Important Innovations

   Some Discounting for Online MBA Degrees Starting                            Source:  Stock Images of Digital Education Age of Digital Learning In the United States, the latest data shows that 5.5 million college students or 26% of the college student population are enrolled in online courses.  That number is dramatically escalating because of the tsunami of COVID, Delta and Omnicron cases flooding across the US and the world.  Top universities like Cornell are going remote and online once again.  Several new and important trends are beginning to surface about digital college learning and degrees. Megatrends First of all, a new study, that includes CEO surveys, by Northeastern University professor Sean Gallagher finds that CEOs are more receptive to hiring job candidates who have online degrees.  Because of the pandemic, which is now into its third year, online education has become much more of a norm.  It's considered as an effective, safer and acceptable route to a degree as op

  Nissan's  Sales Innovation in Face of Pandemic                                                       Source:  Nissan "Complete, End to End Digital Journey" to the Purchase COVID-19 has radically changed the world and global commerce.  Here's a new example.  Because of the pandemic, global auto customers are shying away from car showrooms.  Nissan is on to a new digital approach.  What the company is calling "a complete, end to end digital journey" to  buying your next Nissan car. Nissan COO Ashwari Gupta's Digital System The Chief Operating Officer of Nissan Ashwari Gupta was tasked by a senior Nissan Board member to determine how to sell cars to customers in a COVID weary world.  Gupta came up with a digital journey.  The journey starts with the customer researching cars on line. Car models come to the customer's house for a test drive.  Purchase agreements are finalized with no trips at all to the dealership.  It is socially distanced, online car

US & European Regional Travel on the Rise Source: Cape Cod Summer Tourist Destination Marriott CEO's Global Hotel Perspective The pandemic was particularly inhospitable to the global hospitality industry.  As Covid-19 cases soared, air travel ground to a halt, lockdowns forced people to shelter at home and bookings at global hotel chains plummeted.  At Marriott, room occupancy rates dropped to 5% in some US hotel properties and to 7% in Marriott hotels in China.  The rates have rebounded in China to 40% and in the US to 20%.  CEO Arne Sorenson says he's starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel for global hotels:  a pickup in personal and business travel. Profound Economic Impact Sorenson says the impact of the pandemic on Marriott's global business is worse than 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis combined. He doesn't expect global occupancy to return to the average of 71% for a few years.  But there are positive signs.  US downloads of

Britain and France Getting on Board Source:  Google Biking to Work, Avoiding Pubic Transit There is a significant trend from the global pandemic: individual personal mobility is far preferable to public transportation. As a result, bikes are getting a big boost in Europe as governments search for means to get people safely to work without crowded buses, trains and subways.  As the lock-downs ease and people start returning to their places of work, many will be doing a cycling commute. Britain and France Britain has just rolled out a $308 million emergency active travel fund to get commuters to cycle to work.  France is investing $22 million to develop and subsidize cycle commuting.  Both countries are also installing temporary bike lanes to facilitate the cyclists. Amsterdam Many cities in northern Europe, like Amsterdam, have a long history of travel by bikes and they have the infrastructure in place to support it.  In the Netherlands, 27% of commuting is done by bike. 

Promising Oxford University Vaccine Source:  Gilead Sciences Successful Gilead Sciences Treatment In the war against COVID-19, some good news.  Gilead Sciences' remdesivir has shown improvement in patients taking it to treat the virus. That, according to Gilead's own study.  On top of that, testing by the National Institution of Allergy and Infectious Disease also gave the drug "positive data" results in their own testing.  This news raised hopes on Wall Street that a treatment/cure is near and that the economy may be able to open safely again.  At the start of trading, the DJIA shot up 400 points and Gilead shares were up 9.3%. Promising Vaccine Meanwhile, researchers at Oxford University in the UK say they could  have a COVID-19 vaccine ready for humans by the 4th quarter of this year. Their experimental vaccine has proven effective in protecting monkeys from the virus.  Monkeys given the vaccin

Safe Chatting & Meetings by Video Calls Booms Source:  Zoom Communications Technology to the Rescue in the Pandemic The highly contagious coronavirus has shutdown global economies and businesses.  With a notable exception:  the much safer environment of staying in touch with family, co-workers and friends by online calls. The online video meeting business is zooming! An example is Zoom Video Communications. Zoom and Oracle Zoom is experiencing an avalanche of new business.  In fact, their business is up 30-fold from 10 million online meetings in December to 300 million now in late April 2020.  To accommodate the explosive growth in use, Zoom needed to rapidly and greatly expand its computer power. It has tapped into Oracle's cloud computing services.  Win-Win Industry experts are stunned by how  quickly the cloud service deal between Zoom and Oracle happened. They say, it seemed to develop overnight.  But, it&

UK Testing Drones to Deliver Medical Supplies Source:  UK's NHS Medical Test Drone Testing Fast Tracked for This Week The use of new technologies in the coronavirus health crisis is proving to be increasingly important. The United Kingdom is starting test trials this week on using drones to deliver much needed medical supplies during the pandemic. The drone delivery service project is being spearheaded by the UK's Transport Ministry. They're fast tracking the effort.  The first deliveries are going to a hospital on the Isle of Wight.  The Ministry also hopes to use drones to deliver other vital supplies. British Robots Delivering Groceries Meanwhile, a fleet of robots on wheels are delivering groceries and other vital shopping items during the UK's coronavirus lockdown.  For example, the UK  robot company Starship is providing  free robot deliveries of groceries to all NHS health workers in the t

Pandemic Escalating Use of Robots Source:  CDC.Gov. Robots Don't Get Sick The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the global use of robots.  The virus is so highly contagious that it is changing consumer preferences for human interaction, for instance with a retail clerk.  Dealing with a robot worker, that doesn't  cough or sneeze, is a lot safer.  Experts say the pandemic is rapidly expanding work opportunities for robots. McKinsey Forecast A forecast by the global consultants McKinsey predicts that 1/3 of US workers will be replaced by robots by 2030.  The  pandemic is now accelerating that trend. Global Trends Many companies are now expanding their use of robots to foster social distancing and to cut the number of staff who have to physically come to work. For instance, Walmart is using robots to clean and sanitize their floors. In Wuhan, China a smart field hospital for COVID-19