Hurricane Irene is fast approaching the East Coast. Businesses owners from Georgia to New England should take time now – if they haven’t already – to ensure that their disaster preparedness plans are up to date.If you’re in the path of Hurricane Irene, make sure to check out the resources and updates available. (White House)

Visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/24/businesses-need-be-prepared-hurricane-irene-and-other-disasters to view the full article online.

 

Summer is a season to relax, unless you're a job seeker. Given the steep competition for jobs, people who are energized and organized – and those who avoid lazy mistakes – are the likeliest to land a spot. (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903639404576521032104170982.html to view the full article online.

 

The darkest spot in the dark economy? Skills-corroding, poverty-inducing, long-term joblessness. The average duration of unemployment has climbed to record highs, and about 44 percent of jobless workers have not had a job in six months. (Slate)

Visit http://www.slate.com/id/2302132/ to view the full article online.

 

Unemployment in the African American community continues to hover devastating highs with a reported 16.2% unemployment. It is time for action on the most important issue of our time – economic opportunity, jobs! Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will travel the country for the CBC’s For the People Jobs Initiative. Look for us in Los Angeles, August 30-31.

Visit http://thecongressionalblackcaucus.com/issues/jobs-initiative/ to view the full article online.

 

Are you getting whiplash from following the stock market the past couple of weeks? You're not alone. Few people are having much fun on this roller coaster ride. You may feel particularly powerless as your organization's future begins to seem more perilous. But there are three actions you can take to exert power over your own work life. They may not only improve how you feel; they may also boost your chances of keeping your job. (Harvard Business Review)

Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/hbsfaculty/2011/08/how-keep-job-downturn.html to view the full article online.

 

Thanks to a thriving economy at home, an increasing number of Chinese students are attending U.S. graduate schools, according to a study to be released on Tuesday by a graduate-school industry group. (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904253204576510750588346330.html to view the full article online.

 

With Greece and Ireland in economic shreds, while Portugal, Spain, and perhaps even Italy head south, only one nation can save Europe from financial Armageddon: a highly reluctant Germany. (Vanity Fair)

Visit http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/09/europe-201109 to view the full article online.

 

While China has been able to use its considerable economic clout to forge strong ties with Africa, experts say India is hoping that a mix of soft power and business expertise can win it friends and customers on the continent. (CNN International)

Visit http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/08/25/india.charm.africa.china/index.html to view the full article online.

 

With the economy in turmoil, more students are seeking admission deferrals, opting for the security of a paycheck over the great unknown. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/an-mba-dream-deferred-08242011.html to view the full article online.

 

In April 2011, a woman received one of the most important letters of her life, announcing her acceptance to one of the world’s top five MBA programs. She popped open a bottle of champagne and celebrated with her family and boyfriend. Then, she looked at the price tag. To attend, she’d need to shell out a jaw-dropping $150,000-plus to cover tuition, fees, food and housing. All the while, missing out on two years of steady paychecks. (Poets and Quants)

Visit http://poetsandquants.com/2011/08/19/an-mba-vows-to-graduate-without-any-debt/ to view the full article online.

 

Join us for a day of golf and fun Saturday, October 8, during the National Black Masters Golf Tournament at the NBMBAA 33rd Annual Conference & Exposition in Atlanta, GA. This event, benefiting the Leaders of Tomorrow® program, begins at 10am with a four person scramble with many challenges followed by an award reception. A DJ and celebrity sightings make this a can't-miss end to Conference.

Visit http://www.nbmbaaconference2011.org to view the full article online.

 

Research in Motion just unveiled a new smartphone, the BlackBerry Bold 9900. The question is: Does anybody care? The competitive landscape looks absolutely brutal. There’s the iPhone, whose 29 percent of the app phone market is the result of 110 million slavering fans and a bottomless app store. (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/25/technology/personaltech/research-in-motions-best-blackberry-yet-the-bold-9900-is-not-enough.html?_r=1&ref=business to view the full article online.

 

The conventional wisdom is that products that have a strong established base of users can often trump higher-quality alternatives. But recent research suggests otherwise. (MIT/Sloan Management Review)

Visit http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2011-summer/52403/how-quality-drives-the-rise-and-fall-of-high-tech-products/ to view the full article online.

 

It wasn't until a man diagnosed with measles ate at her New Jersey diner that Connie Correia Fisher, co-owner of The Pop Shop, discovered that the only thing that spreads faster than an infectious disease is bad news. (CNN/Money)

Visit http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/24/smallbusiness/social_media_business/index.htm?iid=HP_River to view the full article online.

