Black MBA NetWire

Register Now for the NBMBAA 35th Annual Conference and Expo, This September in Houston

May 16, 2013 -- Top News
Just a reminder that registration is open now. Early bird discounts are only available through June 28, so register now for first choice at sessions and hotels and to save big. Members save even more, so join or renew to get the best benefit. Don't miss five days of cutting edge education, networking and career opportunities in one of America's dynamically growing business environments!

NBMBAA Now Accepting Applications for 2013 Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships

May 16, 2013 -- NBMBAA
The National Black MBA Association provides financial support to students pursuing careers in business, academia and related professions. Since inception, more than $5 million have been awarded to undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Our mission is to identify and increase the pool of Black talent for business, public, private and non-profit sectors. The program is supported by donations from our corporate and educational partners and members. Scholarship awards range from $1,000 to $20,000 however award amounts are contingent upon funding for the current year. The application period runs from May 15 to June 30.

14 Simple Ways to Get Considerably More Done

May 16, 2013 -- Career
1. Eliminate one ego commitment. We all do things that have more to do with ego than results. Maybe you serve on a committee because you like how it looks on your CV. Maybe you teach at a local college because you like the words "adjunct professor." (Inc.)

Why Inventors Should Become Entrepreneurs

May 16, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
According to an early and frequently quoted aerodynamic model, bumblebees cannot possibly fly. Of course, any entomologist or gardener knows that the fuzzy insects make it into the air with great success; the model simply had it wrong. As with bees, so it is with business. Researchers have long held the conceit that innovative entrepreneurship is impossible. "They assert that ‘entrepreneurs can’t do anything new in the economy,’" says Daniel Spulber, a professor of management and strategy at the Kellogg School. (Inc.)

"What it Takes: Insights on Paving the Way to Career and Business Success" – Watch the Google+ Hangout Session With NBMBAA's Jesse Tyson

May 16, 2013 -- NBMBAA
Earlier this week, NBMBAA Interim President & CEO Jesse Tyson joined Robert L. Johnson, Founder and Chairman, The RLJ Companies and Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET); Erika Irish Brown, SVP, Global Human Resources, Bank of America; Towanna Freeman, Creator, Black Life Coaches Network; and Yvonne Bynoe, Founder, SoulfulAffluence.com for a Google+ Hangout session titled: "What it Takes: Insights on Paving the Way to Career and Business Success."

The Big Chill-Out: How Meditation Can Help With Everything

May 16, 2013 -- Lifestyle
Changing the way your genes express themselves, coaxing you to actually understand yourself, and finally letting you really relax: Meditation is well worth getting familiar with. (Fast Company)

Google+ Gets a Major Makeover

May 16, 2013 -- Technology
If you're one of the growing millions using Google+ for work or play, there was some news today from Google's I/O developer's conference that you might find useful. The search giant said it is rolling out more than 40 different changes to Google+ as part of a major redesign. (Entrepreneur)

What Type of Consumer Are You?

May 16, 2013 -- Personal Finance
Truckin' & Stylin'. Shooting Stars. Timeless Elders. Based on where you live, how much money you make and where you shop, you may be classified into one of these categories by one of the country's largest data brokers. Using its massive database filled with personal data on shoppers and their buying behaviors, data giant Acxiom places each of the U.S. households it tracks into one of 70 categories, ranging from the wealthiest – dubbed "Summit Estates" – to the bottom of the income spectrum – or "Resilient Renters." Yahoo! Finance)

How to Get Your Financial House in Order by Age 30

May 16, 2013 -- Personal Finance
New wrinkles. Pressure to procreate. And what have you checked off your bucket list lately? Turning 30 can be stressful, even before thinking about personal financial goals and how to achieve them. Adults 34 and younger grade themselves worse than any other age group in their personal finance knowledge, with 48% giving themselves a C or lower, according to a survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. (USA Today)

