This essay is part of a series of articles on the future of education. The nature of global communication (for better and worse) has changed. Virtually all young people in Australia spend an average of nine hours a day online and about three hours of that interacting on social media. That means they spend more time online than sleeping. Smartphones and smart technologies are our personal assistants with diary, shopping, research, translation, social and telecommunications capabilities all a swipe away. As you read this, or have Siri read it to you, people are solving problems, writing music, dating, visiting a tele-nurse and conducting business – all online. It is the new normal. Meanwhile, massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer tens of thousands of opportunities for people to be exposed to the best researchers, practitioners and university talent in the world. MOOCs are one example of our interconnected world, which allows expertise to be universal and accessible – anyone can learn what they want, where they want, when they want and how they want. If you want to study psychology, master computer coding or complete an MBA, why would you pay big fees to a large university to support its infrastructure costs and hear someone lecture in a huge hall, when you could watch the world’s best experts from the comfort of your apartment or on your phone, wherever you are? To remain relevant, Australia’s universities will need to transform into very different entities, with new business models that foster innovation and embrace the interconnection technology offers. And they will need to do so quickly. The old university model is becoming obsoleteThe American business academic Clayton M. Christensen used the term “disruption” to discuss the implications of the massive changes to the student base of universities. He likened the situation to how discount stores such as Target disrupted the business models of department stores like Myer and David Jones, capturing an increasing chunk of middle-class spending on everyday personal and household goods. Christensen challenged universities not to be like the big steel mills that are mostly relics of the past. Similarly, US scholar Cathy N. Davidson has urged universities to abandon generic degrees and impersonal forms of teaching, to make university education more accessible and relevant. In most university programs, a student completes courses in large facilities at mandated times. In the first year of many degrees, learning is primarily passive and assessment is typically in the form of easily marked exams. The current university funding model is mainly based on the assumption completing multi-year undergraduate and postgraduate coursework degrees, broken into semesters or terms of 10-15 weeks, is still a relevant measure of learning. This mode of “seat time” as learning is becoming obsolete. Learning in courses made of short chunks, certificates, or micro-credentialled mini units of study is growing as the preferred method for this generation of students and industry. Some will say Australian universities are already on it, with innovation hubs, new academic products including micro-credentials and increasingly online delivery. But these features are generally bolted on to the status-quo funding model, based on teaching the first year of a program cheaply to drive profit that can be spent on more engagement-oriented upper-level courses, and to support research and infrastructure.
These pop-up innovations are mostly used to drive the marketing of university brands and promote reputations rather than as sustainable ways of doing business. They are mostly loss leaders, similar to sales at your local supermarket. What are the three pillars of a future-focused university?With a population of 25 million people, does Australia need 40-plus universities? Probably not if it means 40-plus big stores whose business models require mass lectures in the first year, bolstered by increasing international student enrolments to fund high infrastructure and staffing costs. But there is a bright future ahead if universities redefine themselves beyond the rhetoric of value propositions and marketing schtick, and fully embrace the below three key pillars: 1. Promote engagement and impact Virtually every academic program should be formatted to embrace new ways of learning. Students of any short course, module, certificate or degree should have meaningful opportunities to do real work for real purposes as part of their experience. Students should learn by doing and learning should connect theory with practice. While this seems obvious in nursing and teaching, it is just as critical in English or biology. Likewise, assessment should primarily be for learning more than of learning. 2. Enhance humanity
