Moshe Vardi on Bauer Business Focus, June 14, 2013

Posted June 11th, 2013 - No Comments

On Bauer Business Focus — A conversation on how technology and automation changing the job landscape with Andrew Schneider, business reporter for KUHF 88.7 FM.

From phones to cars to basic communication, technology plays a huge role in everyday life. As it continues to be a driving force for consumers and businesses, automation technology is changing the way business is done.

Moshe Vardi, professor of computer science and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology at Rice University, stopped by Bauer Business Focus recently to discuss how technology and automation are changing the job landscape for career searchers.

“Since the Industrial Revolution, technology does eliminate some jobs, and that causes hardships, but it creates new jobs. If you’re looking over the last 200 years, technology has not destroyed jobs more than it creates new jobs,” Vardi said. “If you look at what’s happened in the past 30 years, you’ll find that jobs are destroyed faster than created and this is accompanied not by the job situation, but other factors as well.”

As technology continues to become more agile, smarter and cheaper to produce, some jobs may turn to automation, according to Vardi.

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David Harris on Bauer Business Focus, June 7, 2013

Posted June 5th, 2013 - No Comments

On Bauer Business Focus — A conversation on getting your assets in order with Andrew Schneider, business reporter for KUHF 88.7 FM.

When families lose a loved one, the emotional toll can often overshadow the more practical need to settle that person’s estate, making it difficult to track down important documents, including burial plans, bank account information, life insurance and wills.

David Harris is CEO and founder of Assets in Order, an online planning and storage service that organizes all those types of documents and digital assets in one central location. He visited Bauer Business Focus recently to discuss how the company aggregates all of this information through a product called the Legacy Lockbox.

“The Legacy Lockbox is a very simple to understand, easy-to-use product,” Harris said. “It is an online storage product which allows you to store your important documents, such as life insurance or burial plan, so if something unfortunate was to happen, that information is provided to the individual designated to receive it.”

Beyond his role as business owner, Harris said he personally can see the value in the product.

“I have done the planning, but I did not have a vehicle to insure that that information would get into my family’s hands,” Harris added. “I had it in physical forms in a box at home, and of course, that is not good. It’s good to have those documents in a place so if you need it at any time, you have the ability to access it.”

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Dan Jones on Bauer Business Focus, May 31, 2013

Posted May 29th, 2013 - No Comments

On Bauer Business Focus — A conversation on preparing businesses for the upcoming hurricane season with Andrew Schneider, business reporter for KUHF 88.7 FM.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center forecasts the 2013 hurricane season to be extremely active, predicting 13 to 20 named storms, with seven to 11 of those becoming hurricanes. With these numbers well above the typical season, many businesses need to plan ahead, according to Dan Jones, clinical assistant professor of insurance and risk management at the  C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.

Jones stopped by Bauer Business Focus recently to discuss what business owners can do to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season.

“The way to protect against losing business is with insurance, unless you can move your business away,” Jones said. “There is a type of insurance called business interruption that is designed just for that type of threat.”

While having insurance is a great way to protect your business, he added, businesses do have additional options.

“Financially, there is not much you can do because you need the money now, but physically,  businesses can do certain things,” Jones said. “You can buy flood coverage from the government, but there are limits to that.”

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Tom Fish on Bauer Business Focus, May 24, 2013

Posted May 23rd, 2013 - No Comments

On Bauer Business Focus — A conversation on Houston’s real estate boom with Andrew Schneider, business reporter for KUHF 88.7 FM.

What’s booming in Houston? Depending on who you ask, you might hear a variety of answers. For Tom Fish, a managing director at Jones Lang LaSalle, it’s real estate. Houston home sales have hit an all-time high for the first time in six years with no slowdown in sight and according to Fish, this is only the beginning for the industry.

Fish stopped by Bauer Business Focus recently to discuss what is behind Houston’s investment boom in real estate.

“I think real estate is being fueled by the three legs of the Houston economic stool that are firing all at the same time,” Fish said. “The energy sector is in a major growth phase right now, our medical industry has been, and continues to be, in a growth phase, and the export business at the port of Houston is doing very well right now.”

As Houston continues to grow, foreign investors are beginning to take note of the real estate prospects, he said.

“Houston has always been a stepchild to other major gateway markets when it came to foreign investment,” Fish added. “Most foreign investors are familiar with New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and a lot of foreign investment capital didn’t travel here. With Houston’s economy doing better than other gateway markets, it has given a rise in foreign investment interest.”

Click here to hear the full interview.