Like millions of travelers this winter, Billy Bauer has felt the full effects of the nation’s cold weather. Mr. Bauer, the marketing director for the leather-goods company Royce Leather in Secaucus, N.J., had a critical sales meeting jeopardized when snow stranded him in Montreal in December. (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/business/when-commerce-is-grounded.html?ref=business to view the full article online.

 

Becoming an entrepreneur is a daydream for millions of people. After all, starting your own company is an opportunity to become your own boss, chart your own destiny, and maybe make a fortune. But is the reality always rosy, even if your business flourishes? Here 10 successful entrepreneurs talk about the downsides of their jobs. It doesn't sound easy. (BBC News)

Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26030270 to view the full article online.

 

Why are we working ridiculously long weeks? Because of the way we measure work, our cultural history, and how constantly connected we are. Here's how we can finally break free. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/3026296/leadership-now/the-complete-guide-to-your-insane-working-hours to view the full article online.

 

Establishing Black History month was a significant achievement, but the next step is to snatch history from the wind and plant it in the personal narratives of black Americans. The names subjected to rote February recitations intersect with personal, everyday stories. Black Americans should use the month as a time for deeper, and more public, exploration of their own journeys in an attempt to combat the lazy labels plastered on the black experience. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/02/black-history-month-isnt-making-life-better-for-black-americans/283767/ to view the full article online.

 

Making friends at the office has never been more rewarding. Armed with reams of new data, companies including giants Procter & Gamble Co. and Cisco Systems Inc. are seeking out "influencers," or those among their employees who are particularly well-connected and trusted by their peers. (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303874504579375313680290816 to view the full article online.

 

If you want to shine in a competitive workforce, take to Twitter. Nearly 95% of recruiters surveyed by software firm Jobvite used or planned to use social media to find and vet candidates last year. (CNN/Money)

Visit http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/01/pf/twitter-job.moneymag/index.html to view the full article online.

 

Work/life balance is at best an elusive ideal and at worst a complete myth, today’s senior executives will tell you. But by making deliberate choices about which opportunities they’ll pursue and which they’ll decline, rather than simply reacting to emergencies, leaders can and do engage meaningfully with work, family, and community. They’ve discovered through hard experience that prospering in the senior ranks is a matter of carefully combining work and home so as not to lose themselves, their loved ones, or their foothold on success. (Harvard Business Review)

Visit http://hbr.org/2014/03/manage-your-work-manage-your-life/ar/1 to view the full article online.

 

Recently, I wrote a column with tips on how to start a great day. What I neglected to mention is that the best way to make sure your day has a solid start is to have a great ending to the day before. If you finish your day stressed and worried with lots of loose ends, it will impact your time at home as well as your sleep. String a few of these unhappy endings together and you'll watch your productivity plummet like a rock. (Inc.)

Visit http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/want-to-be-truly-productive-end-each-day-like-this.html to view the full article online.

 

In the ongoing fight to raise the minimum wage in the U.S., advocates of a nationwide hike often refer to a few notable dates to highlight how long it's been since the hourly rate has changed. 2009: When Congress last raised the federal minimum wage to $7.25. 1991: The last time Congress raised the federal minimum wage for tipped workers to $2.13. Well, here's another: 1938, the last time Congress addressed how disabled Americans are paid. At the time, the legislature decided disabled Americans ought to be exempt from receiving the federal minimum wage. (Fortune)

Visit http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2014/02/12/disabled-workers-left-in-the-cold-on-minimum-wage/ to view the full article online.

 

It's a union that's lasted 310 years, but England and Scotland could be heading for the divorce courts later this year. Arguments over money tend to generate the most heat in any separation, and the possibility of a Scottish vote for independence in September is already sparking a furious row between London and Edinburgh. (CNN/Money)

Visit http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/13/news/scotland-independence-money/index.html?hpt=ibu_c2 to view the full article online.

 

You probably remember Pan Am, Woolworth’s and Mister Donut. You may not remember Bucky Beaver hawking a popular mid-century toothpaste called Ipana. All these names, whether iconic or obscure, are proof that many old brands never die. They’re just reborn, living on in distant corners of the globe. (Bloomberg)

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-13/mister-donut-pan-am-and-friendster-found-alive-and-well.html to view the full article online.

