Automation Consultants blog disclaimer and perspective:
In this blog, Automation Consultants seeks to provide useful information for small- and medium-sized businesses, especially ideas and results not readily available in popular media. All materials presented are either our own work or reproduced with attribution, and permission if required. We include articles from Microsoft and Velosio, companies with which we are affiliated. We strive to be fact-based and objective in all of our endeavors, but cannot guarantee the relevancy or accuracy of materials included. Click on titles for direct links.
Study highlights challenges of encouraging skepticism in auditors
Peer-Reviewed Publication North Carolina State University Good financial statement audits are essential to protect investors, and skeptical auditors are essential to good audits. A recent study finds that skepticism is being discouraged in auditors – and that there...
When everyone works remotely, communication and collaboration suffer, study finds
Researchers analyzed data on 61,000 Microsoft employees in the US Peer-Reviewed Publication University of California - Berkeley Haas School of Business As companies debate the impact of large-scale remote work, a new study of over 61,000 Microsoft employees found that...
Office air quality may affect employees’ cognition, productivity
Peer-Reviewed Publication Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Boston, MA – The air quality within an office can have significant impacts on employees’ cognitive function, including response times and ability to focus, and it may also affect their productivity,...
Does accountability always work? Workplace bias suppression can be difficult to sustain, study shows
Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Notre Dame Decision-making that overrides one’s personal views and self-interests, also known as bias suppression, is often touted as an essential institutional objective. Accountability is a common strategy for discouraging...
Scientists develop AI to predict the success of startup companies
Peer-Reviewed Publication KeAi Communications Co., Ltd image: THE MACHINE-LEARNING PIPELINE USED TO TRAIN THE MODELS. view more Credit: Greg Ross A study in which machine-learning models were trained to assess over 1 million companies has shown that...
UArizona experts: In wake of COVID-19, employers must make offices healing spaces
Two UArizona researchers who study how work and living spaces affect physical and mental health, say the pandemic has forced employers to think about how office spaces can reduce employees' stress and enhance their well-being Peer-Reviewed Publication University of...
Rice U. study: Use your team’s emotions to boost creativity
Rice University HOUSTON – (Aug. 17, 2021) – If you’re putting together a team for a project, you might be inclined to pick people with cheerful, optimistic dispositions and flexible thinking. But a new management study indicates your team might also benefit from...
Colabra raises $1.5 million for its online and mobile scientific collaboration software
This funding round enables Colabra to accelerate the development of its software to bring the scientific method to the 21st century Grant and Award Announcement Colabra raises $1.5 million for its online and mobile scientific collaboration software SAN FRANCISCO —...
The downside of loyalty: Study reveals why some organizational cover-ups go unchecked
A cover-up, or an attempt to conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error or unethical actions, can prove harmful and costly for an organization. Often starting small, a cover-up can turn into a scandal that forever tarnishes the reputation of an institution. However, some...
How three AI technologies can sharpen a company’s strategic edge
Book AnnouncementUniversity of Johannesburg Using Artificial Intelligence, corporations can see new patterns in their data and maintain a competitive edge. Blending these AI technologies into business strategy and operations is the subject of a newly published book....
How do leaders and influencers emerge?
New research suggests influential leaders emerge from an evolutionary social process. Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Technology Sydney We think of leaders and influencers as imbued with special skills and qualities – either innate or hard-won merit – that...
How to Defend Yourself Against the Powerful New NSO Spyware Attacks Discovered Around the World
Even iPhones were vulnerable to the surveillance software, which appears to have been used against activists, journalists, and others. https://theintercept.com/2021/07/27/pegasus-nso-spyware-security/
Microsoft warns over this unusual malware that targets Windows and Linux
The coin-mining malware also targets older vulnerabilities that defenders may have forgotten. Microsoft is warning customers about the LemonDuck crypto mining malware which is targeting both Windows and Linux systems and is spreading via phishing emails, exploits, USB...
