European leaders battled over the fate of the euro in last-ditch efforts to stem two years of turmoil in financial markets and put the debt-addled continent on a sounder economic footing. (Bloomberg)

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-08/eu-battles-to-save-euro-as-merkel-eyes-step-by-step-solution-to-crisis.html to view the full article online.

 

The U.S. Postal Service on Monday announced a $2.1 billion cost savings proposal that would result in the end of next-day service for regular mail and the loss of about 28,000 postal worker jobs. (CNN/Money)

Visit http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/05/news/economy/postal_service/ to view the full article online.

 

Facing a harsh political reaction that has paralyzed the Indian Parliament, the governing Congress Party announced on Wednesday that it would suspend plans to allow foreign multibrand retailers like Wal-Mart to open stores in India. (New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/business/global/india-suspends-plan-to-let-in-foreign-retailers.html to view the full article online.

 

When unemployment fell to 8.6 percent last month, its lowest rate in two-and-a-half years, some newspapers hailed the number as a sure sign that the recovery is back on track. But when you dig into the numbers behind the numbers, a darker picture comes into focus. It's not just that jobs are growing. It's that the labor force is shrinking. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/12/the-incredible-shrinking-work-force/249688/ to view the full article online.

 

How often have you had a work day when, as mid-afternoon races toward late-afternoon, you realize that you haven't really gotten anything done? (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204770404577082532864410386.html to view the full article online.

 

Even as the unemployment rate hovers near its lowest level in more than two years, millions of Americans still remain jobless or stuck cobbling together part-time work in hopes of landing something full-time and permanent. (U.S. News and World Report)

Visit http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2011/12/08/with-no-jobs-at-home-some-americans-look-overseas to view the full article online.

 

A 33 percent jump in U.S. graduate school enrollment in the past decade, coupled with an 80 percent surge in tuition and required fees, runs headlong into a weaker job market. Universities are fueling the trend by offering more one- and two-year programs in areas from environmental science to sports management that rarely come with financial aid other than the option for loans. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-08/trapped-by-50-000-degree-in-low-paying-job-is-increasing-lament.html to view the full article online.

 

Second marriages supposedly represent the triumph of hope over experience. Similarly, in the lead-up to every EU summit, investors become optimistic that this time – finally – leaders will manufacture a solution to the debt crisis. (The Economist)

Visit http://www.economist.com/node/21541414 to view the full article online.

 

When the euro was set up in the late 1990s, the Stability and Growth Pact clearly spelled out the criteria for membership: Countries could not have huge debts, and they needed to keep deficits small. And there was no question — the rules explicitly excluded a little country named Greece. (NPR)

Visit http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/12/07/143274540/can-eurozone-countries-actually-follow-their-own-rules-this-time to view the full article online.

 

Initiatives are a way to get young people – a demographic that most nonprofit boards have trouble connecting with – involved with boards at an early stage in their careers. On average, only six percent of nonprofit boards have members under the age of 35, according to a 2008 Urban Institute study of nonprofits with annual expenses between $500,000 and $5 million. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/mbas-lend-their-skills-to-nonprofit-boards-12052011.html to view the full article online.

 

The Public Relations Society of America is trying to bring corporate communication and reputation management into the MBA curriculum, where a new study suggests it's sorely lacking. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/public-relations-coming-to-a-bschool-near-you-12072011.html to view the full article online.

 

When it comes to technology and pop culture, New Zealanders often have to wait months for new products to hit their shores. But not for its two million Facebook users: As of yesterday, the country was the first to have the new Timeline format rolled out. (Portfolio)

Visit http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-tech-observer/2011/12/07/Facebook-rolls-out-the-new-timeline-feature-in-new-zealand to view the full article online.

 

You probably already use sites like PayPal and Mint to keep track of your finances. But you no longer have to sit at a computer to check your bank balance. These must-have money apps let you check balances, get budget reminders, locate ATMs and even make deposits on the fly. All seven are free. (Kiplinger)

Visit http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/Best-Free-Money-Apps-for-2011/1.html to view the full article online.