 

Although it may still be a few months before Google allows businesses to create branded profiles on Google+, social media expert Chris Brogan is convinced the new network will be a powerful tool for business owners to connect with customers online. (Entrepreneur)

Visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220184 to view the full article online.

 

As President Barack Obama puts together a new jobs plan to be revealed shortly after Labor Day, he is up against a powerful force, long in the making, that has gone virtually unnoticed in the debate over how to put people back to work: Employers are increasingly giving up on the American man. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-slow-disappearance-of-the-american-working-man-08242011.html to view the full article online.

 

When Clyde Jackson's wife took a $6 hourly pay cut several years ago, it was the beginning of his rapid descent from two-time homeowner to renter in an apartment complex in the working-class Washington, D.C., suburb of Greenbelt, Md. (NPR)

Visit http://www.npr.org/2011/08/24/139877687/racial-gap-in-homeownership-widens-in-u-s-slump to view the full article online.

 

Here, on the posterior of many an American professional, lies one of the more unexpected twists in the evolution of personal finance. At a time when people seem increasingly reliant on their smartphones for all manner of interactions with the world, that oldest of handheld devices – the wallet – has remained a surprisingly enduring accessory. (SmartMoney)

Visit http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/family-money/how-a-fat-wallet-makes-you-spend-more-1312486986550/?link=SM_hp_spend to view the full article online.

 

Airlines traditionally pare back on their routes during the winter when travel is lighter and costs are higher. But factor in the uncertain economy and this year carriers are even more aggressive about service cuts. (Portfolio)

Visit http://www.portfolio.com/business-travel/2011/08/24/beware-airline-cutbacks-for-upcoming-fall-winter-travel to view the full article online.

 

It's easy to get complacent about professional development when you're employed. If you already have a job, why should you go above and beyond to improve your skills, especially if it's not required by your company? (U.S. News and World Report)

Visit http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2011/08/17/take-charge-of-your-professional-development to view the full article online.

 

As Steve Jobs used his creative genius and vision to conceive and design blockbuster products like the iMac, iPhone and iPad, Cook's considerable operational skills were focused on making sure that Apple could build millions of those products and deliver them to every corner of the world to meet customers' seemingly insatiable demand. (Fortune)

Visit http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/25/tim-cook-ceo-apple-steve-jobs/ to view the full article online.

 

Behold the power of Buffett! With a $5 billion investment which will pay him $300 million per year in perpetuity, Warren Buffett has managed to boost the share value of Berkshire Hathaway by something north of $12 billion. Oh, and Buffett also gets a massive free option on BofA stock — the right to buy 700 million shares at $7.14 apiece, at any point over the next decade. If exercised, that would give him 7% of the company. (Reuters)

Visit http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/08/25/warren-buffetts-magical-fairy-dust-lands-on-bofa/ to view the full article online.

 

It has been, in certain respects, a difficult year for Clarence Thomas. In January, he was compelled to amend several years of the financial-disclosure forms that Supreme Court Justices must file each year. Thomas had failed to note that his wife, Virginia, who is known as Ginni, worked as a representative for a Michigan college and at the Heritage Foundation. The following month, seventy-four members of Congress called on Thomas to recuse himself from any legal challenges to President Obama’s health-care reform, because his wife has been an outspoken opponent of the law. (The New Yorker)

Visit http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/29/110829fa_fact_toobin to view the full article online.

 

Steve Jobs isn't an engineer or a designer. But he's one of the greatest users of technology of all time, and that made all the difference. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664863/what-made-steve-jobs-great to view the full article online.

 

The official Wednesday night opening event of the five-day dedication celebration of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial moved from the National Building Museum to the Washington Convention Center and officials are monitoring Hurricane Irene, though rain or shine, Sunday's dedication will go forward. (Washington Post)

Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post_now/post/earthquake-alters-mlk-plans/2011/08/24/gIQAHWIvbJ_blog.html to view the full article online.

 

Buckle up: The government’s new airline rules for passengers finally came into effect this week, but passengers must wait until January of next year for several new consumer protections, including those that require airlines to incorporate all taxes and fees in advertised fares, ban airlines from making post-purchase price increases and those that require airlines to notify passengers of delays of over 30 minutes, as well as cancellations and diversions. (SmartMoney)

Visit http://blogs.smartmoney.com/paydirt/2011/08/24/new-airline-rules-more-delays-for-passengers/?link=SM_hp_spend to view the full article online.