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Harvard Business Review: How to Keep Your Team Motivated, Remotely

Business News, , , ,

Many leaders have crossed the first hurdles of moving their teams remote: ensuring colleagues have set up their tech tools, defined their processes, and permanently logged into their video conference accounts.

But this is just the first step towards creating an effective work environment for remote employees. The next critical question we must ask is: How do you motivate people who work from home?

This question is important now because, during crises such as Covid-19, people often tend to focus more on tactical work — answering the right number of tickets, or following the approved project plan — rather than adapting to solve the bigger, newer problems the business may be facing.

Read entire article HERE.

Business Wire: Philly Shipyard Wins Major Training Ships Contract

Business News, Shipping & Offshore, ,

PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Philly Shipyard, Inc., the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA (Oslo: PHLY), has been awarded a contract for the construction of up to five (5) National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) from TOTE Services, LLC (TOTE), an industry leader in ship management, marine operations and vessel services. TOTE was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) as the vessel construction manager for the NSMV program in May 2019. TOTE placed an initial order with Philly Shipyard for the first two vessels (NSMVs 1 and 2), with deliveries in Spring and Winter 2023, and retains options for the next three vessels (NSMVs 3, 4 and 5).

The initial award is valued at approximately USD 630 million and supports non-recurring engineering and detail design of the NSMV class as well as procurement of equipment and materials and construction of the first two ships. If all five ships are ordered and built in series, then the total contract value of the 5-ship program would be approximately USD 1.5 billion.

Read entire article HERE.

Genetic Literary Project: Norwegians see advantages to gene editing food

Business News, Food & Beverage

Norwegian consumers are receptive to using gene editing tools in agriculture if they bring social, economic and environmental benefits, a new study shows.

The findings offer yet another indication that European consumers’ opinions about genetic engineering are more fluid than has been generally perceived.

In a consumer survey carried out by GENEinnovate, a collaboration of private Norwegian companies, research institutes and the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board, a majority of respondents said that they are in favor of using gene editing techniques like CRISPR to improve sustainability and benefit society.

Read entire article HERE.

Forbes: Norway Relaxes Coronavirus Restrictions, But Event Ban Continues

Business News, Government, ,

The Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has announced that several of the country’s emergency measures will be relaxed after Easter.

Kindergartens will open again from April 20, while schools for the youngest age groups will open one week later. The reopening of schools for older children will be assessed. Some businesses forced to close because of the regulations—including hair salons—will be permitted to reopen in the course of April.

The controversial ban on staying in cabins and other leisure properties outside of a person’s home municipality will be lifted from April 20. While an overnight stay in a cabin will no longer be a criminal offence, avoiding leisure travel remains a national recommendation.

Read entire article HERE.

Press Release: The Norwegian Minister of Defence wants to meet with the defence industry to discuss measures of support

Business News, Defense / Security, , , , ,

The Norwegian Ministry of Defence has implemented measures and is continuously assessing the need for new measures to support the national defence industry.

Invasive measures to limit the spread of covid-19 infection is a challenge to the supply security across all sectors of the Norwegian society, including the defence industry.

– I want to keep a close dialogue and meet with representatives from the defence industry in the very near future to assess the situation and discuss possible further measures, says Norwegian Minister of Defence Frank Bakke-Jensen.

Norwegian authorities are therefore actively targeting efforts to ensure that all critical infrastructure, including the defence sector, can maintain close to normal production levels, which again shores up security of supply both nationally and vis-à-vis allies.

– Norwegian defence industry is essential to support the operations of the Norwegian Armed Forces. In addition, Norwegian defence companies provide important contributions to allied forces and cooperate closely with their foreign counterparts, especially in the US, with regard to development and production of defence materiel. Both we and our allies depend on Norwegian defence industry for our operations and for collective security, says Bakke-Jensen.

The United States and Norway have previously concluded an agreement on security of supply related to defence (Security of Supply Arrangement) which a number of Norwegian defence companies have joined.

– If needed, the Ministry of Defence will initiate measures, within the framework of this agreement, that will contribute to ensure that Norwegian suppliers are able to fulfil their commitments to US customers and partners, the Minister of Defence underlines.

See original press release HERE.

World Oil: Norway greenlights new wind farm to power offshore production platforms

Business News, Energy,

OSLO – The Ministry of Petroleum and Industry has approved the plans for development and operation of the Hywind Tampen wind farm. The Snorre and Gullfaks platforms will be the first platforms in the world to receive power from a floating offshore wind farm.

On 11 October 2019, Equinor and the Snorre and Gullfaks partners submitted two updated plans for development and operation to Norwegian authorities.

“Hywind Tampen is a pioneering project and a central contribution to reducing emissions from Gullfaks and Snorre, and I am pleased that both ESA and Norwegian authorities have approved the project. We are experiencing very challenging times, and we are focusing on continuing our transition effort while attending to and developing the value on the Norwegian continental shelf and at the same time reducing the climate footprint from our operations,” says Arne Sigve Nylund, Equinor’s executive vice president for Development & Production Norway.

Read entire article HERE.

AWS Public Sector Blog: From research sharing to collaborative communications – addressing the needs of our public sector customers during unprecedented times

Business News, Technology, , ,

In support of governments and educational institutions around the world, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is quickly deploying people and technology to enable remote learning and home working. Our services can help address our customer’s most pressing challenges during this unprecedented time, including making sure citizens are productive with remote working solutions, that students can access online learning platforms, and that communications are reliable and available for public entities at all levels of government.

