The present times may in fact be dubbed as the ‘data age’. Data is there everywhere and it is up to firms whether to use it for business analysis in the right manner or not. In a business consulting report by the Financial Times, it was noticed that recruiting patterns have not altered much due to established prejudices regarding perceived social status or education. It was seen that firms still preferred hiring from top MBA institutes or law schools even though attrition rates were pretty high. Then Xerox services used new algorithm developed by Evolv to help out in recruitments next time and attrition rate over a period of time fell by a fifth in their call centres. Thus a lot of people without the ‘ideal CV’ got interview calls and even selections as they were deemed better fit by the algorithm. Thus over time, data has helped firms in building right teams, enlist partners, and develop genuine samples.

5 types of business innovation have been forecast for the times ahead. The innovations have been categorized for the categories- employees, customers, partners / suppliers, competitors and the general public. Employee innovation has been spoken of first as something critical. Corporate training of them is taking on increasingly significant roles. The concept of crowd-sourcing is gaining credence where the ideas of several employees are tagged rather than a select few. Toyota, Adobe and Whirlpool of three of the organizations which have taken a lead in this.

The tourism board of China has decided to go for reforms in the sector to boost inbound business. New projects have been outlined for construction and fresh tourism jobs are set to be created. Infrastructure related to tourism such as regional airports, toilet facilities, parking spots and roads to remote locations often home to scenic spots are on the pipeline. Also rural tourism is being targeted as this will also help alleviate people away from poverty

The human resource management line is undergoing change and the culture of flexibility is seeping in. Some ways have been suggested by the management consulting wing of Dell which shows the present altered role of the same. HR must show the entire organization and especially the new recruits, the values the firm stands for. It must keep its communications and processes simple and flexible. Also the corporate communications must be consistent across platforms. In order to facilitate long term effective talent management, it is important to have high performers in the team itself. These ‘champions’ must always lead the way. Organizational successes must be shared with all stakeholders especially internal ones such as employees and consultants.

Business research has come up with certain steps which if followed are sure to develop a standard candidate assessment process during recruitment. Existing assessment arrangements must be reviewed. Recruiters must also try to convince key stakeholders about individual cases together rather than having to duplicate the procedure for separate power centres within the firm. The right partners must be appointed for this. A job analysis of target roles in a must. Appropriate assessment techniques must be employed. Management training must be provided to regional recruiters so that national level selections can be made. A thorough business analysis must be conducted with cause and benefits attached to review existing selection patterns.

The UNWTO has characterized travel and tourism in Southeast Asia as a phenomenon due to its spectacular growth. The ASEAN region has been credited with bringing about strategic changes in this tourism planning which has helped fund increasing number of travel jobs in the region. Also the unity within the region is enabling tourism packages aimed at covering a couple of destinations together. Thus unique features of separate member states’ offerings are getting highlighted in the process.

Since the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), digital marketing has become increasingly central to corporate strategy. Some reasons have been identified by a business consulting publication which tells us the reasons for the same. It allows us to co-innovate with partners in the business chain. Word-of-mouth has long been among the central tenets of sales, yet now it is no longer just verbal but a matter of online advocacy using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The digital economy even allows us to create individualized accounts based on buyer personas and accordingly we can target specifically. The entire customer journey can be tagged online stage wise.