Businesses deal with huge volumes of data daily, and maintaining the quality of this data is critical for making the best business decisions and propelling the company forward.
Quality data must be translated into a digital medium with the help of a data entry system to manage and preserve it effectively. It aids in the reshaping and refinement of datasets that can be utilized for analytics to extract useful information. Data science applications and delivering value to clients both benefit from accurate data.
Data-science-driven decision-making (DDDM) is a method of gathering information based on quantifiable objectives, analyzing patterns and facts from these findings, and implementing methods and approaches that benefit the company in various ways.
Primarily, data-driven decision-making (DDDM) includes achieving key business goals depending on verified, analyzed facts rather than your intuition. Having said that, the data must be accurate and relevant to your objectives to derive true value. Collecting, retrieving, structuring, and evaluating insights for improved data-driven decision-making in business used to be a massive task prior to the advent of DDDM. Though now, because of the advancement of business intelligence tools, users without significant technical skills may be able to analyze and extract insights from their data that aid in data decision-making.
How Data Science Can Help Leaders and Managers
Confident Decisions
Once you start gathering and evaluating data, you discover that it is easier to make confident decisions about practically any business situation, whether you are planning to launch or discontinue a product, modify your marketing strategy, or expand into a new market.
Become Proactive
It is natural for a data-driven decision-making process to be reflexive when first implemented. The data offers a narrative to which you and your company must respond. It is possible to exploit data more proactively with enough practice and the correct types and volumes of data.
Cost-cutting
There are various reasons why a company can decide to invest in a significant data effort and make its processes more data-driven. It is already being utilized to decrease expenses and boost productivity in the workplace.
In the most fundamental sense, data analysis is an attempt to find a structure throughout or a connection between numerous data pieces. These patterns and correlations can provide observations and conclusions.
Every Decision Should Be Data Based
When faced with any decision, whether commercial or personal, try to avoid depending on gut feeling or previous experience. Make an effort to adopt an analytical attitude instead.
Visualize Data Significance
Data visualization is an integral part of the data analysis methodology. A table of numbers is meaningless. However, you will be able to easily read trends and come out with conclusions about the data if you create compelling visualizations through graphs.
Therefore, it is clear that you can drive your company to new and thrilling heights by adequately utilizing data and measuring your progress to make informed decisions.
When you’re a student, money can feel like it doesn’t go a long way and is incredibly hard to come by. Managing your money well while studying isn’t always easy, and many students struggle to keep on top of their finances. Whether you’re thinking about studying or you’re partway through your degree, there are several things that can help you to manage your money effectively.
Decide Whether a Student Loan is Right for You
Deciding whether a student loan is right for you can help you to prioritise what you spend your money on. Many students in the UK are eligible for a student loan, which can help to pay for tuition fees as well as accommodation and other student necessities. Some students may also be eligible for certain bursaries, which do not need to be repaid. Taking out student loans if you are eligible can take away some of the stress of studying and help you to cover some of the major costs associated with going to university. Furthermore, you can also ask your university whether it offers bursaries for low-income students, you can apply for government loans or you can look for the best private loans based on your income level.
Look Out For Student Discounts
Many activities, from transport to dining out and shopping, often come with student discounts. This can help you to save a substantial amount of money over the course of your studies, particularly if you regularly travel home or eat out with friends and other students.
You will often need to show a student ID card in order to be eligible for a student discount. Make sure you are able to collect a card from your university to enable you to prove your student status and make the most of offers and deals. If you’re studying online, contact the university to ask how you can obtain your student ID card.
Study From Home
Studying from home can save you a lot of money in a variety of ways. For example, you could save money on commuting to and from university every day, or reduce the amount of money you might spend on food and drinks outside of the home. You can consider studying online for a degree, which can reduce tuition fees while giving you the flexibility to study from home. Studying an online MBA programme at Aston University, for example, can enable you to attain the degree you want while enjoying the perks of studying from home. It is an increasingly popular choice with first-time students, as well as postgraduate students and mature students returning to education after several years.
