1.     Hybrid Format

The ability to work remotely is one of the main characteristics of a lifestyle in a pandemic. Many employees do not want to return to the office: half prefer a hybrid work format, and half want to stay remote forever. Many companies have chosen a more flexible way of working for their employees in the long run. Forced self-isolation and remote work have led to the fact that the psychological barriers associated with working outside the office have disappeared among employees and they tend to check into cash jobs with a hybrid regime.

Remote work and distributed offices will continue to evolve. Companies that have learned to work in this way have gained great competitive advantages, and firms that have not adapted to the new reality will lose market share and the most professional people.

2.     Shortage of the Right Staff

A shortage of workers has also arisen in those areas where foreign workers traditionally worked. Their numbers have almost halved since the start of the pandemic. And in these conditions, many companies are faced with a shortage of personnel. In some areas, there is a hunt for skilled workers. This can be seen in the number of vacancies and wage growth. Employers are forced to change their attitude towards employees and meet them halfway in matters of a favorable working day, the opportunity to work remotely, and higher salaries. And this trend is likely to continue shortly.

Companies in this situation can have a very simple strategy: they hire specialists from other types of economic activity, where the number of applicants is higher than the number of vacancies, train them, and offer a decent salary so that they want to work in these organizations.

3.     Process or Result

Employers are still focused on improving efficiency, total control cannot achieve this – a person will decide that the company doubts them. Such an employee will quickly lose motivation and will start looking for a new job sooner. To prevent this from happening, the company must trust the employee, for example, provide them with the opportunity to independently choose time intervals for solving work tasks. Now the process does not matter, only the result is crucial.

4.     Attention and Development

With the coronavirus, many companies have taken the well-being of their employees seriously. In their HR departments, some employees organize remote work, or units responsible for their well-being, i.e., for taking care of the emotional state of employees. In addition to the balance between work and personal life, when working remotely, prompt and regular feedback from the manager, support, and attention are essential.

Training is one of the main trends in the labor market. Due to the accelerated automation during the coronavirus epidemic, 85 million people will lose their jobs in the next five years. At the same time, the “robot revolution” will create 97 million new jobs. It is on the additional training of employees that the most competitive companies will focus their efforts.

5.     Fewer Travels

The spread of remote interaction formats, including the use of video conferencing, will reduce the need for employee travel, increase the demand for remote control and identification systems, and expand opportunities (including financial ones) for organizing virtual events (exhibitions, conferences, travel, training, medical consultations, etc.). The development of augmented reality technologies and communications of new formats (5G, 6G, space communications) will strengthen this trend. Lifestyle, in general, will likely become more sedentary, which will increase the growth of online commerce and online services.

The ongoing structural changes in the labor market, accelerated or caused by the corona crisis, make it necessary to conduct a more active labor market policy, which should be aimed at eliminating existing barriers, training and retraining personnel with a focus on the digital economy, development of soft skills, attraction of highly qualified personnel from abroad on a temporary and permanent basis.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post What Is Happening to the Post-Covid Job Market appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

In his book “Crazy Jobs”, the American anthropologist David Graeber argued that many people in the labor market are doing useless things simply because someone has tacitly decided that there is no way to do without them.

Graeber’s reasoning was recalled by developer Paul Butler – when he studied industries related to the Web 3.0 Internet of the future. One of the most popular is play-to-earn games. For example, in the Axie Infinity project: players breed and cross virtual “axie” creatures, swap and trade them, and fight other gamers.

Some gamers spend several hours a day in Axie Infinity, earning in-game currency and exchanging it for real money to pay their bills. “It makes them feel good, but it’s the delusional work that Graeber was talking about,” the developer notes.

In computer games, the term “grind” is the repeated repetition of uncomplicated but monotonous and boring actions that help achieve some goal: improving in-game performance. According to Butler, some of Axie Infinity’s “guests” equate it to a routine. The gameplay of many games depends on grind, including the metarun game. 

