FinTech Industry Challenges

The rapid emergence and evolution of the financial technology (FinTech) sector has created new obstacles for the industry. This article looks into the various difficulties the sector faces and the complications they cause. From regulatory and compliance hurdles to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, access to capital, talent acquisition, customer adoption, market volatility, and collaboration within the industry, we will observe the multifaceted obstacles and explore potential solutions

Market Campaigns : implications for Ford Motor Company

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96948/1/MBA_Vernonf_2001Final.pd

Katie’s Closet: An On-campus Experiential Learning Project

Two faculty and one undergraduate student embarked on an applied learning experience to determine the feasibility of starting a free professional clothing shop for University students called Katie\u27s Closet. All aspects of conceptualizing and testing the Katie\u27s Closet pop-up-store concept began from a feasibility study. With the support of faculty mentors, the undergraduate student researched, analyzed, and executed the project. The action research project started with informational interviews and a focus group for gathering qualitative data on the student population\u27s needs. These findings led to more research to explore potential collaborative partnerships with other University departments. Competitive benchmarking also supported developing the entrepreneurial project concept and offered insightful information to help with the start-up. The data provided the foundational knowledge to create and market a Katie\u27s Closet pop-up store on campus. This article is a collaborative effort written by both the undergraduate student intern and her faculty mentors

Independent Study: Understanding the Pharmaceutical Industry

An undergraduate Healthcare Sales student wanted to understand the pharmaceutical (pharma) industry better to determine if the industry was a good fit. She approached her professor to gain support for an independent study to understand better the history and challenges of selling in the pharma industry. Once completed, the pair recognized this information\u27s value and collaborated in editing the document to share these findings to provide this entry-level salesperson\u27s guide to understanding the pharma industry. Six semi-structured interviews of pharma professionals showed three primary areas of knowledge and ethics required of the entry-level pharma industry salesperson. These suggestions are for the salesperson to 1) focus on patient safety, 2) establish trust-based relationships, and 3) comply with industry guidelines. The study concludes with an overview of three prominent industry guidelines: the PhRMA Code, the Sunshine Act, and the Fair Balance practices

Women Leaders in Agriculture: Data-Driven Recommendations for Action and Perspectives on Furthering the Conversation

The presence of women in positions of power in the agriculture industry is lacking. This article highlights findings generated from the 2016 Southern Region Women\u27s Agricultural Leadership Summit attended by women from 13 southern states. The research revealed that women working in Extension should (a) formally connect with leadership mentors, (b) envision themselves in leadership roles, and (c) support one another as they work to lead in the agriculture industry. To further the conversation, we provide recommendations that are inherent in the data and intended to assist early-career women professionals as well as middle managers and administrators who desire to advance women\u27s leadership development in Extension

The Maritime Transportation Sector: Addressing Key Challenges towards Sustainable Development

The present business landscape expects sustainability from the most diverse organizations. However, sustainability issues in maritime transportation have taken a lower priority among its stakeholders. The different maritime stakeholders have started to become aware of their sustainability responsibility as interest in sustainable shipping has grown among retailers and their shipping vessels, leading to cost-efficiency in their operations and compliance with regulations and conventions set forth by the IMO (Lister, 2015). It must be noted that the maritime transportation sector is central to the worldwide economy as it is responsible for transporting products of all kinds and accounts for approximately ninety percent of world trade (Richter, 2016). With all these changes, this research wants to determine the barriers confronting the maritime transportation sector in their aspiration to become sustainable. In addition, the research wants to identify those enablers that will clear the way towards a Sustainable Maritime Transportation. The Essential Dimensions of Sustainable Maritime Transportation System (Jeon, 2007, cited in Chatzinikolaou & Ventikos, n.d., p.6) framework will be used in assessing what comprise a sustainable maritime company. A deliberate assessment of the framework and applying it to the maritime transportation sector revealed the barriers confronting the maritime stakeholders in pursuing sustainable initiatives. The first of these is the barrier in environment sustainability which pertains to the existence of poor seafaring schools and training providers which hinder their competitiveness in pursuing environmental sustainability for their respective organization. The second is the barrier in Socio-Cultural Sustainability which suggests that Filipino seafarers continue to suffer social maltreatment when they are not given an equal opportunity to be selected as a crew member of a particular manning agency specifically in those instances when manning agencies select seafarers without standard procedures. The third is the barrier in economic sustainability where Filipino seafarers are having a very difficult time processing the paperwork required by the various international port states because of the long processing times of the certificates issued by the government. The following recommendations are intended to guide management and other shipping stakeholders in addressing issues that have proven to be necessary avenues for the development and fostering of a sustainable shipping sector. An enabler of environmental sustainability is to ensure that the maritime education institutions and training centers it accredited were able to pass CHED\u27s stringent guidelines and comply with the latest 2010 STCW Convention Code for Maritime Education. Maritime education and training centers could also include sustainability topics and subjects in the curriculum of their students. Hence, by the time they start working, they are already inclined to pursue sustainability initiatives. The next recommendation will be an enabler of socio-cultural sustainability in which the government, through MARINA and with the support of various maritime sectors, ensure that the recommendations of the 2006 Maritime Labor Convention are implemented in all maritime sectors. This gives seafarers the confidence to carry out their duties on board, knowing that they have a right to safe work that respects decent living and working conditions. The last recommendation will be an enabler of economic sustainability which suggests that streamlining MARINA\u27s processes and seafarer requirements will enable seafarers to meet all the requirements necessary to pursue a seafaring career or be included in their manning agency’s line-up. This should not just be a call to the maritime transportation sector, it should be a call to all maritime stakeholders. These are the challenges we are grappling with today, and they require not just band aid solutions, but they require serious cooperation from all stakeholders. After all, we are talking about the modern heroes of our country

Sidebar [Summer 1991]

Sidebar, Summer 1991https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/comm_newsletters/1033/thumbnail.jp