Avoid Getting Into Debt
Debt will mean that you have to make monthly payments to pay it off, creating additional costs that can start to interfere with your studies and put you under financial stress. If you already have debt before you begin studying, try to pay off some of the debt beforehand. If this isn’t possible, consider contacting a debt helpline to find out how you might be able to put your debt on hold while studying. You may be able to reduce payments or commit to paying off the debt after you graduate.
Avoid getting into debt while studying, and if you need money for an emergency, ask trusted friends and family or look for credit cards that are offered specifically for students. Student credit cards will often have a lower credit limit, which means you can’t get into huge amounts of debt. Many banks also offer a lower interest rate for student credit cards, helping you to keep monthly costs lower.
Find a Housemate
Living on your own while studying can be financially impossible and cause stress and anxiety when trying to manage your finances. If you’re moving away to study or your income is being reduced while you’re studying, find a housemate who can split the rent and household bills with you. Many students choose this option as it enables them to save a huge amount of money each month. Finding another student can also reduce other household bills such as council tax.
Track Your Spending
Keeping track of your spending can help you to understand more about your spending habits and see where you can make savings. It can help you to monitor your spending if you’re making large purchases, or help you to see where smaller purchases really start to add up over a few weeks. You can keep track of your spending either by using an online platform or app, or by keeping a note of it using a pen and paper.
Sign Up For Student Deals
Some websites and companies offer deals especially for students. You can sign up to receive notifications and alerts when new deals become available, which can help you to stay up-to-date with all the latest savings on the market. You may be able to save money on subscription services and streaming services, shopping for books and clothes, and buying new electrical devices. Look online and ask friends for their top tips on how to save money and make the most of student deals.
Don’t Buy More Than You Need
When it comes to clothing, kitchenware, food and more, many people have a tendency to buy more than they need. This can create a surplus in your home, and it can also mean that you’re spending money on things you don’t necessarily need. Rather than buying a large quantity of food each week, assess how much you really need to buy. Don’t buy enough food to cook every day of the week if you plan to dine out for two or three days. By being honest and accurate about what you do need, you can help to manage your funds better while studying and save money in the process.
Being a student can take a lot of money away from you and make it feel impossible to ever save any money. But certain habits can help you to manage your money and keep on top of your finances in a better way.
Voice acting is a great career choice for people who have a good voice and the ability to control it. Being a voice actor means you get to audition for and work on various projects like voicing over an infographic, being a character in an animated film, narrating for a movie, or commercial.
Besides providing voiceover, an artist might also function as an actor taking on audiobooks, podcasts, radio spots, or public announcements.
However, becoming a voice actor is not an easy task since it requires a lot of patience, hard work, and training. From afar, people might think voice over is an easy job because it appears that all you need to do is talk, but that is not the case.
To become a professional voice actor, one needs to possess specific skills and train their voice to deliver versatile performances.
Firstly, you need to possess vocal talent and develop it further. Investing in private coaching, signing up for workshops or going to conferences will help you nurture your talent.
After honing your skills, the kinds of projects you are hired for depend on your skills and personal branding. Moreover, the voice acting industry is commonly based on the freelance business model where voice talent work from home and do all their auditioning from a home-based recording studio.
Once you have established your name in the industry and have some clients, you can enjoy the benefits of flexible working hours, great monetary benefits, and the opportunity to be your own boss.
Here are some of the skills you must develop to become a successful voice actor.
Enunciation
Enunciation is different from pronunciation as it is more about pronouncing the words. Voice actors must have good enunciation to make their vocal delivery clean and distinct. If you are not good at enunciating, your vocal delivery may lack the proper impact. Mastering this skill could be challenging, but it is essential to learn.
If you wish to improve your enunciation, certain exercises and tricks can help.
One must enunciate well as it can increase the chances of landing a commercial voice acting gig. Companies trying to sell something over the radio often require those who enunciate well.
Must have a wide emotional range
The voice actor must possess a remarkable emotional range; you need to have mastery over your voice so that you can properly connect with the audience. Emotions are easily heard in the voice, and when an actor expresses the right emotion, it can make the whole delivery much more impactful. Besides, one needs to have an emotional range to work in different roles and projects.
For instance, a commercial might require you to sell a product, while another might require you to narrate an entire audiobook. Both projects need different emotions and delivery styles, so being able to switch between emotional states will be helpful to booking a variety of work.