Gaming giants like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft believe that such money-making projects are the gaming industry’s future. But few people refer to Axie Infinity as a game. It’s more often equated to a way to get rich or a tool for speculation.

Arianna Simpson, an investor in the a16z fund, confirms his theory. According to her, Axie Infinity’s in-game financial ecosystem is like the real economy. “I can get rich there, ask another player to do things for money that I don’t want to take on, or vice versa,” she says.

Axie Infinity is a game, a job, or a Ponzi scheme.

Gamers have been making money in games since at least 2005 – selling virtual goods in the online universe of Second Life, for example. But Axie Infinity has a few crucial differences, Butler believes:

In-game earnings have become almost her primary function, making a whole genre of play-to-earn spread.

Items in her online world are in the form of non-interchangeable tokens, NFT, so the internal economic system is supposedly decentralized.

First Difference: “Play to Earn.”

Unlike many other projects, Axie Infinity prioritizes users’ ability to monetize their time in the game and use the money in real life. According to the developers, work and entertainment should become one, and players should get the equal economic opportunity.

“Except that, by and large, those economic opportunities are a transfer of money from new players to existing players,” Butler concludes. To start the game, a new user must buy three “axis” creatures from the old one at once in the form of NFTs, which can cost more than $100 a piece, depending on their characteristics.

Players justify the expense because they can’t make money without them. And Axie Infinity developer Sky Mavis notes that the game is a kind of economy that depends partly on capital inflows, like any emerging market.

Except that Butler doesn’t see anything particularly “enticing” to give away $1,000 just for the chance to play the game. And neither do the 1,600 people surveyed on Reddit, who admitted they wouldn’t play Axie Infinity if they couldn’t make money.

By erasing the line between play and work, Axie Infinity has built a Ponzi scheme, the developer reflects. Not everyone will be left as a loser, and some probably play for fun – like in poker or sports betting. The only difference is that no one passes off betting as a way to save humanity from poverty.

Second difference: the NFT-economy

Virtual creature’s “axis” can be sold outside of the game and its store – for example, on the largest marketplace, OpenSea. This makes the player feel like the rightful owner of an NFT-asset.

The only problem is that the animals will lose value if the developer company Sky Mavis suddenly decides to block the owner’s account, notes Butler. They can be sold for a lower price because they are no more than just a picture without the gaming features.

Developers can also change the rules of battles, in which players “pump up” the characteristics of their creatures at their discretion. And they admit that they sacrificed some decentralization principles to reach a mass audience.

According to Butler, this directly contradicts the philosophy promoted by proponents of the Web 3.0 Internet, where companies and authorities cannot restrict users’ freedom. “Venture capitalists believe that earning games will be the future of the job market, except there’s no meaningful motivation to work in them yet. It’s like googling how to block someone on PayPal and then communicating with the person you wanted to block.” he reasoned.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Why Earning Games Like Axie Infinity Look Little Like the Job Market of the Future  appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

All entrepreneurs and business owners will understand the importance of effective marketing to their business models. However, people just starting out in the corporate landscape often make mistakes during the early stages of their venture that cause issues in the future. With that in mind, the purpose of this post is to highlight the essential marketing groundwork all companies need to master to ensure they get the best return on their investment when the time comes to invest in many different types of promotion. Use this info to ensure you leave no stone unturned.

Gathering customer information

While you will often market to people who do not already have a connection to your business; it is sensible to record the contact details of every single customer who chooses to make a purchase. Research proves that around 80% of sales in the average company come from repeat customers. So, you never want to lose touch with the folks most likely to enjoy your new products or services and spend money in the future. Invest in a decent contact management system and start building your email marketing list as soon as possible. Do not let a single customer slip through the net because you can’t afford to miss out on sales during the early stages of your venture.

