The Centre has been created to become the policy centre on economic, public and management issues surrounding the digital economy in Canada. The ultimate purpose of the Centre is to facilitate and promote the development of objective and evidence-based knowledge that responds to, and anticipates, managerial and government policy decisions.

CDE Director, professor Jeffrey Church, Department of Economics, University of Calgary, commented that, “It is important for Canadians, as both consumers and producers in the digital economy, that there be a source of independent analysis that engages in the development and assessment of government policies and initiatives, informed by Canada’s unique evolution and circumstances.”

Advising and monitoring the Centre’s outputs and activities, the members of the CDE@ Advisory Board represent a wide range of industry expertise.

Joining the Advisory Board today will be:

• Dr. Leonard Waverman, Dean, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary
• Professor Jeffrey Church, Department of Economics, University of Calgary
• Gary Kovacs, CEO of Mozilla Firefox Corporation, Mountain View, California and HSB Alumnus
• Professor Eli Noam, Director Columbia Center for Tele-Information, Columbia University Business School, New York
• David Krause, Director, Economics Analysis, Bell Canada
• Ken Engelhart, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Rogers Communications.
• Jean Brazeau, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Shaw Communications Inc.
• Michael Hennessy, Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, TELUS

Dean Leonard Waverman, Haskayne School of Business, sees the creation of the Centre as another illustration of the important work taking place between the University and Canadian industry, “This is a further example of the ability of western Canada to establish thought leadership on issues of critical national importance. We are grateful to the founding donors for understanding the value of independent academic research that is translated into policy documents. The development of the Digital Economy is critical to Canadian productivity growth and well-being.”

Researchers at CDE@ are already working towards presenting an average of six discussion papers per year, alongside plans to host live roundtable debates and online webinar sessions on key policy and research issues throughout the year.

Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, president of the University of Calgary, says the creation of the Centre for the Digital Economy aligns well with the University’s renewed strategic direction, and its goals to more fully integrate with the community, to provide and to promote leadership, and to support research excellence. “There is tremendous potential in this collaboration with industry, working together to help shape the future of telecommunications, The Centre embodies all the elements of successful corporate partnerships, and supports our Eyes High vision of becoming one of the top five research institutions in Canada by 2016,” she says.

The Centre for the Digital Economy was created through seed money provided by four leading telecommunications companies in Canada: Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications Inc., and TELUS.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology (IT) professionals on a project and full-time basis – who already has its own free App. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CIOs from companies across Canada with 100 or more employees.

CIOs were asked, “Has your company developed a mobile application for customers and clients, or do you plan to offer one in the next 12 months?” Their responses:

You have one now..................................................... 31%
You don't have one now but plan to offer one in the next 12 months ...12%
You don't have one and don't plan to offer one in the next 12 months .55%
Other/don't know ......................................................1%
                                                                       ------
                                                                       99%*

    *Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

As mobile applications become more prevalent, there is no shortage of issues for the IT teams tasked with developing them. In the same survey, CIOs said the two greatest challenges for IT teams developing these applications are keeping them up to date and finding IT professionals with the skills to build them.

CIOs were asked, “What is the greatest challenge for IT teams when developing a mobile application for the business?” Their responses:

Keeping the application up to date .................................. 41%
Finding and hiring IT professionals with the necessary expertise .... 18%
Collaborating across departments .................................... 16%
Gaining approvals from the application store or market ............... 5%
Other/don't know .................................................... 20%
                                                                     ------
                                                                      100%

“The use of mobile media, such as smart phones and tablets, is taking off at an exponential rate and as a result, firms are looking to create mobile applications that compliment their business strategy,” said Lara Dodo, a Canadian regional vice president of Robert Half Technology. “When developing these programs, it’s critical that these IT professionals not only have the necessary development expertise, but also the ability to effectively and frequently update the application’s content.”

As more companies look to develop mobile apps, the demand for IT professionals who specialize in this area has increased, according to the Robert Half Technology 2012 Salary Guide, which shows starting salaries for mobile applications developers are expected to increase 8.2 per cent next year — one of the largest increases of any IT position researched.

“The expertise and training required by communications practitioners today is dramatically different than it was just a few years ago,” noted campaign chair, Bruce MacLellan, President of Environics Communications Inc. MacLellan cited the emergence of digital technology and social media, globalization, economic recession and an aging workforce as some of the shifts impacting the public-relations profession.

MacLellan said the campaign achieved its $75,000 objective with donations still arriving.  In addition, Canadian research firm Leger Marketing has made a substantial services donation to the campaign.

Foundation chair Gordon McIvor called the campaign a gratifying success.  “The response from the Canadian communications and business community has been outstanding with donations from leading agencies, corporations and individuals.

“We can now proceed with our objective to investigate what employers in different sectors of public relations and communications management require to ensure the employees they hire have the talent and education needed to contribute to overall corporate or organizational objectives,” he said.

The Communications + Public Relations Foundation was founded in 1979 with a mandate to support education and research in the communications and public-relations industry.  Most of its work to date has focussed on advancing educational initiatives through the initiation of scholarships, bursaries, and professional development lectures as well providing reference text books across Canada and assisting post graduate students with funding for research projects.  The research initiative will be the foundation’s first endeavour through its newly formed Foundation Research Network.

“Academic researchers at leading Canadian universities have already indicated their support and interest in taking part in the original research,” said McIvor.  The research network includes Mount Saint Vincent University, Université du Québec à Montréal, McGill University, Mount Royal University, Université de Montréal, McMaster University and the University of Prince Edward Island.

“The first phase of the research is expected to begin by Fall 2012 with results made available through a phased approach using the foundation’s website and other media,” McIvor concluded.

Worldwide, nearly one third of employees indicate they expect to be working from home more in 2012. This is especially the case in India (62%) and Mexico (63%). But the worldwide responses also report that roughly 40% of employees across the globe expect to be working from home less in 2012. Especially in China where 74 per cent of employees say they expect to work from home less than they did in 2011.

The absence of a sharp upward or downward trend is similar to recent data from Statistics Canada’s Working at home: An update: “The number of employees working at home in 2008 was 1,748,600, compared with 1,425,700 in 2000. Despite this increase, the proportion of employees working at home remained relatively stable during the 2000s. While there is an upward trend, the increase is small and the pace moderate”.

So why aren’t there more employees working from home?

Jan Hein Bax, President of Randstad Canada explains that home working doesn’t suit all jobs or sectors. “There many forward-thinking organizations who welcome teleworking, but there are some sectors where teleworking is impossible – retailers, construction workers, manufacturers – there are certain roles where people must be at the workplace.”

According to Bax, working from home can be a suitable arrangement for a number of employees and employers. “Through our own research and studies, we have found that having a good work life-balance is a key factor for Canadians when looking for an employer. But flexibility can mean more than just allowing employees access to work from home, it can be better access to wireless networks for commuters, flexible working schedules, or daycare facilities in the workplace. Those are just a few of the alternatives that also help workers get achieve more flexibility.”

“As the workforce continues to shrink, it’s important for businesses to find creative ways to leverage the skills of talented, productive employees,” says Bax. “Assessing how to best adapt to the ever-evolving needs of Canadian employees will be a critical task for employers looking to attract and retain the best talent.”

Find out if there are work from home in Canada opportunities for you at Randstad.

LinkedIn ranked second with 37 per cent of the response. Regardless of which social media site someone is using for business, staying active is essential, the survey confirmed: More than one-third (34 per cent) of executives said not keeping content fresh is the most common mistake creatives make in their professional online profiles.

The Canadian survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm.

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “If you had to limit yourself to only one social media platform, which of the following would it be?” Their responses:

• Facebook …………….. 44%
• LinkedIn …………….. 37%
• Google+ ……………… 7%
• Twitter ……………… 6%
• Other ……………….. 2%
• Don’t know/no answer ….. 6%

*Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

Executives also were asked, “In your experience, what is the most common mistake creative professionals make when creating online profiles that they use for professional purposes?” Their responses:

• Not updating it often enough …………….. 34%
• Including inappropriate information ………. 23%
• Providing too much information …………… 19%
• Providing too little information …………. 12%
• Other …………………………………. 1%
• Don’t know/no answer ……………………. 11%

“Online profiles can be effective marketing and branding tools for creative professionals, so it’s crucial that they paint an accurate and favourable picture of you,” said Lara Dodo, a regional vice-president of The Creative Group in Canada. “It remains especially critical for job seekers to be mindful of what information they are sharing and with whom, as well as what others may be saying about them.”

The Creative Group offers five tips for maintaining a polished and engaging presence on social media sites:

1. Don’t play the name game. While sites like Facebook and Google+ have guidelines that discourage the use of symbols, numbers or profanities in your username, that doesn’t stop people from coming up with unusual aliases. However, it’s best to stick to your first and last name and select a similar vanity URL that supports your personal brand.
2. Choose your interests wisely. Just because you’re a fan of reality TV doesn’t mean you have to list every show you watch. No matter how talented you are, a profile that goes into too much personal detail, particularly if those details are unflattering, will work against you.
3. Share quality content. The average Facebook user has 130 friends, according to Facebook Statistics. You can increase the likelihood others will see your posts by sharing rich content (like photos and videos) as well as information that will elicit comments, likes and shares.
4. Proof your posts. Always review your status updates and comments before hitting “Enter.” Posts strewn with typos or text shorthand detract from your credibility.
5. Be a regular. In addition to pushing out interesting content, engage with your online contacts consistently. By commenting on and sharing others’ posts, you’ll build a stronger sense of community.

For additional tips on using social and professional networking sites effectively, download Business Etiquette: The New Rules in a Digital Age. The guide was developed by Robert Half, The Creative Group’s parent company, and contains insights from industry experts on a wide range of topics.

The Canadian study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on more than 250 telephone interviews — approximately 200 with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 50 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

LYA benchmarked six key broadband internet metrics, covering cost and performance indicators as well as household penetration in G7 and 32 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Based on data from more than 52 million actual user speed tests, LYA has found that the performance of Canada’s broadband internet services is significantly better than rankings in previous international studies, which are often only based on advertised Internet speeds.

“The results of LYA’s analysis demonstrate that Canada’s broadband internet metrics are often in the top quartile among these countries, not near the bottom as reported by some organizations including the OECD,” noted Ms. Johanne Lemay, co-author of the Report at LYA. “Using actual tests conducted by users gives a far more accurate measure of performance than simply basing findings on what internet service providers advertise their broadband internet speeds to be.”

The LYA report has ranked Canada seventh (7^th least expensive) out of 32 OECD countries when comparing average monthly broadband subscription costs. Out of 32 OECD countries, Canada ranks 12^th in average Cost of a Mbps of Downstream Speed to end users – more than two times better than the 2011 OECD ranking.

Additional findings from the LYA report are:

• Canada takes the number one spot in highest broadband penetration among G7 countries at 74%, significantly ahead of the United Kingdom and France at 69.2% and 69%, respectively. Using the latest data available, LYA found Canada ranks seventh out of 32 OECD countries in the same metric, up from the 10^th spot as reported by the OECD.
• Canada’s average consumer broadband speed performance comes in at the top half with 11.5 Mbps, in 15^th place, faster than average speeds seen by consumers in France and the U.K.

The statistics are particularly meaningful when Canada’s large geographical land mass and sparse population is taken into consideration.  Canada has the best performance with respect to broadband speeds and penetration when compared to countries with similar very large geography, notably the United States and Australia.

This study was sponsored by Rogers Communications Inc., a leading Canadian telecommunications carrier.  LYA found that not only does Canada rank amongst world’s best in internet cost and performance, but the average Rogers broadband subscriber:

• Benefits from higher download speeds (average 15.6 Mbps) than the average broadband subscriber in Canada (average 11.5 Mbps)
• Pays less for each Megabit per Second of Downstream Speed compared to the average Canadian broadband subscriber ($1.99 vs. $2.68 USD PPP)

This independent study was conducted by Lemay-Yates Associates Inc. (LYA). The methodology for the study was developed by LYA and LYA conducted significant research on internet statistics and pricing among G7 and OECD countries using the latest and most reliable information available, as well as acquired data on user broadband speed tests from Ookla Inc. The LYA study provides detailed results for 32 OECD countries.