Natural timing and delivery
Listeners can easily tell if a voice actor’s delivery is off.
Voice acting is acting. Since you’re not on camera, use your voice to the best of your ability to paint the picture for your audience.
Speaking in a natural tone and pacing your voice may be hard to achieve in the beginning. However, as your career progresses and with practice, you will deliver with greater conviction and control.
Moreover, rehearsing a specific script may help improve the delivery for a better impact.
Voice coaches often recommend actors use their body language as it helps make the delivery seem more natural.
Consistency is the key
Your tenth project would be better than your first, and the twentieth project would be better than the tenth. The more you practice, the more voiceovers you do, the better you will become.
Voice coaches also recommend some exercises to improve your voice, and you must do these exercises regularly to maintain your voice. It might require more than one take to deliver a perfect performance, but you must be persistent about providing the best as an artist.
Training and development of skills are essential to enjoy the benefits of this profession. So, to answer the question, “How do you become a voice actor” one must develop their skills, learn from an experienced voice acting coach, and market themselves to become relevant in the industry. Once you develop the basics, you can learn and polish your skills as you progress in your career.
NEW YORK (Dec. 10, 2021) – Sanoat Energetika Guruhi LLC (SEG) and Colorado School of Mines (Mines) have signed an agreement to create an international, English-speaking, American-model university in the Samarkand region of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
SEG and Mines, one of the world’s leading engineering institutions, will collaborate on the establishment of the private university as part of a national programme of improvements to the Uzbek education system.
Samarkand International Technical University (SITU) will educate students to the highest international standards, and train personnel in areas such as mining, metallurgy, gas chemistry, petrochemicals and mechanical engineering, as well as entrepreneurship and leadership.
The mining and energy sectors make up a significant share of Uzbekistan’s GDP. As the country’s ambitions in the mining and energy sectors continue to grow, there is an acute need to develop local skills and expertise to answer the demands of the new economy. It is anticipated that SITU will train specialists for oil and gas facilities in Uzbekistan, including energy projects in the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions, the Gas Chemical Complex MTO in the Bukhara region, Fergana Oil Refinery, and the Tebinbulak and Temirkan metallurgical projects and others.
“For the new Uzbekistan, which is on the path of political and economic modernization and is successfully carrying out deep socio-political and socio-economic reforms, it is important to increase scientific and academic cooperation and integrate into the international educational system,” said Bakhtiyor Fazilov, SEG’s majority shareholder. “Human capital is the driving force of any positive change, and it is via the implementation of such projects we will provide local businesses and the state with scientific talent and highly qualified personnel to achieve their goals.”
“Colorado School of Mines is honored to contribute our nearly 150 years of expertise in earth, energy and environment toward the creation of Samarkand International Technical University,” said John Bradford, vice president of global initiatives at Colorado School of Mines. “To meet the demands of the global energy transition, we need more scientists and engineers who understand the technical, social, policy and environmental challenges of resource extraction, not just in the United States but around the world. Mines is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the responsible stewardship of the Earth’s resources, and building a school from scratch, as we are with SITU, is an exciting opportunity to rethink engineering education for the 21st century.”
SITU will offer a broad range of STEM-focused programmes at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level. The university will operate various centers for professional development, including a center for the culture and history of Uzbekistan. Education will be provided according to Mines’ programs and curricula.
Under the agreement, which was signed last week in New York, Mines will help initially to develop the university’s Academic Master Plan and curriculum, provide recommendations on campus infrastructure, and assist in the hiring of SITU’s executive leadership and faculty. Mines will also support the creation of an innovation center and laboratory modeled on its McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The idea of creating an English language educational center of international format and standards in Uzbekistan in the fields of mining, metallurgy and oil and gas was advanced by Fazilov to contribute to the state’s program of improving Uzbekistan’s education system and ensuring sufficient supply of world-class engineering personnel. SITU has already received the support of Uzbekistan’s leadership and the Mayor’s Office of the Samarkand region, which has allocated land in the suburbs of the city for the university’s campus.
About SEG
Sanoat Energetika Guruhi LLC (SEG), formerly Jizzakh Petroleum, was established to accelerate the development of the energy sector in Uzbekistan. SEG has the rights to exploit 105 oil fields in Uzbekistan. The company has experience of successful cooperation with such international companies as Gazprom, Amec Foster Wheeler (Wood), Axens and others.
About Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public university focused on science and engineering, dedicated to educating and inspiring students, advancing knowledge, and innovating to address the great challenges society faces today—particularly those related to earth, energy and the environment. Founded in 1874 with specialties in mining and metallurgy, Mines’ scope and mission have expanded to meet the needs of industry and society, producing distinctive graduates and revolutionary innovations, and becoming a world leader in advancing sustainable use of the Earth’s resources.
Digital banking is a combination of mobile and online banking. Customers expect banks to create a banking experience culture that cultivates trust, nurtures their needs, customizes and surpasses expectations. A digitized banking experience ensures easy access across multiple devices, enhancing accessibility. Using live assistance tools like video chat and co-browsing, banks can provide real-time support, building loyalty.
Customers want relevance and customized service. Using CRM software, banks gather insights into the customer journey, helping them deliver customer support. Digital banking safety is a significant concern for many customers. This is why banks should make customers feel secure when sharing personal information online. Here are ways to improve the digital banking experience.
Offer digital onboarding
Customer onboarding starts with applying a new account or service and goes on until the customer is fully engaged. While some banking institutions have part of their process digitized and require physical engagement to complete onboarding, consumers expect ease of completion and use security, digital documentation, and authentication capabilities that will streamline the whole process. When you integrate an ID card scanner into your apps and websites then combine it with optical character recognition technology, ID data is gathered and auto-filled in no time.
Promote mobile selling
As consumers continue to embrace digital banking channels, many in-person sales opportunities are also going digital. Consider personalizing product and service messages then make it possible for clients to purchase through a digital channel mainly because mobile access exceeds branch visits. Need-based services powered by advanced analytics are the way to go.
Include a real person option
Automated customer service options have become standard across several industries. While most of these services can only assist with the most basic requests, providing customers with real-time customer services when they can’t find what they want or have complex issues they need to be solved can boost their digital banking experience. You also include a live chat option for real-time assistance.
Leverage big data and analytics
To gain a sustainable competitive advantage with digital banking experience, understand your customers. Look at your customer’s banking experience and leverage the available data to improve the retail banking experience. Through analytics, banks can access insights to evaluate opportunities, segment customers, and enhance the customer experience for digital banking experience.
Keep mobile apps up-to-date
As customers continue to embrace mobile banking, banks should ensure that the experience is safe and seamless. Constantly updating banking apps allows you to get rid of old and dysfunctional features for more improved, secure, and fast-performing mobile services. Up-to-date mobile apps have fast loading times, improving user experience.
Talk to customers
Banking experiences are all about the customer. This is why they shouldn’t second guess the kind of experience customers want. To improve the digital banking experience, consider asking your customers’ perception of your services and what you can do better. You can survey email or leave a form on the mobile app for your customers to fill in whenever they log on. This can give you a lot of insights that you can use to customize the digital customer experience.
Endnote
Digital banking technology has streamlined most of the processes, making it easier for the consumers. Customers hold the key to success for banks. This is why every digital banking experience should be customer-centric.
Going Global – Sustainability on the World Stage; ThirdWay Africa becomes ThirdWay Partners
Following ThirdWay’s ever growing global presence, the firm has been renamed as ThirdWay Partners to reflect this transition and growth.
Today, ThirdWay Africa has officially been renamed to ThirdWay Partners, reflecting the Firm’s growing global footprint. This growth is a response to the ever increasing global need to focus on incorporating innovative, sustainable thinking into the forefront of every business decision.
In practice, this means that ThirdWay Partners will bring its insight and strategic thinking on some of the 21st century’s key impact themes to its clients throughout the world. Leveraging the firm’s learnings and track record throughout the African continent, where it has successfully blended public and private capital and efforts to ensure sustainable development and impact, ThirdWay Partners will utilise the innovative solutions it has implemented for clients and partners previously across its new geographies of operation. The Firm’s DNA of ‘thinking anew; acting anew’ is weaved into this notion of working collaboratively with all stakeholders in the ecosystem to create sustainable, innovative initiatives that are critical to solving the most pressing issues facing the planet today; none more important than climate change.