Krawcheck Ponies Up in Wall Street Diversity Push

May 16, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
Sallie Krawcheck, for years one of the most high-profile women in financial services, announced Wednesday that she has invested in 85 Broads and will take over as business leader for the women's network. Janet Hanson, the former Goldman Sachs executive who founded 85 Broads in 1997, will retain a stake and become chairman emeritus. (American Banker)

Why Only Half of Americans Gain from the Stock Market Party

May 16, 2013 -- The Economy
As U.S. stocks soar to new highs, economists argue the rally makes people feel richer. And when they think they're wealthier, the theory is that they'll spend more on everything from homes to cars and clothing. The problem with that idea is fewer and fewer Americans actually have any stake in stocks. (CNN/Money)

The Great Expatriate Hiring Boom

May 16, 2013 -- International
Kent Kedl knew he had big problems last year when he took the helm of the Asia practice of London-based management consulting firm Control Risks. In his first six months, Kedl sat in his Shanghai office and listened to the same story at least four times from top managers: A competitor offered to hire them away for three times their salary. (Fortune)

How Colleges Are Selling Out the Poor to Court the Rich

May 16, 2013 -- Education
See the demoralizing report released this week by Stephen Burd of the New America Foundation on the state of financial aid in higher ed. It documents the obscene prices some of the poorest undergraduates are asked to pay at hundreds of educational institutions across the country, even as these same schools lavish discounts on the children of wealthier families in order to lure them onto campus. (The Atlantic)

Rust-Belt Reaches for Immigrant Tide

May 16, 2013 -- The Economy
Worries over immigrants potentially taking jobs from native-born Americans run high in parts of the nation, but some U.S. cities are taking a different view: Wooing immigrants can reverse long-term declines in population. (The Wall Street Journal)

The Great Netflix Doom-Avoidance Machine

May 16, 2013 -- Corporate America
Reed Hastings has emerged from hiding. Well, maybe not hiding — he was still posting on Facebook and talking to the occasional magazine writer. But by his previous standards, the Netflix co-founder and CEO had been laying uncharacteristically low in the almost two years since the Great Qwikster Fiasco. It took a clear recovery from the company's missteps, as evidenced by a blowout earnings report last month, to convince the Netflix PR team (and/or Hastings himself) that it was time to unleash him. (Harvard Business Review)

Adobe Angers Users With Its Savvy, Reckless Photoshop-Subscription Plan

May 16, 2013 -- Technology
Owning stuff is so 2008. Unless you use Adobe software. Taking a cue from music platforms sites such as Spotify, Adobe Systems is now offering its software solely by subscription, rather than sales. Most notably, Photoshop now costs $20 a month, rather than $650, its recent shelf price. Those who bought the program recently will get a discounted rate. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Disclosed: The Pay Gap Between CEOs and Employees

May 16, 2013 -- Top News
Nearly three years after Congress ordered public companies to reveal their chief executive officer-to-worker pay ratios under the Dodd-Frank law, the numbers still aren’t public. The provision was included to deter excessive compensation schemes that, in the words of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), "were part of the fuel that led to the financial collapse." Since then, the requirement has been parked at the Securities and Exchange Commission, which must develop a rule on how to calculate and report the ratio. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Apps Raise the iPad's Aptitude for Real Work

May 16, 2013 -- Technology
here's a popular myth that Apple's iPad and other tablets are simply media-consumption devices, unsuitable for productivity applications. That's just not so, and this week I tested a variety of office suites for the iPad for mini-reviews of their capabilities. In fact, I wrote and edited this entire column on an iPad using the most popular paid iPad app, the $10 Pages word processor by Apple. (The Wall Street Journal)

The Science of Serendipity in the Workplace

May 16, 2013 -- Top News
Companies aren't leaving serendipity to chance. Firms are thinking up new ways to encourage interactions among employees who normally don't work with each other. The hope is that these casual face-to-face chats among people with different skills might spark new ideas, lead to new solutions or at the least, increase workplace camaraderie. (The Wall Street Journal)