The complexities of interconnection are leading us quickly toward a machine-based world. Decisions we make about our future interconnections will not just be about driverless cars, but about handing over moral decisions to smart tools. To preserve humanity, our STEM-focused career tracks should embed multiple opportunities to integrate ethics, history, arts, philosophy and morality. 3. Expand student access To this point, most universities have been sorting institutions. High marks and test scores from school leavers have equalled access and opportunity. Yet, high failure rates in first year driven by poor assessments lead to a large exodus of students. With lifelong learning required for all of us to stay flexible both intellectually and professionally, we must shift our attention to opportunity, knowledge promotion, and flexible entry and access points for the new-fangled chunks of learning experiences we offer. Maintaining high expectations, rooted in fairness and widening opportunity coupled with flexible designs, will be a challenge for large universities that pride themselves on accepting high-ranking students, or that assume entrance requirements such as the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) are predictors of future success in the interconnected world. Universities must change their KPIsUniversity leaders use metrics such as key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate their performance. KPIs can be counting the numbers of website hits, noting the number of students who complete the first month of a new semester, or increasing the number of international applications. Each faculty and supporting division at each campus will need new key performance indicators (future-focused KPIs) to launch the transformation necessary to rethink learning outcomes: Prepare for an interconnected world Most future life and work will be housed in interconnectedness locally, nationally and internationally. For our younger students it already is. Become transdisciplinary experts Most knowledge does not reside in separate disciplines as we have typically chunked them in universities. Instead, experiences should cross the dotted lines of discipline and expertise, mixing the arts and sciences in truly human ways. Be life-ready more than work-ready Unlike in the past, most of us will shift our career paths multiple times across our lives. University experiences should provide multiple opportunities for takeaways that help graduates of programs of whatever duration be nimble and continue to learn. Promote well-being Most universities provide multiple reactionary systems for students in crisis, but they do little to frontload well-being and mental-health support into their formal offerings. Our lack of effective self-care threatens our day-to-day human health and happiness. We often succumb to the stressors of modern life because we don’t proactively address social, emotional and physical well-being as part of our formal learning to prepare for life’s challenges. Change ‘seat time’ as the default learning measurement As we shift to flexible learning formats and durations, seat time in lectures and tutorials will no longer effectively determine completion. Learning will. Semesters of 15 weeks will be replaced with personalised learning on demand. This is already the norm in military education and corporate training. Share expertise across the world Faculties will merge forces to share talent in creative ways, not for financial efficiency but to provide learners with access to the best and most knowledgeable teachers and scholars in the world. Mediocre offerings will be replaced by gold-standard teaching and learning, allowing local staff to support student engagement and impact while promoting excellence and equity. Embrace smart tools Smart tools and mixed-reality learning experiences will make the lecture model nearly redundant. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality systems, which continue to grow in sophistication, will render didactic teaching irrelevant. Smart tools can personalise learning in dynamic, interactive ways across all disciplines. These systems will require infrastructure to support them. Picture lecture halls refurbished as engaged learning centres for artificial intelligence platforms, with smart tutors and mixed-reality experiences. Over the next few years there will likely be mergers and closures across the university sector in response to the multiple disruptions facing tertiary education. Meanwhile, every Australian will need to be part of post-secondary learning many times in their lives to remain viable. That includes retraining for new work, new learning for jobs we haven’t even thought of yet, and engaging in university experiences to help us become smarter and better people. Disruptive innovators should be the rule, not the exception. If we come together as learners in a community of well-being, kindness and keenness to solve problems and create knowledge in flexible ways, using emerging smart tools to reinforce learning, we can fully embrace the opportunities and challenges of the interconnected world. What is the purpose of education today? Read another essay in this series here. John Fischetti, Professor, Interim Pro Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Education and Arts; Dean/Head of School of Education, University of Newcastle This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
‘Ebullient leadership’ can lift your workers out of the doldrums and increase productivity (2025-01-23T12:49:00+05:30)