Commenting on the transition, ThirdWay Partner’s Founding Partner and Chairman, Alejandro A. Tawil said, “Today is an exciting time for all of those who are involved and associated with the Firm. We are looking forward to leveraging our expertise and track-record of blending public and private capital to create sustainable development and impact solutions. Given the challenges our planet faces at this moment in time, capital needs to be effectively allocated to address these issues and, in our opinion, this is the ThirdWay challenge. At ThirdWay Partners we see our role as the architects to a new model of investment strategies required for inclusive sustainable development and impact.”
ThirdWay Partner’s CEO, Goncalo Neves-Correia underscored this by saying, “businesses should not understate the market opportunity and importance of being a sustainable enterprise. We are at a moment in time where everyone needs to reconsider how their activity and operations affect the climate impact the world today faces. We are looking forward to continuing to work with our partners on a global stage to ensure them and their organisations can create and finance innovative and long-standing sustainability-led solutions across their operations.”
About ThirdWay Partners
ThirdWay Partners operates as an impact investment and advisory firm focused on creating inclusive sustainable development and impact. The Firm combines advisory services and principal investments, with a focus on development finance and impact investing opportunities. ThirdWay Partners’ proven track-record includes extensive experience across a range of advisory mandates such as capital structuring & raising, business model development, market analyses, blended finance fund design and technical assistance implementation. These advisory services are complemented by the Firm’s investment arm, which currently manages three innovative vehicles which are at the forefront in supporting the sectors of sustainable food production, conservation and local content development. www.thirdway.earth
The Annual Investment Meeting 2022 has announced prizes for Startups attending the pitching competition.
The Annual Investment Meeting will serve as the premiere platform for Startups planning to scale up & expand to Dubai.
The world’s renowned and leading investment platform, The Annual Investment Meeting, will be providing prizes for startups at the startup pitch competition. The initiative will support and bring numerous opportunities, facilitate growth and future developments among global startups. The next chapter of the Annual Investment Meeting will be held on 29 – 31 March 2022, under the theme “Investments in Sustainable Innovation for a Thriving Future”, and will provide a powerful platform for startups to maximize their potential, expand their network, and grow globally.
The Annual Investment Meeting’s Startup Pillar will host Live Pitching sessions, with the participation of the startups who will be physically exhibiting at the Dubai Exhibitions Centre at EXPO 2020 Dubai, or digitally via state-of-the-art virtual events platform, Events10X.
Startups will get the opportunity of networking with key industry figures, engaging with clients & investors, showcasing their innovations & B2B Matchmaking. The startups pitching competition will be based on the 3 tier Round of Funding format featuring various startups globally in the Pre-Seed, Seed & Series A funding categories. Startups will get the chance to win up to 110k AED in cash prizes and secure funding from global accelerators and Venture Capital firms.
The Annual Investment Meeting 2022 will also provide a virtual access to startups to gain maximum exposure and get connected with local and international investors from more than 170 participating countries, offering them abundant opportunities to find new sources of funding and financing solutions for their business.
The Annual Investment Meeting 2022 strives to support all economic sectors by opening numerous doors of opportunities to the world, as a dynamic roadmap to recovery from COVID-19, as it highlights six multi-faceted pillars including Startups. With AIM’s pillars, AIM 2022 actively supports businesses, multinational organizations, regions, and countries during the rapid shift of the economy by extending its scope and not only by focusing on FDI. AIM 2022 is highly agile, and will serve as a dynamic gateway to jumpstart economies and boost economic productivity.
Across the globe, startups play a crucial role in developing new industries and creating innovative ideas. AIM helps startups by mentoring early-stage venture investment or seed funding. The Annual Investment Meeting 2022 will also provide virtual access to startups, providing them with the opportunity to gain maximum exposure and get connected with local and international investors from more than 170 participating countries, giving them abundant opportunities to find new sources of funding and financing solutions for their business.
Globally, startups contribute significantly to economic development and job creation. By 2030, the number of startups around the world is expected to increase and will create more than 600 million jobs. A wide range of activities await participating Startups at AIM 2022, such as World-Class Conferences and Workshops. Startups can explore innovative strategies and practices led by more than 300 high-level speakers which include, world leaders, ministers and heads of distinguished local and international organizations. The Exhibition will be participated by the best local and international exhibitors with the goal of achieving economic growth for their respective country and region.
