Poem: Summer Storms

Call for Papers: 9th International Technology, Education and Development Conference

Date: March 2nd-4th, 2015
Locations: Madrid, Spain
Website: www.inted2015.org
Submit your abstract at www.inted2015.org/submit before December 4th, 2014

INTED2015 will provide the ideal opportunity to present your projects and experiences. It is the perfect platform to discuss the latest developments in the field of Teaching and learning methodologies, educational innovations and new technologies applied to Education and Development.

After 9 years, INTED has become an annual meeting point for lecturers, researchers, professors, educational scientists and technologists.
Every year, INTED brings together over 700 delegates from 80 different countries.

Submission Information:
There will be 3 presentation modalities: Oral, Poster or Virtual.
You can submit your abstracts proposals until December 4th, 2014.
Abstracts should be submitted online at www.inted2015.org/online_submission

Goals:
- Share best practices and promote international partnership and cooperation
- Present and disseminate projects about education and the emerging technologies
- Create an international forum to discuss and exchange ideas about the latest innovations in education and research, applied to all fields and disciplines

Healthy Living: Hardy Black Bean and Cod Soup

Black Bean and Cod is a hardy soup that is sure to stick to your ribs and warm any chill from the evening air. Beware you must love black beans and cod fish to enjoy this recipe.  A single serving provides 29 grams of protein with approximately 310 calories. As a dinner, this soup offers a number of positive benefits that extend beyond its muscle building properties. 

Black beans support cardiovascular health, nervous system functioning, and protects against cancer (1). Black beans also support colon health by allowing it to produce appropriate bacteria to ensure the track functions effectively (2). You are not only getting your protein but also protecting your body. 

I’m lazy and like to cook with a slow cooker when I can. Beans can take a long time to cook well and ensure the right consistency. A crock pot allows you to cook your beans without having to monitor a simmering pot. The water used to cook the beans becomes part of the soup mix instead of discarded. 

Directions:

-Pour beans in a slow cooker.

-Cover with water by approximately 3 inches.

-Cook on low for 8 hours.

-Put the rest of the ingredients in slow cooker and turn the setting on low for 9 hours. 

Ingredients:

-2 cans chicken brother or bouillon cubes.

-8 oz cod broken apart.

-2 garlic cloves

-1/2 cup diced onions

-1 cup diced tomatoes

-Black pepper, seasoning salt, salt, etc… for taste

Harvard Report Highlights Divergent Threats to Long-Term U.S. Competitiveness

Harvard School of Business released its 2013-2014 U.S. competitiveness report that unveils difficulties related to a lack of skills, employment opportunities, small business development, infrastructure and governmental effectiveness.  Highly skilled professionals, medium size businesses and large corporations have successfully weathered the effects of the recession but are leaving behind many in the skilled labor and middle class sectors of society. The results point to a divergence in society that may slow growth in the future and damage long-term American competitiveness. 

The education system is seen as not meeting current needs for the development of new skills to create a stronger workforce. Companies desire to develop stronger internal skills training but have not yet matched this need within their policies.  Collaborating employment needs with the education system will help in narrowing the gaps between employers and school decision-makers.

Two separate societies are developing where highly skilled and educated individuals are employable while those who have not achieved this level struggle to find higher paying jobs.  Collaborating with public education, experimenting with higher education, and encouraging in-house corporate training can make a difference in preparedness. 

Even though corporate profits have risen to higher levels there is a concern over transportation infrastructure. Current infrastructure is seen as slowing down progress and lacks a unified strategy to create stronger platforms for development.  The lower cost transactions of moving resources and information is needed to encourage opportunities for business development.

Small businesses have suffered during the recession and have not regained their initial positions. It is recommended that a stronger effort to develop and foster small business as an avenue of innovation and skill development is important for the long-term viability of the nation.  Small business is an important contributing sector to employment opportunities and national adaptability.

Executives are more optimistic in recent years but regularly search outside the U.S. for employees with the right skills. They could better develop their internal training and put pressure on the public education system to better prepare students. Government also needs to put aside their partisan differences and start developing proactive policies that take America into its next level of efficient and effective governance.  Without a stronger platform of infrastructure development many of the gains organizations have achieved will plateau as they run into larger policy constraints that hamper businesses opportunities to invest and grow.  

http://hbr.org/special-collections/insight/american-competitiveness

Targeted Marketing or Brand Awareness? Which Works Better Online?

Online marketing has travelled a long way over the last decade and now supersedes traditional advertising media in the majority of channel categories. The online advertising world is not yet fully developed and will transform over time to include higher capabilities. A paper by Attia (2014), discusses how metrics will need to change to ensure the current click-through model is replaced by more holistic measurements. Successful campaigns have been built by adding brand image to the overall marketing plan. Is targeted marketing or brand management better?

Click-Through is the most common method of online advertising but people have become sensitized to the marketing channel. The rate uses a simple formula like Clicks/Impressions X 100 =Click Through Rate (CTR). As more people click on an impression (showing of ad) the rate moves up and is considered effective.   

When customers become desensitized to click-through ads, pop up banners, etc. they begin to ignore the display ads making them less effective in attracting their attention. As effectiveness and cost drop advertisers will view the ads as less important, putting pressure on the market to develop new channels. 

The author argues that companies may increase their effectiveness if they use a matrix of measures and focus at least some of their attention on brand awareness. Brand awareness occurs when customers understand the brand and can recall information about it. Such awareness is often calculated by polling whether or not people remember the brand. 

Trends are showing that brand management is increasing and needs better methods of marketing. Online brands are difficult to measure without an appropriate battery of marketing metrics. A single channel with a single metric skews the brands actual place and success in attracting customers. 

The study successfully explains that single channel marketing focused only on drawing immediate purchases is slowing down due to the growth in the Internet. Companies can build brand images by using both online and offline advertising. The totality of different marketing metrics is a stronger predictor of performance than a single click-through measurement. As an organizations builds its online marketing campaign it should keep in mind that brand is important in attracting visitors beyond click models. 

Attia, K. (2014). The shift from online performance to more holistic brand efficiency measurement and the need for standardized online ad formats. Journal of Brand Strategy, 3 (1).