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Social lunches, office trivia, even the odd dress-up day might sound like time-wasting at work. But our research, suggests promoting relaxed interactions in the office can make employees more committed and productive. A major report released this year found stagnant employee engagement and declining wellbeing were crucial issues facing modern workplaces. It found dissatisfaction rose during the pandemic, resulting in lower productivity. This cost global GDP an estimated annual loss of A$13.4 trillion. Our research reveals how “ebullient leaders” are adept at fostering curiosity and knowledge-sharing — two crucial components of innovation and engagement. What’s an ebullient leader? According to pioneering research led by management academic Robert C Ford an ebullient leader is someone who through words and deeds helps create a work environment that is considered by a subordinate as a fun place to work. Unlike other styles of leadership, ebullient leadership is not just about being authentic, transformational or charismatic. It’s about actively creating a positive work environment that is engaging, fun and playful. Ebullient leaders create an atmosphere where employees feel excited to come to work. Their leadership style can transform a routine workday into a stimulating experience. Our study sought to understand how curiosity and ebullient leadership influence knowledge-sharing in the workplace. To achieve this, we conducted a two-phase survey with 349 IT workers. In the first phase, we measured participants’ curiosity and perceptions of their managers’ cheerfulness and playfulness. In the second phase, we assessed their engagement in informal learning and knowledge-sharing. We then used statistical methods to analyse how curiosity and ebullient leadership interact to foster knowledge sharing. We found curious employees are more likely to engage in informal learning, which, in turn, drives knowledge sharing. However, this relationship was stronger when employees were guided by ebullient leaders. Fun environments can help turn around disengaged employees and lead to improved productivity and collaboration. So what do ebullient leaders actually do? Ebullient leaders organise lighthearted activities, such as quick games, humorous exchanges, trivia breaks, social lunches and even dress-up days. These change-of-pace activities during work hours help rejuvenate employees. A vast body of research on fun at work shows it improves job satisfaction and morale, and reduces absenteeism and burnout. This is significant, given 48% of Australian employees report feeling stressed and burnt out. It is as important as fostering humour at work, which promotes positivity and helps employees recharge and engage. Multinational technology company Google is one of the best-known examples of a business that has cultivated a fun culture. Perks include access to nap pods, unlimited gourmet food and onsite massages. There is no dress code, and work hours are flexible. Traditional leadership Traditional leadership styles tend to prioritise achieving results and meeting deadlines, often at the expense of employee wellbeing. Highly efficient leaders might believe more people-focused activities will slow them down and ultimately stop them being successful. However, an intense focus on efficiency makes these leaders less effective overall. It is essential to strike a balance between achieving goals and creating an environment where employees are comfortable taking risks and sharing ideas. This allows creativity and innovation to flourish. Adopting an ebullient leadership style While ebullient leadership may seem like an innate talent, it can also be learned and developed. Here are some tips for adopting this style Build enjoyable moments into the workday: be creative in organising social events, competitions or themed parties at work. Do not force fun but allow it to emerge naturally. Demonstrate emotional intelligence: manage your own and others’ emotions, show optimism and enthusiasm, even in challenging times. Create a workplace where employees feel free to open up, show their emotions and try new things. Balance work and play: avoid overloading employees with too many fun activities as they can disrupt goal achievement. Choose activities that help them engage and support their work goals. Be mindful of employees’ preferences: not every employee wants their workplace to be fun. Some may prefer work to be serious. Be mindful and respectful of employees’ preferences and organise fun accordingly. Lead by example: demonstrate and champion playfulness, curiosity and liveliness, the behaviours you expect from your employees. Leaders can inspire positivity and embrace a balanced, human-centered approach to management by showing emotional intelligence and providing moments of joy during work hours. This can empower workers. Ebullient leadership is more than a feel-good concept. Given the current challenges of high burnout and disengagement rates, it can help organisations lift overall performance through improved knowledge sharing.  Saima Ahmad, Senior lecturer, Business Administration, RMIT University and Nilupama Wijewardena, Lecturer, College of Business and Law, RMIT University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
Benefits Of YouTube Marketing That You Need To Know - HR News (2024-06-19T14:06:00+05:30)