Jobs of the future are catching up to jobs of the present
https://www.axios.com/future-jobs-index-pandemic-a56af59b-c273-4588-88a3-971a84e3b8e2.html
Study: Young workers now value respect over ‘fun’ perks in the workplace
Researchers at University of Missouri and Kansas State University discovered having respectful communication outweighs 'fun' work perks when attracting and retaining young workers University of Missouri-Columbia Research News Millennials, often referred to as the...
Communication strongly linked to productivity in a software organization
Researchers develop and demonstrate novel method to analyze communication and productivity data PLOS Research News A novel analysis of 3 years of conversations at a software engineering organization suggests a strong relationship between communication and...
Study reveals ways to preserve employee morale during cost-cutting
Washington State University Research New Jeff Joireman, professor and chair of the Department of Marketing and International Business, Washington State University's Carson College of Business view more Credit: Washington State University PULLMAN, Wash. - After...
Smart technology is not making us dumber
UC social/behavioral expert explains that tech doesn't dumb us down University of CincinnatiAnthony Chemero is a 2019 UC Faculty Awards Distinguished Researcher award winner. His first book, "Radical Embodied Cognitive Science " earned praise as a landmark work in...
Accounting for finance is key for climate mitigation pathways
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Research News A new study published in the journal Science, highlights the opportunity to complement current climate mitigation scenarios with scenarios that capture the interdependence among investors' perception...
Businesses have a moral duty to explain how algorithms make decisions that affect people
Carnegie Mellon University Research News Increasingly, businesses rely on algorithms that use data provided by users to make decisions that affect people. For example, Amazon, Google, and Facebook use algorithms to tailor what users see, and Uber and Lyft use them to...
To enhance creativity, keep your research team fresh
Bar-Ilan University Research News Teamwork is becoming increasingly common in modern science. In this context, the effect of different characteristics of a team on its research performance has been studied extensively. Various factors such as team size, number of...
ISPs say your Web browsing and app usage history isn’t “sensitive” ISP lobby groups make case against the FCC’s broadband privacy rules.
To see the entire article click : https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/03/isps-say-your-web-browsing-and-app-usage-history-isnt-sensitive/
CISPA researchers present early warning system for mass cyber attacks
From www.eurekalert.com Saarland University Researchers from the Competence Center for IT Security, CISPA, at the Saarland University have developed a kind of early warning system for this purpose. Details and first results will be presented by the scientists at the...
Study finds little consistency in doctor reviews on three physician rating websites
From www.eurekalert.com Hospital for Special Surgery Doctor affability, availability and ability important to patients When looking for a doctor, many consumers turn to websites that post physician ratings and reviews. A study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS)...
Can Customs and Border Officials Search Your Phone? These Are Your Rights
https://www.propublica.org/article/can-customs-border-protection-search-phone-legal-rights Recent detentions and seizures of phones and other material from travelers to the United States have sparked alarm. We detail what powers Customs and Border Protection officials...
Artificial intelligence virtual consultant helps deliver better patient care
From www.eurekalert.com Society of Interventional Radiology WASHINGTON, DC (March 8, 2017)--Interventional radiologists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) are using technology found in self-driving cars to power a machine learning application that...
Crowdfunding innovation: It’s backers — not money raised — that predicts market success
From www.eurekalert.com North Carolina State University Research from North Carolina State University finds that the number of backers a new product attracts during crowdfunding predicts the financial success of the product when it reaches the marketplace - but the...
Wise deliberation sustains cooperation
From www.eurekalert.com University of Waterloo Giving people time to think about cooperating on a task can have a positive effect if they are big-picture thinkers, but if they tend to focus on their own, immediate experience, the time to think may make them less...
Study: Manufacturing method may help keep work in high-cost areas
From www.eurekalert.com University of Texas at Dallas High costs of production and labor, combined with high rates of technological change, often cause manufacturers in developed countries to take their production offshore to lower-cost sources. Dr. Kathryn Stecke,...
What’s the real extent of industry payments to doctors?