The study was finalized in December 2011, based on user tests and pricing research from mid-2011. To obtain a copy of the study, please fill out the form on LYA’s web siteor contact LYA directly by email at lya@lya.com or by phone at 1 514 288 6555.

“Canadian business leaders may be less inclined than their global counterparts to adopt innovation as a business strategy because they do not see it as rational or necessary in their current environment,” said Daniel Munro, Principal Research Associate. “Many Canadian business leaders feel that competitive pressures are not strong enough to motivate innovation, capital markets are too weak, and the tax burden is too high. But their perceptions do not always align with reality.”

The findings outlined in the report, From Perception to Performance: How Canadian Business Leaders View the Innovation Environment, are based on the Canadian results of the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion survey. The Conference Board is the Canadian partner for the World Economic Forum in carrying out the annual survey, which this year will be conducted between late February and end of April.

Canada placed 11^th among the 142 countries ranked on innovation in the WEF’s Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012, but trailed key competitors such as Japan, the United States, and Germany – as well as small advanced economies like Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland. In the Conference Board’s 2010 How Canada Performs: A Report Card on Canada, Canada received a grade of “D” and ranking of 14^th out of 17 peer countries on innovation performance.

Perceptions of high taxation, less intense competition, and weak capital markets, help to explain why Canadian firms are less likely to innovate than global peers.

Canadian business leaders cited the tax and regulatory burden as a barrier to innovation. Yet Canada’s business tax rate is one of the lowest among its main global competitors. Canadian leaders’ perception of the tax burden ranked 40th in the Global Competitiveness survey, Canada’s actual total tax rate ranks 29th in the world – placing the country ahead of innovation powerhouses such as the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan.

When asked to assess the intensity of competition in local markets—a key driver of innovation—Canadian business leaders gave it 5.6 on a seven-point scale. This put Canada 21^st among the 142 countries, but behind most of its major competitors.

Business leaders also see Canada’s capital markets a key barrier to innovation. Ranking 19^th in terms of leaders’ perceptions of venture capital availability and 22^nd on ease of access to loans, Canada trails a handful of international competitors like Norway, Sweden, and Finland, though it ranks higher than Switzerland on both indicators.

“Canada has many innovation strengths—including world-class institutions of higher education and research. But business leaders report many barriers—some real, and some perceived—that may be stalling innovation performance. The challenge is to focus efforts on overcoming real barriers while dispelling the illusions,” said Munro.

To drill down on the impediments to firm-level business innovation in Canada, the Conference Board has established a new Centre for Business Innovation (CBI). A major, multi-funder five year program of research and consultation. CBI’s mission is to:

• develop performance indicators and establish metrics that track innovation activity inside firms so that progress can be made;
• contribute to the formulation of public policies and private sector strategies to drive business innovation; and
• help Canada become a world leader in firm-level business innovation.

The Centre for Business Innovation has embraced the measurement and benchmarking mandate identified by the Coalition for Action on Innovation in Canada. The Centre’s research will delve into four other areas: business strategies for firms; capital markets; people; and public policy.

The first meeting of the CBI is Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Toronto.

According to the results, for both large and small companies, Project Management and Business Analysis continue to be the talent requirements most in demand within the IT industry. These two skills sets have remained in steadily in demand since 2009.

Additionally, both small and large comanies report similar demands when it comes to IT talent requirements.  Both smaller and larger companies have an increase need for Infrastructure Support and Wireless Support and a decrease need for Business Analysis, Web Development and Database Management.

But in terms of the most in demand infrastructure skill sets, small and large companies have differing needs. Smaller companies saw an 8% increase in demand for Server Virtualization Specialists (39% total) where as larger companies report a higher demand for Technical Project Managers (36% total).

Similarly this years’ results indicate companies with 1,000 employees or less, and CIOs/VPs also rank Server Virtualization Specialists on the top of their most wanted list. While Technical Project Managers remain in high demand for larger companies and by Directors/Managers.

Nationally, the demand for Security & Privacy Specialists has increased in all regions. Western Canada predicts a minor increase of 1%, Ontario shows a 6% increase in demand, with Quebec seeing the highest increase of 11% to 36%, compared to the previous year.

Overall, Quebec has shown the higest demand for infrastructure skill sets in 2012. The demand for Technical Project Managers (57%), Network Architects & Specialists (50%), Server Virtualization Specialists (50%), Technical Team Leaders (43%) and Security & Privacy Specalists (36%) have all seen increases of more than 20% when compared to the previous year.

This year, Ontario reports an increased demand for Security & Privacy Specialists (up 6% from last year) and Systems Management/Operations Specialists (up 8% from last year). The region also saw a steep decline in the demand for Technical Project Managers, Network Architects & Specialists and Web Hosting System Administrators.

While Western Canada indicates an increased demand for Technical Project Managers (up 7% from last year) and Technical Team Leaders (up 2% from last year). A decrease in demand for Network Architects & Specialists, Server Virtualization Specialists and Network Analyst & Performance Specialists was also reported in the region.

The survey of professionals was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and and is based on telephone interviews with 210 Canadian workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments.

Workers were asked, “Aside from salary, which one of the following aspects of your job is most tied to your satisfaction?” Their responses:

Work/life balance                             38%
Opportunities to learn and grow               20%
Camaraderie with coworkers                    16%
A good working relationship with the boss     10%
Ability to accomplish goals                    9%
Don't know                                     6%
                                               -------
                                                99%*

* Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

“Professional priorities change over time,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Because there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for encouraging job satisfaction, supervisors should get to know their team members individually to better understand what motivates and inspires each of them.”

Everyone appreciates the ability to successfully juggle business and personal obligations, Hosking noted. OfficeTeam offers five tips managers can use to help their teams achieve work/life balance:

1. Be flexible. If it’s practical for your business, offer alternative work arrangements such as modified schedules or job sharing.

2. Reduce their commute. Give personnel whose jobs can be done remotely the option of working from home one or more days a week.

3. Watch the clock. Avoid contacting staff outside of office hours unless the matter is urgent and cannot wait until the next business day.

4. Take a breather. Remind workers to take breaks and vacations. Set a good example by doing so yourself.

5. Bring in reinforcements. Encourage employees to seek help when they are overwhelmed with projects. Use temporary professionals, when necessary, to alleviate workloads.

The report also found an unstoppable shift in the use of consumer technologies in the workplace and significant IT investments being made to manage this trend. Globally, 88 percent of executives and 87 percent in Canada report employees are using their own personal computing technologies for business purposes today.

Much has been made of companies embracing “bring your own device” (BYOD) policies to accommodate younger employees and attract the best new recruits. Yet, according to executive respondents, allowing personal technologies in the workplace is not a strong recruitment or retention tool. Less than one-third (32 percent globally and 34 percent in Canada) of business leaders have changed policies to make their workplace more appealing to younger employees. Even fewer (20 percent globally and 24 percent in Canada) believe allowing personal computing technologies in the enterprise will benefit recruitment and retention efforts.

In fact, when asked about the impact of personal computing technologies on company culture, the majority of executive respondents (58 percent globally and 71 percent in Canada) said the greatest outcome was the ability for their employees to work from anywhere, followed by their employees being more willing to work after hours (42 percent globally and 49 percent in Canada).

“Our research shows more than three quarters of Canadian executives are comfortable with employees bringing their own devices into the workplace and this is a great indicator that business environments and mindsets are changing,” said Benoit Bertrand, vice president and chief technology officer at Avanade Canada. “To capitalize on the benefits consumer technologies can bring to the workplace, business leaders should consider extending existing application investments to maximize the new way employees work.”

Though media coverage has made iPhones and iPads synonymous with the consumerization of IT, Avanade’s survey found that while Apple is certainly a factor in the consumerization of IT, it is far from alone in driving the trend. According to business and IT leaders, the most popular consumer-owned devices being used in the enterprise are Android smartphones, BlackBerry smartphones and Apple laptops.

Another related myth is that these devices are being used to check email and browse social networks. But Avanade’s research revealed a major shift in the way employees are using their personal technologies in the enterprise. Employees have evolved beyond straight content consumption — checking email or Facebook — and are now increasingly using mission-critical enterprise applications.

When asked which applications and services employees were using, executives cited customer relationship management (45 percent globally and 42 percent in Canada), time and expense tracking applications (44 percent globally and 42 percent in Canada) and enterprise resource planning (38 percent globally and 32 percent in Canada).

Despite perceptions that businesses are hesitant to embrace the consumerization of IT, Avanade’s global survey found companies are embracing the change and it is executives at the highest levels in the enterprise leading the charge. Key findings include:

• An overwhelming majority (88 percent globally and 87 percent in Canada) of respondents report employees are using their personal computing technologies for business purposes today
• The majority of C-level executives (65 percent globally and 66 percent in Canada) report the consumerization of IT is a top priority in their organization
• On average, companies are allocating 25 percent (21 percent in Canada) of their overall IT budgets to manage the consumerization of IT
• The majority of companies (60 percent globally and in Canada) are now adapting their IT infrastructure to accommodate employees’ personal technologies

“Progressive CIOs and IT organizations have moved from gatekeepers of consumer technology to enablers of these innovative devices, applications and services to meet employee needs and demands,” said Tyson Hartman, Avanade’s global chief technology officer. “The consumerization of IT provides companies with an opportunity to transform the role of IT from a function focused on mitigating risk into a strategic enabler that leverages the breadth of today’s powerful consumer technologies to drive business results.”

Avanade’s global survey was conducted by Wakefield Research, an independent research firm, in October to November 2011, and surveyed 605 C-level executives, IT decision makers and business unit leaders at top companies located in 17 countries across North America, Europe, South America and Asia.

Talent Technology conducted a State of Recruiting Survey last fall, surveying over 1,100 recruitment professionals across North America giving many valuable insights to help companies put their recruiting plans together. The full report is now available, along with a webinar on February 7th, which will not only explain the results in detail, but also give tips to gain a competitive advantage in the upcoming war for talent.  

Social recruiting is the hot topic in recruiting today, and it’s use is increasing. While over 60% of our respondents use LinkedIn for recruiting, they said only 12.5% of candidates come from social recruiting. Despite claims of job boards demise, they remain to be the top listed place to find candidates at 17%.

The survey results are also proof corporate and economic growth is coming in 2012! While the war for skilled talent heats up and drives tough competition for the best candidates, building a solid recruiting strategy is critical for success in 2012. This isn’t an easy task, even for the most experienced HR professional.

Talent Technology is offering a Talent Generation Strategy Review to make sure companies are aligning their recruitment practices and goals to ensure success in 2012. The complimentary review will include:

• Review of the current state of your recruiting practices, including recruitment marketing, talent sourcing, social recruiting, talent networks, career portals, candidate engagement and employment branding
• Discuss plans for your 2012 Talent Generation Strategy
• Look at how Talent Generation can drive strategic advantage for your business

“We are excited to see over 60% of companies are experiencing signs of recovery from economic difficulties,” says James Thomas, VP of Marketing at Talent Technology.  ”With an increased demand for candidates, and good skilled candidates being harder and harder to find, it will become more critical to build a solid talent generation strategy to lead you to recruitment success for 2012.”

“Site speed is a constantly moving target,” said Jonathan Bixby, CEO, Strangeloop Networks. “We’re always hearing numbers from one-off reports, but trying to compare these reports is an apples-and-oranges exercise. Our goal in conducting these annual surveys is to establish a baseline across a large set of sites, then measure these sites every year and revisit that baseline. By doing this, we can identify changes and trends that will be useful to site owners and the web performance community at large.”

The survey used WebPagetest – a third-party tool that measures page load times from a real user’s perspective – to test each site’s home page via the WebPagetest server in Dulles, VA, as the site would appear to a visitor using the following browsers on DSL: Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 7, and Chrome.

The report reveals seven key findings, including:

• The average site is 10% faster now than it was one year ago. While this is encouraging, it is far from the ideal load time of 2 seconds, as identified by decades of research into human-computer interaction. Research has found that 57% of site visitors will abandon a page after waiting 3 seconds for it to load.
• Top-ranked sites are slower, not faster, than the rest of the pack. The primary reason: bigger pages containing more objects (files such as images, CSS, and JavaScript).
• Web pages are getting bigger, year after year. The average home page contains 98 page objects, a 13% increase from last year. In 1995, the average page contained just 2.3 objects.
• Internet Explorer 9 outperformed other browsers. Pages loaded 4-5% faster in IE9 than they did in Firefox and Chrome.