Wanted: More Directors With Digital Savvy

May 16, 2013 -- Corporate America
Nearly every facet of corporate life has gone digital. But many public-company boards remain stuck in analog mode. That has started to change. Boards worried about their scant digital expertise are scrambling to recruit newcomers who can advise management on strategies for mobile devices, social media and data analytics. (The Wall Street Journal)

Stay-At-Home Dads, Breadwinner Moms And Making It All Work

May 16, 2013 -- Lifestyle
The next time you see a father out shopping with his kids, you might need to check your assumptions. "I'll get the, 'Oh, look, it's a dad! That's so sweet!' "says Jonathan Heisey-Grove, a stay-at-home father of two young boys in Alexandria, Va., who is pretty sure the other person assumes he's just giving Mom a break for the day. In fact, he's part of a growing number of fathers who are minding the kids full time while their wives support the family and who say societal expectations are not keeping up with their reality. (NPR)

Is A Smaller Budget Deficit A Lasting Trend?

May 16, 2013 -- Government
As the economy improves, the federal budget deficit is growing dramatically smaller. The Congressional Budget Office has its estimates from just a few months ago, knocking off $200 billion in red ink for the current fiscal year. Some temporary factors are being cited for the projected improvement. (NPR)

When Paying More Stops Paying Off

May 16, 2013 -- Leadership
Everyone likes money. Ask people who say they don’t care about money if they’ve ever turned down a raise. Wait for the awkward pause. But money is funny, too. However much it can motivate people to work harder and better, it also has curious – and sometimes counterproductive – effects on their performance. (The Washington Post)

Recession in Eurozone Extends Into 6th Quarter

May 16, 2013 -- International
he recession across the economy of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro extended into its sixth quarter – longer than the calamitous slump that hit the region in the financial crisis of 2008-9. Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, said Wednesday that nine of the 17 eurozone countries are in recession, with France a notable addition to the list. Overall, the euro region’s economy contracted 0.2 percent in the January-March period from the previous three months. (The Washington Post)

Change the World and Get to Bed by 10:00

May 16, 2013 -- Career
Let's say you believed deeply in the importance of sleep health, and you wanted to start a movement to change people's attitudes and behavior. Maybe, like Arianna Huffington, it's a personal crisis that convinces you. Or maybe it's a key piece of research or two that opens your eyes, as it were, to the dangers of too little sleep. (Harvard Business Review)

What Educational Disruption Means for Your Company

May 16, 2013 -- Leadership
With graduation season upon us, it's important to remember that as a manager you must often be a teacher too. A major part of your role is instruction – which means that you need to pay attention to the massive disruption going on in higher education and what it means for company learning. The most visible part of educational disruption is the proliferation of online learning through MOOCs, or massive, open, online courses. (Harvard Business Review)

Do You Play to Win – or to Not Lose?

May 16, 2013 -- Top News
In what kinds of situations are you most effective? What factors strengthen – or undermine – your motivation? People answer these questions in very different ways, and that’s the challenge at the heart of good management – whether you’re managing your own performance or someone else’s. One-size-fits-all principles don’t work. The strategies that help you excel may not help your colleagues or your direct reports; what works for your boss or your mentor doesn’t always work for you. Personality matters. (Harvard Business Review)

Robert L. Johnson Honored for Lifetime Achievement at BE Entrepreneurs Conference

May 16, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
BLACK ENTERPRISE will hold its 2013 Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide Insurance on Wednesday, May 15 through Saturday, May 18 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. An annual highlight of the conference is the presentation of the nation's top award for African American business achievement, the Arthur G. Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, the A.G. Gaston Award will be presented to RLJ Companies Chairman, BET Founder and America's first black billionaire Robert L. Johnson at the BE 100s Dinner and Awards Gala, to be hosted by The Ohio State University and Limited Brands on Friday, May 17, at the convention center. (PR Newswire)