Solutions include Amazon Chime’s video call and conference capabilities and Amazon Workspaces’ remote working environments, both of which can assist students and employees in remaining productive while self-isolating. We can jumpstart organizations’ ability to quickly stand up and scale their tools and infrastructure with in-kind services and credits that help cover costs and keep operations running. Customers can also access services and solutions through our extensive AWS Partner Network (APN).

Read entire article HERE.

Equinor: Oil discovery in the US Gulf of Mexico

Business News, Energy,

Equinor and co-venturers Progress Resources USA Ltd and Repsol E&P USA Inc. have encountered oil in the Monument exploration well in the US Gulf of Mexico.

The Monument exploration well found approximately 200 feet (c. 60 metres) of net oil pay with good reservoir characteristics in Paleogene sandstone.

This provides an early indication of the productive reservoir interval at the well location. The well was drilled to a total depth of 33,348 feet (10,164 metres) using the Pacific Khamsin rig

Read entire article HERE.

New York Times: U.S. Is Nowhere Close to Reopening the Economy, Experts Say

Business News, , , ,

WASHINGTON — How long can we keep this up?

It is still very early in the U.S. effort to snuff a lethal pandemic by shutting down much of the economy. But there is a growing question — from workers, the White House, corporate boardrooms and small businesses on the brink — that hangs over what is essentially a war effort against a virus that has already killed more than 9,000 Americans.

There is no good answer yet, in part because we don’t even have the data needed to formulate one.

Essentially, economists say, there won’t be a fully functioning economy again until people are confident that they can go about their business without a high risk of catching the virus.

Read entire article HERE.

Safe Spaces: Hospitality in the Time of COVID-19

AmCham News, Hotel/ Restaurants/ Conferences, ,

Safe Spaces: Hospitality in the Time of COVID-19

During this challenging period, several AmCham hospitality industry members are adapting their strategies to continue to provide guests with temporary stay options. This includes offering retreats from the “home office” while ensuring operations within the Norwegian authorities’ safety frameworks. At the core of this new operating reality are solutions and initiatives that put the health and safety of guests and employees first. 

©Katrine Aanensen via Canva.com

Hotel Amerikalinjen

Hotel Amerikalinjen is conveniently located right in the city center. Situated across from Oslo’s central station and the rejuvenated waterfront neighborhood Bjørvika, the location is normally bustling this time of year. Instead, central Oslo is eerily quiet, and the hotel has had to take tough measures and focus on the future – keeping the end of COVID-19 restrictions and the resumption of travel in their sights.

“Soon we will clink glasses. We will exchange hugs. We will travel again,” says Amerikalinjen General Manager Wilhelm Hartwig “Until then, the main priority has to be to stay healthy and continue to obey the advice provided by the local authorities. We are confident we will return from this stronger than ever – when the time is right. Not only as a company but also as a society as a whole.”

“We look forward to welcoming our guests back to Amerikalinjen to continue the journey!“ he adds, noting that, “the team at Amerikalinjen sends their warmest thoughts to everyone in this challenging time, and would like to extend a special offer to their most loyal friends and AmCham’s members.” For further details and booking, click HERE.

The THIEF Hotel

With a mission of stealing you away from everyday life, modern boutique hotel The THIEF sits on the aptly named Tjuvholmen (Thief Islet). Adapting to the current situation, hopes to help their guests make a break from the home office by allowing them to book rooms for remote work. All rooms are equipped with a working desk, Nespresso machine, floor to ceiling windows, balconies, and best of all – peace and quiet to help you focus!

Commercial Director Daniel Setekleiv notes that “in addition to the home office solution we are currently offering  guests, we are also increasingly focusing on long stays. That has been a growing market, especially since AirBnB entered the landscape. Now we are offering great rates on week-long stays since we now have the ability to accommodate these requests. We are also now offering our food and beverage services as take away menu items.”

Please contact stay@thethief.com or 24 00 40 00 for more information and to make your reservation.

Hotel Bristol

One of Oslo’s most iconic hotels, Hotel Bristol is open for guests and continues to serve customers breakfast and lunch in their historic restaurant, Vinterhaven, every day from 11:00 to 21:00.

Hotel Bristol is famous for their Afternoon Tea and their celebrated hot chocolate – said to be one of the best in town. At this time, they have decided to move away from their traditional breakfast, sandwich, and cake buffets to dishes that can be ordered from an à la carte menu. There is significantly reduced capacity in Vinterhaven & Bibliotekbaren and Bristol Grill – serving no more than 50 guests at a time. To comply with the Norwegian Institute of Health’s guidelines, the Bristol Spa – including the sauna, ice bath, and training areas – will remain closed until further notice.

“Safety for our guests and employees is our main priority. We follow all national guidelines and advice regarding the COVD-19 situation and ensure that our guests keep a safe distance from one another,” says General Manager Lars Petter Mathisen. “We hope our guests can find needed rest and relaxation with us in our elegant rooms during a difficult time.” If you would like to book a table or have any questions, please call 22 82 60 00 or email post@bristol.no.

How can you support the hospitality industry?

The travel industry has survived many difficult situations in the past and will inevitably come roaring back. You can now support your favorite hotels, however, by postponing your existing reservations instead of canceling and requesting an immediate refund. The travel industry will undoubtedly offer incredible deals during the later part of 2020 and into 2021, reflecting a trend of increased flexibility and innovation in the industry as Norway and the world navigates the aftermath of COVID-19.