“The question everyone should be asking is: what do these findings mean for me and my site?” said Bixby. “The key takeaway here is that the pursuit of faster websites is a neverending race. As pages continue to grow in size and complexity, many site owners are barely managing to stay ahead. Newer browsers help somewhat – as does using a content delivery network to cache your content closer to your visitors – but only somewhat. Site owners who want to do more than keep their heads above water need to expand their acceleration toolkit.”

“Online banking continues to steadily grow in popularity. Canadians appreciate the convenience of 24/7 access to their accounts and the speed with which online transactions are conducted,” says Rhonda Grunier, Vice President of Financial Sector research at TNS Canada. “But this doesn’t mean that branch banking is on its way out. The proportion of Canadians who visited a branch in the past month has been stable since 2005. The banks recognize the value of having personal contact with customers at the branch, and many have stepped up efforts to attract customers to the branch, for example, by having branches open on the weekend and improving amenities, such as adding customer lounges.”

The survey also found that mobile banking is taking off, with one out of four Smartphone owners using a mobile banking service. “This is quite an impressive number, considering that mobile banking apps have only been fully rolled out by the banks for about a year now,” says Rhonda Grunier.

TNS Canada’s annual How Canadians Bank study has been monitoring trends in Canadians’ usage of various banking channels since 1994. For the 2011 wave, 2,009 Canadians aged 18 and over were surveyed between October 5^th and November 14^th, 2011, using a self-administered questionnaire.

Overall, compared to Q3 results, the Mobility index has risen from 103 to 105 points (levels last seen in Q1 and Q2 of 2011). This increase indicates more employees worldwide expect to be employed elsewhere over the next 6 months.

In a global context, no other country has experienced greater movement in the labour market in Q4 as Canada has, with an increase of 12 points over the last quarter. Belgium (+8), Switzerland (+5) and Argentina (+5) have also seen an increase while Singapore (-7) has experienced a decline in the fourth quarter.

Randstad Canada President Jan Hein Bax says high mobility generates greater opportunities for organizations to attract new talent. “When employees have an increased willingness to change jobs, it means employers have a strong chance of securing the right talent to suit their organizational objectives,” he says.

“At Randstad Canada, we see first-hand the frustrations that many organizations face as they struggle to attract the right talent for their business needs. This task can be particularly difficult when mobility is high and workers are on the move. But the winners in the war for talent will be the organizations that have invested in their recruitment strategies and in their employer brand.”

In Canada, 57 percent of adults and 55 percent of children aged 8-17 years old surveyed do not think about the long-term impact of their online activities on their personal reputation, and only 37 percent of adults and 41 per cent of children think about the long-term impact of their online activities on the reputations of others.

“Protecting what you share online is very important. Online information can affect your friendships, promotions and job offers. It shapes how people see you,” said John Weigelt, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada. “Without protection, your personal data can also be used against you in online fraud or by unwanted marketers. Canadians need to protect themselves and help children get into the right habits as well.”

The results showed that children could use more help managing their online reputations from their parents. Only one-third (34%) of parents surveyed help their children manage their online reputations. Children 8-14 years old are more than twice as likely to receive parental help as children 15-17 years old (66% vs. 25%). Among children who posted information online at a social networking site, children 15-17 years old were more likely to experience a negative consequence to their online reputation compared to children 8-14 years old (62% vs. 50%).

The survey also showed that uploading photos in general is not viewed as a major contributor to online profiles. While only 6 percent of adults and 9 percent of children responded that it was a major contributor, photos are considered one of the biggest influences on online reputations.

To help Canadians put their best digital foot forward, Microsoft Canada offers the following tips to help cultivate and maintain a positive online reputation:

• Think before you share.
• Think about what you are posting (particularly photos and videos), who you are sharing the information with, and how it will impact your reputation. Talk with friends and family about what you do and do not want shared about you and ask them to remove anything you don’t want disclosed.
• 11 percent of Canadian adults have been negatively impacted by the online activities of friends or family. Of those, 13 percent believed it led to being fired from a job, 8 percent being refused health care, 6 percent believed it resulted in being turned down for a job they were applying for, and 11 percent being turned down for a mortgage.
• Stay vigilant and conduct your own “reputation report” from time to time.
• Search all variations of your name in Bing and other popular search engines, and evaluate if the results reflect the reputation you’d like to share with current or future employers, colleagues, friends and family members.
• Research found that 39 percent of Canadian adults rarely or never do this.
• Consider separating your professional and personal profiles.
• When job hunting, applying to a school or looking for new insurance or a loan, remember that your overall online profile can be a determining factor for hiring managers and application reviewers. Be sure to use different email addresses, screen names, referring blogs and websites for each profile, and avoid cross-referencing personal sites.
• 56 percent of Canadian adults think about taking steps to keep their work and personal profiles private; however, 15 percent of Canadian adults have shared information online that was intended to remain private. Most commonly shared are details about one’s personal life (61%) and personal photos (35%).
• Adjust your privacy settings.
• In Internet Explorer 9 or other Web browsers, and on social networking sites, personal blogs and other places where you maintain personal data, use privacy settings to help you manage who can see your information, search for you on online networking sites, and how you can block unwanted access.
• According to our research, 34 per cent of Canadian adults do not use privacy settings on social networking sites.
• Be a good digital citizen.
• The web has a long memory. Always conduct yourself in a civil manner, showing respect for those with whom you engage.
• Microsoft offers guidance on how to be a better digital citizen in our Digital Citizenship in Action Toolkit.

“Do you have to make a decision quickly? Do you need to know what your customers think and how the market will react? You can find out what your customers want in fewer than 24 hours and be ready to meet their needs. At Leger Marketing, we offer you the power to decide now,” explains Jean-Marc Leger, President of Leger Marketing.

Developed around a new and proven survey technology, Leger Marketing’s 24-Hour Survey is made possible thanks to its Canada-wide Internet panel of more than 400,000 people. The 24-Hour Survey – offered in Quebec, Ontario and across Canada – allows clients to get the results for 5 questions answered by 500 Quebeckers or 1,000 Canadians in only 24 hours.

This new decision-making tool allows you to validate the relevance of an advertising campaign, determine the impact of an event on your reputation, verify the scope of a rumour in the social media, better manage a crisis, or find out what the public thinks of a new product or service.

The Barometer was commissioned by GE and conducted by independent research and consulting firm StrategyOne to identify drivers and deterrents of innovation and to analyze perceptions around innovation opportunities and challenges.

The study compares Canada’s perception of innovation — as it relates to satisfaction and optimism within the country — to 21 other markets from around the world, including the US, China, Brazil and Germany. This builds on the first report that included 11 countries and was released at Davos in January 2011.  Overall, Canadian respondents show above average satisfaction with the way the country’s innovation framework has evolved over the last five years and are optimistic about the value innovation brings to society as a whole.  However, dissatisfaction was expressed with the speed at which innovative products are coming to market, the availability of private investment, and the efficiency of government in its approach to organizing, coordinating and allocating resources to support innovation.

When referring to innovation in the 21^st century, Canadian respondents had an above average association with high level scientific research compared to people’s creativity.  However Canadian respondents identified creative and out of the box thinking as the most important factor to drive innovation in their businesses.

“Increased creativity particularly in the areas of business processes and commercialization is important to our future success,” says Elyse Allan, President and CEO, GE Canada.

The study notes that Canada lacks an international reputation in the area of innovation.  Only 3 percent of global respondents report Canada as a Top 3 Innovation Champion, while 91 percent of Canadian respondents report that Canada has a good reputation for Innovation.

“Canadians share a global conviction that innovation is a key driver of economic transformation, however we need to increase the speed at which innovative products are coming to market, improve the efficiency of public/private support, and tell a stronger story globally, if we want to improve productivity and drive next generation innovation,” notes  Allan.  “The Barometer’s findings reinforce GE’s perspective on Canadian innovation, and recent decisions to invest in several new centres of excellence and innovation.”

The 2012 Global Innovation Barometer validates the importance of investing in innovation as a critical piece of global competitiveness.  This investment comes in many forms – from traditional R&D to new products, markets and business models.  Governments and business both have an important role in ensuring the right conditions for meaningful innovation are supported in order for countries to deliver value and meaningful solutions that promote competitiveness and prosperity.

“Adding red tape oversight to the mandate of the Auditor General is a really innovative idea. If the federal government moves on this it will show it is very, very serious about eliminating dumb and ineffective rules and improving government customer service,” said Catherine Swift, CFIB president and member of the Federal Red Tape Reduction Commission.

The Commission’s report includes a wide range of other recommendations to reduce and control red tape including: implementing “one-for-one” legislation that eliminates one existing regulation and its associated costs for every new regulation introduced; requiring government departments to improve customer service; reviewing government publications to make sure they are using plain language; reporting regulatory requirements; and making part of senior public servants’ bonuses conditional on successfully implementing the “one-for-one” rule.

“These recommendations are common sense—they will save Canada’s job creators time and money, while not costing taxpayers. It’s the ultimate stimulus package,” said Laura Jones, CFIB senior vice-president, Research and Economics. CFIB estimates that regulation costs Canadian businesses over $30 billion a year, with about 25 per cent of that cost ($7.5 billion) being unnecessary red tape.

The Commission was announced by Prime Minister Harper on January 14, 2011, during CFIB’s second annual Red Tape Awareness Week™, where he called red tape “a silent killer of jobs.”  The mandate of the Commission is to identify red tape irritants and recommend long-term solutions to control red tape.

The results of this survey informed the themes explored in the CIF. Hot topics among Canadians included digital literacy, security and safety, access/cost, digital economy, policy and governance, and technology and regulation.

Registration for CIF is free and the event will also feature a panel of Canadian and international experts who will discuss the state and future of the Internet in Canada, and a leading Canadian technology thinker will provide the keynote address. The event will include sessions for participants to provide their feedback and ideas about the Internet in Canada and internationally.

The CIF will be webcast in English and French to facilitate the interactive participation of all Canadians who are interested in Canada’s role in Internet governance.

The results of the consultations and the national event will be presented to the United Nations-coordinated Internet Governance Forum, a venue for nations to discuss the future of the Internet.

“With roughly 100,000 brand pages on Facebook currently collectively boasting over 1 Billion followers, it is clear that companies large and small have learnt how to build a following online. Now, the questions top managers are asking are ‘Is social media working for us? Is it making us money?’ Tools that can answer these questions will be hot stuff in 2012,” said Tom Liacas, M.A., Parta Dialogue’s VP Social Media.

Market activity directly reflects the rising value accorded to social media analytics solutions, according to Liacas. Parta Dialogue is actively working on the rollout of a suite of campaign analytics solutions for 2012, beginning with a social media cost-efficiency calculator named “e-Value™.”

“Two recent milestones in this area are the acquisition of analytics company Omniture, by Adobe, for $1.8 billion in 2009 and the recent 2011 buyout of Radian 6′s social media monitoring software by Salesforce. Both of these transactions demonstrate that large online solutions providers are eagerly looking to acquire analytics tools to answer client demand,” states Liacas. “This tool is the first building block for credible ROI calculation. Companies that use it to measure their social media campaign efficiency will quickly learn whether their efforts on social media are reaching full potential and also how they compare to thousands of other brands doing the same.”

That is just one of the findings unveiled today as Deloitte launches the global Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions 2012 report and accompanying Canadian presentation series revealing the top TMT trends that Canadian businesses can expect to see in 2012.

The much anticipated 11^th edition of Deloitte’s TMT Predictions provides highly useful global insights into emerging technology, media and telecommunications trends. Deloitte’s TMT Predictions will be of significant interest to consumers and help businesses determine how and where billions of infrastructure, investment and marketing dollars will be spent in the year ahead and beyond. The 2012 Canadian TMT Predictions are based on in-depth interviews and research, input from Deloitte clients and alumni, industry analysts, leading global TMT executives and more than 7,000 Deloitte TMT member firm practitioners.

