Root Inc., a strategy execution consulting company, recently announced the results of a survey conducted by Kelton titled America's Workforce: A Revealing Account of What U.S. Employees Really Think About Today's Workplace. The study, which analyzed the responses of more than 1,000 U.S.-based employees, uncovers where employees would like to see change from the companies they work for and the leaders who manage them. Seven key themes surfaced in the survey including leadership competencies, manager/employee relationships, communication of strategy, change initiatives, teamwork and accountability, process improvements, and employee training. "Many surveys tell us there's something wrong -- we know that American workers are unhappy or not engaged, and leaders know they need make adjustments to keep the very best talent …"

Business4Better (B4B), a non-commercial community partnership movement produced by UBM, recently released a research report that defines major trends in the way mid-sized companies approach corporate social responsibility (CSR), including plans for community engagement, employee volunteerism and metrics of success. It explores both challenges and opportunities that mid-sized companies regularly face in implementing their CSR programs. "Most mid-size companies have a business-with-a-purpose mindset," said Joshua Dome, general manager of Business4Better. "We conducted this research to understand the gaps and opportunities, with the ultimate goal of creating action plans for executives trying to infuse social good as part of the way they do business." The Business4Better research report reveals mid-sized companies' desires to help people and nonprofits in their local communities …

The year 2013 will be a turning point year as CEOs and senior executives, by a ratio of more than four to one, plan to increase IT investment in 2013, rather than cut it, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. The 2013 Gartner CEO and Senior Executive Survey found that, as macro uncertainties abate, 78 percent of CEOs now feel able to plan their 2013 and 2014 investments and growth. "This is the year when business leadership teams must commit to investing bravely and deeply to redevelop the technology and information capability of their firms. After more than a decade of modest investment and sorting out the basics, it's time to think ahead. Business leaders tell us they recognize the need to invest in e-commerce, mobile, cloud, social …"

This spring, as the tech industry is soaring out of the Great Recession, plans are in the works for a flurry of massive, perk-laden headquarters. Apple's ring-shaped, gleaming "Spaceship Headquarters" will include a world-class auditorium and an orchard for engineers to wander. Google's new Bay View campus will feature walkways angled to force accidental encounters. Facebook, while putting final touches on a Disney-inspired campus including a Main Street with a barbecue shack, sushi house and bike shop, is already planning an even larger, more exciting new campus — indicating that, more than ever before, Silicon Valley firms want their workers at work. "We're seeing the mature technology companies trying to energize their work environments, getting rid of cube farms and investing in facilities to compete for talent …"

Tom McHale, an All-Ivy athlete who played in 87 NFL games from 1987 to 1995, died of an overdose in 2008 after battling depression and a painkiller addiction. An autopsy later showed he suffered from traumatic brain injuries. His wife Lisa said it helps that more players now go public with their neurological problems, and wishes her husband had lived long enough to learn more about the links between concussions and long-term brain injuries. A lot has been learned since 2008 — and now thousands of former players are suing the NFL over concussions. In Philadelphia this week, lawyers for the NFL and for more than 4,200 former players argued over whether the complaints belong in federal court or, as the NFL believes, in arbitration …

Crain's BtoB Magazine this week shared results of a comprehensive survey of business-to-business (B2B) marketers across the U.S. developed in conjunction with business audience marketing company Bizo. The data shows that the sales cycle has lengthened for many B2B companies, increasing pressure on the marketing organization to boost brand awareness to help deliver leads and effectively nurture them through a prolonged buying process. At the same time, marketers are struggling to optimize their online marketing mix, with many unable to segment and target the right decision-makers or measure program success across the entire marketing funnel. "The survey results reaffirm that most B2B marketers still need to improve their online marketing mix …"

Many organizations establish employee recognition programs to enhance levels of engagement and reinforce core company values and culture. Often overlooked is the strong return on investment that effective employee recognition programs can deliver. A recent study commissioned by O.C. Tanner, a leader in the appreciation and recognition business, revealed that programs that celebrate key service anniversaries for employees (e.g. 5-year, 10-year, 25-year anniversaries, etc.) were linked to decreased turnover. The cost of replacing an employee can be a significant expense for many companies — ranging from 30 to 400 percent of his/her annual salary. By contrast, an effective employee service recognition program costs roughly $25 per employee per year. The study aligns with …

JC Penney is hoping its former CEO can revive the retailer after a risky turnaround strategy backfired and led to massive losses and steep sales declines. The company's board of directors ousted CEO Ron Johnson after only 17 months on the job. The department store chain said in a statement this week that it has rehired Johnson's predecessor, Mike Ullman, who was CEO of the department store chain for seven years until November 2011. The announcement came after a growing chorus of critics including a former Penney CEO, Allen Questrom, called for Johnson's resignation as they lost faith in an aggressive overhaul that included getting rid of most discounts in favor of everyday low prices and bringing in new brands …

