A transformation is underway. Through the innovative use of technology we continue to become more intimately connected in ways never before imaginable. Our best friends could just as easily be in Shanghai or Mumbai as they are our neighbors next door. And companies with barely any revenue and only a handful of employees are being bought for billions of dollars by companies that barely show any earnings (Facebook's purchase of Instagram earlier this year).

For organizations this transformation - to Social Business, Mobile Solutions and Cloud Computing - reshapes how we look at what we do, how we do it, where we do it, and with whom.  This fundamental "SoMoClo" transformation affects businesses as well as individuals who work in those businesses, further blurring the lines of work, play, vocation, and family.

Download this free white paper collection prepared by Newport Consulting Group for five abstracts of research, articles, and ebooks to help guide you through important aspects of this critical business transition. Contributions by Newport Consulting principals and staff including Liz Garnand, Cindy Jennings, Jenny Zink and William Newman.  Exclusively available via Social Media Today and Sustainable Business Forum (registration required). 

A survey of Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state's business roundtable, shows that the state's largest employers are more optimistic about the economy in Michigan vs. the nation over the next year and a half.  But the economic outlook for both Michigan and the nation are declining significantly due to fears about Europe's fiscal crisis, slowing global growth and the lack of clarity to future American tax and spending policies. Read the research press release.

Analytics to Manage Your Enterprise Performance

Understanding SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise Performance Management (EPM),
ISBN 978-1-59229-348-3 

Available from the SAP Press bookstore, author William Newman teaches you how EPM solutions can improve your business. Covering the core components - Strategy Management, Financial Information Management, Spend Analytics, XBRL, and more - readers benefit from information on the various products in the EPM application suite, and develop an understanding of the best practices for implementation, integration, and use. With a scenario-based approach and plenty of practical examples, this book enables you to understand the tools and techniques that are used during enterprise performance management.  Also available online at SAP Press or Amazon.com. 

SAP Workflow Add-ons
Expand Possibilities

SAP Workflow allows companies to execute business processes in a roles-based manner across many SAP enterprise functions. Companies often turn to third-party workflow applications to add functionality that SAP does not provide out of the box. This way, companies avoid issues that could arise with custom code, such as the code breaking when they upgrade their SAP systems. Read the blog summary for this mini e-book for searchSAP.com, managing principal William Newman considers the upsides and the pitfalls across a number of third-party workflow scenarios. 

Origins of Technology Materials Gain Importance

In her recent article from SIGNAL Magazine, published by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), Rita Boland looks at the mandates that will affect electronics manufacturers and how they track certain supplies following legislation aimed at reducing violence in Africa.  These so-called "conflict minerals" are defined in Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010. Key interview and comment made by Michael Bierkandt from iPoint Systems and Newport Consulting Group managing principal William Newman. You may read the full article here. 

Determine your Social Fingerprint, Improve your Business

Social Accountability International (SAI), the global non-governmental organizational and leading not for profit in the field of corporate social responsibility and supply chain management, has partnered with our firm to develop new opportunities in North America. We will work with SAI to assist companies develop, educate, and deploy business practices aligned with the SA8000® standard for social accountability and the Social Fingerprint® method for business improvement. Read the joint press release and take a self-assessment using our partner code Newport11R.