 

Business school professors at top institutions are under intense pressure. And it comes from all sides – the publish-or-perish demands of academia, the university administrators wrapped up in rankings, and ambitious students determined to squeeze every cent out of a $100,000+ investment. Young professors face added stress: Most are decades younger than their tenured colleagues and only a few years older than their students. They have to prove themselves to MBAs, faculty, and peers in their respective fields. (Poets & Quants)

Visit http://poetsandquants.com/2014/02/12/the-40-best-b-school-profs-under-40/ to view the full article online.

 

"Show, don't tell" is a core tenet of good writing. It is also becoming a guideline for student résumés – whether employers are interested or not. In an effort to give students a leg up in the job market, more universities are pushing their graduates to complete e-portfolios – Web-based dossiers that showcase writing samples, class presentations and other evidence of skills that might be attractive to potential employers, like critical thinking. (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304851104579360721244708190?mod=WSJ_Careers_CareerJournal_4&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304851104579360721244708190.html%3Fmod%3DWSJ_Careers_CareerJournal_4 to view the full article online.

 

NBMBAA's new website is almost ready to go live. Go in today and update your profile to take advantage of new features, like a résumé review and score! And while you're updating, why not take the time to give your résumé a quick refresh. Whether you're actively job hunting, or just keeping your network active, a current, vibrant résumé  is key to ensuring your future success.

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The Maine Business School is a proud partner of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), Boston chapter. As a Gold Status member under the University Partner Scholarship Program (UPSP), the Maine Business School provides one NBMBAA student member with a full-time scholarship in the MBA program. (University of Maine)

Visit http://umaine.edu/business/student-life/the-mbs-life/national-black-mba-association-nbmbaa/ to view the full article online.

 

At weddings, guests tweet real-time of the festivities to friends far away. At sporting events, fans follow scores of games in other cities. In classrooms, students text with friends in other classes and parents out in the world. At funerals, mourners to pals in other places. Everyone, it seems, is interacting more with people who are elsewhere – and less with the people around them. (NPR)

Visit http://www.npr.org/blogs/theprotojournalist/2014/02/11/268876281/we-are-just-not-here-anymore to view the full article online.

 

Don’t mock the beleaguered Nook owner. That could have been you. Five years ago, when the nation’s largest chain of bookstores released an e-reader that it promised would best Amazon’s Kindle, could you blame the poor souls who bought in to Barnes & Noble’s vision of the future? In 2011, Consumer Reports proclaimed the Nook the best e-reader in the land, saying it surpassed the Kindle in just about every way. Well, that sounds pretty definitive, doesn’t it? No wonder your aunt bought you one for Christmas. (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/technology/personaltech/how-to-survive-the-next-wave-of-technology-extinction.html?ref=business to view the full article online.

 

The Chocolate Room had unwittingly stepped into a fiery debate about the ethics and etiquette of crowdfunding. As financing platforms grow more prevalent on the web, it is easier than ever for merchants to solicit funds from customers &ndash' but is it a good idea? (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/business/smallbusiness/businesses-that-try-crowdfunding-face-skepticism.html?ref=business to view the full article online.

 

My company, WordStream, signs up several new clients every day, but it – it could take weeks or even months to sign up a customer. When you're small and not established, people are less inclined to give you a chance for that very reason: you're small and not established. It's a vicious cycle! But if you don't happen to be as big as you would like (yet), you can still portray a greater image of your brand and instill confidence in potential clients. (Inc.)

Visit http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/simple-ways-to-make-your-small-business-seem-big.html to view the full article online.

 

About fifteen years ago, a venture capitalist told me "I only ask myself three questions before I invest: "Do I want to be in this business?" With this team? At this time?" Those phrases have stayed with me, and I've shared them with countless entrepreneurs over the years. Notice what isn't said: anything about the product or service. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/3025923/leadership-now/the-only-three-questions-an-investor-asks-before-investing to view the full article online.

 

Social justice demands a minimum wage of more than $20 an hour. Economics won’t allow for one much higher than $10. The way out of the dilemma is to acknowledge that the minimum wage is being called on to do more than it reasonably can. A minimum-wage job shouldn’t be any family’s primary means of support, yet in many cases it is: In 2012, 76 percent of workers earning $7.25 an hour or less were aged 20 or older. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-13/making-the-economic-case-for-more-than-the-minimum-wage#p3 to view the full article online.

 

If you've been paying attention to a certain slice of the financial media – see: Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Fox News – you know for a fact that Obama and his health care law have tag-teamed with global economic trends to drive America inexorably toward a part-time economy. This is a testable claim. So let's test it. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/the-spectacular-myth-of-obamas-part-time-america-in-5-graphs/283674/ to view the full article online.