“The growth rate of multi-tablet households has been nothing short of astonishing” says Duncan Stewart, Director, Deloitte Canada Research and co-author of TMT Predictions 2012. “It took several decades for more than five percent of households to have more than one car, telephone, radio or TV. For personal computers or cell phones, it took more than 10 years before five percent of homes had more than one. But with tablets, it will be less than three years.”

According to Stewart, one way those tablets are being used is getting consumers through the morning rush hour.

“A combination of consumer desire for connected activity, the continuing respect for broadcast television schedules and growing traffic congestion has led to the rise of a new phenomenon, the ‘catch-up commuter’ who, globally in 2012, could watch an additional five billion hours of television on the way to and from work. Those extra hours are of huge interest to advertisers.”

2012 will also see dramatic developments in Near Field Communications (NFC), the technology which allows mobile devices like smart phones to ‘swipe’-transfer information to terminals and other devices. The number of NFC-enabled devices is expected to double this year. NFC has many applications for everything from security to gaming to the “digital wallet”, which will offer new opportunities for retailers and financial companies while being hugely convenient for consumers.

“We used to talk about the ‘last mile’ in communications” says Richard Lee, Deloitte Canada’s National TMT Leader. “Now, with NFC, it’s more about the ‘last inch and a half’ that will enable mobile phones to securely download information at the security check point, ATM machine or point-of-sale terminal. As the technology is perfected and as consumers accept it, the nature of literally billions of transactions will change.”

These are the 10 most significant TMT trends that will impact Canada in 2012:

Full details about the global TMT Predictions and Canadian report are available  online or view on the following social media channels and vehicles:

• Ustream – Watch the Montreal event live at 8:00 a.m. EST on January 18th

• Twitter – hashtag #TMT Predictions

• Flickr - See photos of the TMT events

• Facebook

• YouTube

In addition, the predictions will be showcased in a 12-stop cross-country TMT Predictions road show series:

• Toronto – January 17
• Montreal – January 18
• Quebec City – January 19
• Ottawa – January 20
• St. John’s – January 23
• Halifax – January 24
• Saint John – January 25
• Saskatoon – January 26
• Edmonton – January 27
• Vancouver – January 30
• Calgary – January 31
• Winnipeg – February 1

TNS’s Digital Life study is the most comprehensive insight into how 72,000 consumers – including 1,000 Canadians – behave online and why they do what they do. The study shows businesses across Canada and around the world are failing to develop social network profiles that speak directly to customers quickly and cheaply.

The study reveals that 54 per cent of Canadians do not want to engage with brands via social media – rising to 60 per cent in the US and 61 per cent in the UK. Canadians also engage less with brands online with only 28 per cent of digital consumers in Canada commenting on brands online compared to the global average of 47 per cent.

Although only 44 per cent of Canadians see social networks as a good place to learn about brands, this goes up considerably – to 81 per cent – when a friend recommends or endorses at brand.

Ron Caughlin, Vice President, Marketing and Digital at TNS Canada, said: “It’s a ‘Digital Wasteland’ out there – winning and maintaining brand loyalty is now harder than ever. Misguided digital strategies are generating mountains of digital waste, from friendless Facebook accounts to blogs no one reads, which is polluting the digital world and making it harder for brands to be heard. While the online world presents massive opportunity for brands, this requires tailored marketing strategies to realise this potential.”

TNS’s Digital Life study shows 39 per cent of Canadians who post comments on companies do so for the simple desire to share advice – with Romanians the most helpful online communicators (55 per cent).

Findings show that more Canadians like to praise than complain online (16 per cent vs 12 per cent), compared to Spaniards, who are the least likely to praise online, with just one in ten people saying that they would do so.  Although Canadians are positive a lot they are still one of the most likely to complain about brands online (12 per cent) compared to 12 per cent in the US or 11 per cent in the UK.

Interestingly, motivations of online commentators can be self-serving as 59 per cent of Canadians are driven to engage with brands online by a promotion or special offer.

The study also reveals big geographic contrasts which highlight the risks of brands employing a catch-all approach that doesn’t take the needs of different consumers into consideration.

When examining global contrasts, TNS found that consumers in fast growth markets are incredibly keen to spend more time and money online than they currently do – presenting major growth opportunities for brands. Nonetheless, infrastructure challenges need to be overcome in these countries before businesses can really tap into the enthusiasm for the digital world.

48 per cent of people already online in fast growth markets would use the internet more if it was less expensive – rising sharply in Africa, to 81 per cent of people in Ghana, 71 per cent in Nigeria and 68 per cent in Kenya.

Likewise, while just a quarter (25 per cent) of Canadians see social networks as a place to buy products, this rises to 48 per cent across fast growth markets. Some of the most eager online consumers are found in India, where 59 per cent see social networks as a good place to buy products from brands.

And when it comes to online shopping habits, Asian consumers are leading the adoption of group buying and purchase via mobile. Almost half (46 per cent) of digital consumers in China already use group buying tools – in stark contrast to Canada where adoption rates are as low as 13 per cent.

Ron Caughlin added: “The key is to understand your local target audience and what they want from your brand – it could be that social networks aren’t always the right approach. If consumers in one market don’t want to be talked to, businesses should consider an alternative online method – e.g. creating owned digital media platforms, targeted sponsorship or search campaigns – to engage in an appropriate way that will achieve business results.”

The adoption of shopping via mobile is also on rise in the Canada – 13 per cent of mobile internet users in Canada shop on their phone compared to just two per cent in Egypt.  However, Canada lags behind China and South Korea at 34 per cent. Interestingly, 10 per cent of mobile users also visit pre-purchase and browsing sites daily to research products

“There is a huge appetite for increased internet access and mobile services among consumers in fast growth markets. Digital Life shows that as online communities mature, brands that cut through the digital noise have fantastic potential to drive rapid growth from this nascent consumer base,” Ron Caughlin added.

TNS has made some of the key findings from this study available to the public via an interactive data visualisation developed in partnership with Digit London (UK).

Authored by Trend Micro threat researchers, this year’s report revisits past predictions, and summarizes notable threat incidents and security wins throughout 2011 including:

• Mobile Threats Reached New Levels: Trend Micro threat researchers tracked a staggering spike in the volume of mobile malware, especially those targeting the Android platform.
• Spammers Gained: 2011 was a profitable year for social media threats, spammers and scammers who leveraged the trending topics of social networking sites to improve upon their social engineering and hacking tactics, stealing the data of millions of social networkers worldwide. Consequently, regulators have started demanding that social networking sites implement policies and mechanisms to protect the privacy of their users.
• Less Attacks, More Vulnerability: while the number of publicly reported vulnerabilities decreased from 4,651 in 2010 to 4,155 in 2011,exploit attacks evolved with higher complexity and sophistication. Exploit attacks in 2011 were targeted, original, and well controlled, the most notable of which set their sights on CVE-2011-3402, CVE-2011-3544, and CVE-2011-3414, along with a couple of Adobe product zero-day vulnerabilities that were exploited in the wild.
• Biggest Win: Despite an aggressive cybercriminal landscape, Trend Micro, along with its industry partners and law enforcement authorities achieved some remarkable and strategic wins this year. One of them - Operation Ghost Click – reached success after five years of stealth tracking and working closely with the FBI. Trend Micro, the only security company that was involved, was able to assist the FBI in what was noted as the biggest cybercriminal takedown in history.

“Reflecting back on 2011, I am very proud of what we’ve achieved. But our work is never done. With 3.5 new threats created every second, and as businesses and consumers take the journey to the cloud, the risk of data and financial loss are greater than ever,” said Raimund Genes, CTO. “As a company (and as an industry), we must continue to evolve and create better, data-centric security products for the post-PC era. Users need greater visibility and assurance into who is accessing their data, when, where and how.

“By sharing our observations about the past year, we hope to contribute to a better understanding among those who live and work on line about our strong belief that data needs to be protected at all times and in all places – at rest, in motion, or whose device or data centre it is residing in,” said Jim Short, Trend Micro Canada’s General Manager.

Please note that online registration for this event closes end of day February 1st, 2012, and at press time there were only 14 spots left. The one hour presentation will take place at The Boiler House @ The Distillery District (55 Mill Street) on Thursday February 2nd, beginning at 4:00 p.m, and will be followed by an eLATED social mixer.

The evening will be led by Dr. Friedberg, who holds a Doctorate in molecular genetics & biotechnology from the University of Guelph,  and has been extensively involved in both public and private scientific education outreach programs, teaching about all aspects of biology. He has consulted, designed, and developed interactive education assets for audiences from textbooks to museum style exhibits. Dr. Friedberg has been teaching for over 10 years and has taught at a number of Ontario Universities including the University of Western Ontario, the University Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo, and the University of Toronto.

Approximately 66.5% of nation-wide participants indicated that they are expecting business growth in 2012, with only 5.3% projecting a decline. The optimism continues with the projected National average base salary increase climbing to 3.23% for 2012, with the highest provincial base salary projections as follows:

The industries leading the 2012 projections for base salary increases are:

With Canada’s 2012 economic growth outlook looking bright, many of the critical challenges Human Resource groups are facing relate to talent. From the Wynford 2011 Fall Flash Compensation Survey results, the top three HR challenges were:

While past years’ challenges reflecting how organizations adjusted to the economic downturn, the current challenges focus on hiring and retaining employees, as the employment picture brightens, particularly in Western Canada.

The Wynford Group has been closely monitoring trends in Human Capital strategies since 2008. The chart below tracks some of the drastic changes that have occurred since the beginning of the recession in 2008. Key trends include:

• The recovery is in full swing with few staff reductions and recruitment now back to normal levels.
• Significant increases in the hiring of summer students and training budgets indicates growing skill and talent gaps.
• The increases in training budgets and use of retirees indicates a “talent squeeze” between New Hires and the Retirees supported by the increased Human Capital investment in those areas.

The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the market. Essential resource for top-line data and analysis covering the Canada software market. Includes market size and segmentation data, textual and graphical analysis of market growth trends, leading companies and macroeconomic information.

Report Highlights

• The computer software market consists of systems and application software. Systems software comprises operating systems, network and database management and other systems software. Application software comprises general business productivity and home use applications, cross-industry and vertical market applications, and other application software. Market value figures are assessed at manufacturer selling price (MSP), based on revenues from software sales and licenses. Any currency conversions used in the creation of this report have been calculated using constant 2010 annual average exchange rates.
• The Canadian software market had total revenue of $6.6 billion in 2010, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.9% between 2006 and 2010.
• Other application software sales proved the most lucrative for the Canadian software market in 2010, with total revenues of $2.4 billion, equivalent to 36% of the market’s overall value.
• The performance of the market is forecast to accelerate, with an anticipated CAGR of 2.6% for the five-year period 2010 – 2015.

What are the main segments that make up Canada’s software market?

• International Business Machines Corporation
• Microsoft Corporation
• Oracle Corporation
• Symantec Corporation

Features

• Save time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the size, growth, major segments, and leading players in the software market in Canada
• Use the Five Forces analysis to determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of the software market in Canada
• Leading company profiles reveal details of key software market players’ global operations and financial performance
• Add weight to presentations and pitches by understanding the future growth prospects of the Canada software market with five year forecasts
• Macroeconomic indicators provide insight into general trends within the Canada economy

Key Questions Answered

• What was the size of the Canada software market by value in 2010?
• What will be the size of the Canada software market in 2015?
• What factors are affecting the strength of competition in the Canada software market?
• How has the market performed over the last five years?
• What are the main segments that make up Canada’s software market?

“It’s encouraging to see Canadians giving generously to causes that help those who are less fortunate,” said Marvi Ricker, Vice President & Managing Director of Philanthropic Services, BMO Harris Private Banking. “However, it’s important, especially during the holidays, to be mindful that our generosity can be abused. Unfortunately, every December many Canadians fall prey to pleas for assistance that appear on the surface to be genuine and legitimate but then turn out to be fraudulent.”

BMO Harris Private Banking’s Marvi Ricker offers the following advice on how Canadians can spot and avoid fraudulent charitable requests this holiday season:

Verify Legitimacy: Ask those soliciting donations for proof of their identity and to provide the charity’s registered name, address and telephone number. Once this information is provided, be sure to verify with the Canada Revenue Agency Charity Registry that the organization is a registered charity or is affiliated with one. If you suspect something is not right but still want to donate, call the charity to ensure that they are aware of the solicitation by the individual.