MBA Students See the Business Sense in Both Doing Well and Doing Good

May 16, 2013 -- Education
Business schools are responding to a surge in demand for education that equips students to become social entrepreneurs. But the structure of those organisations that are "doing good" is changing rapidly and these changes have implications not only for schools’ positions in rankings tables but also for how students will fund their business education. (Financial Times)

When an Ad Isn't Enough, Brands Create Their Own Content

May 9, 2013 -- Corporate America
Consumer brands advertise heavily on television, and their ad budgets will be up for grabs next week when TV networks debut fall programs at the upfronts. But as more people tune in online, many marketers are finding that ads alone aren't enough. (Marketplace Business)

There Are Already A Ton Of Apps For Google Glass

May 9, 2013 -- Technology
Google Glass isn't even officially out yet, but apps for the Internet-connected eyewear are popping up all over the web. Google officially only offers five apps: Google+, Gmail, Google Now, The New York Times, and Path. But that's not stopping early Glass adopters from creating their own apps. (Business Insider)

NBMBAA Partner Travelers Recognized for its Commitment to Diversity

May 9, 2013 -- NBMBAA
DiversityInc magazine recently named Travelers one of 25 Noteworthy Companies in recognition of its diversity and inclusion efforts. Travelers was chosen from more than 893 participating companies based on an annual survey that measures CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate and Organizational Communications, and Supplier Diversity. (BusinessWire)

Microsoft's Office Web Apps Moving Ahead With 'Gemini' Wave

May 9, 2013 -- Technology
Like the rest of the Microsoft Office unit, the Office Web Apps team seems to be on a path to deliver more new updates more frequently. This week, the Web Apps team (which also internally goes by WAC, or Web Applications Companion) blogged about some of the new features coming to Office Web Apps "over the next year and beyond." These include official support for Chrome on Android tablets and real-time co-authoring (instead of "same-time" authoring), starting with PowerPoint Web App. (ZDNet)

What's Your Retirement Number?

May 9, 2013 -- Personal Finance
Imagine planning for a vacation you'll be taking some 20, 30 or even 40 years from now. You don't know where it will be, how much it will cost or how long it will last, but you're tasked with saving a chunk of every paycheck toward that trip until the day you embark on it. You're not even sure how much to save or when you have saved enough. Crazy, huh? (Kiplinger's)

Huge Rise in Preapproved Credit-Card Offers

May 9, 2013 -- Personal Finance
Opening the mail to find a "preapproved" offer on a credit card can feel like being welcomed into an exclusive club with lots of benefits. In reality, you may not even make the membership list. (MarketWatch)

Are Frequent-Flier Miles Pointless?

May 9, 2013 -- Lifestyle
A perfect storm of airline mergers, frequent-flier program changes and reduced flight capacity could make it tougher and more expensive for travelers to redeem miles in coming months, experts say. Travelers who can’t reasonably expect to earn elite status – and the free upgrades, priority boarding and other perks that come with it – may be better served these days by chasing fare sales and using a cash-back credit card instead of one branded to a particular airline. (MarketWatch)

Talent Battle Looms as 'Diverse' X and Y Generation Leaders Replace Boomers

May 9, 2013 -- Top News
The global talent war is heating up as baby boomers begin their mass exodus from the workforce. But a new report reveals employers are not prepared for the new generation of emotionally intelligent, ethnically diverse workers. (CNN)

A Better Way to Think About Your Business Model

May 9, 2013 -- Top News
The business model canvas – as opposed to the traditional, intricate business plan – helps organizations conduct structured, tangible, and strategic conversations around new businesses or existing ones. Leading global companies like GE, P&G, and Nestlé use the canvas to manage strategy or create new growth engines, while start-ups use it in their search for the right business model. The canvas's main objective is to help companies move beyond product-centric thinking and towards business model thinking. (Harvard Business Review)

8 Ways to Be a Truly Memorable Boss

May 9, 2013 -- Leadership
I remember all of my bosses. Some were bad. Most were good. But only one was truly memorable – in the best possible way. Memorable bosses possess qualities that may not always show up on paper but do always show up where it matters most: in the hearts and minds of the people they lead. Here are eight qualities of truly memorable bosses. (Inc.)