Kaazing, a leading web and mobile communication platform for live data delivery, recently announced the findings of its annual Live Web and Mobile Communication research study. The survey, which was conducted in March 2013 with nearly 300 global IT professionals and developers worldwide, found that nearly nine out of ten (86%) respondents consider real-time Web and data communication to be a priority for them in 2013, with 81% saying they will apply that priority to their mobile strategy. "It is clear that across the globe and industry-wide, enterprises recognize the importance of delivering instant, two-way communication securely and reliably to their employees, customers and partners anytime and anywhere through the web and mobile devices. These results demonstrate that not only …"

Ranging from Red Bull's Stratos Project featuring Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner's astonishing 24-mile free-fall from the stratosphere to All-State's cutting edge "Mayhem" campaign, the winners of the inaugural Brand Brilliance Awards were unveiled this week by the Brand Activation Association (BAA). Created by BAA to recognize the most influential and dynamic brand marketers in the US marketplace today, the Brand Brilliance Awards honors individuals for outstanding achievement in brand activation, industry impact, legacy, and creativity in four different categories."As the organization dedicated to Brand Activation, we felt it was important to recognize those individuals who are responsible for helping their organizations achieve Brand Brilliance. Their success stories will also inspire other organizations to enhance their efforts in achieving brand brilliance …"

Airline passenger complaints to the Transportation Department surged by one fifth last year — even though other measures such as on-time arrivals and mishandled baggage show airlines are doing a better job, according to a report released this week. So what exactly are flyers grumbling about? Private researchers who have analyzed federal data on airline performance say it's not surprising that passengers are irritated — carriers keep shrinking the size of seats in order to stuff more people into planes. Empty middle seats that might provide a little more room have vanished. And more people who have bought tickets are being turned away because flights are overbooked. "The way airlines have taken 130-seat airplanes and expanded them to 150 seats to squeeze out more revenue I think is finally catching up with them …"

YuMe, an independent provider of digital video brand advertising solutions, in conjunction with Decipher, a digital media research and consulting firm, recently announced the results of its 1,500 person UK-focused quantitative and qualitative research study examining consumer behavior and reaction to advertising and content on mobile devices. The study reveals that advertising on mobile devices is playing a larger role amongst consumers, expanding to encompass brand experience as well as its traditional role as a direct response platform. "Our advice to advertisers is to throw away your screen-by-screen media planning rule books. Our in-depth survey on the behavior of the British consumer on mobile devices began with the assumption that the tablet is the ultimate media-consuming device. But what the research has shown is that media …"

With its new "Home" on Android gadgets, Facebook aims to put its social network at the center of people's mobile experiences. The idea behind the rollout — to bring Facebook content right to the home screen, rather than requiring users to check apps — is user-friendly PR gold for Facebook, where innovation is clearly alive and well. The software comes amid rapid growth in the number of people who access Facebook from phones and tablet computers. Of its 1.06 billion monthly users, 680 million log in to Facebook using a mobile gadget. If users choose to download Facebook's Home software starting on April 12, the social network will become the hub of their Android smartphones …

According to a study recently released from the Government Business Council (GBC) and Booz Allen Hamilton, more than 75 percent of federal managers believe Big Data has the power to fundamentally transform federal operations. However, their confidence wanes when asked whether their agency is taking the appropriate steps to leverage this new method of collecting and using large amounts of information. A mere 37 percent agreed that their agency is moving in the right direction to implement Big Data. "As organizations consider how to fully unlock the value of the massive amount of data available to them, an important — but often overlooked — element is defining a Big Data strategy. This roadmap will help ensure the right decisions are made in alignment with expectations …"

A new survey of U.S. managers and product development and marketing decision makers finds that firms can improve such decisions by encouraging use of marketing and financial metrics through metric-based compensation and training, and involving non-marketing managers in marketing decisions. While several professional organizations and practitioners surveyed in 2007 Deloitte and 2009 Lenskold/Market Sphere studies advocate greater need for metrics, there is no attention paid to why some managers use less metrics than others to evaluate product development and marketing decisions and whether use of metrics improves decisions. "If managers are looking to improve the performance of their product development and marketing decisions, they need to remember one simple equation — more marketing and financial metrics equal better decision outcomes …"

In Business Wire's view, the SEC's latest guidance on the possible standalone use of social media platforms for regulatory compliance purposes poses a disservice to the investment community, threatening increased fragmentation of price-sensitive information, privacy concerns as users are required to register to gain access to material news, security risks that may adversely affect market stability, and the loss of simultaneity — and the "level playing field" — that is at the core of Regulation Fair Disclosure. "Protecting our clients' sensitive information is at the core of what we do, and we'll continue to do that in the most secure and innovative way possible," said Cathy Baron Tamraz, Business Wire's chairwoman and CEO. "Social media can be a valuable part of the investor relations ecosystem …"

