Episodes

The buzz: Invisibles. Visible healthcare wearables like smart wrist bands and watches are commonplace. What if you prefer non-obvious tracking devices? Almost-invisible-to-invisible innovations are entering the market, hoping to gain your trust and improve healthcare outcomes. Coming soon: under-clothing heartrate tracking strips that detect and report epileptic seizures; “smart pills” that measure blood pressure, pH, body temperature; tattoo-thin strips that store health data and even deliver m...

The buzz: Are you really “you”? Authentication techniques designed to confirm you are who you say you are, typically entail one or more of three techniques: Something I have, Something I know, Something I am. Thus, accessing the things and information we value can range from easy – like physical keys to our home and our car – to complex passwords intended to protect the privacy of our medical records and national secrets. But we're in a hurry. And as we clamor for faster, easier processes, persi...

The buzz: Make for me healthcare. In medicine, one-size-fits-all treatments have helped save many people cost-efficiently. But for complicated illnesses like cancer, a standardized approach doesn’t always work. Personalized medicine – tailored to a specific patient profile – may be the answer. It sounds promising, but will individualized therapies really work, be affordable, and be appropriate for every patient and illness? The experts speak. Barbra McGann, HfS: “The future is a point on the hor...

The buzz: Fine Art. To survive, small businesses must understand the fine art of customer engagement and cohesive omni-channel branding. But how can you “know your customers” and where your product fits into their lives? Hint: Social media can help you create mini-focus groups and technology can help ensure customers know you value them uniquely. The experts speak. Susan Wilson Solovic, THE Small Business Expert: “No company big or small can run the risk of being fat, dumb and happy. To remain r...

The buzz: Social. Social media is the new way of doing business: always on, available, working for or against your company and brand. With vast data at their fingertips, buyers simply click a mouse to show support or disappointment. If your company is still debating the value of social media, the better question to ask is whether you know how to use social in ways that create measurable business value. The experts speak. Hilary Carter, InTune Communications: “The reason we love our parents is be...

The buzz: Partners.Small businesses today must deftly manage business partnerships without risking IP, valued talent

The buzz: To life! With over two billion people expected to be 60 and older by 2050, chronic illness and diminished wellbeing are fast becoming major global public health challenges. The solution to aging gracefully, managing chronic diseases, and minimizing impacts? Not cure, but treatment. But if we turn to smart technologies and data—a “Connected Care” continuum—to support aging populations, will one Robo-Doc replace multiple human MDs? And is Connected Care just for the wealthy—no iPad or Sm...

The buzz: Engagement. Baylor University and SAP researchers found employee engagement alarmingly low worldwide, with just 13% of employees feeling actively engaged. Wondering if complexity in organizations could be a root cause, they explored whether simplification, engagement, and trust together contribute to better-functioning companies. The experts speak. Dr. Ann Mirabito, Baylor: “Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler” (Albert Einstein). Lauren Moser, Baylor: “Hell isn'...

Today’s buzz: Risk. Supplier risk management is the fastest growing discipline within supplier management. Why? When a key supplier disrupts the supply chain, your costs of doing business increase along with perceived and unperceived risks for the buying enterprise. Do you have a solid strategy in place? Think technology. The experts speak. Dr. Van Gray, Baylor: “As our world becomes increasingly connected and multicultural, supply chains and their good management will be important fuel to the e...

Today’s buzz: Empowering managers. Want to improve your organization’s performance management? If you’re focusing on HR processes, but not your managers’ POV or day-to-day style, listen-up! SAP and Baylor University researchers studied best practices, tools, and processes that empower natural manager behavior to make better performance-based job assignments, promotions, and pay decisions. The experts speak. Dr. Gary Carini, Baylor: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other thi...

Today’s buzz: The Journey. Customers are changing the rules of the marketplace. Digitally connected, socially networked, better informed before making a purchase, they jump between web, mobile, in-store, and phone and expect it to happen seamlessly in a personalized context. Whew! What is their POV on personal data privacy, advice for competing retailers, and definition of the best-ever customer experience? The experts speak. Prof. Chris Pullig, Baylor: “It’s not rocket science, but it can get c...

