Business News

Forget Balance. Working Women Want Money.

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:58:55 GMT

There's a common misperception out there that what working women really crave is less time at the office. In fact, a new survey released today suggests that the top priority is getting a raise. Making more money overtook affordable health...

News Flash! Many Moms Like Working

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:15:24 GMT

I posted earlier this week about a new study that found that only 8% of college-educated, professional women born since 1956 have left the work-force for a year or more during their child-bearing years, the lowest level of any generation....

A Vacation Rebuilding New Orleans?Why Did We Bother?

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:23:28 GMT

The smell of putrid, black salt water?apparently trapped for three years in the refrigerator of a house abandoned when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans?swept over the New Jersey volunteers. Startled to find sea water from that long-ago storm surge, my...

College as Contraceptive?

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:58:24 GMT

Last week I was reminded?forcefully?about the importance of goals. At least, that was my takeaway when I read about the "Gloucester girls," the 17 pregnant teens at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts. The girls?or rather their condition?caused a bit of...

Women Who Lead with Ann Thomas

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:47:25 GMT

News/Talk 760 WJR and Panera Bread are proud to welcome you to Women Who Lead with Ann Thomas.

Parenting Through the Cinderella Complex

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:35:39 GMT

This is written by Savita Iyer-Ahrestani, a freelance financial journalist now living in The Netherlands who guest blogs for Working Parents every other Friday. My four-and-a-half-year-old daughter came home from school with a question for me: Could she become blonde?...

Do You Want Your Kids To Follow in Your Career Footsteps When They Grow Up?

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:00:48 GMT

Certain celebrities?I won't name them, but you know who I am talking about?often get a lot of flak for "playing the role of parent" in the limelight rather than being hands-on moms and dads. Nancy Travis (below), the co-star of...

Multimedia - Video Mashups

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:01:51 GMT

See The Bonus XSitePro Videos Here

What I Did at VC Camp

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Venture capital firm Highland Capital Partners gives student entrepreneurs a business boost with access to its expertise and contacts

Bay Area BusinessWoman Online

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:38:03 GMT

Bay Area Business Woman newspaper is your trusted source for news, trends and lifestyle issues.

Fresh Entrepreneurs

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:19:00 GMT

Welcome to our ongoing series profiling startups from across the country. We'll be asking for your suggestions and adding profiles on a regular basis

Fresh Entrepreneurs

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:28:00 GMT

Welcome to our ongoing series profiling startups from across the country. We'll be asking for your suggestions and adding profiles on a regular basis

The Case Against Vacation Policy

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:44:00 GMT

IT consulting firm Bluewolf lets employees take as much vacation as they want, whenever they want-as long as they meet their goals

Rising Health-Care Costs Hurt Small Biz

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:48:00 GMT

A survey of some 4,000 self-employed individuals and business owners with 10 or fewer employees finds most can't afford to offer health insurance to employees

Multimedia - Video Mashups

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:01:51 GMT

RSS Widgets and Gadgets

Social Syndication... Get The Fwicki Feed Cloud Widget!

The Lowdown on Strategic Investments

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:49:00 GMT

This kind of cash infusion can be a boon to your small business, but beware: There can be complications

Does Wal-Mart Really Hurt Small Business?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:51:00 GMT

It's conventional wisdom that when it comes to small companies, Wal-Mart is bad news. But is it true?

Tennis-Wimbledon-Women's route to the singles semi-finals - Reuters UK

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:47:00 GMT

July 2 (Reuters) - Women's route to the singles semi-finals at the Wimbledon Championships (prefix number denotes seeding). 7-Venus Williams (U.S) R1: Beat Naomi Cavaday (Britain) 7-6(5) 6-1 R2: Beat Anne Keothavong (Britain) 7-5 6-2 R3: Beat Maria ...

Canada has 'finally' recognized contribution to women's rights ... - The Chronicle Herald

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:28:00 GMT

Dr. Henry Morgentaler acknowledges applause after being presented with an honourary doctor of laws degree at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., in June 2005. Morgentaler, Canada's best-known pro-abortion activist, is set to be named ...

11.MAR.08 Outstanding Women in Business honored by Chamber

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:19:25 GMT

Outstanding Women in Business honored by Chamber OUTSTANDING WOMEN IN BUSINESS honored by the North Houston Greenspoint Chamber, and the local ABWA chapter, included L to R, Chamber president Reggie Gray, ...