From www.eurekalert.com Only 5 percent of patients know whether their doctor receives industry-backed gifts or payments Springer More than three in every five Americans see a doctor who receives some form of payment from industry. This is according to a new survey led...
New study sheds light on the darker side of business travel
From www.eurekalert.com University of Surrey A new study, 'The dark side of business travel: A media comments analysis', by academics at the University of Surrey and Lund University, published today in the journal Transportation Research Part D, analyses first hand...
The Darknet protects itself by being more robust against attacks
From www.eurekalert.com Universitat Rovira i Virgili The Darknet is a part of the internet that people can access and use anonymously. This privacy and the ability to work away from prying eyes means that the network is frequently used for anonymous exchanges of...
Smartphone interruptions: Are yours relentless and annoying?
From www.eurekalert.com Rutgers University Does your smartphone spew a relentless stream of text messages, push alerts, social media messages and other noisy notifications? Well, Rutgers experts have developed a novel model that can predict your receptiveness to...
More funding for long-term studies necessary for best science, environmental policy
From www.erukalert.com Oregon State University CORVALLIS, Ore. - Environmental scientists and policymakers value long-term research to an extent that far outstrips the amount of funding awarded for it, according to a study published today. Graduate students and...
To improve our political climate, change the questions we ask
From www.eurekalert.com The United States needs a 'translational science of democracy' Ohio State University COLUMBUS, Ohio - Our fractured political climate in the United States might be made worse by how we approach difficult problems, researchers say in the journal...
Desk jobs are bad for your heart and your waist
From www.eurekalert.com University of Warwick Study finds link between sedentary work, larger waist circumference & risk of heart disease People with no risk factors for heart disease walk at least seven miles per day or spend seven hours per day upright. A new...
Patients at risk from ‘nested interruptions’ in nursing tasks, human factors paper reports
From www.eurekalert.com Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Intensive care units (ICUs) are one of the most challenging and complex environments in today's health-care system. ICU nurses, who perform various tasks critical to ensuring the safety of patients under...
US workers without paid sick leave more likely to forego preventive health care
From www.eurekalert.com New study shows paid sick leave is key for using preventive care services: Workers without paid sick leave 1.6 times less likely to get a flu shot Florida Atlantic University More than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage...
Game theory could improve cyberwarfare strategy
From www.eurekalert.com University of Michigan ANN ARBOR--Whether a nation should retaliate against a cyber attack is a complicated decision, and a new framework guided by game theory could help policymakers determine the best strategy. The "Blame Game" was developed...
Impact on access, quality, and cost of possible proposed changes to ACA offered by ACP
From www.eurekalert.com American College of Physicians Washington (March 1, 2017) The American College of Physicians (ACP) today addressed a letter to House and Senate leadership offering its thoughts -- including concerns -- about the impact on access, quality, and...
This is why the boss will crush all your good ideas Change is hard. Getting a great plan past the boss’s desk is even harder.
From www.eurekalert.com To see entire article click http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170227-this-is-why-the-boss-will-crush-all-your-good-ideas
WSU mathematician breaks down how to defend against quantum computing attacks
From www.eurekalert.com Washington State University The encryption codes that safeguard internet data today won't be secure forever. Future quantum computers may have the processing power and algorithms to crack them. Nathan Hamlin, instructor and director of the WSU...
Brain imaging headband measures how our minds align when we communicate
From www.eurekalert.com Drexel University Great ideas so often get lost in translation -- from the math teacher who can't get through to his students, to a stand-up comedian who bombs during an open mic night. But how can we measure whether our audiences understand...
Values gap in workplace can lead millennials to look elsewhere
From www.eurekalert.com Lack of corporate responsibility often a deal-breaker for young workers, University of Missouri study finds University of Missouri-Columbia Much has been made in popular culture about millennials as they join the working world, including their...
Executive indiscretions can hurt the bottom line
From www.eurekalert.com MU researcher's analysis shows personal ethical breaches can affect trust and diminish value, operations University of Missouri-Columbia A CEO outed for lying on a resume. An executive caught assaulting someone. A manager arrested for driving...