To Be Healthier, Happier, And More Productive, Stand Up From Your Desk Right Now

May 9, 2013 -- Top News
Spending all day sitting at your desk does bad things to your body. Like, really bad. If you must sit for work, the proper posture and breathing can help. Here's how. (Fast Company)

Inside Syria's Siege Economy

May 9, 2013 -- International
Last week, the war in Syria, which has killed more than 70,000 people, claimed another prominent victim. During a clash between regime and opposition troops, the minaret of Aleppo's ancient Umayyad mosque – for centuries the most striking feature of the city's skyline – tumbled, reportedly brought down by a tank shell. You could have heard the minaret falling miles away in Aleppo's city center, where, against a backdrop of gunfire and the whump of mortars, residents maintain an improbable veneer of normalcy. (Fortune)

6 Reasons Why Men Are Falling Behind Women

May 9, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
They've endured a three-decade drop in earnings. Even before the financial crash, prime-age men were dropping out of the workforce altogether, and the problem has only worsened since. Meanwhile, women are far outstripping their male counterparts in the area that's most important for a 21st century global economy -- education. (Fortune)

Why Smart, Poor Students Should Go to America's Most Competitive Colleges

May 9, 2013 -- Education
One of the quieter crises in American education that we like to write about is the fact that most of the country's high-achieving, low-income high school students never bother applying to selective colleges. At first glance, this might seem like a bit of an obscure problem to focus on. But if you value meritocracy, or economic mobility, then getting smart-but-poor students into good schools should be somewhere near the top of your policy wish list. (The Atlantic)

How Our Incredible Shrinking Government Raises Unemployment and Hurts the Recovery

May 9, 2013 -- The Economy
With 2.2 million more government workers now, assuming the same labor force size, the unemployment rate wouldn't be 7.7 percent. It would be 6.3 percent. That doesn't mean the "real" unemployment rate is 6.3 percent. It doesn't mean state and local governments should be 2.2 million workers flusher. But it highlights the fact that, in terms of U.S. government responses to recessions, this time is different. (The Atlantic)

The Ripple Effects You Create as a Manager

May 9, 2013 -- Leadership
Each one of us holds a set of beliefs and attitudes – a mindset – that determines how we interpret and respond to situations. That mindset shapes how we interact with others, and therefore it also affects the people we work with – in ways both subtle and profound. A person with a distrustful mindset, for example, views situations at work as competitive and acts to advance his own interest at others' expense by politicking: shifting allegiances, taking credit, assigning blame, withholding or distorting information. (Harvard Business Review)

Will You Ever Be Taken Seriously?

May 9, 2013 -- Career
Your palms are sweaty. You stumble over your words. You don't seem to be getting a clear message across. You look around the table – everyone is more senior than you – both in age and title. You wonder if you'll ever be taken seriously. Sound familiar? If so, you are among many who experience what we call the "grey hair complex." The grey hair complex is a self-induced state of intimidation in the presence of more senior executives. It often begins with the false conviction that you would have more credibility if only you had the physical attributes that convey a higher level of seniority. (Harvard Business Review)

Blacks Made History Surpassing White Voter Turnout Rates

May 9, 2013 -- Government
Almost two in three eligible blacks cast ballots in the 2012 U.S. presidential election, marking the first time they had a higher voter participation rate than non-Hispanic whites, a U.S. Census Bureau analysis released this week shows. (Bloomberg)

Credit-Card Companies Battle in China

May 9, 2013 -- International
The Ms. Magic credit card from China Citic Bank (601998) is dotted with Swarovski crystals and offers free beauty treatments and health insurance. Huaxia Bank’s (600015) Pretty Lady card, co-issued with Deutsche Bank (DB), entices women with triple points for cosmetic purchases and fitness club memberships. Citigroup (C), which last year became the first U.S. bank allowed to issue its own solo logo cards in China, offers to waive its first-year annual fee of 300 yuan ($49) for Rewards cardholders applying before March or spending more than 20,000 yuan by the end of December. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

