heat and natural hazards, in communities and regions across the United States and Puerto Rico. The tool provides census tract-level granularity of these hazards across 14 different hazard layers, including extreme heat, drought, hurricanes, tornados, and more.

NCDP has engaged with AB investors for more than a year to develop the NHI Tool by updating and refining disparate datasets and identifying and adding new data, which resulted in an expanded and improved centralized dashboard. AB is beginning to incorporate the NHI Tool into its investments in municipalities and securitized assets to analyze and better evaluate the various hazards related to physical climate risk and their impact on some of AB’s fixed-income strategies.

“Climate change can present material investment risks and opportunities that we seek to manage on behalf of our clients,” said AB’s Director of ESG Data and Technology John Huang. “The Columbia Climate School continues to be a critical partner in supporting our investment teams’ efforts to integrate material climate factors into the investment process, where applicable. This innovative tool represents AB’s differentiated approach to partnership and data, layering on our internal insights as an active manager when it comes to understanding the potential impact of climate change on asset values and cash flows.”

“Since the launch of version 1.0 of this map, we have been impressed with its utility and depth of reach across many sectors and communities,” said Senior Staff Associate and Project Lead at NCDP Jonathan Sury. “Through this partnership, we are thrilled to be releasing this major upgrade. We have thoughtfully curated the most current publicly available hazard data and compiled them into an easy-to-understand format, taking the guesswork out of navigating complex data from multiple sources.”

“Managing risk in the face of a changing disaster landscape starts with understanding our exposure to hazards. From there, individuals, organizations, and communities can make more informed investments on what steps to take to mitigate against these hazards,” said Director of NCDP Jeff Schlegelmilch. “This updated tool is one part of a broader suite of information that can be used to improve how we invest in resilience at all levels of society.”

“This tool reflects our continued commitment to managing material climate risks and opportunities in partnership with the renowned experts at Columbia Climate School,” said AB’s Chief Responsibility Officer Erin Bigley. “Our work with NCDP highlights the unique research capabilities and synergies of both our investors and Columbia’s leading scientists and how we can use these insights to better prepare our clients for the future.”

The tool will remain publicly available for use.

For more information on the work for NCDP and to visit the dashboard, please click here.

About AllianceBernstein
AllianceBernstein is a leading global investment management firm that offers high-quality research and diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals, and private wealth clients in major world markets. As of March 31, 2023, AllianceBernstein had $676 billion in assets under management. Additional information about AB may be found on our website, www.alliancebernstein.com.

About NCDP
The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia Climate School, at Columbia University works to understand and improve the capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. NCDP focuses on the readiness of governmental and non-governmental systems; the complexities of population recovery; the power of community engagement; and the risks of human vulnerability.

Gen Blog

By Vincent Pilette, CEO

We’re honored to share that Gen™ has been recognized for the second year in a row on Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies. We do not take for granted the millions of people around the world who trust us to help them safely navigate our complex digital world. Our family of consumer Cyber Safety brands, Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner, enable people to take full advantage of the digital world, safely, privately, and confidently.

Here at Gen, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We’re guided by our principles and purpose, and we feel great responsibility for the trust and confidence our customers, employees, and all stakeholders place in us. With increasing and changing cyberthreats, our products and employees have become more vital than ever.

Whether it’s the products we develop or our community-based initiatives, everything we do is with a people-first mindset with trust at its core. As cyberthreats continue to evolve and the digital landscape becomes more complex, we’re grateful for all our customers who look to us as a reliable, trustworthy resource they can turn to for all their digital safety needs.

America’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 were identified in an independent survey based on a vast sample of U.S. residents who rated companies based on the three pillars of trust: Customer, investor and employee trust. All companies headquartered in the US with a revenue over $500 million were considered in the study, resulting in the top 700 Most Trustworthy Companies across 23 industries.

Check out the full list of Newsweek’s America’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 at www.newsweek.com.

