President Joe Biden is expected to pursue an “all-of-government” approach to climate change. The incoming administration is expected to move as swiftly as possible on an agenda that modifies or reverses the policies of the Trump administration. Many of these changes were signaled in the Biden campaign’s Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force Recommendations, released last August, and other initiatives announced during the campaign.
As clean energy standards and net-zero commitments accelerate across the United States, utilities and other stakeholders are focusing on the transmission challenges associated with achieving these aggressive goals. Indeed, a robust long-haul high-voltage transmission backbone is the linchpin in our energy transition. Integrating large amounts of renewables (on the order of $11 trillion by 2050 per the latest analysis from BNEF) will require significant additional investments in transmission. But identifying the right transmission investments in the right locations, at the right scale, can deliver benefits far exceeding the cost of such investments.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare human resources (HR) teams to flex policies, processes, programs, and resources to adapt to operational changes. For example, healthcare HR organizations have experienced increases in call volumes related to furlough, benefit, and leave questions; increased data changes to process organizational shifts; and communications to accommodate new workplace rules. Healthcare HR organizations with strong operating models adapted better and quicker to manage these shifts and mitigate associated risks. Foundational operating model elements that enabled these HR organizations to excel during this time of disruption include an optimized service delivery model, standardized policies, processes, and programs, metrics, workforce planning, and workforce management.
To coincide with the release of the latest Energy Industry Update, ScottMadden joined forces with Energy Central to present an interactive webinar, “ScottMadden’s Energy Industry Update: Running Up That Hill.” During this session, ScottMadden’s energy experts shared their views and fielded questions related to the current issues in wholesale electricity markets, ambitions for hydrogen in the energy system of the future, and near-term plans to move toward net-zero CO2 emissions.
Gary Cage joined ScottMadden as a summer intern in 2015 and as a full-time associate in 2016. Today, as a senior associate, he serves as the coordinator for the human capital management community of practice and as an active member of the supply chain community of practice. Like most at ScottMadden, Gary greatly enjoys the annual firm meeting and recently participated on the 2020 planning committee. Gary holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Management and an M.B.A. from Emory University.
ScottMadden has joined forces with American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC), a benchmarking and best practices research organization, to conduct the fifth cycle of the Finance Shared Services Benchmarking Study. This study covers both trends and benchmarks, and is focused on the shared services delivery model. Topics covered include the delivery model, staffing and performance, technology, and scope of services. Download the highlights here.
Cryptocurrency mining is profitable when the cost of the primary production resource needed to mine it is low. Electricity accounts for upwards of 80% of total O&M spending in a typical-mining operation. For this reason, bitcoin miners circle the globe searching for $0.06/kWh. How much more appealing would the cryptocurrency mining business be if the power was acquired at cost?
ScottMadden recently polled attendees at the Shared Services and Outsourcing Network’s (SSON) SSOW Live Conference on the topic of virtual work. We have heard many success stories from our clients and other practitioners about how their shared services organizations (SSOs) were able to quickly transition to a virtual model when the global pandemic hit. In many cases, the nimbleness and efficiency of the organizations have allowed them to play crucial roles in supporting their business during these challenging times. Conversely, some who were not well prepared have struggled. The data from our poll highlight these successes and challenges and show how the pandemic will likely have a lasting effect on shared services models.
Sussex Economic Advisors is now part of ScottMadden. We invite you to learn more about our expanded firm. Please use the Contact Us form to request additional information.