According to start-up data platform MAGNiTT, MENA-based start-ups attracted $1.03 billion in investments in 2020, an increase of 13 percent from 2019. The UAE received 56 percent of all investments regionally. The region’s startups typically received funding from friends and family to get off the ground. An increase in the number and awareness of angel investors is making it easier for entrepreneurs to approach them for funding. In August, Mena startups raised over $ 160 million across 44 deals, bringing the year’s total to $1.78 billion. A total of $83.6 million was raised by 14 startups in the UAE, helping the UAE maintain its top ranking in the region.
AIM 2022 will provide businesses, governments and civil society with an independent and future-oriented platform to amplify their efforts influencing and facilitating multistakeholder interaction and impact. The Startup pillar will connect keen investors looking for new avenues and investment projects in a sustainable and innovative environment, as well as governments looking for startup projects to increase their economic growth.
About the Annual Investment Meeting
The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) is an initiative of the UAE Ministry of Economy, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. AIM is the world’s leading investment platform with over 16,000 participants, over 400 exhibitors and co-exhibitors, 60+ high-level dignitaries, 150+ investment specialists and experts in 2019.
The majority of CEOs in Saudi Arabia are integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices into their business strategies for sustainable growth, as their risk profile shifts towards disruptive technology and environmental concerns, reveals KPMG in their annual CEO Outlook.
The CEU Outlook Saudi Arabia 2021: Purpose-led and prepared for growth is based on a global survey among 1,325 CEOs including 50 in Saudi Arabia, taking additional insight from interviews with business leaders in the Kingdom. All respondents based in the Kingdom represent companies with revenues greater than US$500 million and 60% of the companies have revenues greater than US$1 billion.
Given increasing stakeholder pressure, CEOs are putting people first to drive societal return and 92% of surveyed CEOs in the Kingdom comment their response to the pandemic has caused their focus to shift to the social component of their ESG programs. On the other hand, a mere 30% of CEOs in the Kingdom feel they will struggle to meet diversity and inclusion expectations, compared to 56% globally.
Making progress on climate change will require action from both businesses and government, with KPMG’s report finding 42% of Saudi-based CEOs intending to invest more than 10% of their revenues in becoming more sustainable. Six in ten CEOs in the Kingdom found their ESG programs improve financial performance.
“We notice that CEOs are putting ESG at the center of their organization’s long-term growth strategies. It’s been encouraging to see this trend and to see business leaders successfully tie their organization’s economic success to their ESG agendas. CEOs have proven they can be drivers of positive change,” commented Dr. Abdullah Al Fozan, Chairman of KPMG in Saudi Arabia.
According to the publication, CEOs in Saudi Arabia are optimistic, confident and expect aggressive growth through acquisitions, as well as other inorganic methods. Nearly 86% of CEOs in the Kingdom are looking at mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals as a means of growth in the next three years. As similar figure of 88% finds they need to be quicker to shift investments to digital opportunities.
In Saudi Arabia, 84% of the CEOs have confidence in the Kingdom’s growth, while 90% expect their company to exceed pre-pandemic levels. “The pandemic is not over, but CEOs are increasingly confident about economic growth in Saudi Arabia and globally,” added Dr. Al Fozan.
“With potential abound, CEOs are hoping to get on the front foot to position their businesses to capture it. Inorganic growth strategies are a popular choice to seize these opportunities. Business leaders are looking to expand organically and continue to assess the future of work to ensure they can attract top talent.”
CEOs emphasize leading with purpose, focusing on digitally transforming their organizations and upskilling an agile workforce.
CEOs in Saudi Arabia are strengthening their organization’s digital advantage by building a more flexible future of work and operating as part of digital ecosystems. Although wholesale changes to the office setup are uncommon, CEOs are more flexible, with 32% expecting most employees to work remotely at least two days a week and 28% considering hiring talent to work remotely.
KPMG advises three action areas that CEOs can focus on as they look to grow beyond the impact of the pandemic: growth and resilience, ESG and financial value and future of work.
