Senate Democrats on Friday blocked a House Republican stopgap budget plan, intensifying a bitter impasse that threatens to bring government operations to a halt in a matter of days. (Politico)
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Loss of confidence, by discouraging consumption and investment, can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, causing the very economic weakness that people fear. Significant drops in consumer-confidence indexes in Europe and North America already reflect this perverse dynamic. (Slate)
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We all reach task fatigue. It's that point of diminishing returns when the effort we're putting into staying on task seems greater than the effort we're putting into moving forward in the task. It's that point when our productivity plummets, when our eyes glaze over and our mind wanders. Not that it's always bad to let the mind wander, it's just bad if you're trying to focus. (Wall Street Journal)
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Distractions have gotten worse, much worse, in fact, and technology is largely to blame. As late as the 1960s, the only piece of technology on a worker’s desk was a telephone (and maybe a typewriter). Contrast that with today’s collage of desktop computer, notebook computer, voice over IP (video) phone, smart phone, iPod, iPad, and other devices. (Fast Company)
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I work on a team with a bright, talented young woman who has a lot of potential. The problem is that our director and other colleagues are frustrated with her communication style, which is what you might call "Valley Girl." We really want her to do well and get ahead, and we believe the way she speaks is holding her back. (Fortune)
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With the unprecedented downgrading of the U.S. debt rating, rattled management executives – traditionally vulnerable to restructuring in times of austerity – are looking to safeguard their positions. But is there such a thing as a recession-proof job? When the crunch looms, is there anything you can do to stave off HR's knives? (CNN)
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Finance ministers and central bankers from the world's largest economies reiterated their pledge to stabilize the global economy, but they failed to impress investors, who are eager for the Group of 20 to take action.(CNN/Money)
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The euro, which created the world's largest trading power, was designed to link together the European nations for trade and political purposes. It was born amidst political and economic upheaval as Germany headed towards reunification - with the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 - and communism disintegrated in Eastern Europe. (CNN International)
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Post-financial meltdown, business schools are trying to make their graduates more responsible. But does taking one class on ethics work, or does a new ethical model need to permeate the curriculum? (Fast Company)
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Decreased student numbers, an increase in the popularity of part-time MBAs and a focus on forging contacts and gaining practical skills dominate the local business education market, analysts say. (St. Petersburg Times)
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Visit our interactive website to download the Conference app, view updates and schedules and finalize your plans. Not registered yet? It's not too late. Download the form and bring it to our on-site registration beginning Tuesday, October 4 in Hall B of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
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Throughout the information age, the corporate I.T. department has stood at the chokepoint of office technology with a firm hand on what equipment and software employees use in the workplace. (The New York Times)
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Now Hastings faces what may be his most difficult task yet: reigniting growth after a series of pricing and other missteps that has angered and confused consumers and spooked shareholders. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)
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Ordinary people and small businesses using Facebook are going to have to come to grips with two new terms after the big announcements Mark Zuckerberg made today at f8, the Facebook Developer conference. The first is "self-expression," which means your friends will know a lot more about what you read, what music you listen to, and even what you cook. (Fast Company)
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Go big or go home? Forget that. These strategies for increasing your brand influence take hardly any time, and very little money. (Inc.)
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The surge in freelancers and the new "sharing economy" are part of a new national movement to reclaim the wages and lifestyle that the Great Recession stole from millions of Americans. (The Atlantic)
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The recession alarm bells were ringing across the globe Thursday, spooking investors and economists alike. The latest monthly readings released Thursday on manufacturing in the eurozone, the U.K. and China all were weaker than they had been, as was a report on the service sector in Europe. (CNN/Money)
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In farm country, business is still booming. Commodity prices remain high, and investors are funneling millions of dollars into buying farmland, making it quite enticing for the would-be farmer who wants to leave the rat race. (NPR)
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Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., the world’s biggest payments networks, may face a merchant backlash by raising debit-card swipe fees on the smallest purchases to the maximum allowed under U.S. caps that take effect next week. (Bloomberg)
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In a 2010 decision, the U.S. Tax Court concluded that a daughter could deduct medical expenses and real estate taxes on her Form 1040 – even though they were paid by her mother. This outcome may surprise you, because you probably think a taxpayer can never deduct expenses that were paid by someone else. (SmartMoney)
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D'Andre Payne and Erik Sneed don't mind being guinea pigs. They're among the small crop of students enrolled in a new online MBA program started this summer by UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School. MBA@UNC is one of the first online-only business degree programs started by a highly ranked university.
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Two years ago General Motors (GM) went bankrupt. High labor costs, short-sighted management and global economic turmoil forced what was once America’s mightiest firm to seek refuge from its creditors. (The Economist)
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Hewlett-Packard named Meg Whitman, former chief executive officer of EBay Inc., as CEO yesterday when the board fired Leo Apotheker after less than 11 months. Whitman, 55, is charged with using her experience at the helm of EBay, the largest online marketplace, to further Hewlett-Packard’s push to pare consumer businesses and concentrate on enterprise sales. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)
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Almost two weeks after President Obama spoke on jobs before a joint session of Congress, and demanded that Congress "pass this bill," the Senate has done precious little to move forward on the president’s demand. (ABC News)
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Most people don't make very much of their bread toasters. These small but hardy metal boxes often come at low prices (from $7) and are not terribly difficult to operate. All in all, this is not the best example of a sophisticated, complicated or inventive home appliance. (International Business Times)
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We have heard surprisingly little from those in the post-civil-rights age about what these benefits have meant to them, and especially how they view themselves as black people in an America now led by a black president. In his new book, Touré’s aim is to provide an account of this "post-black" condition, one that emerged only in the 1980s but by the ’90s had become the "new black." (The New York Times Book Review)
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Overlooked in the media coverage about the recovery in business travel during the first half of 2011 is the fact that hotel demand has tipped upward too. As business travelers (or road warriors, as I like to call them) return to the road in greater numbers this year, the slowdown in hotel expansion has become apparent. We've all experienced higher occupancy rates and higher prices. More fee-based services (and higher fees) are also a feature of the new economy of business traveler. (Fast Company)
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