Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

There are millions of unemployed workers who are eager to find a job. Yet, there are companies still finding it difficult to fill vacancies. What is going on? Is it possible that we are not educating or training the labor force with the right skill sets that meet the society’s needs? Is it because employers are finding it challenging to screen the enormous amount of applicants for every vacant position? According to this Wall Street Journal interview with Peter Cappelli , a Wharton School professor, there might be another possibility --- employers now have a different level of expectations. In my interpretation, employers are probably expecting too much from job candidates. Some employers, for example, no longer want to invest in new hires. In the old times, employers were usually willing to hire candidates with good attitude and great leadership potential. Then, they would train new hires the technical skills needed at work and even let them spend time adjusting to the new or...

This morning, I heard from my sister in China that a guy threw a bundle of ¥100 notes to the air in Canton Baiyun International Airport (¥100 RMB ≈ $15 USD). Surprisingly, nobody seemed to care about the money. People pulled out their phones and cameras and started taking pictures. I assume that quite a few of them would have immediately shared the “moment” on the internet. That is interesting. I wonder if we have become too obsessed with social media. If so, now it is time to remind ourselves the mobile etiquette. Let’s see if you agree to the following “mobile etiquette on vacation” that is discussed in a Fox News video . Pay attention to the tour guy. What are some examples of “not paying attention” when the tour guy is talking? In my opinions, these behaviors should be avoided: talking with others or on the phone, having the plugs on the ears, searching information or checking in with the phone, and not following instructions. What else do you think? Post pictures of a re...

Earlier this month, I attended the International Entrepreneurship Faculty Development Program at University of Colorado Denver. Rahim Fazal ( @rahimthedream ), a three-time company co-founder, spoke to us on how Facebook is transforming entrepreneurship. In Rahim’s words, social media has made significant impact on 5Cs --- conversations, collaboration, connectedness, content, and customization. I agree with Rahim that social media has changed and is still changing the way people are doing business. It becomes obvious that social media must be included in business education. There are forward-thinking business schools offering courses on social media. To my knowledge, however, many of these classes are taught as a marketing course. That may make sense because social media can be very effective in relationship marketing, but I argue that social media is more than just sales or marketing. Human resources , for example, is another area that uses social media to a large extent. A...

Last week, I was invited to speak in a panel discussion session about using social media in teaching for the Summer Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning (SITETL) at SU. I was asked: what challenges do I face when using social media in teaching? I think that is a great question. Since 2009, I have developed and taught four different courses at SU. One is on social media and the other three are hospitality management courses. Students use many more social media tools in my social media class than in others. Also, depending on the subject matter, my expectations on how students use social media tools in class are different, but in general, I think there are two big challenges.   First and for most, professors can no longer stop acquiring new knowledge if they begin using social media in teaching (nobody should stop learning anyway, right?). I believe that in the age of information explosion, new technology and school of thoughts can emerge every day . Pr...

I often use Hooters as a case study in my Human Resource Management class for its controversial practice of hiring strictly good looking waitresses. I, however, have never expected that there are people who would dislike Hooters so much that they want to fight Hooters for opening a business in their neighborhood. Hooters’ concept relies on “natural female sex appeal.” The first Hooters restaurant was opened in Florida in 1983. By 1993, Hooters had become a popular national restaurant chain, with 100 locations and 200 million in revenue. Hooters restaurants refuse hiring male servers and expect that Hooters’ Girls “should project a positive attitude with a bubbling personality and the prettiest smile in the world.” Between 1991 and 1994, EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) launched an investigation into alleged discrimination because of Hooters’ hiring practices. In 1994, EEOC reached a conclusion that “no physical trait unique to women is required to service food...

The 2012 Intel Mobile Etiquette Survey is out. It seems that people are doing worse over time, however. According to this Wall Street Journal video , 81% of adults think manners are bad, comparing to 75% of last year. Here are some bad examples on the top pet peeves list:   77% - texting or typing while driving 64% - talking too loud in public 55% - having the volume too loud in public 59% - sharing too much negative information 55% - sharing inappropriate or explicit photos 53% - sharing the information that is deemed to be private Texting while driving is prohibited by law in most places. Recently, there are also communities that began issuing fines to those who are texting while walking . It is possible that more communities will ban texting for pedestrians soon. This survey also reminds companies and people not to share too much personal or negative updates in social media. Too much “irrelevant” information will irritate the audience and friends. When somebod...

It was 1992 - just 20 years ago. A business traveler was attending a conference and called the hotel to make a reservation. They talked to a staff member to book a room. Upon arrival, they checked in and registered at the front desk. They opened the hotel room door with a metal key. To check in with their office, they picked up the hotel phone, dialed a seemingly endless string of numbers on the back of a plastic card, and called their assistant to see if any issues had come up since they left the office the night before.    Let’s jump ahead to 2012. The same business traveler needs to go to a seminar, so they pull out their mobile phone and book a room on-line. They enter the room with a keyless room card. As the hotel room door opens, so do the curtains. Their favorite music plays from the smart TV and the lights automatically turn on. The guest checks in with the office by turning on a laptop, tablet, iPod and mobile phone. All are quickly put to use.   Years ago t...