A Microlender Backs Startups to Bring More Than Loans to the Poor

May 9, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
Microlending has lost a lot of its shine in the seven years since Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for delivering small loans to help poor women start businesses. Starting in 2009, randomized trials (PDF) suggested that the benefits of microfinance had been oversold and that small loans have limited power to lift people from poverty. The next year, borrower suicides in India followed overreach by for-profit microlenders, punctuating the point. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

‘Kickstarter for Black Community’ Aims to Close African-American Startup Gap

May 9, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
Crowdfunding has opened up a world of opportunity to people searching for capital, but that doesn’t mean those opportunities extend equally to all segments of the population. BlackStartup debuted a crowdfunding platform today that features projects and ideas benefitting the African-American community. (Venture Beat)

Want to 'Cultivate Wisdom' in B-School? Meditate

May 9, 2013 -- Education
If David Mick had his way, meditation would be part of the core curriculum in business school. Mick, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, teaches an undergraduate course, Cultivating Wisdom and Well-Being for Personal and Professional Growth, that includes meditation among the course work. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Nearly Three Years After Dodd-Frank, Reforms Happen Slowly

May 9, 2013 -- Government
On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, commonly known as the Dodd-Frank bill. Reporter Gary Rivlin says "the passage of Dodd-Frank was something of a miracle." But to the chief lobbyist for the Financial Services Roundtable, a lobbying group that represents 100 of the country's largest financial institutions, it was just "halftime." (NPR)

Some Net Retailers Aren't Buying Online Sales Tax Proposal

May 9, 2013 -- Corporate America
Congress is considering a bill that would allow states to collect sales taxes from online retailers. Proponents say a law is necessary to level the playing field with brick-and-mortar stores and to raise revenue for states. Simply put, the Marketplace Fairness Act would require any online retailer with more than $1 million in annual sales to collect and remit sales tax. (NPR)

Smaller Airports Take Bigger Hit As Airlines Cut Flights

May 9, 2013 -- Lifestyle
If you want to see the Fourth of July parade in your little hometown, you should book your flight now. Otherwise, you may have to drive there, or watch a video of the floats via an old friend's smartphone. That's because air service – especially to smaller markets &jndash; is shrinking as airlines merge to boost profits, according to a study released Wednesday. (NPR)

Turn Bad Stress Into Good

May 9, 2013 -- Top News
Contrary to popular belief, stress doesn't have to be a soul-sucking, health-draining force. But few people know how to transform their stress into the positive kind that helps them reach their goals. Recent research confirms that gaining control over job demands, doing work that lends meaning and purpose to life and enjoying support and encouragement from co-workers are all linked to beneficial stress. (The Wall Street Journal)

What It's Like to Interview at Amazon

May 9, 2013 -- Career
As Amazon.com Inc.'s share price has soared in recent years, so has its stock with M.B.A. students. The company now ranks among the most-coveted destinations for aspiring business leaders. Last year, the Seattle-based online marketplace hit No. 6 in a Fortune survey of where MBAs wanted to work. In 2007, it didn't even crack the top 25. (The Wall Street Journal)

When the CEO Burns Out

May 9, 2013 -- Leadership
Companies and managers are equipped to handle job fatigue among employees, but what happens when burnout – described as persistent fatigue, detachment or resentment triggered by excessive work and stress – strikes the top boss? (The Wall Street Journal)

Working Alone, Together

May 9, 2013 -- Career
This was supposed to be the age of the mobile (aka nonexistent) office, with "solopreneurs" telecommuting from home or the beach in elastic-waist pants. But many who work independently are discovering alienation lurking behind the home-office fantasy, and an increasing number are joining a new generation of co-working organizations, like Grind, Fueled Collective and NeueHouse – some more exclusive than others. (The New York Times)