Morgentaler 'proud' of appointment to Order - Globe and Mail

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:21:00 GMT

Billy Bee from Canada writes: Congrats, Mr Morgentaler. Its takes a great man to initiate and make change happen (something we rarely see in political circles, i.e. do-nothing Chretien and Harper, who may as well take his orders from GWB ...

Program focuses on womens' health - Longview News-Journal

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:43:00 GMT

Healthy Woman programs are dedicated to improving the emotional, physical and fiscal well-being of both women and the families for which they care, according to Kimberly Brown, marketing director for Longview Regional. She said the kick-off event for ...

Show your support. - Huffingtonpost.com

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:47:00 GMT

A small business owner I know was recently lamenting the fact that one of his employees constantly brought two friends with her to work: her "girls." "She happened to be very well endowed and thought it was a good idea to share her blessings with the ...

Navy signs deal to build biggest ever UK super-carriers - Times Online

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:20:00 GMT

The Royal Navy was promoted into the maritime superleague yesterday when ministers signed the long-awaited contract for two 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers. They will be the second biggest of their kind in the world, each the size of the QE2. Only the ...

Looking Back on Oroville's Heroes

Fri, 02 May 2008 08:27:57 GMT

The body of Pfc. Ray Dunning will arrive in Chico accompanied by military escort Friday afternoon.

Venus and Serena Williams inspirational for six-foot tall African ... - Serioussports Newsnetwork

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:09:00 GMT

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. WIMBLEDON ? As Venus and Serena Williams advanced to the finals of Wimbledon ?s womens singles to play each other for the third time, Candace Parker ...

Sick note culture in the office

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:08:02 GMT

Businesses in the south of England are counting the cost of staff absence as 45 per cent of companies responding to a survey admit absence rates are up on last year.

Nearly all of the 150 companies contributing to the research said bosses had difficulties in managing absence (97 per cent).

Helen Clarke, managing director of Jaluch, said that 'employers are experiencing a lot more long-term sickness absence due to illnesses like stress or depression than ever before'.

Twenty per cent of respondents said that generous sick pay policies don't encourage staff to return to work as soon as they are well. Seventeen per cent of companies with fewer than 2,000 staff had no sickness policy in place.

Clarke added: 'The problem is exacerbated because mounting employment legislation is leaving bosses reluctant to manage staffing issues.'

Fuel costs hitting SMEs

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:30:16 GMT

Small businesses are hiking their prices to cope with the rising cost of fuel.

Just over half of businesses (52 per cent) are passing on their increased costs to customers, according to research by Bibby Financial Services.

Of the businesses surveyed, 79 per cent of owners / managers said they were feeling the effect of rising fuel costs on their business, with just over a third (35 per cent) looking for ways to diversify and grow their business in order to cope with higher prices.

While a quarter (26 per cent) are already trying to reduce costs by cutting how much time they spend on the road, one in five is under pressure from employees to increase fuel allowances (19 per cent).

A north / south divide is also evident, with 83 per cent of owners/managers in the north of England citing the rising fuel costs as the key transport issue affecting their business, ten per cent more than those in the South.

Region by region, it is those businesses in the more rural area of East Anglia that are feeling the greatest effect of the fuel crisis (96 per cent), along with industrial areas such as the East Midlands (90 per cent) and the North West (89 per cent).

Around a third of businesses in the Midlands and the South (27 per cent) are already responding to the fuel crisis by reviewing their company vehicles and making plans to introduce more efficient models - nine per cent more than in the North (18 per cent).

David Robertson, chief executive of Bibby Financial Services, said the majority of businesses are yet to take action: 'Owners and managers must take steps now to fortify their cash flow and reduce the risk of the fuel crisis on their business from being any greater than it already is.'

CBI: Innovation can help businesses survive crunch

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:14:42 GMT

Innovation is essential for service sector small businesses to survive in times of economic delivery, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

A report published by the CBI reveals that while it may feel safer for businesses to 'stick to what they know best', innovation and new ideas can ensure 'continued dynamism' within a firm.

Richard Lambert, CBI director general, says: 'successful innovation comes down to people, not just processes, and that trusting your customers and giving your ideas time to develop is vital.

'When you act, you must move fast and learn from your failures, but don't beat yourself - or others - up when things go wrong.'

The survey also shows that market forces and company culture are the main drivers of innovation, with a positive attitude towards creativity and risk essential.