Many organizations coped exceptionally well with the pandemic, showing resilience as they dealt with notable change, uncertainty and disruption.
“Resilience will be key to economic recovery. Along with specific interventions — from managing talent risk to building cyber defenses — CEOs will need to surround themselves with resilient people. They will also need to identify the ESG investments that are necessary to drive long-term value.”
“CEOs need to have a people-first mindset — investing in new technologies and human capability. They need to be purpose-led — winning the trust of stakeholders and helping build a more prosperous and sustainable world,” Dr. Al Fozan concluded.
If you own a vehicle, paying for car insurance is an unavoidable expense, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend more money than necessary. If your premiums have gone up or you are looking for insurance for a new car, there are ways to get a lower price and cut back on your budget.
With the proper research and communication with your broker, you can save a bundle on your car insurance. Not all insurance companies are created equally, so if you are tired of overpaying with your current company, it may be time to start shopping around.
Reputable companies like My Choice Financial can help you find the coverage you need for an affordable price. Let’s take a closer look at a few easy ways to save on your auto insurance.
Shop Around
You may have been dealing with the same insurance company for many years but that doesn’t mean that you are getting the best price. If you are unhappy with your current premiums or are shopping for a new policy, it’s best to do your research. Take some time to do an internet search to compare prices and policies. Keep in mind that the lowest price isn’t always the best option; you need to consider what you are getting for the price. Get at least three quotes before you make your choice.
Bundle
One of the easiest ways to reduce your insurance costs is to bundle your policies. If you are dealing with multiple companies for your personal policies, you could be wasting money. Finding one company to which you can entrust your home, life, and auto insurance can save you money.
Discounts
Insurance companies often have multiple discounts that they don’t necessarily advertise. In most cases, if you want to find discounts on your insurance, you will have to ask your broker directly. Most insurance companies have typical discounts, including:
Seniors discount
Military or veteran discount
Safe driving discount
Loyalty discount
Multiple vehicle discount
Annual payment discount
Low mileage discount
Increase Your Deductible
When you have to claim your insurance, you will be required to pay a deductible amount. Most people prefer to keep their deductible costs at the lowest rate, which is generally $500. If you want to save money on your premiums, you can bump up your deductible amount. This means that you will need to have money set aside to pay for your claim, but your premiums will be reduced throughout the year.
Pay Annually
Insurance companies reward their clients that choose to pay their premiums all at once on an annual basis. You can save more than 10% on your overall insurance costs if you pay annually on your policy.
Car insurance is an unavoidable expense if you own a car. Every state has made it a law that you must have a minimum policy on your vehicle. If you want to save some money on your insurance costs, try some of these tips to help you save.
Founder of the Faces of Democracy initiative | Faces of Peace
“We need to remain vigilant when fundamental rights and the rule of law come under attack”
Ursula von der LeyenPresident of the European Commission
Dr. von der Leyen, you have been President of the EU Commission since December 1, 2019. The very first question we would like to ask you is: How significant are democracy and democratic values to you personally?
They are essential part of who I am and what I believe in, not only as a politician but as a human being. I grew up in a divided country: when I was a student in West Germany, East Germany was under authoritarian rule. I knew that people my age, on the other side of the wall, were not free to speak their mind, to demonstrate, to be themselves. And I knew that my parents, too, had lived under a dictatorship during their youth. I have always felt very lucky to be born in a blessed generation when it comes to personal freedoms and true democracy. I have also learnt that democracy can never be taken for granted. It is a seed that every generation must cherish and nourish. It is our responsibility to protect our democracies, and to improve them.
Crises are increasingly becoming a stress test for democracy – in Europe too. What challenges does our continent face in future, and are democracies actually able to manage them effectively?
Our response to the pandemic shows that a Union of democracies can deliver on its citizens’ needs. Look at all that we have achieved together. More than 75 percent of adults in the EU are fully vaccinated. By procuring our vaccines together, we made sure that all European countries had equal access to them. Meanwhile, we have exported as many vaccines as we delivered to Europeans – becoming the pharmacy of the world. No autocracy has achieved the same results. The same goes for our recovery plan, and for the European Green Deal. Democracies can manage any challenge effectively. Because in democracies, citizens contribute to solutions with all their strength and creativity. Because democracy is what we make of it. Every day anew.
