All Briefs

“Culture” is the word of the moment: societal culture, organizational culture, corporate culture. The media blames culture—and rightfully so—when things at an organization go bad, referencing it as the reason for why people break the rules, disrespect others and go against societal values. But culture is also a good thing that leads to innovation, accomplishment and integrity. Managing culture is the responsibility of everyone in an organization and the board should set the tone.

Influencer marketing in the B2B world is a viable strategy, and there are real influencers out there who can help you achieve real marketing and business results. But they are not all created equal. Pick the wrong type of influencer and you won’t get the return you’re after.

(This is the second part of a two-part series on the philosophy of filling boards with competent directors, making them more effective, and rebuilding them when necessary.) There are three facets of vision capability: Focus: Does a candidate or sitting director tend toward hindsight, insight or foresight? Range: Is a director able to contribute in each of the three areas? Proficiency: Where does a director demonstrate mastery [or notable weakness]?

With the recent controversy surrounding Facebook oversharing users’ personal data, a lesser-known social media app is surging with downloads, according to a report by CNBC. Vero promises never to share personal data and to stay ad free. Fourteen members of Forbes Communications Council weigh in on what brands should learn from Vero’s success when it comes to their own social media advertising efforts. Here is what they had to say.

Michigan nonprofit Eastern Market Corporation (EMC) was created in 2006 to revitalize Detroit’s public market and adjacent food district. EMC has pivoted from priming the pump to confronting this wave to ensure that the market’s core values are not lost and that racial equity is strengthened as a tsunami of new real estate investment hits the Eastern Market District.

The faster growth in wages for blue-collar workers is somewhat surprising, especially since throughout most recent history, white-collar wage growth was higher. We expect labor markets to continue to tighten in the coming years, which will only apply more wage and price pressures across the economy. There are already signs that faster wage growth is already spilling over to producer prices.

The rise of women relative to men in the labor force—along with the relative increase in female-dominated and generally lower-paying service sector employment—may be one significant reason why wage growth in this economic recovery has not been as fast as expected or what we are used to experiencing. But it’s also a reason why we can think optimistically that the labor market (and our economy’s true capacity) still hasn’t maxed out.

Last winter’s air pollution control plan in the larger Beijing area was unprecedented both in scale and intensity. The action plan was part of a much broader, central government-led effort to tackle China’s pervasive air pollution problem and significantly ramp up environmental protection efforts in general. It is highly unlikely at this point that the government will backtrack on this issue, given the long-term economic and political ramifications of doing so.

Deloitte’s Center for Board Effectiveness, a member of The Conference Board Governance Center, has released its 2018 Audit Committee Resource Guide. It offers practical considerations and resources to help audit committee members execute their responsibilities by outlining regulatory requirements, questions to consider, and tools and resources available from governance organizations.

If you’re studying PR, or you’re working in the industry, the recent study from USC Annenberg should be by your bedside. The report covers the disruption of the PR industry, what’s changing, what talent is needed in the new model of PR, and where the industry is headed. Here’s the Cliff Notes version.