Last month, City experts told Caterersearch.com that the credit crunch was stifling innovation in the services sector because new businesses were unable to raise the finance to start trading.

"That's Saul, folks!"Michigan Republican Party Blog: Articles of Interest

Fri, 02 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Republican volunteers and activist had a tent set up at the Cinco de Mayo festival at Clark Park located in Mexican town Detroit.

Always a place for convenience stores, magazine says

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:17:04 GMT

Small independent shops will always have a market if they provide the right services, according to a trade magazine.

Talking Retail says that convenience stores which provide the right services at the right price and which 'are sharp enough' to respond to market forces will be able to survive the credit crunch.

Web editor of Talking Retail David Shrimpton explains that using smaller shops is 'a trade-off between price and convenience', where people do their main shopping at a large supermarket then visit a convenience store when they have run out of milk, for example.

'I think there will always be a gap in the market for them,' he adds.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reported last month that some 56 per cent of retailers saw lower sales than at the same point last year.

In comparison, the survey found, 30 per cent of shops experienced an increase in sales.

Female workers need supportive legislation, entrepreneur claims

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:28:03 GMT

Despite the work of campaigners and legislators there remains a 'massive, massive under-representation of women in senior positions', an online resource for female entrepreneurs says.

Karen Gill founder of Everywoman explains that the situation today is not one of 'blatant sexual discrimination', but a disparity between male and female salaries as well as the unequal proportions of men and women in high-ranking roles.

She comments: 'In some instances, we're going backwards, we're regressing, because people think we're doing ok. It's imbedded in culture, and we've stopped fighting. I think we've stopped putting it at the top of the agenda.'

Ms Gill says that women can often feel excluded from masculine practices in the boardroom such as aggressiveness and confrontation.

Ex-Apprentice contestant and HR consultant Jo Cameron told HR Zone that female professionals often lose out because they have not learnt 'the language of the boardroom' and are often too modest in meetings.

Trade union calls for rise in minimum wage

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:06:28 GMT

New research shows that the national minimum wage should be raised, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

It is a move that would potentially affect small businesses but the survey illustrates that such an increase is necessary, says TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

A report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found that Britons see a wage of £13,400 as the minimum needed to enjoy a reasonable 'basic' standard of living.

Barber calls the survey, which was based on the opinions of representatives of all socio-economic groups, 'useful evidence' in the fight for raising the minimum wage.

However, he adds that people should be 'cautious' about basing a whole argument on one survey.

Last time the minimum wage was raised, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) described the increase as 'appropriate' because it was in line with inflation.

According to the FSB, previous above-inflation rises had caused problems for smaller firms whose profits were threatened, particularly in areas such as leisure, hotels and catering.

Government urged to cut fuel prices

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:50:39 GMT

The pressure is growing on the government to act as rising fuel costs harm the effectiveness of UK businesses.

After the government's refusal to scrap the 2p increase in fuel duty - planned for October -, lobbying groups such as the Forum of Private Business (FPB) and the Freight Transport Association (FTA) are calling for more decisive measures.

'We are desperate and the government must realise that,' says Bill Hockin of Devon-based William C Hockin Transport 'This is the perfect storm, with foreign competition from European hauliers, who pay less tax than us in the UK, and rising fuel costs. If this situation continues, it will cripple us, if not ruin us.'

Further rises have been proposed for 2009 and 2010. The FPB argues that the government's plan to increase fuel duty amounts to another tax, 'showing it to be out of touch with the UK's small-business community'.

In a statement, the FTA's external affairs director, Geoff Dossetter, said that fuel now constituted 40 per cent of most firms' vehicle operating costs.

'The government has failed to demonstrate that it has understood the serious impact of oil price rises to UK industry and has so far shown no interest in tackling the problem,' said Dossetter. 'The price of oil is dramatically changing these processes to the detriment of all, seemingly without any concern from the government, which has done nothing to help except to postpone its proposed 2p-per-litre duty increase from April until October.'

Hockin added: 'There is only so long I can ask my customers to pay more, before they will turn away. I have been in business for 40 years and this year is by far the worst I have ever known.'

Lake County Chamber posts awards, directors

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:30:23 GMT

Award winners from the Lake County Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting this month included: Hispanic Chamber Distinguished Service Award: Caroline Lopez, Hispanic Chamber secretary, and Sandra Ranchero, ...