 YouTube marketing entails promoting a brand on YouTube through ads and videos.YouTube growth has more than doubled over the years with the number of active users currently estimated to exceed 2 Billion monthly. Some of the factors that have greatly contributed to the popularity of YouTube is the growth in demand for video content and the high engagement rate. Similar to Instagram, YouTube thrives on visual content. This makes it one of the most attractive platforms across various sectors. With the growing number of users, many brands are now trooping to YouTube to promote their products. Ranging from tutorials, marketing videos, ads, YouTube offers great features that users leverage to engage with their target audience. The good news about YouTube marketing is that it allows users to share videos and engage with the target audience. Whether you want to promote a new product or intend to go live in your new launch or event, YouTube comes with great features that you can leverage to unlock unlimited potential. Today,the content industry is thriving thanks to the advent of YouTube.Content creators can easily showcase their talent and achieve breakthroughs in their careers without having to break the bank.All you need is to create your video, upload, share, and promote it across various platforms. Should the video go viral then you stand a chance to generate impressive income and earn from endorsements. Therefore have you thought about integrating YouTube marketing into your marketing strategy?If not,then it is high time you try out. In this article, we explore some of the key benefits of YouTube marketing. #1. High Traffic YouTube is growing tremendously with the number of videos consumed on the platform exceeding 5 Billion.This signals high traffic that you can leverage to widen the scope of the audience and improve conversions. The good news is that even if you are not good at creating videos,you can advertise your business on other channels and platforms and generate sales.All you need is to understand the needs of the target market. That way, you not only stand a chance to build a strong brand portfolio but also reach out to new customers that you may not be able to reach through your channels. Studies now indicate that at least 68% of YouTube users make purchasing decisions based on videos they watch on the social platform.In addition to being accessible in a wide range of languages,it commands high traffic that brands can leverage to promote their business and generate sales. As such, if you have a small business struggling to generate sales,it is high time you try out YouTube marketing.The visual nature of YouTube content and accessibility across over 88 countries makes the platform an ideal option for marketers. With YouTube marketing, you can unlock dozens of opportunities and improve your growth potential. #2. Google Visibility Unlike text content, videos have a high potential of appearing on Google searches.You can grab this opportunity by including video content in your content strategy.For example,you can include video content on your website to create backlinks.As a result,your business is likely to be visible on Google search results on many occasions. Generally, YouTube marketing plays a central role in improving the authority of your business on search engines.The more authority the higher the chances your website page is likely to rank on Google search results. Other tips that you can leverage to increase the authority of your website by using Youtube marketing include;
#3. Build Email List Another key element of YouTube marketing is that it enables you to build an email list through your channel. Besides the ability to embed a signup form on YouTube,a video can be paused so that viewers can insert their email contacts. The approach makes it easy to build an email list while sharing valuable content with the target audience. Some of the effective ways of building an email list include;
#4. High Potential for Generating Sales Compared to text and images, videos have a powerful effect on a marketing strategy. In other words, videos have a higher potential to evoke emotion than any other type of content. Videos bring your brand to life by transforming your messages from text to dynamic and highly engaging content. The visual appeal and entertaining element of video content improve the potential of generating conversions by double digits. The more creative and engaging the YouTube marketing content can be the higher the potential of generating sales. This is attributed to the powerful effect that video content has on the audience compared to other types of content. #5. Different Types of Videos The major benefit of YouTube marketing is that it supports the sharing of different types of videos. For example, users can use explainer videos, social media videos, sales videos or video ads.If you are wondering how to get started with YouTube, here are a few tips;
#6. Big Media Library YouTube has a massive media Library that marketers can leverage to promote their brand. Besides a large user base, the social platform commands high traffic of videos. Today, 300 hrs of videos are uploaded on the social platform every minute. With the massive Library,users can get all types of videos they may need across the globe.To navigate the large Library, YouTube has a powerful search engine that lets users get access to any type of video that they may need. If you are wondering whether your YouTube video will disappear in the noise,all you need is to optimise your video content.That way, people will easily access your video content on google searches and put you ahead of the game in a competitive market environment. Therefore if you are yet to get started with online marketing,you should