The last decade was marked by the invasion of new data sources such as online clickstreams. Cloud-based analytics made low cost acquiring of massive amount of computing power at a short period of time possible. It is now common with the small companies as well. Many companies are using Hadoop-based data lakes to store a large amount of data till it is structured and analyzed. Hive and Python are mostly used for scripting, Spark for streaming data and R for statistics have gained popularity. Analytics has been integrated with the production applications. Thus, Analytic technologies have evolved over the years as more powerful and less expensive. Read more at https://hbr.org/2017/06/how-analytics-has-changed-in-the-last-10-years-and-how-its-stayed-the-same

Social Media is a powerful marketing tool. However, a social media marketing mess can turn out to be costly. Here are the top 7 tips avoid mistakes.

1. A little money should be spent to broaden social media reach and to target specific consumer groups.

2. Choosing the right social media platform is important. 

3. Know the target audience well.

4. Take expert help because attractive content is the key.

5. Potential prospects and existing customers should be given equal attention.

6. Focusing exclusively on sales promotion may not be useful.

7. Never ignore the customer feedbacks.

Read more at https://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/22846.aspx

How will Artificial Intelligence facilitate the healthcare sector? This is the question that needs to be answered. The greatest returns to investments are likely to come from medical imaging and diagnostics and drug recovery. According to Accenture, virtual nursing and robot-operated surgery can be efficient and cost effective. Fraud detection and error in dosage detection can be performed by AI. Thus, healthcare sector can grow at a tremendous pace using AI. Read more at http://fortune.com/2017/06/19/healthcare-artificial-intelligence-accenture/

Financial capital is relatively abundant as compared to human capital. Inspired employees are rare who are capable of making a difference. Thus, inspired employees are an asset to companies. Both financial capital and human capital can be maintained efficiently by following these steps.

1. Measure human capital using productive power index.

2. Invest equally in human capital and financial capital. Consider the opportunity cost of time and talent.

3. Monitor it by measuring the actual and expected results.

4. Productive employees should be rewarded to inspire them.

Read more at http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/how-can-we-manage-human-capital-as-well-as-we-manage-financial-capital/

HR analytics is a key element in any company’s progress. The slow growth of HR analytics has been a great concern for companies. HR leaders can present analysis in a more impactful manner by using the LAMP framework. 

• Logic- with trends, the logic for the occurrence should also be explained.

• Analytics- provide important insights from data using tools and techniques.

• Measures- verified and accurate numbers should be used in analytics.

• Process- motivate decision makers to act on data insights using right communication channels.

LAMP elements can play a strategic role in the organization and should be utilized to its full potential.

Read more at https://hbr.org/2017/06/hr-must-make-people-analytics-more-user-friendly

Technology has made innovation easier. Creative dreams can be reality in a short span. Some of the golden innovations are as follows:

1. Digital Camera (1975) allowing us to click pictures without the help of a film.

2. Graphical tablet (1979) which allowed the artists to transfer their drawings to computers.

3. 3D printing (1984) is used in printing houses, castles and prosthetics.

4. Paint (1985) can be used to manipulate 3D objects.

5. `Photoshop (1990) made graphics editing easy.

6. Instagram (2010) made editing and sharing pictures to the world easier.

7. Thermochromic Paint (2016) is an artistic innovation.

Read more at http://mashable.com/2017/06/15/how-innovations-in-technology-inspired-creators/#jd9CE5ptemqu

Technology is making machines faster, smarter, smaller and cheaper. Technology is serving as a smart alternate to humans. Thus, job destruction is very common in all industries at present. Survival will depend on experience, knowledge as well as the capability to adapt and learn quickly, i.e., adaptive quotient and change velocity. Developing skills and adaptability is a must to save your job from technology. Education system should be framed in a way so that the mentality of being lifelong learners and adaptability can be built in children from school itself. Read more at http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/opinion/93663839/when-technology-takes-over-and-your-job-disappears

Smart phones have made healthcare management easier by healthcare management apps. From measuring pulse and heart rate to maintain health, healthcare apps can ensure physical and mental well being. Some of the best healthcare apps of 2017 are as follows.

1. WebMD – this free app can check the symptoms and can help detect a disease. 2. Micromedex – this paid app is a pharmaceutical reference and guide. 3. OneRx – this app helps to compare the costs of various medications in various medical stores. 4. Sugar Sense – this app is a great way to keep track of the blood sugar level. 5. MyChart – this app provides information about healthcare records. Read more at http://appinformers.com/best-healthcare-apps/11482/

Artificial intelligence and improved technology without structured analytics can prove to be costly and can leave the company paralyzed. However, companies with strong analytics can make excellent use of it. Before Adopting artificial intelligence, the following points should be considered. 