Avoid Giving Cash: If the agency turns out not to be a registered charity, it is difficult to reclaim cash donations. Offer to make a donation online (after you do your research), or write a cheque and address it to the charity rather than the soliciting individual.

Be Wary of Rewards: Sound too good to be true? It probably is. Some illegitimate groups will promise grand prizes and sweepstakes as a reward for making a contribution. Be aware that most charitable organizations offer minimal to no incentives, as contributions tend to go directly to the cause itself.

Where is your money going? Be sure to ask solicitors where your charitable donations will be going within the organization, specifying what percentage will be credited to its solicitors, and how much to the cause. Legitimate, registered charities will have this information readily available.

Obtain a Tax Receipt: Always ask for proof that your contribution has been submitted. Not only will this benefit you at tax-time, but if a charity is unable to provide you with an official receipt, it is a warning sign that the charity is not registered.

“Whether we’re trying to exercise more, eat a bit less, or stop drunk texting our exes, going cold turkey is way less fun than eating cold turkey,” says Andrew Bridge, Managing Director, Virgin Mobile Canada. “Some people say that rules are made to be broken, and Canadians are a lot more adventurous than people think!”

• No willpower. 15% of Canadians admit breaking their resolutions by the first week and 19% can’t even make it past the first 24 hours.
• Avoiding temptation or playing it smart? 49% of Canadians don’t even bother with New Year’s resolutions! Albertans are the least likely to make resolutions with 56% of them avoiding the New Year’s tradition altogether.
• Must… not… break… Only one in five Canadians (19%) can last all year without breaking their pledges. We don’t know who they are, but we idolize them.

When asked to share their resolution, the top pick was to better keep in touch with friends and family (15%) -  while some of the other top resolution picks include:

• Quit smoking (8%)
• Fall in love (7%)
• Get better grades/get promoted (6%)
• Drink less alcohol (5%)

We asked, you told us, and here are some of your verbatim individual answers . From having more sex to having less, here are our favourite picks for the craziest resolutions Canadians have ever made¹!

“With texting, tweeting and Facebook right at our fingertips, we’ve never had such close contact to our friends and family to provide some moral support,” says Bridge. “And, of course, our Members are never alone. If you feel your willpower slipping away, just tweet at @virginmobilecan and we’ll give you the boost you need with some inspirational love or even an e-hug!”

The survey specifically questions behaviour in regards to the use of social networking sites that access address books, unencrypted Wi-Fi usage at public hotspots and familiarity with known phishing techniques. The survey also covers end-user attitudes towards spam once it manages to arrive in their inbox. Results of the survey will be released in Q1 of 2012.

It’s the same story for tablet use. Six per cent of producers own a tablet, as do 6% of Canadians. Tablet adoption is expected to be highest among current smartphone users. More than half (53%) of Canadian producers who own a smartphone today plan to buy a tablet within two years. With a strong web connection, these devices can turn vehicles and farm machinery into a mobile office where producers can conveniently place orders, market products, and monitor weather, interest rates and grain markets, for example.

“Getting access to relevant financial data and economic information can be a real advantage in a fast-moving marketplace. Innovation has always been a major driver of profitability in agriculture and mobile technology is just one more tool available to gain a competitive edge,” says Jean-Philippe Gervais, FCC Senior Agriculture Economist.

“Canadian producers are innovative and have historically adopted new technology so we weren’t surprised by the survey results. However, it does emphasize that organizations like ours and others which serve the complex and dynamic industry of agriculture need to be considering ways to make information increasingly technology-friendly,” said FCC Chief Operating Officer, Rémi Lemoine.

Additional survey highlights:

• One third of producers (36%) will try new technology once they hear positive feedback from their peers.
• 81% of Canadian producers own a cell phone.
• Smartphones are owned most often by producers under 40 (41%) compared to their peers over the age of 40 (26%).
• Of the one third of producers who own a smartphone (29%), the majority are using a Blackberry (63%), while 24% are using an iPhone.
• 50% of producers who don’t own a smartphone say they will never own one, while the other half expect to have one within the next two years.
• 86% of respondents have high speed Internet.

“The survey is another reminder that agriculture is a progressive industry,” says FCC President and CEO Greg Stewart. “The agriculture and agri-food industry employs one in eight people in Canada and feeds people around the world through exports to nearly 200 countries. New technology and innovation are going to continue to be a strategic advantage in helping to ensure that Canada remains a leader in the new global knowledge economy.”

FCC Vision Panel members – over 9,000 producers and agribusiness and agri-food operators – were asked about their use of technology in June 2011. The survey was sent to 9,190 Vision panelists and 4,121 responded translating into a 45% response rate. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 1%, 19 times out of 20 on a sample of this size.

There are high expectations for technology in 2012, with young men being the most optimistic that the power of technology will improve their lives. The poll was conducted by Vision Critical in December 2011 among more than 1,000 adult Canadian smartphone or tablet users. This survey is the first of the Rogers Innovation Report, a regular survey commissioned by Rogers to explore Canadians’ habits and views on technological innovations.

“The Rogers Innovation Report shows that technology is making smartphone and tablet users’ lives easier and better and they expect that these advances will continue,” says Upinder Saini, Vice President of Product Development, Rogers Communications. “Now that they’ve seen all that technology can do to improve their lives, they crave more.”

According to those surveyed, the top technology predictions include:

Smaller and lighter laptops - Chiropractors can expect to see fewer shoulder injuries from heavy laptop bags with 85 per cent of those surveyed believing that laptops will continue to get smaller and lighter and fit into a handbag.

Faster network speeds – 83 per cent of those surveyed say that faster networks are on their way, allowing us to seamlessly play mobile games, stream videos, movies and music on the go.

Bulging back pocket begone - Say goodbye to the old leather wallet as 79 per cent of those surveyed expect that more people will use their smartphones to make purchases over the next few years.

Turn on the lights with your smartphone - 82 per cent believe that devices will be connected and that one device will control systems inside and outside the home. The majority welcome a way to adjust the heat, air conditioning, lights and security system through their mobile device.

Smartphone love - Dependency on smartphones is high with 85 per cent of those surveyed saying they are attached to their devices. Seven per cent describe themselves as “ridiculously” attached and 22 per cent say they “wouldn’t want to live without it” or “would be lost without” their smartphones. Thirty-nine per cent² of Canadians say they take their smartphones to bed or have them on the nightstand and 23 per cent have the urge to use them in the bathroom.

Living in the cloud - 81 per cent of respondents believe that they will be able to access their movies, photos and documents anywhere virtually. The majority (68%) believe that technology advancements will mean less clutter and more shelf space as files, books, music, movies and pictures will be stored virtually.

Books are here to stay – Survey participants still believe in printed books, with just 37 per cent believing that e-readers and tablets will replace printed books.

“Canadians are connecting to each other and to devices that are literally transforming their daily lives,” says Saini. “We have only scratched the surface of what the Internet can do for us. I get very excited when I think about where technology is taking us. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it. The future is here and more is coming.”

Survey Criteria

¹ From December 6th  to December 7th  2011, Vision Critical conducted an online survey was conducted among 1,010 randomly selected adult Canadians that own and use a smartphone or tablet, who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to ensure a representative sample. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

² On November 18-21, 2011 Vision Critical conducted an online survey among 1,003 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada.

“Fraud is a 24/7 business, one that has tremendous impact on the Canadian economy,” said Wes Gill, Executive Lead and Head, Governance, Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance, SAS Canada. “Running business analytics continuously helps companies reduce the economic impact of fraud by closing the doors on fraudsters.”

Fraud prevention business analytics software helps companies quickly identify unseen relationships between participants in criminal rings, a major problem in the auto insurance industry; create predictive models that can help indicate when and where fraud may occur; and identify seemingly insignificant activities that may indicate an occurrence of fraud.

While it is no surprise that financial executives say fraud prevention is a priority (only one executive surveyed, out of more than 100, said it was not a priority), less than 80 per cent of executives in education (76 per cent) and health (78 per cent) cited fraud prevention and detection as a priority.

The vast majority of executives (8 in 10) said their organization has been impacted by fraud attempts, with external attempts being slightly more prevalent than internal. Thirty-two per cent said external fraud attempts (customers, vendors, etc.) are more common, 24 per cent said internal attempts (employees, subcontractors, etc.) are more common, while 23 per cent said internal and external fraud attempts occur equally.

“For most companies, fraud does not usually come from one direction, rather all points of the compass,” Gill said. “Anti-fraud software can help cover all 360 degrees.”

Ten per cent of those affected by customer fraud said this costs their organization $1 million or more annually. The most impacted sectors were banking/finance (21 per cent) and government (17 per cent). When it came to internal/employee fraud, half as many (five per cent) of those affected by employee fraud said their organization loses $1 million or more annually. The financial sector was tops with 16 per cent saying their organization loses $1million or more annually to internal/employee fraud.

At first glance, it might appear that being Francophone is an inherent stumbling block to entrepreneurship, as there are twice as many entrepreneurs per capita in the English-speaking community (17.1%) as there are in the French-speaking community (7.9%). However, when we look at the situation outside Quebec, the percentages of entrepreneurs in the Francophone and Anglophone communities are much closer (14.9% and 17.0%, respectively).

In addition, among native-born Quebecers currently living in Quebec, 8.9% own a business. In comparison, 16.9% of native-born Quebecers currently residing elsewhere in Canada are entrepreneurs. In other words, native-born Quebecers, whatever their first language, are twice as likely to own a business if they move to another province. Clearly, the culprit here is not the French language – it’s our entrepreneurial culture.

Another phenomenon identified in the survey: many talented up-and-coming entrepreneurs are leaving the province. Among native-born Quebecers aged 35 or older (regardless of language), 10% of those living in Quebec are entrepreneurs, compared with 21.6% of those who become entrepreneurs after moving to another province.

One may be tempted to conclude that native-born Quebecers are more likely to develop an entrepreneurial mentality after they leave the province. After all, it seems only logical that an individual who is ambitious enough to move is more enterprising to begin with. However, the survey also shows that Canadians born outside Quebec who subsequently move to the province are much less entrepreneurially inclined (8.6%) than those who live elsewhere in Canada (16.7%)

In Quebec, the lack of acknowledgement of ambition as an entrepreneurial quality (Quebec: 19.2% vs. ROC: 30.2%), the negative perception of financial success (Quebec: 40.2% vs. ROC: 28.0%) and the overall aversion to risk (Quebec: 31.3% vs. ROC: 45.0%) are all key factors in a cultural equation that explains what is keeping our entrepreneurial potential from taking flight.

On the positive side, however, it is interesting to note that entrepreneurship is considered to be a desirable career choice by 62.6% of the population in Quebec, compared with 46.6% in the rest of Canada. This, combined with the higher value placed on business success, the open-minded attitude toward failure and the greater sense of competence with respect to going into a business, could very well help to usher in a more dynamic entrepreneurial culture in Quebec.

The administrative, legal and fiscal complexities associated with entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur support system represent barriers for 26.6% of Quebec venturers, compared with a mere 16.9% of venturers in the rest of Canada. Unsurprisingly, financial obstacles, both current and anticipated, remain the number-one hindrance to business creation both in Quebec (55.9% and 36.4%, respectively) and in the rest of Canada (65.5% and 38.0%, respectively).

“Like an entrepreneur who turns obstacles into opportunities, Quebec is poised to leverage the current situation and become an entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with,” said Alain Aubut. “One of the concrete signs of this is the entrepreneurship strategy that was recently unveiled by the Quebec government. Now, more than ever, we have the power to overcome our weaknesses and even turn them to our advantage by promoting a more concerted, engaged approach on the part of all public- and private-sector stakeholders. We now have an accurate picture of our entrepreneurial culture in Quebec and know what we have the power to change, so we can fully realize our entrepreneurship potential, both today and tomorrow.”

Fondation de l’entrepreneurship says that sincere thanks go out to Richard J. Renaud and Luigi Liberatore for making the English translation of the 2011 Quebec Entrepreneurship Index possible.

This Census will be the first time that anyone has succeeded in determining the impact New Media has on this province. The answers you provide in this census will directly answer the question of “Why does your work matter,” and “why should anyone care about New Media?”