Dow 15,000, and the Big Disconnect

May 9, 2013 -- The Economy
It’s a ho-hum economy, at best. Four years after the end of the Great Recession, gross domestic product appears to be growing at a lackluster pace, labor productivity is lagging and, despite a slight improvement last month, the unemployment rate is still a painfully high 7.5 percent. (The New York Times)

How Social Networks Drive Black Unemployment

May 9, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
It’s easy to believe the worst is over in the economic downturn. But for African-Americans, the pain continues – over 13 percent of black workers are unemployed, nearly twice the national average. And that’s not a new development: regardless of the economy, job prospects for African-Americans have long been significantly worse than for the country as a whole. (The New York Times)

Hotels Vie to Become Offices of the Future

May 2, 2013 -- Corporate America
Ever since Starbucks had the business acumen to make free WiFi as defining to its brand as "grande frappucinos," workers have delighted in leaving their offices in favor of brighter, more caffeinated workspaces. As the traditional office undergoes a global demise, hotels are starting to change their function to accommodate the new wave of mobile workers. (CNN International)

De-Stress at Work in 15 Minutes

May 2, 2013 -- Career
You probably think of stress as a normal part of your work day – most of us do. And while a small amount of stress is part of every job, if you're getting seriously stressed out you should stop and give it some serious thought. Studies show a distinct connection between workplace stress and increased risk of such deadly ailments as heart disease, digestive disorders, sleep disorders, and obesity. If you have 15 minutes to spare, you can avoid these disorders. (Inc.)

3 Things You're Screwing Up (and Why Nobody Tells You)

May 2, 2013 -- Leadership
Given the ubiquity these days of 360 assessments, rounded feedback, and executive coaching, you'd think that there would be little room for unexposed flaws in a business leader. You'd be wrong. (Inc.)

Is Your Email Making You Sick?

May 2, 2013 -- Career
Your inbox may be causing you more stress than you realize. According to Linda Stone, a former Microsoft researcher and tech executive, some 80% of people either hold their breath or breathe shallowly as they work through their email. She uses the term email apnea to describe this. (Inc.)

Here's the Form to Apply for Obamacare Coverage

May 2, 2013 -- Government
Starting in October, Americans without access to affordable health care coverage through their jobs will be able to shop for insurance for themselves and their families through state-run exchanges. (CNN/Money)

5 Ways To Survive a Hypercritical Boss

May 2, 2013 -- Career
How do you handle working for someone who constantly rips apart everything you do or say? I was really excited to get hired eight months ago at this company (I've always wanted to work here), but my dream job has turned into a nightmare. The reason is my boss, who is never satisfied with anything. (Fortune)

FHA's Solvency Plan Isn't Fair

May 2, 2013 -- The Economy
This is what you call kicking 'em when they're down. Consumers who don't have a lot of cash to put down when buying a house usually have to pay a higher rate than typical borrowers for the first few years of their mortgage. Now, thanks to a change at a government program, they will have to pay that elevated rate for as long as 30 years. (Fortune)

Your Optimism Might Be Stifling Your Team

May 2, 2013 -- Leadership
I admit that I'm prone to an optimistic outlook, a belief that most problems can be tackled with hard work and the right mindset. I've read the research that indicates that positive thinkers tend to do better in school, work and life. Perhaps I even assumed that optimism was infectious and that people wanted to work with a confident, hopeful leader. In the true spirit of optimism, how could this possibly go wrong? Then I found out from a colleague that he didn't find my optimism nearly as reassuring as I did. (Harvard Business Review)

Should You Share a Room on a Business Trip?

