Business Coaching

B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: Opinions on social media can come back to bite you

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he discusses the negative impact your social media posts could have on your employment. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: This past week, we’ve seen reports of several Harvard law students having job offers rescinded because of statements they made regarding current events in Israel. Of course, we’ve all heard that social media posts can potentially cause problems for employees. How

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B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: Fight over Speaker of the House creates crisis in leadership

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he discusses the leadership crisis in the U.S. House of Representatives. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as the Speaker of the House. What impact does that have on Americans? Rick: When you have a void of leadership in one area of the government, it’s hard to get things

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B2B Stories

The power of seasonal staffing: How businesses adapt to fluctuating demands

At Manpower, Nate Lauger plays a crucial role in overseeing both the operational and sales aspects of the business. His daily activities revolve around managing operations, driving sales, and fostering client relationships. Email him if your company would like to have a consultation. Nate.lauger@manpowerga.com In the ever-changing landscape of business, adaptability is key to success. One crucial aspect of adaptability is seasonal staffing, a strategy that allows businesses to flexibly meet fluctuating demands during specific times of the year. Whether it’s the holiday rush for retailers, the tourism boom in

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B2B Stories

Should you be a ‘players’ coach’?

As we are in the middle of the college football and NFL seasons, and with the recent start of baseball’s post-season, there is a lot of discussion of the effectiveness of coaches and managers and their effects on the success of their teams. This is an area I have examined very closely, starting as a player through high school and having coached youth, club, and intramural teams. While at Kennesaw State University, I was also highly involved in the athletic programs, having participated in about a half-dozen coaching searches and

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B2B Stories

Latest outlook on small business success

Despite pandemic setbacks, supply chain challenges, inflation, and reports of an impending recession, things seem to be looking up for small business owners in the CSRA. A few key highlights from a Bank of America study on small businesses with a focus on women and minority-owned business owners included: Revenue expectations are at an eight-year high, as 67% of small business owners anticipate revenue growth over the next 12 months. A majority of small business owners are being impacted by inflation (86%) and supply chain issues (68%), causing them to

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B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: ABD Expo, golf outings offer valuable networking opportunities

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about taking advantage of networking opportunities. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: In a few weeks, ABD’s Fall Business Expo will take place, and this is also the time of year when various golf fundraisers are scheduled. Why are those types of events important to local businesspeople? Rick: Anytime you can expand your network it’s valuable, whether through a

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B2B Stories

Broad Street location of incubator announced soon

A partnership between Augusta’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Augusta Technical College will create a space for business development. The microenterprise center will serve as an incubator for entrepreneurs and small business start-ups, as well as welcoming existing businesses to use the shared space. In a new blog post on the DDA website, consultant, Tara Wood outlined what will be available in the new center. “Temporary workspaces, meeting rooms, a commercial kitchen, technology equipment, and retail space will all be available to accelerator program participants. In addition, there will be

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B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: AU Health becomes Wellstar MCG Health, bolsters area’s options

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about Wellstar’s agreement with AU Health. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: About a month ago, AU Health Systems became part of the Wellstar network and is now known as Wellstar MCG Health. Is this a good move for the Augusta area? Rick: Absolutely! It is for several reasons. The financial picture for AU Health had been pretty bad

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B2B Stories

The death of compromise: UAW strike and government shutdown

Anyone who has been paying any attention to our federal government in recent years has probably noticed that if the art of compromise is not dead, it is surely either on life support or terminally ill. While it has been about forty years since I took a course in negotiation during my MBA program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business from the great Dr. Roy Lewicki, a number of the lessons from that course, and other lessons I have learned from negotiations in the years since, continue to stick

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B2B Stories

Statewide conference in Augusta promotes workforce development

About 150 University System of Georgia educators from the Peach State will be staying over tonight and spending tourism dollars in the Garden City. The annual USG staff council is held at Augusta University’s campus this year. The theme for this professional development conference is, THE VISION – Setting a Course for the Future. “This conference will feature speakers and information sessions designed to build key staff skills to support the strategic plan of the USG: student success, responsible stewardship, economic competitiveness, and community impact,” said Angel Lovett, Chair, Augusta University

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