1. The basic processes should be automated.

2. Structured analytics and centralized data processes.

3. Integration of structured analytics with artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence, if exploited to its full potential, can reinvent business. Read more at https://hbr.org/2017/06/if-your-company-isnt-good-at-analytics-its-not-ready-for-ai

Technological unemployment is becoming very common nowadays. Humans are getting replaced by machines in many sectors. This problem is however, counterbalanced by cheaper day-to-day lives, which is made possible by technology. The most important example is a smart phone. Smart phones have made most tasks just one tap away. One phone can serve the utility of a phone, torchlight, television, camera, boom box and others and thus, reducing day-to-day costs. Communication, entertainment, energy, transportation, housing, education, healthcare are some of the sectors where technology has played an important role and has increased efficiency with reduced costs. Read more at https://singularityhub.com/2017/06/08/technology-will-erase-jobs-but-also-make-everything-cheap-or-free/

Customers do online and offline research, take the recommendations of friends and family and go through product reviews before buying a product . This is where social media plays an important part in marketing. Brands find social media analysis necessary to quantify purchase intent. The three ways to get richer insights are

1. Analyze social media to understand the number of buyers interested in the product.

2. Buzz around the launch of a product reflects the purchase intent of the product.

3. Conducting a competitive analysis of the brands with the help of social media can help the brands to be better.

Read more at http://marketingland.com/social-shopping-use-social-media-analytics-quantify-purchase-intent-214173

In spite of a lot of buzz about big data and data analytics, only few organizations like Amazon and Google have managed to exploit them to the potential. With the shortage of doctors, lack of infrastructure and only 5% Indian population covered by health insurance, healthcare system in India is in a delicate condition. If used in the right way, the data analytics in healthcare system can push the sector to excellence by retaining right customers and assisting in providing cost efficient operations. Data analytics can also assist the insurers to increase the coverage of healthcare insurance from 5% to 50% of the Indian population. Read more at http://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/healthcare-analytics-in-india-opportunities-and-challenges/59028069

Software robots are playing an increasing role in workplaces. Robotics helps in improving productivity of the employees. America, at present, is the largest market for RPA (Robotic Process Assistant). RPI is a great fit to the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance sector. RPA has great market potential, but as of now, it has less than 5% share of the total potential share. The most important point is that the RPA will not replace humans completely, but it is likely to provide relief to humans from repetitive, manual and monotonous work. Read more at : http://www.cxotoday.com/story/robotics-in-the-workplace/

Career opportunities in the technology sector are increasing. Technological sector, like any other sector, needs employees in finance, marketing, sales and human resources. In case of a transition in career, an experienced field can be chosen. Knowledge and skill never go to waste. Four career transition tips are mentioned here. 1. Focus on soft skills because no matter what sector you work in, it is a key factor. 2. Use networks to make connections in the sector. 3. Do your homework and gain knowledge in your field. 4. Identify and prepare a narrative of your strengths that will be useful to the sector. Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkwilliams/2017/06/04/making-a-career-transition-to-technology-its-not-rocket-science/#98ef669474c7

From gyms to the front desks of Medical practice center, analytics are used everywhere. Most of the sectors have been semi-automated. Some small businesses, however, have failed to use analytics. Except these exceptions, most of the businesses have been successful in combining data science and cloud technology. Data analytics are essential for medium and small scale companies as well to be successful and data centric transformations are now trending. Read more at: http://www.zdnet.com/article/using-analytics-for-health-commerce-and-more/

Price Transparency Tools provides many options to select the required services. It helps customers to reduce medical costs. Statistics say that the proportion of moderate income community group is more likely to use this tool as compared to higher income community. Thus, the aggregate spending is still high. Consumers who are good with internet mostly use this tool. Thus, it should be marketed properly so that it reaches out to a larger number of people. Sending out reminders is a great option to start with the process. Read more at : http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/healthcare-price-transparency-tools-seldom-used-study-finds-more-reminders-marketing-needed

Programming languages and Mathematical algorithms are not sufficient for a successful career in Analytics. Communication skill plays a vital role. Explaining the results of the analysis performed in a simple language is as important as ability to analyze the data. According to the author, the key aspects of communication are simplicity, narrative and action. Secondary research is another way to stand out in the analytics profession. What counts is the simplified presentation and explaining the consequences of several course of action to build a successful career in analytics. Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/metabrown/2017/05/30/if-you-want-to-succeed-with-analytics-effective-communication-is-a-must/4/#1a1f627d4c44

Social media posts have been successful in attracting mass tourists in photographic outdoor locations. However, extra attention from selfie -snapping tourists can be harmful to the places. More number of people visiting these locations is a good thing, but polluting the place is not. Similarly, some people tend to pick up rocks or flowers, hampering the beauty of the location. Non-awareness among some tourists creates a problem. Social media posts, however, have managed to create certain groups, which picks up trash from popular trails in weekends. Thus, social media is not all bad. Read more at: https://www.marketplace.org/2017/05/29/business/how-social-media-hurts-and-helps-great-outdoors

Each and every sector of the economy is about personalized experiences. Business analytics and business intelligence is now a necessity. Data driven marketing strategies directly translate into conversions and revenues.  It is high time for the financial services industry to adopt the same.  The financial institutions are lagging in terms of consumer expectations and level of customization. Exclusive focus should be on their consumers and their specific needs.  In fact, successful implementation can add up to 14% to the annual revenue. Read more at: https://thefinancialbrand.com/65396/banking-data-analytics-marketing-personalization/

Managing people can turn out to be more important than managing money for the companies. Human capital is measured by time, energy and talent of the workforce. Statistics say that only about 15% of the workforce of a company makes a difference. Finding and retaining this 15% is a difficult task. Mostly, it has been observed that abundant financial capital is carefully managed but scarce human capital is not managed properly. This trend has to be altered to achieve success. Read more at: https://hbr.org/2017/05/what-if-companies-managed-people-as-carefully-as-they-manage-money