 

Kickstarter. Zipcar. Shareable. Etsy. Kiva. Prosper. Airbnb – these and other "collective consumption" companies are part of the new economy arising out of necessity, as traditional businesses and government are increasingly unable to meet Americans' needs and provide basic supports. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/12/occupy-big-business-the-sharing-economys-quiet-revolution/249582/ to view the full article online.

 

Selling to a CEO is easy, because most CEOs are positive, high energy, and able to see the possibilities. But selling to a CFO... not so much. CFOs are paid to see risks and to worry about what things cost. They’re the classic roadblocks in your drive to make sales. (Inc.)

Visit http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/sell-to-a-CFO-9-rules.html to view the full article online.

 

On Tuesday we wrote about how the entirety of the net decline in the labor force last month could be explained by women dropping out. We also puzzled over why a majority of women who left the labor force happened to have been employed before they opted out, because the stereotypical labor force dropout is usually an unemployed worker who got discouraged and gave up looking for a new job. (New York Times)

Visit http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/more-on-labor-force-dropouts/?ref=business to view the full article online.

 

Are clicks killing bricks or will physical stores remain alive and well as long as they change with the times? Track the debate. (ZDNet.com)

Visit http://www.zdnet.com/debate/great-debate-is-e-commerce-killing-brick-and-mortar/6330783?tag=content;feature-roto to view the full article online.

 

You don't need as long as you think to get your financial life in order. Just squeeze in these 12 easy moves, some of which take a mere 15 minutes to tackle. (CNN/Money)

Visit http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/pf/1111/gallery.money_and_time_management.moneymag/?iid=HP_River to view the full article online.

 

Hardly anyone realizes just how much they're really spending. They don't know. They don't do the math. They don't think. And the retailers, of course, aren't going to tell them. Ignorance is bliss. Thank heavens. Can you imagine where our economy would be if people could count? (SmartMoney)

Visit http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/family-money/revealed-what-christmas-will-really-cost-1322832846900/?link=SM_hp_holiday to view the full article online.

 

We've a chance to take a shot at really working together to turn upside down the way we approach the challenges we are facing in the world and to look at them in a brand new, entrepreneurial way. Never has there been a more exciting time for all of us to explore this next great frontier where the boundaries between work and higher purpose are merging into one, where doing good really is good for business. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1799877/richard-branson-screw-business-as-usual to view the full article online.

 

Faced with a dearth of skilled labor, more companies are taking employee education into their own hands. Unemployment figures are high, but finding workers with the right skills for the job – especially for highly specialized roles such as power plant technicians or laboratory chemists – remains a big challenge, many firms say. (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204397704577074791844935520.html to view the full article online.

 

New legislation that could free up start-ups to fundraise online is gaining steam. Here's how it could disrupt traditional capital formation. (Inc.)

Visit http://www.inc.com/articles/201112/why-the-crowdfunding-legislation-is-good-for-start-ups.html to view the full article online.

 

Jon Corzine, the former chief of failed MF Global, apologized to customers of the firm and told lawmakers Thursday that he did not know where missing money was located. (MarketWatch)

Visit http://www.marketwatch.com/story/corzine-i-do-not-know-where-the-money-is-2011-12-08?dist=afterbell to view the full article online.

 

Have you ever suspected that you’d be healthier, happier, and perhaps even more productive, if you could just get your work done on your own schedule instead of your boss’s? New research suggests you’re probably right. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678950/bosses-stop-caring-if-your-employees-are-at-their-desks to view the full article online.

 

Executives spend a lot of time worrying about their companies' products and prices, but they don't spend nearly enough time worrying about corporate character. Why would they? A lot of them don't believe companies even have a character, and others don't see what difference it could possibly make. (Harvard Business Review)

Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/employees_who_identify_with_th.html to view the full article online.

 

‘Tis the season for food drives. It’s a holiday tradition as storied as Christmas trees, awkward conversations with the in-laws, and embarrassing drunken moments at the office holiday party. Your employer, your church, and your kids’ school put out the boxes and ask everyone to drop off excess canned goods for the needy. (Slate)

Visit http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2011/12/food_drives_charities_need_your_money_not_your_random_old_food_.html to view the full article online.