Researching your competitors

Competitor research is vital if you want to understand the best ways of marketing your new brand. Take a look at some of your most successful rivals, and attempt to learn as much as possible about their approach to promotion. Of course, you don’t have to replicate their moves to the letter, but you will benefit from understanding the way in which they market their brand to customers. You can use some of their ideas if you believe they will provide the same results for you.

Understanding your market

It is essential that you know your market like the back of your hand if you want to keep costs down and ensure you get a fantastic return on your marketing investments. You need to know how people in your target market think, and you should aim to learn about as many of their opinions as possible. If you operate a website, it makes sense to include a survey or something similar during the checkout process. Ask people to answer your questions for a chance of getting a discount on their order or something similar. You can then use the results to tailor your marketing efforts in the future.

If you manage to perform all the marketing groundwork mentioned in this post; you should find that your company is in the best position to reach the right audience and make a killing this year. Of course, most entrepreneurs who launch small businesses will choose to employ the services of a marketing agency. However, that is not always possible for those on a shoestring budget, and that is why the advice from this article is vital. Use it wisely, and your business venture should have no issues reaching its full potential.

This is an article provided by our partners’ network. It might not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management.

Contributed content

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Marketing Groundwork All Entrepreneurs Must Consider appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Overview Global Consulting Industry Market.

Businesses around the world have more and more to rely in consultancy to thrive through a more complex and disruptive fast changing economic, social and technological fast changing world. The consultancy industry is an increasing part of the business life and special as the international economy gets increasingly more volatile and software driven. In these scenario and as it stands the global consulting industry revenues – HR, IT, strategy, operations, management and business advisory services – will be about $470 billion in 2016, according to the company Plunkett Research estimative.

The numbers presented represent a reasonable growth from $449 billion during the previous year. In the U.S., consulting of all types, including management, scientific and technical, generated $257.6 billion during 2015, up from $233.9 billion the previous year.

Accounting and related services consultancy such as tax return preparation generated an additional $155.4 billion in 2015, up from about $145.2 billion during 2014, according to the U.S.Bureau of the Census.

Deloitte Consulting, PwC / Strategy& and EY Advisory are the largest consulting firms of the globe, reveals new research by Gartner. The Big Four accounting and consulting giants together hold 40% of the market, with the top 200 firms globally distributing nearly 80% of the $125 billion advisory market affirms consultancy.uk. in 10 largest management consulting firms of the globe.

Gartner, the leading global analyst firm, conducts a global yearly research in the state of the consulting industry. Its latest edition of the so-called ‘Market Share Analysis: Consulting Services’ looks into the development of the consulting market, as well as the market shares of the most important players in the landscape.

The Gartner analysts find that globally spending on management consultants has grown to $125.2 billion in 2014, up 6.1% from $118.1 billion in 2013. The top four largest “Consulting Firms” consulting firms, all with a heritage in the accountancy sector, known as the Big Four Deloitte, PwC, “EY” and KPMG, hold a combined 40% of the total consulting market.

A lot has been changing compared to a decade ago the Big Four firms have significantly increased their market share, through organic growth and dozens of acquisitions. The top 10 consultancies account for 52% of the market, while down the line the top 200 service providers with consulting services hold 79% market share, suggesting a non-fragmented and consolidating market according to the analysts.

Consulting a fast growing and a somewhat cyclical industry driven by change and fast moving tech.

“A consulting firm’s appetite for change, whether they are ready or not, has to be ravenous; otherwise, they will lose revenue and be out of the consulting game faster than expected. The need for a faster speed to change is no longer an option” Gartner research

The years 2008-09 marked a challenging period throughout the world of business, in light of the global economic slowdown and shrinking corporate budgets and as digital shifted the global economy more and more the consultancy has been growing and changing to digital, tech and simple the process of change management.

In general, major consulting companies, including leading firms in management consulting and HR consulting, along with other advisories such as accounting firms, found themselves with substantial drops in business during 2009. An example is India’s largest outsourced business and technology consulting firms were complaining that clients were delaying or cancelling projects as 2009 began.