If you believe your work in New Media stands for something in Manitoba, then let’s show it! Click on the link “Start Census Now”. Take a few minutes to answer and define your role in this awesome New Media Industry.

When you’re done, you will be directed back to our interactive forum where you can:

• Share the link to the survey with others using your favourite social network
• use the #NMMcensus hashtag to be heard on Twitter
• Discuss Manitoba’s new media industry with fellow practitioners
• Brag about how awesome you are for completing the questionnaire

What kind of impact will this survey have?

We will use the results of this survey – combined with secondary research, interview data and a detailed economic impact analysis – to:

• Show why new media matters and why people should care about the new media industry in Manitoba
• Improve and enhance and support programs for our industry—like the Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (MIDMTC) and the Commercialization Support for Business Program (CSB Program)
• Develop a provincial digital media strategy
• Assess our industry’s impact and influence on the Manitoba economy
• Guide the way the industry grows, in and outside of Manitoba

Where do I find the results?

As the Manitoba New Media Census begins to collect important data, we will compile and share the results anonymously here so you can discover the impact your work has in this province and why it’s so important.

All of this information will be shared through our interactive forum – so check back often. All of your responses to the survey will be kept strictly confidential and will only be presented (to NMM or anyone else) in aggregate.

Gartner Magic Quadrant for ECM

The Gartner report ( Gartner, Inc., “Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Content Management,” by Mark R. Gilbert, Karen M. Shegda, Kenneth Chin and Gavin Tay, October 13, 2011) provides an annual snapshot of the state of the ECM market. According to the report: “While budgets in many areas of information technology were under extreme pressure, enterprise content management (ECM) spending actually grew, by 5.1% in 2009 and by 7.6% in 2010. ECM software revenue alone was $3.9 billion in 2010. And we project this growth will continue — at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4% through 2015.”

The Gartner ECM Magic Quadrant report helps CIOs and business and IT leaders who are developing ECM strategies to assess whether vendors have the right products for them and enterprise platforms to support them.

According to Gartner, “Leaders have the highest combined scores for Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. They are doing well and are prepared for the future with a clearly articulated vision. In the context of ECM, they have strong channel partners, presence in multiple regions, consistent financial performance, broad platform support and good customer support. In addition, they dominate in one or more technology or vertical market. Leaders deliver a suite that addresses market demand for direct delivery of the majority of core components, though these are not necessarily owned by them, tightly integrated, unique or best-of-breed in each area.  We place more emphasis this year on demonstrated enterprise deployments; integration with other business applications and content repositories; incorporation of Web 2.0 and XML capabilities; and vertical-process and horizontal-solution focus. Leaders should drive market transformation. There are six Leaders in this year’s Magic Quadrant.”

*Gartner Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Forrester Wave for ECM

According to Forrester’s research (Forrester Research, Inc., “The Forrester Wave^TM: Enterprise Content Management, Q4 2011,” by Alan Weintraub), organizations “continue to grapple with an explosion of unstructured content” while “the types of content are becoming increasingly diverse.” Meanwhile, “information workers still demand simple and easy-to-use content management tools.” For this report, Forrester divided the ECM landscape into four areas:

• Foundational ECM applications such as library services, basic workflow, search and records management
• Business ECM  to drive the day-to-day workplace experience including team collaboration and enterprise rights management
• Transactional ECM technologies that connect content with the back office through imaging, document output management and business process management
• Persuasive ECM for influencing external audience behavior using web content management, digital asset management and document output for customer communications management

In its evaluation which looked at vendors across 66 criteria, Forrester positioned OpenText as a Leader in each of the four segments as well as a vendor who “lead[s] the pack across all ECM technologies,” citing the company’s ability to provide a “one-stop shop for ECM functionality.” Forrester further said “OpenText addresses foundational content with the strongest integration support among all evaluated vendors for [Microsoft] SharePoint.”

The quarterly American Express Small Business Monitor reveals that almost three-quarters (74%) believe it is getting harder to find good employees and 64 per cent of SBOs believe the demands of today’s job applicants exceed their qualifications. The majority (84%) of small business owners do believe they keep their best and brightest employees, but fewer (64%) say they consistently hire the best and brightest in their industry. In fact, only 11 per cent of respondents strongly agreed that they were able to do so.

The results couldn’t be timelier. With much of the Baby Boomer generation set to retire, nearly half (46%) of Canada’s small business owners anticipate a shortage of qualified job applicants in the coming years. A further 32 per cent are concerned about the impact this will have on their operations and 23 per cent expect to replace a significant proportion of their employees during this time frame.

In fact, nearly two-fifths (39%) of survey respondents believe it will be difficult to replace retiring employees. Despite this, seven in 10 (69%) haven’t put a plan in place to deal with the impending issue, such as modifying employment practises or offering incentives to employees to stay on after retirement age.

“Strong talent is the cornerstone of good business, especially small business, where the right people can mean the difference between a loyal customer and high turnover,” said Abhijeet Rege, Director of Small Business Services, American Express Canada. “But the survey also suggests that businesses should start looking to the future by thinking about the void that will be left as skilled workers start to exit these higher-level positions.”

While money is always a motivator in attracting and retaining employees, small business owners also understand that agile, flexible environments can better draw this generation’s bright minds.

In fact, when asked about what incentives were most effective for small businesses looking to attract/retain staff, flexible hours were on equal footing as higher pay – with 72 per cent of respondents ranking each as effective. Other top effective attraction/retention perks include: having a dynamic business culture (62%), offering share/stock options (61%), and better health benefits (54%).

“We’ve seen changes in the way people are approaching their careers today, as people become more lifestyle-oriented they are seeking improved work-life rhythm,” said Rege. “The biggest draw of working for a small business is job independence and flexibility. And while money remains important, business owners realize it isn’t the only factor to attracting and retaining top talent.”

While small business benefits might be effective in drawing and keeping new hires, the owners themselves may still be reaping the greatest level of satisfaction. The Monitor found that SBOs have experienced a steady financial position over the last year and are optimistic for the future.

While they remain risk adverse, 49 per cent of SBOs report their businesses’ current financial position is improving – a two- point increase over last quarter and a substantial 22-per-cent jump over 2010. In fact, the majority of small business owners (83%) feel the rewards of running your own business outweigh the risks, with 45 per cent of them “strongly agreeing” with this statement – up 13 percentage points from last year.

“What was really exciting for us to see quarter over quarter is that the majority of business owners still believe – in turbulent economic times – that the rewards and opportunities of running their own business still outweigh the risks and challenges,” said Rege. “The stability owners experience has increased significantly in the past year and now, more than ever, business owners are looking to invest in the future of their operations.”

Rogers Connect Market Research and Client Services, (RCMRACS) Rogers Publishing Limited, conducted this online study between October 21st and 29th 2011, on behalf of American Express Small Business Services.  520 Canadian small business owners each employing between 2 and 100 people took part in the study. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 4.3%, 19 times out of 20. In order to ensure the results are representative of the entire population of small business owners in Canada, the data have been statistically weighted for small business by region according to Statistics Canada. Respondents were located across Canada and came from a variety of industries, including health, social services, education, tech, sales and skilled trades. Due to rounding, some results may add to over 100%.

The six-week literacy camp consisted of six sessions where parents learned about early literacy development while their children participated in literacy-related activities. The children watched educational programs from TVOKids early learning program block, Gisèle’s Big Backyard and participated in the corresponding online activities on TVOKids.com. The sessions covered essential components of family literacy:

• Oral Language
• Reading
• Words
• Letters and Sounds
• Environmental Print
• Writing and Mathematics

Seventy-two children along with their families speaking more than a dozen languages participated in the literacy camps.

Key findings from the report include:

• Early writing skills in the TVO group increased by 41.8% over the control group
• Phonological awareness (including the first sounds of words) increased in the TVO group by 17.8% over the control group
• The ability to infer meaning from printed letters, words, sentences and paragraphs in the TVO group increased by 11.2% over the control group
• Additional gains were seen in alphabet knowledge (including letter recognition, names, sounds and syllables) where the TVO group increased by 5% over the control group; and in vocabulary scores where the TVO group increased by 4.9% over the control group
• Parents who participated in the TVO group also changed their home practices, becoming more involved in their children’s literacy development.
• Parents in the TVO group also:
• Spent more time reading books with their children and telling them stories; and,
• Reported that their children asked more often about printed words and sign meanings, suggesting that parents had learned to effectively draw children’s attention to print in their daily lives

This research is part of TVO and OISE’s ongoing partnership which began in 2005, with the shared goal of developing and testing the effectiveness of educational resources for kids. The 2005 study showed that children whose families used TVO resources related to alphabet knowledge had significantly greater literacy growth, particularly in the area of alphabet knowledge and conventions of print than kids who did not. The next research project begins in 2012 and will focus on working memory which is closely related to children’s performance in reading, writing and mathematics and to their self-regulation – if working memory is improved, so too is the potential to learn.

This research reflects TVO’s strong commitment to helping kids prepare for school and arrive ready to learn. TVO’s educational resources for kids are available on air and online at TVOKids.com. TVO has developed an Educational Blueprint process which ensures that every piece of TVOKids content addresses a learning outcome from the Ontario school curriculum, is tested in classrooms with students and teachers and is developed in conjunction with our on-staff educator.

For parents, TVOParents.com offers valuable resources for those who want to help nurture their child’s learning. Fully integrated with TVOKids.com, TVOParents.com shows you how every TVOKids program or game addresses the Ontario school curriculum.

“The introduction of smartphones and tablets in the working environment has extended the virtual boundaries of the enterprise, blurring the lines between home and the office. Constant access to email and sensitive corporate data from anywhere, anytime may improve productivity, but also increases security risks. The concept of defence perimeter must be replaced by defence-in-depth”, explains Gaétan Houle, Associate Partner and National Leader for IT Security Advisory services at Ernst & Young.

Ernst & Young’s 2011 Global Information Security Survey shows that while 62% of Canadian respondents plan to increase their information security budgets in the next 12 months, only 37% will spend more on security monitoring. “This is a bit concerning,” says Houle. “The introduction of personal smartphones and tablets, combined with the increasing demand for access to social media has opened up several new attack vectors for advanced persistent threats (APTs), which are a well-resourced, highly capable and relentless class of hackers.”

APTs are successful because they developed the capability to bypass traditional security defences, which makes it extremely difficult for companies to discover the intrusion and develop appropriate solutions to address the threat. “This is mainly why security monitoring should be given a higher priority. Given the rapid evolution of APTs, most companies would probably be better off outsourcing the monitoring of their Internet traffic to the pros,” recommends Houle.

Executives also have social media on their radar. Most respondents (72%) said external malicious attacks were their top risk, with nearly 40% of companies rating social-media-related risks as challenging. Houle says this is not surprising as we see an increasing number of attacks that draws information from social media to use in more effective phishing emails.

To help address potential risks posed by social media, organizations seem to be adopting a hard line response. Just over half (53%) have responded by blocking access to sites rather than embracing the change and adopting enterprise-wide measures. This response, while perhaps addressing external threats, does not completely deal with the widespread global personal adoption of social media usage and benefits that their integration into business may generate. “In fact”, says Houle, “the lack of an integrated information security policy for both access to and use of social media may prevent companies from keeping pace with competitors and may be creating a sense of mistrust with employees.”

Companies should embrace the full advantages of social media and, from a prevention perspective, develop a policy that explicitly addresses external social media and educate users about the potential damage to the organization’s brand. Companies should also consider monitoring their employees’ usage of these sites (without restricting access).

Twitter Trends offer a unique overview of world events in an unprecedented, real-time stream of unfiltered information. Along with major world events, celebrity culture and politics, trends include company promotions and #hashtag memes – which can be difficult to understand. It’s also noteworthy to see the variety of topics coming from beyond North America, including Japan, Korea and Brazil where Twitter is a common part of everyday online conversation.

Trends rarely appear on Twitter’s trending topic list for more than a day, as such, What the Trend’s results differ from Twitter’s Year In Review: Hot Topics list. What the Trend’s research methodology examines all topics regardless of whether or not a topic has had long-standing popularity – including this year’s champion, Justin Bieber who is the topic of much discussion about Twitter’s trend tracking algorithm. What the Trend also awards ‘points’ for both duration and rank on the top 10 trending topics on Twitter.com to take the intensity of trends into consideration.

