Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2015 - (Page 57)

CO M PA N Y N E W S ACQ UIS I T I ON S AN D PA RTN E R SHIPS WCC Smart Search & Match, a leading provider of high performance search and match software, announced its strategic partnership with technology and consulting corporation IBM. The partnership involves the integration of WCC's software platform ELISE with the IBM Social Program Management Employment solution. Atomic Learning, education's trusted training leader, announced its acquisition of Versifit Technologies, a leading provider of data warehousing and analytic reporting platforms in education. The company's solutions will allow teachers to efficiently track student progress and selectively target professional learning, ultimately improving K-12 and higher education instruction. Simplilearn, a leading global tech-ed company announced a $10 million deal to acquire Market Motive, a pioneering Silicon Valley-based digital marketing training company. The merged company is turning its attention to an expanded presence in the U.S. where it can offer a turnkey solution to working professionals and college graduates who are trying to advance their careers. Blackboard announced a partnership with Skillsoft, a global learning content provider, to enable direct delivery of highquality content to professional learners via Blackboard's industry-leading teaching and learning platform. The partnership will allow Blackboard to offer learners and instructors access to Skillsoft's vast library of rich professional training and certification content. Bloomfire and GP Strategies Corporation announced a global partnership agreement to bring Bloomfire's innovative, cloudbased knowledge management system to organizations across the world. The joint solution will further GP Strategies' efforts to provide the expertise and skills employees need to help their organizations perform at their peak. Safari, the leading global platform for technology and business learning, announced the purchase of the assets of Popforms, a creator of courses and tools supporting technical leaders looking to advance in their careers. With this transaction, Safari acquires all of Popforms' original content including its website, courses, videos, newsletters and interactive exercises. IN D UST RYN E WS SURVEY REVEALS CHALLENGES TO DIFFERENTIATING AGAINST COMPETITION Corporate Visions announced the results of a survey focused on sales pitch effectiveness. Most notably, the data uncovered that although nearly 41.5 percent of companies believe leading off a sales pitch with an "unconsidered need" would differentiate them from the competition, only 13.8 percent of companies actually take this approach. Further supporting this data, only 17.6 percent of respondents feel their pitches are truly different from the competition. THE EFFECTS TOXIC EMPLOYEES HAVE ON ORGANIZATIONS A clear disconnect is occurring at organizations across the U.S. when it comes to employee satisfaction, according to a new study released by Fierce, Inc. The survey found that four out of five employees believe a toxic employee is extremely debilitating to team morale, while the same number agreed that their organizations are somewhat or extremely tolerant of these individuals. MHI GLOBAL EXPANDS IMPACT BY MERGING 5 KEY BRANDS AchieveGlobal, Miller Heiman, Huthwaite, Impact Learning Systems and Channel Enablers have joined forces under the MHI Global banner to provide organizations worldwide with an expanded, holistic approach for developing, managing and sustaining long-term customer relationships. By uniting its brands, the global organization seeks to further empower clients through its extensive suite of services. T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - FALL201 5 I WWW.TRAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE THE CHALLENGE OF ADVANCING WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP ROLES Interaction Associates conducted a study of more than 400 people across the business spectrum, which indicates that advancing women in leadership roles is a low priority. Only one-third of those surveyed agreed that recruiting, developing and advancing women leaders is a key business priority in their organization. INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING COMPANY NEWS? PLEASE SEND TO EDITOR@TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM 57 http://www.trainingindustry.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2015

Delivery: Is This Where Technology Changes the Game?
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: The Pendulums Swing
Access Trumps Knowledge: Changes for Training Delivery
Hardwired to Learn
Using a Blended Approach When Crafting a Training Delivery Strategy
Planning, Developing and Implementing Serious Games
Let's Get Serious about Live, Instructor-led Training
Just What Employees Ordered: Personalized Adaptive Learning
Training with Pictures, Not Bullet Points
Anti-Social Learning?
Using Microlearning and Information Design to Elevate Soft Skills Training
How Improvisation Can Drive Employee Engagement
Accelerating Expertise with Simulations
Technology and Trends Driving the China Training Market
Helping Buyers of Training Services Become More Savvy
Are Bad Communication Habits Holding You Back?
Measuring the ROI of Social Media within Your Organization
Closing Deals
Company News
What's Online
Training Talk

Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2015