Archive for May, 2009
Cutting Salaries Instead of Jobs
Companies usually avoid reducing base pay for fear of demoralizing staff and undermining productivity. But not in this downturn
To cut labor costs, Ari Bousbib has tried almost everything. The president of United Technologies’ (UTX) $34 billion-a-year commercial businesses has frozen hiring, deferred pay increases
and required some executives to take a week of unpaid leave. [...]
No Relief for Small Business Cardholders
Credit-card reform doesn’t apply to small business cards, which more companies are relying on as loans have dried up
Joseph Rosmann thought he was a model small business credit card customer. A 65-year-old general contractor in Bellevue, Wash., Rosmann typically charges between $2,000 and $4,000 in expenses each month on his Chase card. He carries [...]
What credit card holders should know
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Many in Congress have been busy patting themselves on the back for passing the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act, which they say created a “bill of rights” for credit card holders. But there’s another way to look at the legislation.
What lawmakers really did, besides codify a bunch of regulations that [...]
Young Car Buyers Challenge Detroit
GM, Chrysler, and Ford must convince Gen Y consumers that their quality has risen and their new models deserve consideration
As Chrysler emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and as General Motors (GM) in all likelihood heads into the same process, the toughest and most important obstacle facing those companies will be young consumers like Joseph [...]
Millionaire numbers ‘have halved’
The number of UK millionaires has more than halved as the recession has bitten into the earnings of the super-wealthy, a report has claimed.
There are now 242,000 millionaires across the country, down from a peak of 489,000 in 2007, said the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).
The CEBR said the big decline had been [...]
SBA To Finance Auto-Dealer Inventories Under Pilot Program
The Small Business Administration will offer government-guaranteed loans to finance inventories for dealers of automobiles and similar big-ticket items.
The new pilot program is another step by the federal government to prop up businesses suffering from tight credit conditions and a recessionary economic environment. Dealers have been going out of business across the country as sales [...]
Playbook: Six Ways to Help Your Laid-off Employees
Small employers strapped for cash can still help workers they’re cutting
When small businesses decide to lay off workers, they often can’t afford generous severance packages or access to professional outplacement services. But employers strapped for cash can still help their departing workers. Take a look at our accompanying story, then see below for six [...]
How Small Businesses Can Save Money
When it comes to small business banking, this can be a confusing issue for those just starting out. Some banks will use this situation to get the most out of those customers and independent advice on small business banking is always a good idea.
One of these issues regarding the finances of small businesses is the [...]
Twenty Part-Time Business Ideas
Businesses You Can Start on Your Own
In any economy, a part-time business can bring in extra income, give you a fallback plan if you lose your job, or plant the seed for a larger venture. In a downturn, it’s hard to argue with preparing a backup plan. Of course, starting a business is always risky, [...]
GM says bondholders support sweetened offer
DETROIT
General Motors Corp. says a committee of bondholders has agreed to a sweetened deal to erase some of the automaker’s debt in exchange for company stock.
The company said in a statement Thursday that it offered bondholders 10 percent of the company’s stock with warrants to buy up to 15 percent if they agree to support [...]
The Tough Road Ahead for GM and Chrysler
Bankruptcy would produce leaner automakers, but it would still leave lots of debt and do nothing to fix their images—or the disastrous marketplace
When President Barack Obama explained in March that his Administration was bailing out General Motors (GM) and Chrysler, he promised that the two battered automakers would “stand on their own, not as [...]
Microsoft’s Bing Logo Leaked By Way Of Favicon?
Within the next few days, Microsoft is expected to unveil its latest attempt at trying to be a player in the world of web search. After it has failed to get live.com any traction against Google, it will apparently launch a new engine called “Bing” — the project formerly known by its working title “Kumo.” [...]
Warning: Twittercut Worm Plays On Your Desire For More Followers
Everyone wants more Twitter followers. It’s kind of the name of the game. But if you see some tweets in your stream that proclaim: “OMG I just got over 1000 followers today from http://twittercut.com” — don’t be fooled, it’s a scam. The link takes you to a site that requests your Twitter login and pass. [...]
Multiply 4.0: Social Network Photo Sharing Done Right
Multiply, a social network with a heavy focus on sharing media with friends and family, is getting a major upgrade at 10 AM tomorrow, introducing an overhauled (and much improved) interface, extensive photo editing functionality, a fully integrated photo finishing platform.
Multiply doesn’t get nearly as much attention as bigger players like Facebook and MySpace, but [...]
Learning, and Profiting, from Online Friendships
Companies are working fast to figure out how to make money from the wealth of data they’re beginning to have about our online friendships
A question: If you have 347 followers on the Twitter microblogging service, what are the chances that they’ll click on the same online ad you clicked on last night? Advertisers are [...]
New Rules for College Credit Cards
The credit-card bill signed into law by President Obama addresses some, but not all, of the industry’s most controversial campus practices
The landmark credit-card legislation that President Barack Obama signed into law on May 22 offers a bevy of protections for card holders. It outlaws some of the industry’s most contentious billing practices. Card companies, [...]
Unemployment in Russia Rises, Retail Sales Slide
Russian unemployment has reached its highest level this decade as thrift replaces a culture of consumer spending, official data released Friday showed.
The number of unemployed in Russia rose to 7.7 million in April, or 10.2% of the total labor force of 75.2 million, data from the Federal Statistics Service, or Rosstat, showed.
Around 3 million workers [...]
Facebook Pulls Plug On Scrabulous
McCain: I Slept Like A Baby 
President Meg Whitman: Is Ex-eBay CEO a Good Choice As McCain VP?
Is The Economic Crisis Affecting European Startups At All?
Provable Cash flow Cash Advances: Should You Capture The Opportunity?
How to start a multilingual site
JobBite: Find Out if Competitors Pay More
