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March 31, 2009

Science Making Sci-Fi Reality

Whether flying cars or powered exoskeleton suits, some science fiction may be closer to reality than you think.

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Do Imaginative Offices Inspire Creativity?

Research shows that innovative, even unusual, office designs create a work environment that promotes creativity. Perhaps it's time to splash some bright paint on the walls.

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Snake Milking and 7 Other Odd Jobs

Pet food testers, light benders and snake milkers - there is no shortage of offbeat jobs people do today. Here we look at eight odd occupations.

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Outrageous Excuses for Missing Work

Most of us have been tardy or absent due to traffic or family obligations, but few of us have ever used bingo or chickens' feet as actual excuses for missing work.

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Guerrilla Marketing: Advertising on the Sly

Hoping to stand out from the daily barrage of advertising, marketers turn to guerrilla marketing to position their product as unique. Are these unorthodox tactics right for your business?

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2009 Global R&D Outlook

In recent years, global effects have slowed R&D growth. Nonetheless, a number of signs point to increased spending in the R&D field for the coming year.

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The Science Behind Springtime

Spring is here in the Northern Hemisphere. But just how do flowers know when to bloom, and what effect does the seasonal change have on employees? Here's some springtime science to explain.

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Why Ayn Rand Persists in Business

Russian-born novelist Ayn Rand died over a quarter century ago, yet her books and her Objectivist philosophy are debated in business circles regularly, particularly in tumultuous economies.

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Recommended Reading

In 1925, British explorer Percy Fawcett embarked on a search to find the site of an ancient Amazonian civilization that may or may not have existed. He never returned. The Lost City of Z sets out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century."

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March 30, 2009

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Retooling GM and Chrysler

Plus: China Proposes a New Global Currency, EPA Finds Carbon Dioxide Dangerous, Consumer Spending Dives as Incomes Fall, Treasury to Clean Up Wall Street and MORE.

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March 27, 2009

Pitchfork Friday: Executive Bonuses at Failed Firms? Cue the Public Outrage

Plus: The Other Madoff's Newly Frozen Assets and Retro Motorama.

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March 26, 2009

February Durable Goods Orders Buck Downward Trend

A sudden, unexpected uptick in durable goods orders last month have some economists optimistic that the recession will turn around sooner than previously predicted. Others, however, remain skeptical.

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March 25, 2009

Which Car Brand is the Most Reliable?

New findings measure problems experienced by the original owners of vehicles after three years. Which automaker(s) took the top spot in 2009? And which made the biggest gains in long-term dependability improvement?

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March 24, 2009

Steel Shipments and Output Continue to Slide

Dismal economic indicators have led customers to buy only as much metal as needed, keeping steel shipments down and output low.

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March 23, 2009

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Boosting Small Business Lending...

Plus: Fed Boosts Balance Sheet, Treasury Offers Billions to Auto Suppliers, a 90 Percent Tax on Big Bonuses and MORE.

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March 19, 2009

Light Friday: IRS to Fill Out Your Tax Forms for Free

Plus, a Video-Recording Eye, a Data-Storing Finger, Sugary Solar Cells and Photos Taken from Space with an $81 Camera.

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Worse for Business: Lack of Credit or Demand?

How much of the deepening downturn is a direct result of the credit crunch, and how much is the result of indirect causes such as dwindling consumer spending out of fear the recession will worsen?

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March 18, 2009

Housing Construction Soars in February

After almost a year of little to no growth in housing starts, last month saw an increase in both housing construction and new building permits.

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March 17, 2009

Sustainable Goods Surviving Recession

In the midst of the recession, consumers are still buying "green" goods, even if they may cost more. Significant opportunities remain for businesses providing environmentally responsible products and services.

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Inside Obama's Energy Budget

The president's proposed spending bill for the 2010 budget year marks a dramatic shift away from support for fossil fuels to new renewable and "green" energy. Here are highlights.

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If Oil Costs Less, Why Does Gas Cost More?

Gasoline prices continue to increase even as crude oil prices drop. Clearly, there is more to gas prices than simply the price of oil. What are you paying for?

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Managing Energy in Process Industries

The process industries, like others, have been feeling the effect of high energy prices on operating costs and profits. As a result, manufacturers are taking a closer look at energy management.

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Carbon Tax vs. Cap and Trade

The debate is heating up: Impose a nationwide carbon tax or implement a cap-and-trade system to curb carbon dioxide emissions?