Study reveals proven ways to improve doctor-patient communication
From www.eurekalert.com SAGE Los Angeles, CA (February 23, 2017) A hospital-wide communication training program, outlining best practices for doctors to follow in interactions with patients, improved patients' perception of doctor communication by 9 percent, according...
Don’t let work eat into your personal life, Academy urges researchers
From www.eurekalert.com Academy of Medical Sciences (UK) In a new campaign, launched today (Thursday 23 February) in a special issue of The Lancet, the Academy of Medical Sciences will recognise the different people and diverse working styles currently operating in...
Cameras can steal data from computer hard drive LED lights — Ben-Gurion U. study
From www.eurekalert.com American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev BEER-SHEVA, Israel...Feb. 22, 2017 - Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Cyber Security Research Center have demonstrated that data can be stolen from an isolated...
Science versus the ‘Horatio Alger myth’
From www.eurekalert.com Physicists use condensed matter theory to explore whether personal initiative can overcome frustration and create more equality DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Feb. 22, 2017--In a new study published today in the journal...
Postwar economic policies fueled prosperity decades later, UT Dallas study finds
From www.eurekalert.com University of Texas at Dallas Research challenges accepted notions about the 1950s postwar economy and argues that policies from that era laid foundation for future growth Economists call it the Great Moderation: the long stretch of low...
Trump’s policies set to damage health and science, warns The BMJ
From www.eurekalet.com BMJ The BMJ today warns that Trump's administration "is acting in ways that will suppress research and limit communication on scientific topics that it deems politically inconvenient." Early policies "risk head-on collision with the scientific...
Study finds significant limitations of physician-rating websites
From www.eurekalert.com The JAMA Network Journals An analysis of 28 commercial physician-rating websites finds that search mechanisms are cumbersome, and reviews scarce, according to a study appearing in the February 21 issue of JAMA. Patients are increasingly seeking...
An AI Hedge Fund Created a New Currency to Make Wall Street Work Like Open Source
To see entire article click https://www.wired.com/2017/02/ai-hedge-fund-created-new-currency-make-wall-street-work-like-open-source/
Buying green doesn’t make you green: QUT study
From www.eurekalert.com Queensland University of Technology Company bosses need to walk-the-walk when it comes to greening their business with technology, with new QUT research finding that just buying green IT, doesn't make you green. Professor Jan Recker, from the...
Creative people have better-connected brains
From www.eurekalert.com Highly creative people have significantly more nerve connections between the right and left hemispheres Duke University DURHAM, N.C. -- Seemingly countless self-help books and seminars tell you to tap into the right side of your brain to...
The secret of scientists who impact policy
From www,eurekalert.com University of Vermont Why does some research lead to changes in public policy, while other studies of equal quality do not? That crucial question - how science impacts policy - is central to the research of University of Vermont (UVM) Prof....
Scholar to talk about role of science in law
From www.eurekalert.com Northwestern Law professor will examine barriers to effective engagement Northwestern University CHICAGO --- Northwestern Pritzker School of Law's Shari Diamond, one of the foremost empirical researchers on jury process and legal...
Communications expert explains how science should respond to fake news
From www.eurekalert.com University of Wisconsin-Madison BOSTON -- The rise of fake news has dominated the world of politics since the last U.S. election cycle. But fake news is not at all new in the world of science, notes University of Wisconsin-Madison Life Sciences...
Who benefits from praise?
From www.eurekalert.com Konstanz researcher publishes study on how recognition affects motivation University of Konstanz The researchers conducted an experiment with a cohort of more than 300 first-year students in the Netherlands who attended microeconomics tutorials...
International science collaboration growing at astonishing rate
From www.eurekalert.com Cross-border studies more than doubled in 15 years Ohio State University BOSTON - Even those who follow science may be surprised by how quickly international collaboration in scientific studies is growing, according to new research. The number...