Originally published by Nation’s Restaurant News on nrn.com

By Alicia Kelso

Investment firm Lafayette Square has signed an agreement with Yum Brands to lend up to $50 million to new and existing underrepresented franchisees in the restaurant company’s system. The deal is part of a new financing program called Franchise Fast Start.

“This program is another step toward our goal of becoming the world’s multi-brand franchisor of choice which strives to create a global franchise system as diverse as the communities we serve,” Wanda Williams, head of Yum! Global Franchising, said in a statement. “Our communities and the industry benefit from diversity of ownership and thought, and Franchise Fast Start will help level the franchising playing field and break down barriers for underrepresented people to become franchise owners.”

Continue reading here

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Discovery Education and The Hartford today announced a new edition of the Junior Fire Marshal Training Academy™, a popular educational program preparing students with knowledge about fire safety and prevention. Designed to teach students in grades K-3 how to prevent fires and what to do if they face one, the program offers free resources that help build a fire-safe culture. The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds, and Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.

This new partnership with Discovery Education builds upon The Hartford’s long-standing Junior Fire Marshal program, one of the country’s oldest corporate-sponsored public education programs. Since 1947, more than 112 million children across the country have earned the title of Junior Fire Marshal. Over the next three years, the partnership will help The Hartford meet its goal of educating an additional 1.5 million students.

Expanding upon the success of The Junior Fire Marshal program, The Hartford partnered with Discovery Education to reach more students, educators, and families across the United States with free content through Junior Fire Marshal Training Academy™. A collection of standards-aligned resources – including classroom and family activities, engaging videos, and ready-to-use lesson plans – empower educators and families to connect students to fire safety skills. As students explore the essentials of fire safety, they can earn a Junior Fire Marshal Certificate.

Learn more about Junior Fire Marshal Training Academy™ at JuniorFireMarshal.DiscoveryEducation.com or within Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform. Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education provides educators with an enhanced learning platform that facilitates engaging, daily instruction.

“We are proud to stand with The Hartford to provide life-saving lessons for students nationwide,” said Amy Nakamoto, General Manager of Social Impact at Discovery Education. “Connecting students to fire safety today builds knowledge and confidence for lifelong security.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources—which can be purchased with federal stimulus funds—and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.

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About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts 
Grace Maliska 
Discovery Education 
gmaliska@discoveryed.com

Originally published on TriplePundit.com

The collective power of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — defined as those employing less than 500 employees — is far greater than many may expect. Together SMEs make up 90 percent of businesses worldwide and affect the livelihoods of more than 2 billion people.

In Europe, SMEs reign supreme — accounting for 99 percent of all companies and 63 percent of business-related emissions across the EU. Business owners in Europe have faced incredible challenges in recent years — from the pandemic, to supply chain disruptions, to inflation and labor shortages. Creating and implementing a sustainability program is difficult work during normal times, but recent crises have compounded the challenges.

Together, SMEs could wield significant influence over their industries, including suppliers, vendors, customers and other stakeholders, as well as their neighborhoods. With the help of SME Climate Hub, a nonprofit global initiative empowering small- to medium-sized businesses to take climate action, Meta is working to help SMEs overcome barriers to creating more sustainable business operations, one company at a time.

Harnessing Meta’s power of convening to help SMEs

“Meta has over 200 million businesses that use Meta platforms, so as a company we are uniquely positioned to help,” said Eoghan Griffin, Meta’s head of sustainability for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “We have a brilliant convening power.”

Traditionally, Meta has focused on enabling business, particularly SMEs, to navigate the digital transition — from e-commerce to social media to communications, Griffin said. “Recently we have been looking at how to support SMEs in the green transition, as well,” he continued. “We knew informally that small businesses are struggling with supply chain requirements of larger companies, the complexity in navigating terminology, and customer expectations. Their customers are asking for this.”

To address these challenges, Meta collaborated with the SME Climate Hub to create the Meta Boost Guide to Green, a sustainability training program for SMEs in Europe. “Guide to Green was a huge success,” Griffin said, “and we heard from businesses loud and clear that they want more support and guidance.”