consider creating a Youtube channel.The important element of YouTube videos is that the link can be shared across various platforms.This makes it easy to populate your brand without having to break the bank.All you need is to invest time and effort to create high-quality videos. Remember there are dozens of marketing videos uploaded on YouTube every minute.As such, the quality of videos shared goes a long way in determining how it will perform on the internet space.The poorer quality videos you share the more unlikely people will find it appealing. Should that happen then you may not get much out of your video marketing strategy. Conclusion YouTube marketing is an effective option that you can leverage to promote your brand and generate conversions. With dozens of videos shared on the internet space each day, the need for creativity in video making goes a long way in grabbing the attention of the target audience. Remember there are millions of brands sharing videos online each day.This means you may not achieve much with YouTube marketing if you share poor-quality videos. In fact, the number of videos you upload on your YouTube channel may not matter. Instead, you should prioritise quality as opposed to quantity. For brands that are sceptical about video marketing,it is high time you leverage YouTube marketing to tell your story to the world and unlock more opportunities.Benefits Of YouTube Marketing That You Need To Know - HR News |
Marketing communications’ role in business success (2024-06-17T11:32:00+05:30)
 Marketing can make all the difference in how fast a company grows and how well its brand gains recognition. Understanding the basics of marketing communications is a requirement for anyone who wants to gain insight into how the world of business works. Understanding these principles can help create business plans and strategies that save a lot of time and money in the long term. Here are a few of the principles all professionals need to brush up on in the business world of today. Social media in today’s digital age Any business that does not make the most of its social media presence is missing out. To be competitive in any business, you need to maintain some level of social media presence. Posting regular messages and content will keep your audience engaged and make it far more likely that they will reshare your information or recommend your products and services to others. Social media advertising and marketing are extremely effective because if you do it well, customers and potential customers will work to market your product or service to countless others. The use of influencers is another popular approach that uses social media. An influencer is someone who produces content such as blog posts or videos that they share with their followers. An influencer sometimes operates within a niche, but that is not always the case. The advantage of working with an influencer to market your products is that you gain access to their large following that is open to listening to what they have to say and acting on their recommendations. Typically, influencers are given your products or services in exchange for an honest review and an agreed-on commission rate for any business you do as a result of their work. For example, if you make outdoor gear, you would find an influencer that travels and hikes or camps a lot and give them a selection of your products. You might offer them 5% of the revenue they generate for your business. Influencers with more followers and fame may need more enticement than those with smaller followings. Of course, another advantage of using influencers is that you often do not have to pay out a lot to get them to help you. Free products and a commission mean they are incentivized to be as successful as possible. Consumer interaction and customer service It is much easier to communicate than it used to be. As a result, customers have high expectations when it comes to engagement and interaction with the companies they go to for products and services. Responding to questions and comments on social media is important and shows customers you care. Customers are often more outspoken online than they would be in person and their comments reach far more people than if they state them privately to someone at your company. Approaching negative feedback with a comment on how they should contact you so you can make their experience better is a great idea. Thanking those who respond with positive feedback shows that you are paying attention to your customer base and that you value their opinions. Customer service standards must be high. When marketing a product or service, it is important that you are clear on how customers can receive answers to questions or talk to someone if needed. A contact form on the website, live chat during business hours and a thorough frequently asked questions area on your website are all helpful. Fast response times are also important. Do not make response time promises that you cannot keep. It is far better to indicate that inquiries will receive a response within 24 hours and respond much sooner than to promise 12 hours and not respond until the next day. Customers appreciate it when you are faster than the allotted time but slower is never good. During high traffic times, you might want to put out a notice that wait times may be longer just so customers know what