“Fit for 55”: By 2030 the EU wishes to reduce its CO2 emissions by 55 percent – Europe’s “man-on-the-moon moment” on the way to delivering the Green Deal for a climate-neutral continent by 2050. How green will Europe become?
The Member States of the European Union have decided in a democratic process that Europe will be the first climate-neutral continent. We want to reconcile economic growth with our planet’s health. What is new is that we now have a roadmap to reach this goal, measure by measure, sector by sector, target by target. We have a roadmap towards zero-emissions cars, and to step up our production of clean energy. We have a Social Climate Fund, to cut energy bills for vulnerable households. And with our recovery plan, NextGenerationEU, we have unprecedented investment to help us achieve our climate goals – from home renovations to high-speed trains. Nine out of ten Europeans are asking us to act on climate change – and we are delivering on their expectations.
With the “European Democracy Action Plan,” the EU Commission intends to strengthen media freedom and pluralism and counter disinformation. How dangerous is fake news to democracy in Europe?
The pandemic has shown that disinformation can cost lives – literally. Information is a public good: our health, our economy, and the very functioning of our democracies rely upon it. Online platforms need to do more to fight disinformation – and we want to make sure they do so, with our Digital Services Act and by calling for a strengthened Code of practice on disinformation. Last month, we put forward a recommendation to give journalists better protection and announced a Media Freedom Act. Because democracy can only thrive if freedom of information, freedom of expression and media freedom are upheld.
Keyword “gender diversity”: You are the first female leader of the EU Commission, Kamala Harris the first female US Vice President. Do we need a women’s quota, and would such a quota really deliver greater equality?
We must strive for a system where women can always reach for the top, if this is what they want. The first step for this is to give equal opportunities to women and men. And for this, we are working to ensure quality education for all girls and women, to ensure parental leave for mothers and fathers alike, to guarantee equal pay for women, and to strengthen childcare. We have created, for instance, a Child guarantee, so that children in need have effective and free access to early childhood care and education. All parents, from all social backgrounds, should be able to send their kids to childcare and school. This is women empowerment at its most basic. As President of the European Commission, I have put up a team that is fully gender balanced. Yet today, fewer than 7 percent of top companies’ CEOs are women. So yes, years ago in Germany I have pushed for quotas for women on board. And it worked. Clearly, we need to incentivize companies and organizations to open up and give women their fair chance. We simply cannot exclude half of our talents from leadership positions.
Many young people take a democratic, peaceful and united Europe for granted. How can we enthuse young people about the European idea, or put another way: Why is Europe “nice”?
Europe is simply the best place to live in the world. In no other place in the world young people enjoy the same opportunities to study, to travel, to be entrepreneurs, and the same social protections. And in no other place young people enjoy such a broad set of rights and freedoms. This is what makes us who we are, and why we need to remain vigilant when fundamental rights and the rule of law come under attack. Europe must always remain a place where free speech is sacred, where all are equal before the law, and where everyone is free to love those who they wish. And one of our roles, as European Commission, is precisely to be the guardians of these fundamental values, which are guaranteed by the European Treaties. But we can only be successful if all European citizens – young and old – fight with us every day for these freedoms.
Dr. von der Leyen, our seventh question is always a personal one: Where do you feel at home – in Belgium, Germany or everywhere in Europe?
I was born and grew up in Brussels, I spent my teenage year and most of my political career in Germany. I feel at home in both of these places. Europe is my longing and I am a true citizen of the European Union. But ultimately, home is where my family is. We are a big family – with my husband, seven children, and a granddaughter too! I live in Belgium now, they are in Germany and across Europe. During the lockdowns, we tried to meet virtually every week. But it is not the same as being all together. Our family reunions – that’s when I truly feel at home!
About the Faces of Democracy and Faces of Peace initiatives:
To date over 1 million people in 50 countries have signed the online commitments of the Faces of Democracy and the Faces of Peace. More than 100 prominent figures from the world of politics, science, media, business and society are now committed to our democratic achievements – including numerous heads of state and government, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, the publishers and chief editors of leading media publications and the CEOs of international companies. The Faces of Democracy initiative is now in its fifth year of existence.