“Comparing how Canadian workers are equipped relative to their counterparts abroad is a key indicator of Canada’s competitiveness and relative prospects for higher incomes and economic security in the future,” commented William Robson, President and CEO of the Institute.

From 2005 to 2009, new investment per worker in Canada was about 97 cents for every dollar of new investment per worker in OECD countries, on average, and about 87 cents for each dollar of new investment per US worker. In 2010, new investment per Canadian worker registered 96 cents for every dollar of new investment per worker in OECD countries on average and 86 cents relative to new investment per worker in the United States, while the preliminary figures for 2011 show Canadian workers getting 95 cents for every dollar for their OECD counterparts and only 83 cents compared to US workers.

Much of the boost to Canada’s recent performance, moreover, comes from just three provinces – Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador – that have enjoyed booming prices for their fuel and non-fuel minerals. By contrast, Quebec’s story is one of low-level stagnation: from 2005 to 2009, for every dollar of new investment per worker in the OECD and in the United States, new investment per worker in Quebec was 62 and 56 cents, respectively; in 2010, the figures were 63 and 57 cents, and for 2011 the preliminary figures are 62 and 54 cents. Ontario’s record is also poor, registering 71 and 63 cents relative to the OECD average and the United States, respectively, from 2005 to 2009, then 70 and 63 cents in 2010; with the dismal preliminaries for 2011 being 67 and 58 cents.

Business investment in plant and equipment is a foundation for raising output and living standards over time, note the authors. It both complements and reinforces the investments in education and training that explain why Canadians enjoy standards of living so much higher than their ancestors did.

An analysis of 1.6 million PCs representing more than 300 distinct organizations suggests that after a slow start in 2010, IT departments are now moving quickly to deploy the Microsoft OS. In January of 2011, roughly one in 10 PCs in the average environment had Windows 7 installed compared to almost one in three by the end of August. To put these findings into perspective, in the first two years of its launch, Vista was only deployed to three percent of total corporate PCs, compared to 18 percent and counting for Windows 7.

“In the span of less than a year we’ve seen organizations move from a cautious ‘wait and see’ mentality to rolling out Windows 7 pretty rapidly,” said Dean Williams, Manager of Assessment Services Development for Softchoice. “Given the activity of the past few quarters we’ve clearly reached a tipping point. This is a completely different picture than what we saw with the adoption of Vista.”

Although in the average environment 28 percent of corporate PCs have Windows 7 installed, only 10 percent of organizations are past the half-way point in rolling out the OS across their entire fleet. Analysis indicates that a full 60 percent of organizations are actively testing, if not in the process of deploying the OS. This suggests the rapid uptick in installations seen over the course of 2011 will continue to accelerate over the coming quarters.

“While only a handful of organizations may have reached the finish line in terms of full-scale deployments, most are well underway,” added Mr. Williams. “The momentum is clearly there.”

The findings are based on actual inventory data collected from 1.6 million corporate PCs between January and August of 2011. The sample consists of 306 unique organizations, representing a wide range of industries from across North America, including financial, health care, manufacturing and education.

The data collection for the study was made possible as a result of Softchoice’s award-winning IT assessment services. To provide comprehensive IT asset management services, including licensing gap analysis, hardware lifecycle and IT policy management, Softchoice receives IT inventory data from customer environments. A portion of this data was analyzed in aggregate to produce the findings pertaining to Windows 7 adoption among North American organizations.

In the US, search engine use, both on a desktop and from a mobile device, has surged ahead. A likely reason is that search engines have become better equipped to answer user questions, even as consumers are becoming more specific with their search queries. They can serve up highly relevant information because they pull from a variety of sources.

Marketers are also getting smarter, presenting relevant content, across many online entities. To respond to the increasingly unique searches posed, search engines pull from organic, paid, maps, images, product and social channels. Integration of each channel will continue to improve what results are delivered and how accurately these results match the queries posed. In both the US and Canada, over the past year, the number of consumers searching for business information from a mobile device has more than doubled (DAC Group/Kantar 2011 Study). Thus, marketers cannot approach marketing initiatives as siloed efforts. Maintaining accurate, up to date, relevant information is how marketers will continue to be found by the very consumers searching for their products, locations and contact information.

Results from the DAC Group study show that search engines continue to dominate business decisions made at the point of purchase. Search Engine use has increased every year that the study has been conducted. In 2009, 51% of searchers turned to a search engine first when seeking business information; this year, that number rose to 71%. During the same period, Print Directory use declined slightly from 33% in 2010 to 27% this year. During the same period in Canada, search engine use increased from 55% to 61% between 2010 and 2011 and the print use percentage stayed almost the same.

What this data indicates is that the erosion of print use has been minimal. DAC Group’s continued research, comparing year over year data for the past three years, proves that trends in Canadian media closely follow American media trends. While there has been some delay in how quickly Canada is replicating the American media landscape, we do know that in the near future Canadian marketers can expect to feel change in how consumers search for company information. Canadian marketers need to prepare for this change by having an integrated, multi-channel strategy ready for deployment.

Results of DAC Group’s 2011 indicate that the print channel is additive and does not replace search. Core users tend to be over the age of 35, living in the suburbs. They frequent online and offline sources and choose Print Yellow Pages due to convenience when information is not available elsewhere.

Eleven billion Americans accessed a print directory over the past year (2011 LSA/Burke Study).Print has not eroded to the degree which it was predicted to drop; but with more avenues for information this print directory usage will decrease with time. Print and standard search engine searches are merely two avenues available to consumers. Successful marketers, those with growing consumer bases, will be the ones who embrace a media strategy that is integrated across multiple channels.

Where the onus previously fell to consumers to visit various sources and to seek corroborating results for a query, it is now on marketers to ensure that they are active across all channels and that each is reinforcing the data of the other. Accuracy of the information provided will make a one time visitor a returning visitor.

Montreal-based online personality, career, and IQ assessments service Queendom.com didn’t waste any time in releasing the results of their Procrastination Test. Their findings not only reveal the most common areas where people are likely to procrastinate, but also uncover surprising reasons why putting things off doesn’t necessarily indicate that we’re just plain lazy.

It would be a misconception to state that procrastinators don’t get anything done. They do – eventually. In his book “The Procrastination Equation”, procrastination and motivation researcher/author Piers Steel reveals a surprising list of high-achieving lolly-gaggers. Architectural designer Frank Lloyd Wright sketched the blueprints of a project 3 hours before his client arrived. Author Margaret Atwood would get started on manuscripts at 3PM, after spending the entire morning and early afternoon procrastinating.

“When people engage in a certain ‘bad’ habit, we sometimes make the mistake of using superficial explanations or judgments,” explains Dr. Ilona Jerabek, company president. “Bosses, teachers, or family members will assume that procrastinators put things off because they are simply lazy, all-around low achievers, or simply don’t care. Research studies, including our own, reveal that there are other underlying reasons why many people avoid doing things.”

In an effort to uncover these other reasons, Queendom.com collected data from 1,655 test-takers for their Procrastination Test. Their results reveal that the most common reasons that top procrastinators put things off is a result of a lack of motivation and a low tolerance for frustration. And that noble excuse of perfectionism that some employees use for handing in an assignment late? Queendom’s research reveals the same results as other studies – that procrastinating as a result of wanting to make something perfect is actually something found more in those who generally score fairly low on procrastination, when and if they put something off. The most common area that people, both chronic and occasional procrastinators, delay relates to health and well-being, like putting off a visit to the doctor.

Gender comparisons indicate that women are slightly more likely to procrastinate on issues related to their health (score of 47 for women, 44 for men on a scale from 0 to 100). Women also tend to procrastinate more than men because of perfectionism (57 vs. 52) and low tolerance for frustration (58 vs. 54). Surprisingly, age analyses reveal that older age groups (25 and older) are slightly more likely to procrastinate than younger age groups, although the younger cohorts are more likely to suffer from a lack of motivation when they choose to put things off.

Queendom’s data has also revealed that certain mental health issues, like depression and attention deficit problems, can lead to procrastination. Depressed individuals are more likely to procrastinate on health matters, for reasons related to low frustration tolerance and perfectionism. Those who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder put things off in all three life spheres assessed on the procrastination test, namely household chores (score of 43 for ADD people vs. 35 for non-ADD), relationships (43 vs. 38), and work/school (45 vs. 37). Reasons for procrastination for the ADD sub-sample include a lack of motivation (57 vs. 49), underdeveloped organization skills (47 vs. 40), low self-confidence (48 vs. 43), and low tolerance for frustration (45 vs. 39).

“Procrastination can have its benefits, in the sense that you allow yourself more time to plan sufficiently, to let ideas simmer and to relax a little rather than constantly stressing over getting things done. However, if someone puts things off on a consistent basis, to the point where their personal or professional lives are impacted, then this is when it’s become a serious problem.”

Queendom.com is a subsidiary of PsychTests AIM Inc., a high-tech psychometric company that develops a suite of products and services centered around its extensive battery of psychological assessments. PsychTests AIM Inc. provides psychometric services and related products to therapists, students, researchers, professors, marketers and Human Resources professionals.

“Canada needs a regime that casts the net wider in protecting Canada’s national interests, but is less obtrusive to any single investment,” according to Daniel Schwanen, Associate Vice President, International and Trade Policy at the C.D. Howe Institute.

Canada benefits from foreign investment, say the authors, but the Investment Canada Act creates unnecessary barriers to it.  The current test is subjective and unpredictable, the authors argue, and does not necessarily cover many situations where Canada’s interests might be involved beyond the narrow calculation of a net benefit. Furthermore, the test is a throwback to an outdated industrial policy that was detrimental to the economy’s long-run growth.

The authors recommend scrapping the current test and replacing it with a national interest test.  This would require the federal government, if denying a proposal, to show that the proposed foreign investment was contrary to Canadian interests. The new test would address concerns over national security or state-owned investors, and could replace existing sectoral investment restrictions. When a proposed investment does not affect governments’ abilities to apply Canadian laws or pursue legitimate policy goals, the national interest test would lower obstacles to that investment.

Reform would increase Canada’s attractiveness to foreign investors, and improve the nation’s future economic performance.

Overall 32% of the Canadian respondents from business and government said they were victims of some form of economic crime during the past 12 months, a decrease of 24% from PwC’s 2009 survey. “Canada has historically reported higher instances of white-collar crime than our global counterparts but the 2011 results show that we are now reporting fewer instances,” says Steven Henderson, National Forensic Services Leader at PwC.

He continues, “This could be for a few reasons: better diligence in implementing anti-fraud regimes within companies, the effects of the Canadian economy being stronger over the past two years than other countries resulting in an environment with less visibility of fraud which normally arises during a downturn, or the fact that crimes like cybercrime or collusion between parties are still being committed but are inherently more difficult to detect.”

When it comes to cybercrime, 38% of Canadian respondents believe their perception of its risks has increased and the majority (57%) believe the greatest threats are coming from outside of their organizations – from external sources residing within Canada and abroad. Globally, the following alphabetically ordered countries are reported as the top 5 most likely places that cybercrime originates from:

• Hong Kong and China
• India
• Nigeria
• Russia
• USA

“Cybercrime is global in nature and traditional geographic borders do not provide protection,” says Henderson. “Organizations should have a clear understanding of current and emerging cybercrime threats, and management needs to understand the risks and opportunities that are inherent in a cyber world.”

However, while companies may recognize the significance of protecting and investigating cybercrime incidents, only 36% of the Canadian respondents said they have in-house capabilities to investigate cybercrime and less than half have access to forensic technology investigators who can create effective response mechanisms and policies. In addition, nearly half of the Canadian organizations reported that they had not received cyber security related awareness training in the past year. Only 21% said that senior executives review the risks that cybercrime presents on an annual basis, further supporting the more “reactive culture” to crime prevention found in the survey results.

More traditional types of fraud such as theft are most often being committed within the company, by employees (56%), while external fraudsters were the main perpetrator 40% of the time, according to global respondents.