to expect. Attending events and selling merchandise is another great way to interact with customers. Conventions, fairs and other large events can be a lot of fun and introduce your brand to many new people. Even those who are aware of your brand may come away with a more positive view after interacting personally with your team. Free trials and samples help engage customers Convincing people to spend their money can be harder than you might think, especially if you make a product or provide a service that is really nice or helpful but may not be 100% essential. Offering free trials or samples can help others learn to trust your business and see for themselves that you have a lot to offer them that can make their life easier or more enjoyable. If trials and samples are not possible, then consider offering a substantial discount on first-time purchases. A discount of 10-20% off is often enough enticement to attract new customers. Adding in a free sample with a first purchase can also be helpful, and offsets the cost somewhat since you are gaining some business regardless of whether the customer returns. Rewards programs Plenty of companies successfully use reward programs to promote customer loyalty. Grocery stores are a great example of businesses that use points that can be used for discounts on groceries or gas. Cosmetic companies sometimes offer free products ranging from trial sizes to full sizes. Other businesses have rewards programs that customers initially pay a fee to join but receive the fee back in savings within a purchase or two. For instance, Barnes and Noble has a program for regular customers that offers a percentage off each purchase and free shipping on all orders on their website. Subscribe and save programs can encourage customers to commit to a regular purchase. Chewy is an online supplier of pet foods that offers 5% off subscribe and save orders. This not only offers savings but is the ultimate convenience for shoppers who sometimes find themselves forgetting to shop for items that they use regularly. Analyzing engagement data You need to determine where you should concentrate your marketing efforts and budget to achieve the best results. Analyzing how much business you are generating via your various marketing channels is important when planning out any future marketing campaigns. Analytics are typically easy to access thanks to online tracking. Facebook ads, Twitter and Google Ads all have analytics that you can easily view to see how your marketing efforts are performing. It is important to consider many factors when analyzing performance. For instance, are you reaching the same demographics? Is your budget for advertising larger for one website or service than another? Sometimes the answer may be that you need to change your marketing materials on a certain platform rather than stop advertising there entirely. This is why it is so important to make sure that you are making an honest comparison when analyzing analytics from different channels. Data analysis and mining Thanks to easy access to electronic records and data along with fast computer processing, it is now possible for data analysts to analyze vast volumes of data to find answers to questions that are of the utmost value to marketing teams. By analyzing large volumes of data, businesses can gain insight into larger trends that may otherwise have been overlooked. Data can also be used by marketing teams to predict future outcomes if certain decisions are made. Data analysis allows marketing teams to learn as much in-depth information about their target demographic as possible so marketing campaigns can be tailored to form a fast and lasting connection with future customers. Strategy matters A good marketing strategy can make or break a business. It is important that marketing teams are smart about what strategies they use for any segment of the population. This means keeping up with current trends in all areas of life so you have a feel for what is resonating with people at the time. Keeping your marketing strategy up to date helps avoid offense as well. A marketing mistake that is deemed offensive can have a major impact on the company. It is harder to repair a reputation after a misstep than it is to cause offense if marketing teams are not careful. Planning out strategies step by step well in advance is important as it allows adequate time for review and improvement. One marketing strategy for general use is a great idea but it is important that you approach each demographic you are trying to reach with a customized strategy for some marketing campaigns. Striking a personal note with potential customers increases the odds that they will form a lasting connection with your company or recommend you to others. Empathy and ethics Mutual empathy is important when it comes to marketing communications. Businesses need to empathize with what their target demographics are dealing with in their lives. This allows for relatable marketing messages that resonate well with the customer and create a lasting impact. Ethical business practices matter a lot to customers in today’s world. You must show that your company operates ethically. Charitable contributions and certifications such as being Free Trade Certified or Organic can all be used to market your brand and attract customers who want to feel good about the companies they are