The Guide to Green offers information to help businesses incorporate sustainability into their company operations, as well as ways to communicate their stories.

Many small businesses are already playing their part on climate action and are using Meta’s platforms to support their businesses. For example, family-run Hippersons Boatyard in Norfolk, U.K., is taking a leadership role in promoting climate action within the local community. The Sparrow family, who run Hippersons, is working with their neighbors to increase recycling and rewilding. On top of that, they are embedding climate action into their own business operations through efforts such using lower-carbon fuel alternatives and providing discounts for those who use the train to get to the site rather than driving.

Belfast-based local produce delivery service, Farm Next Door, is encouraging customers to switch to ethically-grown produce from local farmers through educational programming. They also host events that help customers understand the various steps involved in growing produce and the benefits of buying local. The company has found this to be a great tool for engaging with its customer base and encouraging them to buy from Farm Next Door.

Breaking down SME barriers to sustainability

In 2022, Meta partnered with Accenture to learn more about the barriers that SMEs face to implementing sustainability programs — and they came away with three high-level findings.

Making the business case. “First, there is a need to provide and boost the value case for this kind of work,” Griffin said. “We need to showcase success stories, provide funding and provide value. Demonstrating and enabling that value is a critical barrier.”

Understanding how to take action. SMEs also need help in knowing what matters most. “The climate change landscape is rapidly evolving. There is an overload of information from external sources, and it mostly targets different kinds of businesses,” Griffin explained. “We need to cut through the noise to address what kinds of actions SMEs can take.”

A big part of this is understanding what climate action looks like for smaller businesses with fewer resources, because it will look different than it does at a major multinational. “SMEs can’t do everything, nor should they have to do the same things as a big company that has a bigger footprint,” Griffin said. “However, SMEs can be massive drivers of change. They have a galvanizing and accelerating role and opportunity in their communities.”

Keep it simple. “The third big challenge is that we need to make it massively easier to deliver these changes,” Griffin said. “COVID taught us that: With supply chain disruptions and the cost of living crisis, somehow we need to make [sustainability] a lot smoother and easier for them. It is not realistic for SMEs to spend four or six months to put together sustainability plans, but Meta can get valuable, third-party content to as many businesses as possible.”

As part of its work in the EU, Meta is also looking to ensure that sustainability information is available in as many countries and cultural contexts as possible. Meta Boost Guide to Green is translated and available in the local language for some of the company’s EU markets. The training was also piloted with SMEs throughout Europe to ensure the programs were relevant for business owners across the region.

“Our flagship partner, SME Climate Hub, has been a critical partner in guiding us,” Griffin said. “They have a pledging tool, which allows businesses access to even more external validation. We don’t want to duplicate what other organizations are doing. We want to highlight the external resources, like SME Climate Hub, that are already available. Much of our guidance is highlighting the great work they are doing already.”

The collective impact of SMEs

Historically, SMEs have been underrepresented in many of the agencies and programs dedicated to reducing business emissions. “The U.N. and other agencies are focused on the emissions of large businesses, but collectively, SMEs have a huge impact, and they have been neglected in terms of support,” Griffin said.

“That led us to creating this program,” he continued. “We aren’t a consulting firm, but we do think we have a brilliant convening factor and can get access to a lot of businesses at the same time. We are excited to support businesses in their journeys where we can.”

While small businesses individually have small levels of greenhouse gas emissions, their collective action can help eliminate business sector emissions and galvanize communities.

“No one is putting the blame on SMEs,” Griffin hastened to say. “As a large company, we have a huge focus on ourselves. However, collectively, SME emissions account for 63 percent of all business emissions in Europe. Sixty-six percent of customers want businesses to take a stand on climate, and SMEs have enormous reach in their communities. There is a huge opportunity there.”

And Griffin noted that when SMEs succeed, Meta also succeeds. “We are always keen to develop and deepen the relationships we have with SMEs, and there is a lot of shared social value within that,” he said. “Our training reached over 1 million SMEs, and in a climate crisis, we get to contribute to the drumbeat of stories that highlight how important this is and where the resources are.”

Meta continues to partner with businesses of all sizes to help them establish communications plans and campaigns around their sustainability progress. “When a business is ready to communicate their stories, Meta is ready to help them do that,” Griffin concluded. “Those stories can lead to more brand loyalty. We can help translate the sustainability work that they’re doing into tangible business opportunities.”

This article series is sponsored by Meta and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

Provides educators and students with one-stop access to lab resources, measurement analysis tools, and industry-relevant learning resourcesEnables educators to deliver meaningful educational experiences across a spectrum of learning modelsEmpowers educators to deliver industry-ready training for the leaders of tomorrow

SANTA ROSA, Calif., April 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) introduces the Keysight Digital Learning Suite, a new unified digital learning platform that provides university engineering educators and students with lab tools, resources, and courseware through a single, secure web interface.

In response to demands for flexible learning options, universities are moving from in-person education to digital and hybrid learning models. Although these new models provide unprecedented flexibility for time and location, there are still challenges for engineering educators. They often find themselves pressured to compete against each other to provide the highest quality education for their universities. Many educators also find themselves trying to balance their own research work against teaching demands that require time spent on curriculum development, administrative activities, and managing engineering resources.

The Keysight Digital Learning Suite addresses these challenges by delivering a unified, web-based digital learning platform that provides secure, one-stop access to university engineering lab resources, measurement data analysis tools, and industry-ready learning resources.

The digital learning platform offers educators the following benefits:

Powerful Engineering Lab Management – The platform streamlines and simplifies lab management allowing educators to focus more time on teaching and collaboration tools to interact with students in real time. The software suite integrates with popular learning management systems (LMS) such as Blackboard, and Canvas.Remote Test Instrument Control and Data Analysis Tools – The software provides direct access to the soft front panel of lab instruments to perform measurements remotely, take screenshots, plot measurement data to XY plot, perform math functions to XY plot, and more. The platform connects and links to instruments in-lab or on a local network.World Class Learning Resources – The platform provides access to premium lab exercises and courseware from Keysight University through a single sign-on from an integrated LMS.

Keysight is at the forefront of providing innovative learning solutions to the education industry that advance teaching with hardware and software tools that transform academic teaching labs. As part of the local and global community, Keysight is committed to STEM education by supporting programs that encourage students from all backgrounds to pursue careers in science and engineering. To date, the company has partnered with more than 30 universities worldwide to provide industry-ready certification with more than a thousand students receiving certification.

Mary Gross, Vice President of Partnerships at Anthology, Inc., said: “We are pleased to have Keysight’s new Digital Learning Suite fully integrated into Anthology´s learning management system, Blackboard Learn. Through this integration with Keysight, engineering students now can have full access to education and lab resources within the LMS so they can graduate with industry-ready skills.”

Tan Boon Juan, Vice President and General Manager of General Electronics Measurement Solutions for Keysight said: “At Keysight, we are dedicated to empowering engineers with the latest knowledge and tools to tackle the constantly evolving technology landscape and drive innovation. Our innovative Digital Learning Suite represents our commitment to providing educators with a comprehensive platform for delivering cutting-edge industry-ready training that prepares future leaders for success in their respective industries.”

Resources

Keysight Digital Learning SuiteKeysight UniversityKeysight Innovation Challenge

About Keysight Technologies

At Keysight (NYSE: KEYS), we inspire and empower innovators to bring world-changing technologies to life. As an S&P 500 company, we’re delivering market-leading design, emulation, and test solutions to help engineers develop and deploy faster, with less risk, throughout the entire product lifecycle. We’re a global innovation partner enabling customers in communications, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, automotive, semiconductor, and general electronics markets to accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Learn more at Keysight Newsroom and www.keysight.com.