Top News
The NFL is the biggest, most profitable sports league in the world with revenue north of $13 billion. The average team is worth $2.3 billion with an operating profit nearing $100 million. The league’s annual smorgasbord of commercials, halftime extravaganza, pre-game festivities and a sprinkling of football, better known as Super Bowl Sunday, is only days away. Money will be one of the storylines as always with the cost of tickets and ads, as well as with the millionaires on the field and the billionaires in the owners' luxury suites. ( Forbes)
Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/02/02/7-things-to-know-about-the-money-in-the-patriots-falcons-super-bowl/#642e0a98692f to view the full article online.
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Diversity in the Workplace
When the company released its first diversity report in 2014, it essentially forced other tech companies to do the same, and confirmed longstanding suspicions about the industry's makeup. But while the concept of annual diversity reports suggests that Silicon Valley wants to hold itself accountable for improving its dismal diversity figures, so far, not a lot has changed. ( Fast Company)
Visit https://www.fastcompany.com/3066914/innovation-agents/google-and-tech-struggle-to-hack-bias-and-diversity to view the full article online.
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Education
After a six-month search, Gov. John Hickenlooper has named a former undersecretary of education in the Obama administration as the new head of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. If confirmed by the state Senate, Kim Hunter Reed will be the department’s first African-American woman* as executive director. ( The Colorado Independent)
Visit http://www.coloradoindependent.com/163769/hickenlooper-african-american-higher-education to view the full article online.
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Privatization skeptics and advocates alike overlook the historical nuances of the prospective administration’s support of vouchers, charter schools, and other school-choice reforms that remove schools from public oversight. An analysis of American history indicates that the use of private means was a critical aspect to ensure quality education for African Americans legally excluded from access to public institutions. ( The Atlantic)
Visit https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/01/black-roots-school-choice/513569/ to view the full article online.
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Technology
Next time you’re searching for a new job, look to Siri for inspiration. Coders who can help machines communicate with people are in high demand. Software engineers who program computers to understand human speech saw U.S. demand for their labor grow faster than workers with any other skill, according to data from last quarter compiled by Upwork, a website that matches freelancers with employers. The skillset, called natural language processing, is what powers voice-activated virtual assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Echo devices. ( Bloomberg)
Visit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-25/these-are-the-20-fastest-growing-skills-in-the-online-job-market to view the full article online.
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Entrepreneurship
Whether you're looking to launch or grow your company, these courses will deliver expert guidance that will help you succeed. ( Entrepreneur)
Visit https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288266 to view the full article online.
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The impact of entrepreneurship, driven by small businesses that grow and hire, means more jobs, social mobility, and investment in the communities that need it most. Supporting minority-owned and operated businesses may be President Trump’s best bet to successfully engage communities of color. ( Black Enterprise)
Visit http://www.blackenterprise.com/billboard/president-trumps-best-bet-communities-color/ to view the full article online.
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Professional Development
Performance reviews are a way to evaluate an employee’s performance over a specified period of time. They are also often used to determine year-end bonuses, raises and promotions. Because of this, they can be tricky to do correctly and efficiently, but here are six tips that human resources professionals can use to help guide the review process at their organization and help make this year’s performance reviews the most effective ones yet. ( Workforce)
Visit http://www.workforce.com/2017/01/31/make-performance-reviews-effective/ to view the full article online.
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Government
On Thursday, law enforcement officials will unveil piles of counterfeit jerseys, baseball caps, jackets and other sports merchandise seized in the previous year from online vendors, flea markets and stadium parking lots. Operation Team Player, timed for Super Bowl 51 on Sunday, makes for good TV and is designed to publicize the growing prevalence of fakes. It's a problem that's getting worse and harder to control. ( Bloomberg)
Visit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-02/why-the-feds-are-losing-war-on-fake-super-bowl-merchandise to view the full article online.
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