giving their business to. Communications is an in-demand profession There are more businesses and start-ups every day. Of course, there are also plenty of businesses that are constantly looking to expand and grow into new areas and niche markets. Earning an online Master of Arts in Communication from a reputable institution such as St. Bonaventure University can help prepare you to create marketing campaigns that lead to wide scale brand recognition and success. The SBU Communications Master online program involves 100% online coursework and can be completed in as little as 22 months. Students learn how to interpret data and create amazing marketing campaigns no matter what industry they find themselves working in. Students can choose to specialize in either content marketing or integrated marketing communications. The principles of successful marketing communications Embrace your unique selling points Being distinctive increases your odds of attracting any customer. This can seem challenging if you are producing a common product and especially so if you are producing a premium version of a common product. When creating a marketing strategy, it is important to ask company stakeholders what makes them unique or what main aspects of their vision they want to highlight to stand out to their customers. Offering premium quality may be one of these principles. A good example of a clothing company that has mastered standing out is the company Universal Standard. They highlight in their marketing that they offer clothing in the widest range of sizes available from a commercial clothing company. Inclusiveness in a premium clothing brand makes them stand out from companies offering limited sizing in all or some of their styles. Increase your reach If your company has been limiting its advertising, then you will likely benefit from advertising in a way that reaches more people. Social media advertising on platforms such as Facebook makes it easy to specify the markets that you want your advertising to target. Of course, the more people you are likely to reach, the higher the cost, but this can be a very good use of your advertising dollars. Whatever you can do to reach out to more people in a positive way is good marketing. Samples and trials are something to consider. Partnering with another company can be helpful as well. If you create a product or service that complements another firm’s offerings, then you may be able to help each other to dramatically increase the reach of both companies. Grab attention as quickly as possible There is a lot of advertising out there. Your ads and content need to catch the eye of potential customers and draw them in. Evaluate if your advertisement would stand out if there were two or three more ads from other companies right beside it. If the answer is yes, then you are on the right path. At the same time, it is essential not to have too much going on in your ads. A busy and cluttered look will detract from your message. No one is going to spend five minutes trying to make sense of an ad or decipher just what you are trying to sell. Be consistent with your overall message and image While ads and content need to be fresh and original, some things need to be the same. Your logo, slogan and overall brand image need to be consistent. If you want your customers to see your company as offering fun products, then all your ads and images need to portray that in some way. There is still a ton of room for creativity and fresh marketing, you just need to be sure that things are not so different that a previous customer couldn’t tell it was the same brand. Familiarity fosters trust and brand loyalty. This is how some companies become household names that practically everyone can recognize just from their logo even if they are not consistent customers. Conclusion Marketing communications are important to the success of any business. Without good marketing, a business can truly struggle. Understanding as much as possible about your customers and engaging them in a meaningful and relatable way is how businesses rise to the top of their market niche.Communications experts are in demand at practically all companies. Now is a great time to earn your degree and get started in an exciting new career helping businesses succeed.Marketing communications’ role in business success |
Families USA receives $1 mln for 'successful stories' promoting Obamacare (2013-12-02T22:30:00+05:30)
The advocates of the US Health Care reform don’t give in and keep on working hard to promote Barack Obama Health Care bill. Families USA, a non-commercial organization has received one million dollar grant from the Robert Wood Foundation to create a database of successful stories from people who joined the Obamacare program.The Voice of Russia discussed this issue with Stan Veuger, a resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute (AEI). His academic research focuses on political economy and has been published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Mr. Veuger writes frequently for popular audiences on a variety of topics including policy uncertainty and Obamacare. Thank you so much for joining us, Stan. How can you comment on the creation of the so-called database of successful Obamacare stories? Can it be regarded as a desperate measure considering that Obamacare enrollment members are really quite low?
