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Economy
- Consumer Confidence Improves in August | NYTimes.com
- Consumer confidence improved slightly in August, according to the latest Conference Board survey, but over all, Americans remain apprenhensive about the economy and the job market
- US Fed eyes aggressive steps as recovery slows | AFP
- The Federal Reserve will aggressively boost US economic expansion if the outlook worsened, the central bank chief Ben Bernanke said Friday, as the government slashed the second quarter growth pace.
- Is this a small business recession? | The Curious Capitalist - TIME.com
- While the 1990-91 recession was characterized by more pain at small firms, and large firms bore the brunt in the 2001 downturn, our most recent episode has ridden roughshod over firms of all sizes.
- Workplace deaths fall to lowest level since 1992 | AP
- High unemployment and layoffs in more dangerous industries like construction played a major role in the decrease
- New jobless claims edge higher | AP
- First-time claims for jobless benefits edged up by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 484,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts had expected a drop. That's the highest total since February.
Policy
- Small Businesses Skip the Health-Care Tax Credit | BusinessWeek
- Insurance brokers say response is low because the value of the benefit declines quickly for companies that pay average annual wages of more than $25,000 or employ more than 25 workers
- Small Business Casts Hopeful Eye on Senate Lending Bill | WSJ.com
- Small-business legislation pending in the Senate would aid some profitable firms with tax breaks, but opinions are mixed on the extent to which it would help get credit flowing again.
- Will Congress Ease 1099 Requirements in Health Care Bill? | NYTimes.com
- The prospects for repealing, or softening, the new law are uncertain at best.
- 'Small-Business' Bill Holds Plenty For Big Firms - WSJ.com
- A Senate bill that is being touted as a boon to small businesses also includes no shortage of tax benefits for large firms.
- Senate Votes $30 Billion in Small-Business Aid | NYTimes.com
- The Senate voted on Thursday to include a proposed $30 billion lending program in a package of aid for small businesses, as two Republicans joined with Democrats to support the amendment
HR
- Napping Gets a Nod at the Workplace | BusinessWeek
- A growing number of companies are encouraging employees to snooze at work?and boost their productivity
- Small Businesses Skip the Health-Care Tax Credit | BusinessWeek
- Insurance brokers say response is low because the value of the benefit declines quickly for companies that pay average annual wages of more than $25,000 or employ more than 25 workers
- Workplace deaths fall to lowest level since 1992 | AP
- High unemployment and layoffs in more dangerous industries like construction played a major role in the decrease
- Companies in U.S. Say They Plan to Boost Hiring, Survey Shows - BusinessWeek
- More U.S. companies plan to hire and buy new equipment during the next six to 12 months even as the recovery shows signs of cooling, according to a quarterly survey of economists.
- Consumer sentiment highest since Jan 2008 | Reuters
- Consumer sentiment rose in June to its highest since January 2008 while reports of job losses were down sharply from a year ago, a survey showed on Friday.
Technology
- Apple Looks to Small Businesses | WSJ.com
- The consumer electronics giant responsible for the iPhone is seeking to hire engineers in as many as a dozen U.S. retail stores to put together Apple-based computer systems for small businesses, according to recent job postings on Apple's website.
- Social Media Draws a Crowd | WSJ.com
- Start-Ups and Established Agencies Look to Carve a Niche in Online Action
- Turning a To-Do List Into a Game | NYTimes.com
- EpicWin hopes to make people?s mundane list of to-dos a game by awarding points and avatars for checking off and completing tasks.
- Why Big Companies Use Freelancers | Elance Blog
- Key reason: Sometimes, companies have more money available than people.
- Strategies for picking, and winning, small-business competitions | WSJ.com
- Looking to jump-start your business? You might try entering a contest.
Startup
- Ideas Wanted: BigCos Open Doors to Entrepreneurs | BusinessWeek
- Global corporations are finding new ways to scout out business ideas, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs.
- Self?employment at an early age influences career choices, says SBA study | SBA.gov
- New study from SBA indicates early exposure to self-employment increases individuals? engagement in self-employment during their early- and mid-career years.
- Small businesses starting up despite economic challenges | chicagotribune.com
- To survive, many business owners have slashed prices, made do with fewer employees and worked harder at marketing. Some have tapped savings and cut personal expenses to try to keep their doors open.
- Venture capital: Investments in California gain steam | latimes.com
- Investment reached almost $4 billon in the state during the second quarter, a 51% gain from a year earlier and the most since the third quarter of 2008.
- Comcast launches venture capital fund for minority entrepreneurs | Los Angeles Times
- Comcast Corp. said it will contribute at least $20 million to a venture capital fund that the cable giant is creating to back minority entrepreneurs in developing new media content and technology.
Marketing
- Many Shops Maintain 'Cash-Only' Policy | WSJ.com
- A number of cash-only businesses say financial reform doesn't go far enough to encourage them to accept plastic, and business owners who do take credit and debit cards complain that transaction fees?which are usually around 1% to 3% of a purchase, but vary widely?will likely remain too high for the reform to make a significant impact on their bottom line.
- Social Media Draws a Crowd | WSJ.com
- Start-Ups and Established Agencies Look to Carve a Niche in Online Action
- Why Big Companies Use Freelancers | Elance Blog
- Key reason: Sometimes, companies have more money available than people.
- Strategies for picking, and winning, small-business competitions | WSJ.com
- Looking to jump-start your business? You might try entering a contest.
- Micro-niches make macro sense | Reuters
- Sandra Pierce, known as the "Bag Lady of Bay Street," understands how to get a prospective client's attention.
Management
- Napping Gets a Nod at the Workplace | BusinessWeek
- A growing number of companies are encouraging employees to snooze at work?and boost their productivity
- If you want to succeed, get used to failure | Management-Issues.com
- Once you accept that failure is commonplace, you are better able to succeed now and in the future. You can start with a clearer understanding of innovation reality.
- Which Presidents Were Small Business Owners | USA Today
- It's President's Day in the U.S. Around here, it's a good time to ask, which President's were small business owners?
- IRS, states crack down on independent worker abuse | AP
- The Internal Revenue Service and 37 states are cracking down on companies that try to trim payroll costs by illegally classifying workers as independent contractors, rather than as full employees
- Malcolm Gladwell Punctures the Risk-Taker Myth | BusinessWeek
- No surprise here: When people have their own livelihood on the line, they're obviously going to be concerned about managing the downside.
Finance and Accounting
- Small Businesses Skip the Health-Care Tax Credit | BusinessWeek
- Insurance brokers say response is low because the value of the benefit declines quickly for companies that pay average annual wages of more than $25,000 or employ more than 25 workers
- Many Shops Maintain 'Cash-Only' Policy | WSJ.com
- A number of cash-only businesses say financial reform doesn't go far enough to encourage them to accept plastic, and business owners who do take credit and debit cards complain that transaction fees?which are usually around 1% to 3% of a purchase, but vary widely?will likely remain too high for the reform to make a significant impact on their bottom line.
- U.S. small-business borrowing edges up | Reuters
- Borrowing by small U.S. businesses edged up in June, data released by PayNet Inc on Monday showed, but the bounce fell well short of suggesting the economy is gaining steam.
- Fed's Bullard: Fed would act if recovery fails | Reuters
- St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard on Friday said there is unanimity among officials on the central bank's policy-setting panel over providing more support to the economy if the recovery suffers a serious setback.
- Senate Votes $30 Billion in Small-Business Aid | NYTimes.com
- The Senate voted on Thursday to include a proposed $30 billion lending program in a package of aid for small businesses, as two Republicans joined with Democrats to support the amendment
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