Aperian Global Announces Launch of e-Learning Modules for a Global Workforce
San Francisco, CA, 1 May, 2008
In response to marketplace demand for a variety of learning modalities to address employees' global business learning needs, Aperian Global has developed a series of e-learning modules that are now available for purchase. These online learning sessions focus on business skills required to achieve maximum performance from global, virtual teams. They provide individuals with self-guided learning that delves into differences in business behaviors across cultures and explores best practices for effective virtual teams.
Press Release
GLOBESMART COMMANDER and GLOBESMART SOLDIER: Helping Remove the Fog of War
San Francisco, CA, 9 April, 2007 – Aperian Global, one of the world's leading intercultural consulting and training firms, today announced the launch of GlobeSmart® Commander and GlobeSmart® Soldier, two new innovative Web tools developed through funding from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
Imagine being responsible for coordinating a massive logistical initiative in the midst of combat and all of the accompanying chaos, working with a team made up of people who are from different nationalities, who certainly have different cultural biases and impressions, and likely speak different languages. That, in a nutshell, is a snapshot of the problems facing people involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. But thanks to GlobeSmart Commander and GlobeSmart Soldier, two new tools funded by the Army Research Laboratory's Human Research & Engineering Directorate (ARL HRED) as second phase Small Business Innovative Research - or SBIR - projects, military personnel may soon find their jobs easier.
GlobeSmart Commander
GlobeSmart Commander (www.globesmartcommander.com) is designed to raise awareness in multinational teams about cultural differences that exist among team members, and to demonstrate the impact that those differences have on the ability of team members to work effectively together.
"GlobeSmart Commander is an innovative tool that will help prepare our military officers to respond and adapt to complex, changing circumstances," said Dr. Linda Pierce, chief of the Soldier Performance Division at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). "Awareness of one's own values, assumptions, and behaviors, is critical to our officers' ability to communicate effectively with their foreign counterparts, carry out plans, and achieve their missions. This is why we are so excited about making GlobeSmart Commander available to our officers in the field."
GlobeSmart Soldier
Aperian Global developed a second tool with ARL called GlobeSmart Soldier (http://www2.aperianglobal.com/files/gssoldier). The goal of the GlobeSmart Soldier project was to create an application for use by U.S. soldiers deployed to Iraq that will help them understand and interact more effectively with the Iraqi people. GlobeSmart Soldier will give U.S. soldiers a greater awareness of the local culture in which they are operating,and the increased ability to effectively achieve their objectives with the local people they encounter on a daily basis.
In addition to information about local customers, values and history from the perspectives of Americans and Iraqis, GlobeSmart Soldier provides practice interacting with Iraqis during house searches and foot patrols through the use of interactive graphic narratives. A "Names & Phrases" module allows users to listen to audio filesof spoken Arabic names and useful phrases for military operations. Users with microphones in their computers have the additional capability of recording and playing back their own pronunciation of Arabic names and phrases and comparing their attempts with the native speakers' pronunciation.
"We initiated development of GlobeSmart Soldier in response to Army leadership requests and suggestions from post-deployment soldiers to impart cultural awareness information through the use of practical exercises about what to do when interacting with Iraqi civilians rather than what not to do," said Dr. Melissa Dixon, the ARL HRED technical point of contact for GlobeSmart Soldier. "We believe that GlobeSmart Soldier will increase the cognitive readiness of soldiers who will interact with Iraqi civilians on a daily basis."
About the SBIR Program and Aperian Global's GLOBESMART Tools
GlobeSmart Commander is the product of the second phase of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project funded by ARL's Human Research & Engineering Directorate. The SBIR program is a highly competitive, three-phase award system which provides qualified small business concerns with opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet the specific research and development needs of the Federal Government. One requirement of the program is that the products be commercialized within a two-year timeframe. Aperian Global plans to release a non-military version of the product, GlobeSmart® Advisor, to the corporate market in the second quarter of 2007.
All three tools are derived from Aperian Global's flagship web tool called GlobeSmart® (www.globesmart.com) which has been marketed primarily to corporate customers since 1999 and is widely viewed as a best-in-class online learning tool. GlobeSmart provides global organizations with easy access to information on conducting business with people from 50+ countries. GlobeSmart addresses the greatest cause of difficulties in global business interactions -- the challenges of relating and communicating successfully with counterparts from other countries.
"We are honored to create the GlobeSmart Commander and GlobeSmart Soldier tools under the SBIR program. The SBIR program is truly a great opportunity for small businesses like ours," said Ted Dale, chief creative officer and co-founder of Aperian Global. "It has given us the opportunity to apply our expertise in the field of intercultural communication and our technology development capabilities in a way that can potentially have a tremendously positive impact on the world. We thank ARL for the opportunity to partner on these projects."
About Aperian Global
Aperian Global is one of the world's leading consulting firms specializing in intercultural management consulting and training. Aperian is distinguished by its:
Press Contacts
Phone: +1 415 321 7930 Phone: +1 415 321 7972
Email: slee@aperianglobal.com Email: lmyxter@aperianglobal.com
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MeridianEaton Global Announces New Company Name – Aperian GlobalTM
San Francisco, CA and Boston, MA, 18 October, 2006 – MeridianEaton Global, the global consulting and training firm formed in June of last year through the merger of San Francisco-based Meridian Resources and Boston-based Eaton Consulting Group, today announced the company’s new name – Aperian GlobalTM. The name change is part of a larger re-branding initiative that reflects the firm’s vision and expanded global capabilities.
“Our new name ‘Aperian’ comes from the Latin root word ‘aper’ which means ‘to open’ or ‘to give access to’”, said Ted Dale, founder and chairman of Aperian Global. “We feel this name reflects the essence of our mission, as well as the spirit of our client work.”
Ernie Gundling, founder and co-president of the company added, “Aperian Global’s unique blend of consulting, training, and web tools ‘opens’ the way for individuals, teams, and organizations to engage in new and innovative approaches to seizing global opportunities and solving complex problems in their globalization efforts.”
“In working closely with our clients from around the world, our goal is to connect global strategy with downstream execution, by creating blended solutions that drive results. Our true value-add is to enable our clients’ human capital to be truly effective when operating across borders,” added Dave Eaton, founder & co-president.”
About Aperian Global
Aperian Global is one of the world’s leading consulting firms assisting organizations in connecting global strategy with execution through people, culture and performance. We are distinguished as a leader in our field by the fact that we have:
Press Contacts
Phone: +1 415 321 7922 Phone: +45 40 54 23 21
Email: lemery@aperianglobal.com Email: bbungum@aperianglobal.com
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