By Angela Davis. Hello, how’re you doing? I don’t think that’s a fair way to put it. Families USA is an organization, it is always backed this kind of expansion of the role of the Federal government in the provision of health care. The grant they’ve received comes from another private foundation, a private foundation that focuses on health and public health issues and they are both ideologically pretty much aligned with the Administration. I don’t think it is desperate, I think it is natural for them to follow this course of action. Are Obamacare enrollment numbers fairly low from your point of view? And they are certainly stagnantly low and it is of course a huge local problem for the administration that the numbers are so low that people are actually
 having their plans cancelled and that the website and the surrounding infrastructure are still not up and running but this particular grant was issued at the beginning of October when it was not clear at all yet. Now is the reason that the enrollment numbers are low is that only because the web site is not working? Its certainly doesn’t help. I think it is certainly a major factor up until now especially giving how much attention the web site have gotten, I can see how people would think “Okay, I have until mid December, I’m just going to wait until they fix their problems”, so I think if they manage to fix it, you will certainly see enrollment take up. Another problem, of course, is that for a lot of people the news policies offered are just not that attractive, 
especially for young and healthy people who do not receive subsidies. What in your opinion is the biggest problem with Obamacare today? The biggest and the most urgent problem today is certainly the web site and how hard it is for people to enroll, I think the bigger problem in the long run is that it is another middle class entitlement program they will inevitably expand the size of government will force taxes to be raised and will take some responsibility away from people should probably try to bear themselves. What do you think about this whole project? This Families USA that’s a non-commercial organization but they received a million dollars to create a database of successful stories. Are there any successful stories? It seems a little bit early, doesn’t it? I mean, the fewer successful stories there are the more money you need to find them, right? I can see how their work would need even more funding now than so few people have enrolled. So when are these successful
Actually, these numbers are too kind. Most recent numbers show 64% want Obama-Care "Tossed into the Ash-Bin of History." To Senator Cruz, push this Bill with all your might. America is with you. Source
stories supposed to appear? I think that the kind of stories they would try to find would be people who do not receive health care from their employers, who have pre existing conditions and who are relatively old or relatively poor. They would now face relatively low premiums because of community rating regulations and they all receive relatively high subsidies because they are poor. I think that’s the target group. Is Obamacare really working? Is the program working? The low number of people that are really enrolled, does it seem to be working at least somehow for, I guess, there is a target audience that doesn’t have heath care that actually got pretty high government assistance in purchasing this Obamacare. I mean is it working for some percent of Americans? I think the group for which it is working best is the group that didn’t have heath insurance before and that now qualifies for Medicaid, which is the fully funded Federal and State government program. How many people is that? I think out of the people who have enrolled so far it is a pretty big chunk. So when they
first released the enrollment numbers I think it was the majority of the people enrolled. What is your personal attitude? Do you have Obamacare yourself, would you purchase it? I have employer provider insurance so I’m employed self-insured so I’m not directly affected by it. Have you looked at the plan that will be available to you in your current, if you didn’t have employer’s insurance? I have seen the plans available on the Washington DC exchange. A lot of them are very small networks of providers, there are certainly not very attractive. Also, I mean I am reasonably young and healthy, I wouldn’t qualify for subsidies, I don’t think the deal for me would be particularly good. So how much are you paying if you don’t have subsidies as a young healthy adult with no subsidies? That’s a good question. I would guess US$4,000 a year or something like that. What do people pay if we talk about private insurance? If you receive insurance through you, it is still private insurance, you would just buy it through Obamacare exchange. The thing is that a lot of people receive health insurance through the
 employer, get a massive tax cut in sense that employer provided health insurance is not taxed, so instead of, if your employer gives you a 100$ of health insurance, then the government takes zero dollars out of that, if the employer gives you a 100$ of salary, the Federal government will take 30$ out of that. And then with the remaining 70$ you would have to go and buy insurance for yourself. The way people receive insurance through their employers very much privileged through the existing system, so people are worse of who do not receive that and those who do not receive subsidies. When do you think Obamacare will be one year from now, two years from now or ten years from now? Would we still have it? I think a lot of it depends on the next year, so I think if the exchanges are not going to start working and the administration sees itself forced to delay the individual mandate by a year for example, I think that would be a big big blow problem for Democrats going into the Midterm elections and then after that if the Republicans win back the Senate, then it will be hard for the Administration to roll out of program as they intended. If they do that one & they keep the exchanges up but only very sick andamp; relatively old enrolled. Source Article: http://www.voiceofrussia.com, Images: brothermycroft, mshaugheysclass, daleyancy, themachoresponse, bgalrstate, randyhuntcpa, beinghappygirl, fritz-aviewfromthebeach, modernheretic3000, yastreblyansky............................................................. 
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