Top News
Retail spending growth pulled back last month after a strong back to school shopping season, leaving U.S. consumer spending strength in doubt heading into the holidays.A report published Wednesday by the Census Bureau showed U.S. retail spending ticked up only 0.1 percent in November – short of analysts' expectations and a sharp decline from the 0.6 percent expansion seen in October. ( U.S. News & World Report)
Visit http://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2016-12-14/retail-sales-up-only-01-percent-ahead-of-holidays to view the full article online.
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There are mistakes to avoid in business. Any mistakes you can't avoid should be something to learn from. But then there are the major mistakes that happen at big companies -- disasters that can create ill-will, anger entire countries, become costly operational disasters, or risk the existence of the business. These are the types of mistakes you pray never happen to your undertaking. And they're the ones you should pay close attention to as object lessons.Here are 10 of the biggest business mistakes of the year -- of varying degrees, but all mammoth whoppers. Look hard and memorize them. If you do something similar, there's no guarantee you'll work your way out of it. ( Inc.)
Visit http://www.inc.com/erik-sherman/countdown-2017-how-to-learn-from-biggest-business-mistakes-in-2016.html to view the full article online.
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Career
Not long ago, someone telecommuting might have needed a desktop computer, a printer, a landline, and a fax machine (plus filing cabinets to store pay stubs, bank statements, and bills). Today more people than ever work from home, but laptops and Wi-Fi function just as well couchside—or, hey, by the pool—as deskside, and chances are you’re neither sending nor receiving a ton of faxes.( Bloomberg)
Visit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-07/the-home-office-is-dying to view the full article online.
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Questions about whether you should or should not give gifts to your co-workers, colleagues and clients, along with the ubiquitous money collections. To navigate smoothly through the holiday gift-giving season, here are some tips to follow. ( Entrepreneur)
Visit https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/286399 to view the full article online.
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Diversity in the Workplace
Whether you own a large company or manage a small operation, a diverse workplace helps you work towards lasting success. At the end of the day, we want two things from our businesses: professional success and personal satisfaction. When we factor in the benefits of diversity in the workplace, we put both goals within easier reach. ( Huffington Post)
Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diana-rodriguezzaba/10-ways-workplace-diversi_b_13520528.html to view the full article online.
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NBMBAA
A team of six Jenkins MBA students in the NC State University Poole College of Management earned second place – and a $15,000 team prize – at the 2016 National Black MBA Conference Case Competition held in New Orleans, La., in October. A total of 34 teams had been selected to compete in the annual case competition; first place, with a $25,000 prize, went to the University of Michigan. The prize award is split evenly among team members. ( Jenkins MBA News)
Visit https://mba.ncsu.edu/news/jenkins-mba-team-gains-winnings-connections-at-national-black-mba-conference/ to view the full article online.
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Technology
Amazon’s quest to be a one-stop-shop for corporate customers continues. The retail giant’s cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services, said Monday it has built a new feature called AWS Managed Services. Instead of merely offering just storage and computing resources on demand, the new feature lets customers offload to AWS the mundane legwork required to operate and manage corporate software infrastructure. ( Fortune)
Visit http://fortune.com/2016/12/12/amazon-managed-services-cloud-computing/ to view the full article online.
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Donations have doubled since the election as supporters turn to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to defend the Internet during a Trump presidency. Even though the President-elect has yet to make formal policy pronouncements, his comments about surveillance and apparent hostility to the tech sector are causing many in Silicon Valley to fear the worst. ( Fortune)
Visit http://fortune.com/2016/12/13/eff-trump-cindy-cohn/?iid=sr-link1 to view the full article online.
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The Economy
Want better schools, resources and services in your neighborhood? The first step is supporting businesses that are owned by people who look like you. Studies show that the lack of cooperative economics is killing the Black community—and keeping others smiling all the way to the bank. EBONY breaks down how to move past fault and toward change. ( Ebony)
Visit http://www.ebony.com/career-finance/recycling-black-dollars-guide#ixzz4Spr9PFf7 to view the full article online.
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Personal Finance
According to Consolidate Credit, the average household credit card debt is $6,600. This includes personal debt. Being in debt can be a form of slavery that can keep you from buying the necessities for your business, owning a new home, buying a new car, helping your children with college expenses along with many other things that you may want or need for yourself. There are several helpful smartapps that can help people work on ways to reduce their debts. ( Black Enterprise)
Visit http://www.blackenterprise.com/money/credit-debt-management/use-these-3-smartapps-reduce-debt/ to view the full article online.
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Are you buying things you don’t need with money you don’t have? When you look in your closet is it full of items you don’t remember buying — or worse — with tags still on them? Then it’s time to improve your financial habits. If you have fallen into the trap of purchasing items you could do without, you are putting your financial health at risk. ( Cheat Sheet)
Visit http://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/most-important-steps-to-stop-buying-crap-you-dont-need.html/ to view the full article online.
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Leadership
Glenda Swain wasn’t happy in her career for a long time. Like many black Americans, she often faced microagressions that made her feel marginalized in the workplace. In 2011, she realized it was time to switch from a career in human resources, which her degree is in, to media. While researching the best way to go about a career change, however, she noticed there weren’t many career development resources that considered the obstacles black people face. So she created one. ( The Huffington Post)
Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pivot-magazine-career-development-black-professionals_us_57f3e52be4b01b16aaff4bb7 to view the full article online.
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