The typical internal fraudster was profiled to be male (77%), between the ages of 31 and 40 years old (43%), a first degree graduate (37%) and had been employed with the organization between three and five years (30%). In addition, 39% of the perpetrators were classified as junior staff, 41% as middle management and 18% as senior management. “Crimes by senior management tend to be more sophisticated, larger in dollar value and more difficult to detect,” says Henderson. “This could be a factor in why frauds committed by senior management were not identified nearly as often as those committed by more junior staff.”

When employees have been identified as committing economic crimes, they are most often dismissed from their jobs (77%). Forty-four percent of the time law enforcement is involved and in 40% of the incidents, civil action is taken.

Henderson concludes, “When senior management takes an active interest in fraud within their organization and takes strong disciplinary action towards the perpetrators, the right ‘tone at the top’ is established. A corporate culture that clearly stresses the importance of integrity, where executives are seen as “walking the talk” and that has a well communicated and comprehensive anti-fraud regime, is less likely to be victimized by economic crime.”

Methodology – PwC’s Global Economic Crime Survey 2011 continues to provide insight into the state of economic crime worldwide. The 2011 survey was completed by 3,877 respondents from 78 countries. Of the total number of respondents, 52% were senior executives, 36% represented listed companies and 38% represented organizations with more than 1,000 employees.

This year’s Canadian report is divided into two sections (1) Cybercrime – awareness of the crime, how it impacts organizations, and what actions are taken to address risks; and (2) Fraud, the fraudster and the defrauded – the types of fraud committed, who is committing them, how they are detected and actions taken by organizations in response.

“Many of these roles are quite challenging for employers to fill, since, in some cases, the demand for qualified professionals exceeds the supply,” said Lara Dodo, a Canadian regional vice president of Robert Half Technology. “Professionals who have a high degree of specialization, and hands-on experience helping companies take advantage of emerging technologies, are among the most highly sought by employers.”

Following is an overview of seven high-potential jobs for 2012:

1. Mobile applications developer – As companies strive to reach consumers on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, they need professionals who can develop for the small screen. Starting salaries for mobile applications developers are projected to increase 8.2 per cent to a range of $72,500 to $102,750 in the coming year.
2. Web designer – As organisations look to improve the overall look and functionality of their websites and social media pages, they seek professionals who can create clean, eye-pleasing designs that reinforce their brands’ overall look and feel. The starting pay for these individuals is expected to rise 6.6 per cent to a range of $75,000 to $120,000.
3. Network engineer – Companies’ networks are more intricate than ever, increasing the need for those who can ensure the efficient and secure transfer of data and information. Starting salaries for network engineers are expected to rise 6.0 per cent to a range of $75,000 to $98,250.
4. Data warehouse analyst – Maintaining data has become an increasingly complex task, which is why companies need professionals who can collect, analyze and mine stored data, as well as offer effective storage strategies. Anticipated base compensation for these professionals is expected to climb 5.9 per cent to between $81,750 and $111,250 in 2012.
5. Web developer – Web developers are increasingly needed by companies looking to enhance their online presence. Base compensation for these professionals is projected to increase 5.3 per cent to between $58,750 and $85,000.
6. Data security analyst – Security threats are constantly changing, and firms need professionals who can analyze risk and propose solutions. Base compensation for these workers is expected to rise 4.9 per cent to between $83,250 and $124,500.
7. SEO/SEM specialist – Being found online by search engines and consumers is essential to any firm looking to make its digital mark. That’s why companies seek SEO/SEM specialists who can develop strategies to optimize web projects for search and increase online visibility. Those with three or more years of experience are projected to see a starting salary range of $75,000 to $95,000. (Comparative salary data is not available for this specific position as it was not split by experience level in the 2011 Salary Guide.)

More information about the positions listed above can be found in the Robert Half Technology 2012 Salary Guide, which includes a wide range of IT positions, as well as The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide, which focuses on interactive, design and marketing jobs.

Simply put, the cloud is a network-based way to cost-effectively process, manage and store all of your data – everything from corporate documents to family photos. The survey also found that those who are not using cloud-based services (67 per cent) admit they don’t know enough to make major decisions about it at this time.

“This confusion comes as no surprise because “Cloud” can refer to a wide variety of different services,” says John Weigelt, National Technology Officer for Microsoft Canada.  “The market is rife with misinformation and myths surrounding cloud computing, and Canadian businesses are losing out as a result.  The truth is that the cloud can deliver huge benefits such as cost-savings, increased productivity and greater efficiency, but businesses don’t know where to start.”

The survey indicated security and privacy are the top two barriers for entry into cloud computing for organizations including government and healthcare, whereas security and reliability (data loss) are the major barriers for private sectors.

“Many businesses are already in the cloud whether they know it or not,” says Weigelt.  “It’s time to take stock of what is already used in-house and consider what other cloud technologies can be introduced. Only by understanding the principles, technology and processes associated with Cloud computing, will Canadian businesses be able to reap the rewards and unlock the potential that cloud offers.”

“It’s important that businesses become more knowledgeable about cloud computing and understand that they can have both privacy and functionality,” said Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner for Ontario. “With proper privacy protections designed into the system from the very beginning of its lifecycle, and integrated at every system layer, businesses can gain the huge financial and competitive advantages of cloud and ensure security.”

Many Canadian businesses also don’t realize they have a choice between adopting public or private cloud solutions or a combination of both, called a hybrid approach, allowing businesses to select services from locations where they make the most sense. A private cloud can be managed in-house or by a third party, with data hosted on or off-site, whereas public cloud is an infrastructure made available to the general public or a large industry group, owned by a vendor providing cloud services.

“Every organization’s journey to the cloud will be unique. Some organizations will call for customized, dedicated cloud resources, while others will benefit most from the massive scale of the public cloud,” says Weigelt. “In many cases, a hybrid approach is the answer, providing the freedom to select services from where they will most benefit the organization and even move back and forth at will.”

Canadian organizations are beginning to take advantage of the cloud for their service delivery initiatives, reaping the benefits of the low-cost, low-management and flexible cloud offerings.

“At the University of Toronto, we are implementing Microsoft Live@edu email and software service for all of our 70,000 students to simplify online collaboration and document sharing, while keeping students’ data private and promoting online safety,” said Robert Cook, Chief Information Office, University of Toronto. “This cloud-based service helps the university reduce costs through lower IT management and hosting fees, allowing us to divert resources back into the core of our academic mission. Our students benefit from improved communication and collaboration and are equipped with the tools for success in both their academic pursuits and future careers.”

The Leger Marketing Survey was completed using Leger Marketing’s online panel, LegerWeb, with a sample of 705 Canadian businesses/organizations across all sectors/industries and with a minimum of five computers in use in their individual installed bases.  Leger Marketing is the largest Canadian-owned polling and market research firm. Founded in 1986, the company now has over 650 employees, including more than 115 professionals specializing in marketing research, communication effectiveness and public opinion polling. Our professionals are located in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Philadelphia, Denver and Tampa in the United States.

“Canada’s ideal environment and proactive frame of mind are setting the standard for entrepreneurial culture. In fact, 88% of survey respondents agree these qualities are putting the country on the map as a startup paradise,” says Colleen McMorrow, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurial Services Leader in Canada. “It’s imperative that countries around the world grappling with the effects of economic uncertainty follow suit and invest in their entrepreneurs.”

Canada offers young entrepreneurs low business startup costs, funding from public aid, a well-regulated banking sector, a highly educated workforce and a variety of coaching programs that go a long way in promoting entrepreneurship.

“Mentoring programs are a huge part of long-term entrepreneurial success,” says McMorrow. “Eighty percent of our respondents agree that tailored support is beneficial to young entrepreneurs in Canada, and 95% believe it’s efficient — that’s the highest percentage of any mature-market G20 country.”

Not only that, 88% of global respondents see success stories and coaching programs for entrepreneurs as key priorities to improve student perceptions of entrepreneurship as a career option over the next three years.

Enhancing communication around entrepreneurial success stories, promoting career opportunities offered by entrepreneurship and highlighting the role of entrepreneurs in creating new jobs are essential to developing a strong entrepreneurial culture.

The report also highlights five key pillars to build a successful enterprise environment:

1. Entrepreneurship culture
2. Education and training
3. Access to funding
4. Regulation and taxation
5. Coordinated support between public agencies

Asked to rate their bosses, Canada’s employees have delivered a passing grade for their performance, with a score of 6.9 out of 10. But only 45 percent of respondents say that their bosses have done a good job in preparing them for future success. A total of 36 percent say they have not been well-prepared, and 18 percent are uncertain.

The findings are part of the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which obtained the views of approximately 97,000 people in 30 countries, including more than 4,000 in Canada.

Around half of all those surveyed would be willing to recommend their current employer to a friend or acquaintance.

“Employees’ views of an organization carry a lot of credibility and have a significant impact on its ability to attract and retain talent,” says Kelly Services VP and General Manager of Canadian Operations Kristin Supancich.

Results of the survey in Canada show:

• Both Gen Y (aged 18-29) and Gen X (aged 30-47) agree that Gen X make the best leaders, but baby boomers (aged 48-65) strongly believe that their own generation are the superior business managers.
• The most important qualities in a good boss are communication style and leadership style.
• More than one-third of respondents (44 percent) describe their organization’s leadership culture as either “empowering” or “inclusive”. A total of 26 percent describe it as “authoritative” or “oppressive”.
• Slightly more than half (52 percent) say that their efforts at work are recognized and rewarded.
• Among those respondents who say they feel rewarded and recognized for their work, more than two-thirds (68 percent) say this takes the form of being “noticed by management”, while 15 percent are acknowledged through formal programs, and 13 percent receive bonuses or incentives.

“As the competition for talent gets tighter, employers will be evaluated more and more on their work environments. Employees will be more likely to examine and measure what they consider key factors in an organization’s performance when making choices about their workplace,” Supancich concludes.

The updated edition of the report comes after numerous governmental developments have evolved in several countries since the January 2011 publishing of the first edition. The new research highlights a variety of approaches to support diversity on boards, including requiring more disclosure, setting targets, and implementing quotas. According to the study, strong variations exist among countries regarding the most efficient way to achieve higher levels of diversity.

“The ongoing work of Deloitte member firms’ Centers of Corporate Governance around the world provides plenty of anecdotal evidence that more diverse boards are the more effective boards,” said Dan Konigsburg, Managing Director, Deloitte Global Center for Corporate Governance, DTTL.

The 17  countries profiled were: Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, United States, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and United Kingdom.

“In the quest to make boards more diverse, a subject heavily discussed is whether to adopt quotas for women on listed company boards. This is a controversial and emotional issue that not everyone will agree on. Still, Deloitte Canada agrees with the goal of increasing the numbers of women leading and overseeing management at public companies. Deloitte’s goal is to keep the discussion on this very important topic alive through ongoing analysis of the state of women on boards,” said Jane Allen, Chief Diversity Officer at Deloitte Canada.

The Deloitte Global Center for Corporate Governance report has added a personal dimension to the research by incorporating the unique views of three prominent women directors from around the world. Each director shares her personal insights into increasing boardroom diversity and discusses the steps organizations are taking in this direction.

Highlights from their comments include:

• “Gender balance is likely to benefit the companies that do adopt it. It is increasingly being recognized as a badge of good governance and therefore desirable. Investors should demand it. If this progress continues and disclosure targets work, then there may be no need to impose quotas.”
  Jane Diplock, Director, Singapore Exchange Limited and Australian Financial Services Group Pty Limited, International Advisory Committee of the Chinese Securities Regulator and the International Advisory Council of the Center for Financial Regulation; Ambassador for the International Integrated Reporting Committee
  
• “There is no hiding that men and women, even with similar educational backgrounds, often differ in their perspectives. The female perspective is neither necessarily better nor more insightful, but different. Ultimately, board diversity is about combining alternative and complementary views that in the end lead to better board decisions.”
  Liselott Kilaas, Managing Director of Aleris AS in Norway and Denmark; Deputy Chairman of the board of Telenor ASA, and a member of the Norwegian Central Bank’s Executive Board

• “The need for critical mass in areas traditionally underrepresented – boardrooms, the C-Suite – even the Supreme Court of the United States – is critical if we expect to see systemic improvements…. We all know that we are well past the time where this should be an issue…. It boils down to respect, common sense, and good business.”
  Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Communications Corporation; Director of Procter & Gamble and Xerox Corporation; Vice Chair, President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee