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In this blog, Automation Consultants seeks to provide useful information for small- and medium-sized businesses and organizations, 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. Most are courtesy of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), to which we subscribe. We also include articles from Microsoft, Velosio, the Stratus Cloud Alliance, and other companies with which we are affiliated.
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Cloud server leasing can leave sensitive data up for grabs
New research provides solutions for companies, cloud-service providers to help minimize security risks Reports and Proceedings Penn State video: Cloud squatting explained view more Credit: College of Engineering, Penn State Renting space and IP addresses on a public...
20-year study shows how an established company shifted from product to ecosystem strategy to dominate their market
Peer-Reviewed Publication Strategic Management Society In many modern markets, a single business can no longer compete solely via product offerings. From technology to manufacturing, success increasingly depends on integrating products and services across firms and...
Pitt electrical and computer engineers uncover hardware security vulnerability on android phones
Reports and Proceedings University of Pittsburgh image: Close-up image of male hands using smartphone at night on city shopping street, searching or social networks concept, hipster man typing an sms message to his friends view more Credit: ImYanis /...
Study finds empowering workers can backfire
Peer-Reviewed Publication North Carolina State University There is an increasing body of work demonstrating the benefits of empowering workers, but a new study finds that efforts to empower employees need to be coupled with efforts that allow those employees to do...
New NYUAD study offers insights into how workplace culture perpetuates gender gaps and impacts diversity in fields where “brilliance” is prized
New research from NYU Abu Dhabi may offer an explanation to the reasons behind the underrepresentation of women in fields that are perceived to prize raw intellectual talent or “brilliance.” Peer-Reviewed Publication New York University image: NYU Abu Dhabi...
Surviving remotely – what impact did remote work have on employee psyche?
Peer-Reviewed Publication Virginia Tech On March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, life changed dramatically for most Americans. While much of the world was already feeling the impact of the virus by that point, the declaration...
Can machine-learning models overcome biased datasets?
A model’s ability to generalize is influenced by both the diversity of the data and the way the model is trained, researchers report. Peer-Reviewed Publication Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial intelligence systems may be able to complete tasks quickly,...
Study examines accuracy of arrest data in FBI’s NIBRS crime database
Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau image: A team of researchers led by Theodore P. Cross examined the accuracy of arrest data in the FBI’s National Incident-Based Report System for crimes that occurred in...
Professor’s M-Score model remains most viable means of predicting corporate fraud
Peer-Reviewed Publication Indiana University image: Daniel Beneish view more Credit: Indiana University FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Enhanced oversight over the auditing profession and firms’ financial reporting has led to a proliferation of...
A new strategy for counteracting the impact of negative online brand reviews
News from the Journal of Marketing Peer-Reviewed Publication Researchers from Boston College and University of British Columbia published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines when and why negative reviews can be beneficial to...
COVID-19 pandemic brought humanity closer to the next stage of technological revolution
Peer-Reviewed Publication National Research University Higher School of Economics The researchers believe that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the start of the final phase of theCybernetic Revolution. This is due to the growing need for development in such areas as...
Horizon Quantum Computing to become a node on Singapore’s National Quantum-Safe Network
Business Announcement Horizon Quantum Computing image: MoU signing between NUS, represented by Alexander Ling, an Associate Professor in NUS and Director of Singapore’s Quantum Engineering Programme, and Horizon Quantum Computing, represented by its CEO, Joe...
Study challenges advice to perform different tasks at specific times
Peer-Reviewed Publication Washington State University SPOKANE, Wash. – Contrary to popular productivity advice, the optimal time of day to write emails, conduct meetings or crunch numbers does not inherently differ from task to task, according to research led by...
AI generated faces are MORE trustworthy than real faces say researchers who warn of “deep fakes”
Peer-Reviewed Publication Lancaster University image: The most (top row) and least (bottom row) accurately classified real (R) and synthetic (S) faces view more Credit: Copyright (c) 2019, NVIDIA Corporation People cannot distinguish between a face...
Sense of ‘professionalism’ linked to unethical behavior
Peer-Reviewed Publication Cornell University ITHACA, N.Y. – Employees or managers who view themselves as professional are more vulnerable to unethical behavior such as conflicts of interest, a new Cornell University study finds. Safeguards from bias are more likely to...
Overlooked disease: Tens of thousands of people have problems at work
Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Copenhagen - The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Imagine your head pounding. And when you try to move, a door slams, or curtains are drawn it gets much worse. Ideally, you would like to crawl under your blanket in a dark...
New study: Controller as a strategic business partner – only a distant dream!
Employers emphasise the strategic role of the controllers in their branding, but in reality, the controllers remain prisoners of their operational role. The masculinity associated with the role threatens the diversity that companies seek Reports and Proceedings...
People who have taken sick leave due to cancer have greater difficulty to continue working and enjoy less job stability
Men and women who have not taken sick leave or have done due to other diagnoses were at least 9% more likely to continue in employment compared to employees who had taken sick leave due to cancer Peer-Reviewed Publication Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona...
Researchers develop automated approach to extract security policies from software
Business Announcement University of Texas at San Antonio A team of UTSA researchers is exploring how a new automated approach could prevent software security vulnerabilities. The team — made up of Ram Krishnan, associate professor in the UTSA Department of...
Most physicians paid by volume, despite push for quality and value
Study examines physicians in group practices owned by health systems Peer-Reviewed Publication RAND Corporation Despite efforts by insurance companies and other payers to move toward compensating physicians based on the quality and value of care they provide, most...
New framework accounts for how moral character promotes ethical decision making
Peer-Reviewed Publication Carnegie Mellon University In recent years, interest in moral character has grown, as has its role in promoting ethical behavior within organizations. Yet we know little about the ways moral character manifests in observable ethical behavior....
The Work of the Future: Building Better Jobs in an Age of Intelligent Machines
New book builds on findings from the multiyear MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future Book Announcement The MIT Press image: Cover art to "The Work of the Future" view more Credit: The MIT PRESS “For too long, American workers have been left behind....
US Department of Labor recognizes Sandia Labs for hiring veterans
Platinum award salutes businesses that recruit, hire and retain veterans Grant and Award Announcement DOE/Sandia National Laboratories image: Sandia National Laboratories’ HIRES award platinum designation honors the value the Labs has exhibited for the unique...
Software for all: how do open-source communities work?
A UOC study describes the importance of non-code contributors in the sustainability of this type of project Peer-Reviewed Publication Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) Open-source systems are a type of software that can be freely modified and distributed....
In science, small groups create big ideas
In science, small groups create big ideas According to researchers from the University of Tsukuba, how important topics emerge in science and medicine has changed over the last 50 years Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Tsukuba Tsukuba, Japan – In research and...
Giving project teams more autonomy boosts productivity and customer satisfaction
When management favored agility over standard procedures, software development teams thrived. Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Texas at Austin AUSTIN, Texas — Software development teams given the freedom to tackle their projects in whatever ways they choose are...
University of Bath and Internet of Things company Logidot to develop technology to improve warehouse operations
Collaboration with University’s Centre for Smart Warehousing and Logistics Systems aims to help firms meet rising online shopping and delivery demands Business Announcement University of Bath A new collaboration bringing together academic and commercial expertise will...
Creative through movement
Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Würzburg Movement helps us to think creatively. This insight is over 2000 years old – and already known to the philosophers in ancient Greece. However, what is the connection between movement and cognition from a scientific...
How to make sure digital technology works for the public good
A new framework helps prioritize the public interest in the internet of things Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Massachusetts Amherst image: Francine Berman, UMass Amherst view more Credit: UMass Amherst AMHERST, Mass. – The Internet of Things (IoT)...
‘We conclude’ or ‘I believe’? Rationality declined decades ago
The use of rationality related words has been on the rise since 1850, but started an accelerating decline around 1980 image: Examples of trends in the use of words related to rationality (top panel) versus intuition (bottom panel) view more Credit: Marten Scheffer...
Stock running low? Consumers want to know
Advising consumers about stockouts yields benefits to online retailers Reports and Proceedings Boston College image: In a new study, researchers find online retailers can benefit by letting shoppers know when item inventory is running low. view more Credit:...
Slowing ahead
Researchers caution global economic growth could slide into stagnation Peer-Reviewed Publication University of California - Santa Barbara We’ve been living in a time of unprecedented global economic growth. Depressions, recessions and other dips in the economy...
What deadline length is best for avoiding procrastination and completing tasks?
Peer-Reviewed Publication Wiley Deadlines often help motivate people to perform tasks that they’ve been procrastinating over, but different deadline lengths may have different effects. For example, while increasing the deadline length gives a person more time to...
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...
Getting your head in the game
Mentally reattaching to work important for leader success, PSU study findsPeer-Reviewed Publication Portland State University Getting into the right mindset for work can set the tone for the rest of your day — and it's an especially beneficial practice for managers, a...
Book provides essential guide to understanding and navigating power
Book Announcement University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management Julie Battilana is the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration in the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School and the Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation at...
Could work pressure be causing the greater increase in non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors in women compared to men?
Work stress, sleep disorders, and fatigue, regarded as non-traditional risk factors for heart attack and stroke, are rising more steeply amongst women than men, according to a new study presented today at the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) Conference.Peer-Reviewed...
Turning cameras off during virtual meetings can reduce fatigue, UArizona research finds
Zoom fatigue can be worse for women and employees newer to the organization, say researchers Peer-Reviewed Publication University of Arizona More than a year after the pandemic resulted in many employees shifting to remote work, virtual meetings have become a familiar...
Why companies invest in local social media influencers
News from the Journal of Marketing Peer-Reviewed Publication American Marketing Association Researchers from Emory University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that investigates whether geographical distance still matters when word of mouth...
Research sheds new light on decreased performance under pressure
Peer-Reviewed Publication College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University We’ve seen it play out in the sports world time and time again: a single action from a single player can make or break the outcome of the game. For decades, this idea of being unable to...
Study highlights challenges of encouraging skepticism in auditors
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 are unexpected challenges and opportunities for fostering...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...