 

The pattern with credit- and debit-card breaches tends to go something like this: A company like Target or Neiman Marcus announces that thieves may have stolen your card numbers or other information, then the company offers a year of credit-monitoring. But the chastened keeper of your personal data rarely if ever offers to pay for the most potent protection of all: A security freeze on the files that the three big credit bureaus keep on you. (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/your-money/a-line-of-defense-against-the-theft-of-personal-data.html?ref=business to view the full article online.

 

Of the 13 million couples who expect to become engaged this year, half will do so on Valentine’s Day, according to a spending and saving survey by American Express. The midwinter romantic holiday and the upcoming high season for weddings prompted one mother to ask me to offer some advice to her two daughters who recently got engaged. (The Washington Post)

Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/after-valentines-day-engagement-find-financial-counseling-before-booking-reception/2014/02/11/27453f88-935d-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html to view the full article online.

 

Comcast swooped in late Wednesday to bid $45 billion for Time Warner Cable, or about $159 per share, topping a lower offer from Charter Communications, which had begun a proxy fight to acquire TWC, its much-larger rival. With their proposed merger, Comcast and Time Warner Cable are asking federal regulators to bless the creation of a behemoth, one that would provide cable TV to nearly one-third of all U.S. households. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-13/a-comcast-time-warner-cable-merger-may-be-just-fine-with-regulators#r=hp-ls to view the full article online.

 

Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz says his company has no interest in vertically integrating. Starbucks annually buys more than half a billion pounds of "green" (unroasted) beans – about 3 percent of the world’s supply – from more than 300,000 growers. On its own, Alsacia couldn’t keep Starbucks’ 20,000 stores going for even one day. Starbucks bought Alsacia because coffee is under siege. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-13/to-stop-the-coffee-apocalypse-starbucks-buys-a-farm#p1 to view the full article online.

 

The GOP has a new strategy for turning African Americans into Republicans. Mostly, it focuses on proving that some African Americans already are Republicans. In Michigan, the GOP recently hired an African-American talk-show host to serve as "director of African-American engagement." For Black History Month, the RNC is airing commercials that "share the remarkable stories of black Republicans." Last March, in its "autopsy" examining why Mitt Romney lost, the RNC presented a 10-point plan for winning more black votes. None of the 10 involved policy. Five of them involved recruiting more African-American staffers, spokespeople, and candidates. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/02/why-the-republican-push-for-black-voters-is-mostly-doomed-to-fail/283811/ to view the full article online.

 

It's a safe bet that when AOL chief Tim Armstrong's comment about the million-dollar price tag for saving "distressed babies" went viral, the resulting sound and fury sent a shiver through C-suites everywhere. "This really proves that there is no such thing as talking to just one audience anymore," says Michael Maslansky, head of communications firm Maslansky & Partners. "Everything you say is public now." (Fortune)

Visit http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2014/02/13/pr-disasters-tim-armstrong/?iid=SF_F_River to view the full article online.

 

Effective leadership, like a good marriage, hinges on how you deal with the tough stuff. But addressing and resolving conflicts requires enormous mental and emotional strength, which is why many of us try to avoid it. When confronted with a problem or dispute, we either move away (flee the scene, rely on others for resolution), move against (quietly using positional power to quell opposing arguments) or move toward (make nice, give in). This is natural. (Harvard Business Review)

Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/tackle-conflicts-with-conversation/ to view the full article online.

 

The beginning of any year is ripe for self-assessment. It’s when gyms fill with new members crowding treadmills and spin classes, for a few months anyway. When it comes to executive coaching, the impulse is little different: How can I be better? (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/your-money/life-coaches-for-the-entrepreneurial-set.html?hp to view the full article online.

 

Whether it fills you with dread or gets your adrenaline pumping, confronting a business about a problem with a product or service is a task that takes time and patience. Some companies have customer-service reps who are trained to ensure that you get satisfaction – up to a point. Others put you through phone-menu pinball, bouncing you around until you throw up your hands in frustration. Fortunately, even if you encounter the kind of business that hopes you give up and go away, with the right preparation, tools and mind-set, you have a good chance of getting what you want. (Kiplinger's)

Visit http://www.kiplingers.com/article/credit/T037-C000-S002-how-to-complain.html to view the full article online.