New AAAS report presents recommendations to engage scientists and engineers with policy around the world
From www.eurekalert.com American Association for the Advancement of Science WASHINGON, D.C. -- The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will release a new report Connecting Scientists to Policy Around the World: Landscape Analysis of Mechanisms...
Use of patient complaints to identify surgeons with increased risk for postoperative complications
From www.eurekalert.com The JAMA Network Journals Patients whose surgeons had a history of higher numbers of patient complaints had an increased risk of surgical and medical complications, according to a study published online by JAMA Surgery. Patient complaints are...
Moral distress in health care — Special report outlines strategies to increase moral resilience
From www.eurekalert.com Wolters Kluwer Health February 14, 2017 - Nurses in all roles and specialties face complex ethical situations that challenge their values, giving rise to moral distress. New approaches to overcoming the challenges of moral distress by...
Birmingham’s early warning system flags global financial crises
From www.eurekalert.com University of Birmingham Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a new 'early warning system' that could help policymakers around the world take action to avert or lessen the impact of financial crisis. Existing prediction...
To please your friends, tell them what they already know
From www.eurekalert.org Association for Psychological Science We love to tell friends and family about experiences we've had and they haven't--from exotic vacations to celebrity sightings--but new research suggests that these stories don't thrill them quite as much as...
For decision-makers who want the best, focus on the strategy
From www.eurekalert.com Society for Personality and Social Psychology Washington, DC - People make decisions every day, some trivial, like what to eat for lunch, while others are more significant -- career, marriage, buying a home. A series of studies conducted by...
Preventing hospital-related deaths due to medical errors — ‘We can and must do better’
From www.eurekalaert.com Wolters Kluwer Health February 13, 2017 - How many patients die in the hospital as a result of preventable medical errors? While debate continues over estimates based on flawed data, the US healthcare system can and must implement effective...
Simulated ransomware attack shows vulnerability of industrial controls
From www.eurekalert.com Credit: Credit: Christopher Moore, Georgia Tech Cybersecurity researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new form of ransomware that can take over control of a simulated water treatment plant. After gaining access, they...
Wikipedia readers get shortchanged by copyrighted material How intellectual property hampers access to digital information
From www.eurekalert.com University of California - Berkeley Haas School of Business UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY'S HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS--When Google Books digitized 40 years worth of copyrighted and out-of-copyright issues of Baseball Digest magazine,...
The damage of discrimination Study finds that working under biased managers can impact workplace performance
From www.eurekalert.com Harvard University Researchers have long known that bias can have an impact on hiring, but a new Harvard study suggests that it may also affect workplace performance. Co-authored by Amanda Pallais, the Paul Sack Associate Professor of Political...
University incubators may lead to lower-quality innovation, new study shows
From www.eurekalert.com Baylor University Incubators compete against other university activities for integral resources, Baylor professor says Credit: Courtesy of Peter Klein WACO, Texas (Feb. 8, 2017) - The establishment of university-affiliated incubators is often...
Minorities, Latino immigrants face greatest risk of injury, disability on the job, Bias in the workplace may be a factor in high-risk job assignments for minorities
From www.eurekalert.com University of Southern California Credit: Susanica Tam, USC Hispanic immigrant and African American men work in jobs with the highest risk of injury, according to a new study of workplace injuries and disability. "We found that their risk was...
The Internet and your brain are more alike than you think
From www.eurekalert.com Credit: Salk Institute LA JOLLA--(February 9, 2017) Although we spend a lot of our time online nowadays--streaming music and video, checking email and social media, or obsessively reading the news--few of us know about the mathematical...
The Myth of Apple’s Great Design
To see entire article click https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/02/the-myth-of-apples-great-design/516093/
New study explores disparities between researchers who publish in high-and low-impact journals
From www.eurekalert.com ecancermedicalscience A new study surveying authors from a range of countries investigates the crucial differences between authors who publish in high- and low-impact factor medical journals. This original research shows that the growth of open...