When this magazine published its “Power Issue” in October 2009, we asked “Who Runs Hawaii?” The answer, of course, was complicated, but we managed to sum it up in a two-page chart listing the main players and in our lead…
The most important book of our time offers warning signs History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes and I hear an ominous poem these days. Franklin Roosevelt committed one of the biggest sins of his 12-year presidency when he…
Immigration is complicated. It’s not a single issue but a thousand issues and factors mixed together, including diverse people, economics, crime, community, compassion, resentment, competition, inequality and so much more. There are two features in this issue that show the…
I feel trapped in a time machine that has taken me back three or four decades. Workplace problems like sexual harassment that should have died off long ago continue to flourish. In fact, the most persistent theme of history –…
Facebook is changing the way it evaluates millions of news sites around the world and that process will change what you see on your Facebook news feed. One key question Facebook will ask you and other users in its surveys…
From 3% to 22% That's a big rise in the number of female leaders. Does it mean a work in early progress or mission accomplished? Inside this issue is the 20th anniversary edition of Hawaii Business’ Black Book, a who’s…
This year marks my 42nd anniversary in the news business. That includes four years working part-time in TV news while still in college but doesn’t count four earlier years delivering newspapers when I acquired my addiction to what was then…
If you think domestic violence does not affect you, you’re wrong. You may not be the one with the bruises, broken bones and worse, but you are paying part of the price – at your workplace and with your taxes. Twenty-one percent…
UPDATED 7/10/2017 ADDED 14 STATE AWARDS FROM THE 2017 SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS (SPJ) Hawaii Business is the state’s best business publication and we just won eight national awards and 14 statewide awards to prove it. The prizes were for…
I’ll be honest: A few months ago, I was worried about the future of Hawaii Business. Our publisher and creative director (that’s the person in charge of the entire look of the magazine, from photos to typography) had left to…
The ancient Greek poet Archilochus left us with this delightful metaphor: “A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one important thing.” In this month’s column, I’m a fox, maybe because I’m juggling too many balls to be a hedgehog.…
I try hard not to live in a bubble, so I read widely and listen when people express opinions contrary to my own. But I was shocked when I started reading the latest edition of Chapman University’s annual survey of…
There is a clever series of TV commercials from Progressive Insurance with the theme of a man becoming like his mother, and a woman becoming like her father. In the ads, the humor comes from the children adopting the annoying…
If you are a news junkie like me, you probably check multiple websites every day. In fact, I often read stories on 10 sites in one day, sometimes more. But most sane people don’t want to spend their time that…
A major quandary faced by journalists is balancing our opposing responsibilities to expose and to celebrate. Society expects journalists to report on injustice, inefficiency, corruption and other problems, and when we don't, the news media are rightly derided for the…
Decades ago, an acquaintance asked, “What’s your favorite: Sunday mornings or Monday mornings?” I was confused, partly because the answer seemed obvious, so he explained. “Do you prefer your leisure time or your work?” It was clear he preferred the…
If you are a fan of alternate realities and parallel universes, welcome to one of our annual discussions: Who should be CEO of the Year? Each fall, when the editorial team at Hawaii Business considers candidates, we look for outstanding…
"What Do Women Want?” was a condescending question often asked (and answered) by men when I was young. It is also a question Gallup set out to answer in a report called “Women in America: Work and Life Well-Lived,” based…
If you read Hawaii Business regularly, you know Dennis Hollier writes engaging stories about complex subjects, such as energy, construction, leadership and farming. He does the opposite of dumbing down; what should I call it, “understanding up”? In his articles,…
September and October are big months for parents with children in preschool. That’s when many embark on one of Hawaii’s most nerve-racking academic processes: applying to kindergarten. I am a graduate of the public school system in New York and…
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” I love that quote of F. Scott Fitzgerald because I believe a real…
About the time this issue reaches you, I will be emerging from a digital detox center known as Haleakala. My daughter and I will have spent four days hiking in the crater without our phones, laptops or any other devices…
I can be a popular person at parties and it’s not because of my magnetic personality, witty repartee and obvious good looks. When strangers learn I work in the news media, they often get excited and say, “You should do…
The name of our magazine is Hawaii Business, but the reality has often been very different. At times, a more accurate title would have been Honolulu Business or, even, Downtown Honolulu Business. I am not blaming my predecessors; I have…