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Tech Trends Affecting Your Business in 2009

Companies looking to grow their business through technology need to keep up with the latest trends or risk being left behind. Here we look at some tech trends for 2009.

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Sourcing Comes Back Home

New research reveals a growing trend of North American manufacturers opting to bring once-outsourced functions closer to home to avoid hidden costs and complexities.

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Seal the Deal with References

After perfecting your cover letter, résumé and job interview skills, don't let poor references leave a bad last impression on potential employers.

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Recommended Reading

In Eco Barons, Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Humes profiles the idealistic environmentalists who have quietly dedicated their lives and their fortunes to pioneering clean and green technologies.

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March 16, 2009

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Trade Gap Narrows and Output Falls...

Plus: GM Rescinds Latest Loan Request, European Bank Lends Billions to Automakers, Organizations Offer "Recession Prices" (Free Stuff) and MORE.

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March 13, 2009

Prelude to St. Patrick's Day: Irish Industry and Business

Do you know the leading U.S. producer of (corned) beef and cabbage? Or the estimated spending on St. Patrick's Day celebrations this year? Find out these and other facts about Irish and Irish-American industry.

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March 12, 2009

Companies Cutting Back on Health Benefits

Battling ongoing health care cost pressures, many employers are reconsidering their roles as health care benefits providers. Nearly 20 percent are moving away from providing health care sponsorship in 2009.

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March 11, 2009

Peanut Recall Sparks Large-Scale Food Safety Concerns

Spurred by a deadly salmonella outbreak traced to a Georgia peanut processing plant early this year, attention is again being called to food safety practices.

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March 10, 2009

Keeping Logistics Costs in Check

To combat the rising costs of logistics, companies should reassess each aspect of their transportation and logistics strategy. Here are six factors to consider.

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March 9, 2009

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: The Employment Situation

Despite continued widespread job losses across industries and a dim outlook for near-term employment, we are beginning to see more hopeful perspectives on future job openings and the skilled workers needed to fill those positions.

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March 6, 2009

Light Friday: Pharmacist Launches Local Stimulus Package...

...Insurance Workers Win Big, Brits Find New Ways to Say "Pay Cut," CDC Warns of Dangerous Virus and MORE.

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March 5, 2009

Back to Work on Patent Reform

Patent reform legislation has now been introduced in both the House and the Senate. The provisions call for major reform and build on previously stalled measures designed to curb lawsuits and damages.

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March 4, 2009

Homeland Security to Miss Cargo Scanning Deadline

Due to logistical and diplomatic concerns among shippers, carriers and foreign governments, the Department of Homeland Security says it will not meet the 2012 deadline to scan all cargo bound for U.S. seaports.

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March 3, 2009

Recession's Impact on Heavy Industry

With industrial customers cutting back on capital spending worldwide, equipment orders are decelerating in a number of end markets, from construction machinery to base metals.

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Buy or Lease Equipment: How Do You Decide?

Whether home-based, online or traditional brick-and-mortar establishments, all small businesses have at least one concern in common: lease or buy equipment?

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Optimistic Outlook for Agricultural Machinery

In sharp contrast to most other sectors, agricultural machinery manufacturers remain positive about 2009. Already, farm debt-to-asset ratios are at an all-time low while farms continue to invest in equipment.

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Stimulus Aims to Staunch Industry Job Losses

The deepening global downturn has left more Americans unemployed than in nearly 30 years. The speed and scale of recent layoffs are staggering, but heavy industry jobs have been hit particularly hard.

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Tech in Future Mining

Emerging technologies are aiding the mining sector in finding new processes, improving safety and discovering untapped resources.

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H-1B Visa Concerns on the Rise

The $787 billion economic stimulus plan signed into law last month includes a provision that will make it more complicated for some companies to hire foreign workers on H-1B visas.

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Is Clean Coal Technology Working Yet?

Swedish utility Vattenfall has been running its carbon dioxide-sequestering technology in a real coal-fired power plant for almost six months. What does the pilot program tell us about the state of "clean coal" technology?

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How to Craft an Effective Cover Letter

A cover letter is usually the first (and sometimes the last) opportunity to leave a good impression on employers. Here we offer some suggestions for crafting and presenting a memorable cover letter.

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Recommended Reading

Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm describes how high-tech products initially sell well, mainly to a technically literate customer base, but then hit a lull as marketers try to cross the chasm to mainstream buyers.

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March 2, 2009

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: AIG Back for More...

... Obama Reveals Budget, Toyota and GM Struggle, UK Manufacturing Output Falls and MORE.

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