The buzz: Breached again. Forbes.com’s “The Big Data Breaches of 2014” include Neiman Marcus, Michaels, P.F. Chang’s, Dairy Queen, Goodwill Industries, Affinity Gaming’s 11 casinos, Albertson’s, plus “22.8 million private records of New Yorkers.” Breaches cost merchants dearly in lost customers and profits, a tarnished reputation, and substantial fines. Are merchants waking up and becoming proactive about PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance and security standards? How easy is it for hackers t...

The buzz: Safety first. After record vehicle recalls in 2014, automakers are under intense pressure from consumers and regulators to be proactive about product quality and safety issues; protect consumers; and minimize the duration, scale, and cost of recall events. How? Advanced analytics. The experts speak. Mark Gardner, Deloitte: “Anyone who sits on top of the largest hydrogen-oxygen fueled system in the world, knowing they’re going to light the bottom, and doesn’t get a little worried, does ...

The buzz: HR here and there. HR practices in Western countries can differ significantly from Eastern countries in terms of organizational structure, motivation, communication and conflict resolution. Whose are the most successful? According to professor Dr. Michael J. Marquardt, American companies think they're the keepers of the best management practices. Consequently, they don't try to learn as much as they can from other places. Is it time for U.S. HR leaders to take a page from other countri...

The buzz: Health. Wearables like wrist bands, watches, glasses, and contact lenses are the NBT. Why? They can now measure body conditions and use the data to support healthier living, disease prevention, and faster rehab. But will patients actively track and share wearables-generated data, despite privacy concerns? And are wearables precise enough to meet medical device quality standards? The experts speak. Lynne Dunbrack, IDC Health Insights: “…When the familiar pen-and-paper methods of self-an...

The buzz: Space. Changing the culture and shaking up the status quo in organizations is always challenging, but key to survival. How to make it happen? Build a continuous innovation culture by identifying the right people, process, and space. But working in a tiny cubicle with half-walls or a conference room is hardly conducive to brainstorming new ideas. Hint: Your employees, partners and customers need a stimulating environment that inspires them to loosen their (proverbial) ties and think out...

The buzz: Recruiting. If acquiring and retaining top talent for your company tougher than ever, three factors may be at play: workforce mobility mindset, competitors’ poaching, and your employer brand. If the third comes as a surprise, here’s a reality check. Just as customers check social media for product and service reviews, potential job recruits are combing the Web for insider info about you, the employer. Are your talent leaders helping or hindering your brand? The experts speak. Tim Sacke...

The buzz: Future of Insurance. According to a survey from SAP and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), long-standing insurance companies are struggling to keep pace with strong competition from other industries that offer advanced consumer-facing insurance capabilities. Can traditional insurers survive? It may depend on how well they embrace analytics and learn to incorporate data from M2M and IoT. brbr The experts speak. Anthony O’Donnell, Insurance Innovation Reporter: “Now Harrison was prep...

The buzz: Travelers’ TMI “The customer is #1” is a customer service industry mantra and mandate, particularly for business-to-consumer

The buzz: IP Security Are market globalization and new competitors grabbing your customers’ heads and wallets?

The buzz: Your business in 2015. What hot business trends should you focus on this year? We asked three visionaries to share

The buzz: Credit cards. With headline-topping credit card breaches at Target and Adobe, merchants are on high alert to safeguard their systems. A data breach is costly: lost customers and profits, a tarnished reputation, substantial fines.

The buzz: Your business wish list. Still wishing for a crystal ball to see what 2015 may bring for your company, industry and the world? We’ve got the next best thing. Completing our three-part Predictions 2015 Special, today 14 thought leaders will share their insights on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2015 and beyond – bringing our total to 41 speakers. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for SAP Game-Changers Radio 2015 Predictio...

The buzz: Your business wish list Wishing and hoping for a crystal ball to see what 2015 may bring for your company, industry and the world? We’ve got the next best thing. On our three-part Predictions 2015 Special, you’ll hear 40 thought leaders’ insights on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2015 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us on Dec. 17 for SAP Game-Changers Radio 2015 Predictions – Part 2 live, with Kerry Brown, SAP...