However, in recent years, consultancy corporate profits in general grew dramatically, meaning that executives are now more willing to authorize new consulting projects as long as they see the potential for a good return on the cost.
For example, India’s leading consultancies have recently enjoyed substantial growth in employee count and revenues, as have most of the global.

Plunkett Research highlights the positive factors for the consulting industry over the mid-term:

• 1. Continued growth in health care expenditures and significant changes in health care coverage are creating demand for consulting projects. This includes a focus on digital health records and a dramatic need for greater operating efficiencies and cost controls, creating a perfect environment for consulting.
• 2. In nearly all business sectors, consultancies that focus on projects that clearly reduce business costs and enhance operating profits in a reasonably short period of time will find a ripe corporate market (such as consultants who focus on cash flow enhancement, supply chain efficiency and manufacturing efficiency).
• 3. Vast new labyrinths of government regulation in the U.S. and in the UK/EU, for example in the banking and investment industries, are creating numerous opportunities for consultants who can show companies how to navigate rapidly changing relationships between government and industries, or deal with government oversight, particularly in financial services, environmental matters and health care.
• 4. Consultants who assist firms in lowering employee benefits costs are in high demand, as are those who specialize in change management, employee retention and employee productivity enhancement.
• 5. Consultants and advisors in information technology and mergers and acquisitions will be in high demand.

Until recently, consulting firms were enjoying stellar growth in emerging and rapidly developing nations such as China and Brazil. However, by 2015-16, China’s growth had slowed, and many formerly promising nations, including Brazil and Russia, were encountering serious economic problems.

The top specialties in the consulting field are led by management consulting and technology consulting. Management consultants assist companies with restructuring or strategy development, in order to enhance operating efficiencies, increase productivity and increase return on assets, as well as significant assistance in identifying and merging with other firms that are targeted for acquisitions.

Technology consulting companies offer skilled services across the full spectrum of technology needs.  This includes consulting in telecommunications, software development, systems implementation and enterprise-level database enhancement.  In recent years, much of this work has shifted to projects involving cloud computing, mobile apps and mobile tools for workers in the field.

Consulting firms based in India have carved out a very significant market share in this field.  Other significant sectors within consulting include human resources and employee benefits consulting; risk management; industrial automation; logistics and distribution; and environmental and regulatory compliance.

Digital Consultancy

There will be a lot of disruption coming for the industry. As business models of consulting firms continue to change, special due to technology and AI advances consultants will have to stretch their skills and flexibility in order to redefine, reposition and differentiate their go-to-market approaches, capabilities and skills, and embrace new strategies to compete in the new world of digital fast forward innovative disruption business world.

The surviving and striving of the industry will rely in its capacity for keeping an healthy and pragmatic appetite for change, whether the firms are ready or not. Fast change is the new DNA for consultancy and it has to be bold and ravenous. The need for a faster speed in the global consultancy to change is no longer an option it is the only way.

With the advent of fast growing area of consultancy such as Digital consultancy, innovative disruption and Fintech the pace of chance will accelerate much further. Further more with the advent of Internet of Things technologies, big data platforms and special Blockchain the speed of dramatic disruption is bigger than ever. In this scenario the consultancy industry has to have a stronger lean startup pace rhythm towards technology. Consulting services and solutions have to drive the lead in innovation, and has to be creating an open business, open data sound consulting business and partnership network in the operations tech and digital transformation change management area.

To synthetise as the industry grows so does the challenges and opportunities and special the critical area that is leading and transforming the overall industry is the need to manage the businesses resistance to change, adapt and keep relevance while moving in the fast forward innovation, innovative disruption, digital acceleration and the necessary commitment by management teams and corporations, HR in the critical area for the management consultancy global industry.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Overview Of The Global Consulting Industry Market appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.