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« December 2008 | Main | February 2009 »
January 30, 2009
Light Friday: Super Bowl XLIII by the Numbers
Though more people may be watching the big game this Sunday - many for the annual ritual of watching the over-the-top commercials - the parties may be scaled back.
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January 29, 2009
Tough Year Ahead for Chemicals
With recovery hinging on numerous external factors, chemical industry players are cutting back production, shuttering or idling plants and conducting massive layoffs to stay afloat in the meantime.
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January 28, 2009
Global Employment Crisis Leaves Few Unscathed
Two new reports, one from the U.S. Labor Department and the other from the UN's International Labour Organization, underscore how the global recession has spared few industries, regions or world economies.
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January 27, 2009
Is the Worst Over for Steel?
Steel prices have potentially hit bottom after months of production cuts by steelmakers. Analysts are optimistic about recovery, hinging on government-invested infrastructure projects.
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January 26, 2009
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: New Administration Calls for 'New Era of Responsibility'
Plus: Toyota Becomes World's Largest Automaker, Chrysler Cuts Costs, Auto-Parts Suppliers Face Bankruptcy, China Growth Slows and MORE.
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January 23, 2009
Light Friday: Commander-in-Chief to Keep Thumbs on the Keypad
Plus: Tax Answers, the 56th Presidential Inauguration in LEGO Bricks, Young Inventors (using Bubble Wrap) and Underwater Ironing.
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January 22, 2009
Put Thousands into your Business, Not your Phone Bill
There are a number of basic ways that small businesses and others can secure cost savings that go directly to their bottom line rather than the phone company's, according to IMT contributor Nathan Watkins.
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January 21, 2009
Tech Spending to Drop in 2009
While overall business spending on IT is expected to decrease this year, some software services should remain resilient, driven in large part by small business concerns over security.
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January 20, 2009
5 Ideas for Leading through the Downturn
These are not normal times. Yet even under normal conditions, leadership is a tough concept to define, put into practice and perfect. For better results, organizations need better leadership.
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How to Build and Motivate a Team
To turn a group of disparate individuals into a successful team requires a leader who establishes a shared vision and strengthens the commitment of all team members.
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Traits of a Bad Boss
The trials and tribulations that accompany working for a bad boss are manifold, from daily ups and downs to a growing fear of losing one's job. What qualities define a poor manager?
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Mediating Employee Conflict
Workplace hostilities can quickly turn into disputes that hurt productivity or escalate into something more serious. Here we look at how and when to step in and resolve on-the-job conflicts.
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Guide your Staff through Change
Coping with organizational change can be difficult, but managers can ease the transition process by encouraging open communication and addressing employee concerns.
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High Priority: Trade Risk Management
Strong global competition and increasing regulatory requirements are leading companies to rethink their global trade management strategies. Increasingly more firms view trade management as a high-priority function.
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The Mathematics of Bureaucracy
Three physicists and a historian explain how bureaucracies grow and at what point they become inefficient. They define how big a committee can become before destabilizing.
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Making Better Decisions
While no organization can be absolutely perfect at making split-second business decisions, companies with formal strategic planning processes are much more likely to succeed at decision making.
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Recommended Reading
Behavioral economics is a major trend, and one of the more successful recent works in the genre is Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. In it, MIT economist Dan Ariely examines how the world often works according to principles of irrationality in the places where we least expect it.
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January 19, 2009
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Industrial Woes on Both Sides of the Atlantic...
...Tax and Price Cuts in China, Rescue Efforts by and for Toyota, Peanut Butter Poison and More.
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January 16, 2009
Light Friday: Cool Concept Cars and Wacky Pet Inventions...
...Record-Setting Patent Year, Robust Rovers and More.
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January 15, 2009
Top Supply Chain Challenges for 2009
As global organizations face the current turbulent economy, the prospects of supply chain disruptions on a global scale become more frightening. Yet with any challenges there come opportunities. Here are some of the top emerging trends to watch for in 2009.
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January 14, 2009
Proposed Gas Tax Hike to Prop Up Highway Trust Fund
With Americans driving less, the federal government has been unable to generate enough revenue from gasoline taxes to keep pace with the cost of highway construction and repair. A Congress-appointed commission is proposing a tax hike to make up for lost revenue.
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January 13, 2009
Automotive Report: Why Aren't We Buying?
Global automotive sales are down, and nearly half of Americans say they are going to delay a new car purchase. Why are so many of us not buying a new car? Perhaps because there is nothing wrong with the old one.
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January 12, 2009
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: United Auto Workers Ready to Negotiate...
...Budget Deficit Continues to Rise, Unemployment Soars So High that Filing Systems Crash, Indian Outsourcing Firm Confesses to Fraud and More.
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January 9, 2009
Light Friday: Art Via Paintballs and Steel Balls
Plus a (Potential) Resurrection of Extinct Species and Instant Film, a Lesson on Logistics and More.
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January 8, 2009
A Call for Changes at the Patent Office
While the U.S. economy simply cannot prosper without a viable patent system, a 750,600-application backlog and other internal efficiencies are keeping the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from being a well-run entity. As such, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released a set of recommendations for the Obama administration in dealing with the USPTO.
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January 7, 2009
Steel Industry Looks for a Piece of the Stimulus-Plan Pie
After a roller-coaster 2008 of record highs to devastating lows, domestic steelmakers are now turning to government for orders that, until the September collapse, had come from manufacturers and builders.
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January 6, 2009
Industry Outlook: 2009 and Beyond
The biggest business story of 2008 was the sharp decline of the global economy, which has forced companies to take a hard look at budgets, spending plans and their very existence in the coming months.
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5 e-Procurement Mistakes to Avoid
It's a new year — and with it comes a new chance to avoid making last year's mistakes. Here are some of the most common implementation blunders made in regards to e-procurement.
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Lose your Perks, Keep your Work
To avoid company-wide layoffs, some employers are cutting pay raises or freezing wages, shifting health care costs to employees and decreasing or stopping 401(k) contributions.
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Burning Question
What are your predictions for 2009?
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Tips for your Annual Performance Review
Aside from celebrations, the end of the year is also the season for annual performance reviews. Avoid the sweaty palms and impending sense of dread by making the most of your performance evaluation with these tips.
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The Year Ahead for the (Newly) Unemployed
Employment forecasts for 2009 paint a grim picture, but there are options for employees worried about losing their jobs and even for those who have already been laid-off.
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National Infrastructure Takes Center Stage
President-elect Barack Obama recently called for a broad economic recovery plan that aims to create at least 2.5 million jobs, largely through infrastructure development. Will we finally start making headway toward fixing the nation's infrastructure?
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Make Operational Improvements Stick in the New Year
Making operational improvements last requires not only a change in processes, but a change in mindset as well. Companies must ensure their employees are on board and provide support to keep them from reverting to their old ways.
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Ethical Firms Fought to Hold Ground in 2008
In the midst of corporate and political malfeasance in the past year, some companies managed to hold true to their core mission while promoting the well-being of their workers, the public and the planet — to mixed results.
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Recommended Reading
In the recently released A Sense of Urgency, emeritus professor at Harvard Business School John P. Kotter makes the argument that we're moving from a time of episodic change to continuous change in organizations. Kotter provides key tactics for increasing urgency, as well as exposing and rooting out complacency in all its guises.
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January 5, 2009
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Another Year Down (Way Down)
Well, despite all the talk of the apocalypse in the latter part of 2008, it happened again: the Earth has circled the sun, and for the next month we'll screw up writing out the date. (Nine. Nine. It's 2009.)