Earth Day may be just around the corner, but consumers are buying with an eye toward "green" all year long. A record-high 71 percent of Americans consider the environment when they shop, up from 66 percent in 2008, reports a new study from Cone Communications. Additionally, nearly half (45%) of consumers actively seek out environmental information about the products they buy, according to the five-year benchmark of the 2013 Cone Communications Green Gap Trend Tracker. "The new green gap is about consumers only taking the idea of responsibility so far, despite feeling responsible for proper use and disposal," said Liz Gorman, Cone senior vice president of Sustainable Business Practices. "They're buying with the environment in mind, but they rely on companies to provide access and education to truly 'close the loop' …"

Lawyers for Walmart have identified Brazil, India, China and South Africa along with Mexico as areas having the biggest risk for corruption, according to a letter from two congressmen who are doing their own investigation into the allegations of bribery in its Mexico operations. The letter, sent this week, shed light on a May 21 briefing with outside lawyers from Walmart, who said they had been retained to do a global anti-corruption compliance review of its operations in 2011, an AP news release reports. Dave Tovar, a Walmart spokesman, said the review of its anti-corruption program was worldwide. "We are taking a deep look at our policies and procedures in every country we operate …"

According to ReputationChanger.com, reviews posted to online review sites, such as Yelp.com or TripAdvisor, are deeply influential to consumer behavior. To illustrate this point, the company points to a revelatory new survey, posted by MarketingProfs. The study reveals that online ratings and reviews have a huge impact on consumer purchases, both online and in-store. "The reason why online ratings and reviews matter so much to businesses and brands is that they actually have a very significant, real-world impact on lead generation, on sales, and on client retention," said Michael Zammuto, the President of Reputation Changer. "Online reviews are not just concerns for the business owner's vanity — they can make or break a business, simple as that …"

NBC on Wednesday announced its long-rumored switch in late night, replacing incumbent Jay Leno at "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon and moving the iconic franchise back to New York. "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels will take over as producer of the new "Tonight Show." Fallon's replacement at 12:35 a.m. was not named, although Seth Meyers of "SNL" is considered a strong candidate. Fallon will take over in conjunction with NBC's coverage of next year's Winter Olympic games. NBC hopes for a big audience — much larger than what it gets in prime time now — to promote the switchover. NBC is worried that ABC's Jimmy Kimmel will establish himself as a go-to late night performer for a younger generation …

Has Facebook become less fun? That's something many users — especially those in their teens and early 20s — are asking themselves as they wade through endless posts, photos "liked" by people they barely know and spur-of-the moment friend requests. Has it all become too much of a chore? Chatter about Facebook's demise never seems to die down, whether it's talk of "Facebook fatigue," or grousing about how the social network lost its cool once grandma joined. The Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project recently found that some 61 percent of Facebook users had taken a hiatus from the site for reasons that range from "too much gossip and drama" to "boredom." Some respondents said there simply isn't enough time in their day …

Where are women first browsing for products, in-store or online? Are they using Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram to plan spring and summer vacations? Would they rather get liposuction or buy their daily cup of Starbucks coffee?

A new study released this week by SheSpeaks, a women's influencer platform, and Lippe Taylor, an integrated marketing communications agency that specializes in motivating women to buy, helps explain buying habits and forecast purchasing trends of American women. "As we continue to dive deeper into women's buying habits, I found it particularly interesting to see that almost 50% of women admit to making a purchase decision influenced by a celebrity," said Maureen Lippe, CEO of Lippe Taylor. "I'm not surprised at all to see the rise of mobile technology as a shopping tool …"

President Obama is facing a tough PR challenge — how do you convince millions of average Americans that, from his perspective, one of the most complex and controversial programs devised by government may actually be a good deal for them? With the nation still split over the healthcare law, the administration has turned to the science of mass marketing for help in understanding the lives of uninsured people, hoping to craft winning pitches for a surprisingly varied group in society. The law's supporters will have to make the sale in the run-up to an election — the 2014 midterms. Already Republicans are hoping for an Obamacare flop that helps them gain control of the Senate, while Democrats are eager for the public to finally embrace …

Alignment of talent management to organizational strategy is a key performance driver for successful organizations, According to the 2013 Pulse of the Profession In-Depth Report: Talent Management, released by Project Management Institute (PMI). High-performing organizations put 50 percent fewer dollars at risk on their projects — demonstrating the clear competitive advantage realized by investing in talent. Project success is also impacted by alignment to organizational strategy — those reporting significant or good alignment have project success rates of 72 percent compared to 58 percent for those with moderate or weak alignment. Yet the study found that half of organizations have scaled back their training programs due to economic conditions. "Aligning an organization's strategic vision with the professional and personal development of its project management workforce …"