May 2, 2013 -- Lifestyle
Years ago, when I worked at Holt, Rhinehart & Winston Educational and Professional Publishing, my female superior and I attended a national teacher's conference in San Antonio, and were forced to share a hotel room because of a late booking. What could have been a profoundly awkward experience – my boss! in her pajamas! – turned out to be one that strengthened our relationship, allowing us to get to know each other in a way that can rarely be found in the frenzy of daily work. (Harvard Business Review)

Overcome the Complexity Within You

May 2, 2013 -- Top News
Although it doesn't show up explicitly in any personality test, some people seem to be more prone to creating complexity than others. Instead of cutting to the heart of an issue, they tangle it further; rather than narrowing down projects, they allow the scope to keep expanding; and instead of making decisions, they defer until there is more data and better analysis. (Harvard Business Review)

Tap an IRA Early, Delay Social Security

May 2, 2013 -- Personal Finance
It's conventional wisdom that you should delay tapping your IRA as long as you can. There's also the tendency of most retirees to claim Social Security benefits as soon as possible. The unintended consequence: You're likely to shorten the life span of your nest egg. (Kiplinger's)

You Have Too Many Bank Accounts

May 2, 2013 -- Personal Finance
he traditional thinking is that having more than one liquid savings and checking account can help with saving, letting people segregate money and take advantage of different types of financial tools. But in fact, according to Promothesh Chatterjee, an assistant marketing professor at the University of Kansas, "if you have a single account, you spend less." (MarketWatch)

The Fed Is Just Like You: It Hates Congress

May 2, 2013 -- Government
Central bankers can be hard to understand. For one, they speak their own language, littered with words like "modest" and "moderate" or "a number" and "a few." For another, why aren't they doing even more with job growth stagnating and inflation falling? And just how does Ben Bernanke manage to keep his beard so meticulous-looking? (Okay, that last one isn't such a mystery anymore). But there's one thing about the Fed that's not hard to understand: Like 87 percent of the rest of America, it does not approve of Congress. (The Atlantic)

After the One-Hit Wonder

May 2, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
Pet rocks. Cabbage Patch Kids. The Rubik's Cube. The marketplace, like the Billboard charts, is full of one-hit wonders—products that come out of nowhere, capture the national imagination, then just as quickly turn into punch lines and trivia answers. But what about the entrepreneurs behind these creations? What do they do after the novelty of their novelty products wears off? (The Wall Street Journal)

How We Really Read Job Ads

May 2, 2013 -- Career
We spend most of our waking hours at work, so when it comes time to find a new job, you’d think we would take our time, carefully reviewing job descriptions and thoughtfully weighing whether a position might be a good fit. But it turns out we’re not as methodical as we’d like to think. (The Wall Street Journal)

B-Schools Know How You Think, but How Do You Feel?

May 2, 2013 -- Education
Forget what you know. Business schools increasingly want to know what you feel. Schools are trying to choose from a crowded pool of well-qualified applicants and get a sense of the human being behind the application by adding personality tests and scored, standardized in-person interviews to the traditional battery of essays, transcripts and recommendations. Now, prospective M.B.A. students need to shine by showing emotional traits like empathy, motivation, resilience and dozens of others. (The Wall Street Journal)

The Federal Deficit Is Actually Shrinking

May 2, 2013 -- The Economy
During the housing bust, taxpayers were forced to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But thanks to the real estate recovery, Fannie Mae could end up paying tens of billions of dollars back to the Treasury this summer. That's just one of the factors behind a better bottom line for the federal government. This week, the Treasury Department announced it will pay down some of its debt for the first time in six years. (NPR)

Black-Owned Businesses Located Automatically By New App

May 2, 2013 -- Technology
Supporting black-owned businesses is a great way to stimulate economic advancement of the African American community. Up until now, however, locating or identifying businesses with black owners was difficult to do consistently, especially outside of familiar areas. Now, consumers can more easily find black-owned businesses thanks to an innovative app designed for the purpose. (The Network Journal)

NBMBAA/FedEx Offers a FREE MBA – Apply Today – Offer Closes May 15th

May 2, 2013 -- NBMBAA
FedEx Corporation, the world's premier provider of transportation services, has developed one of the most unique MBA programs available, the FedEx Scholars Program. FedEx sponsors top candidates to obtain their full-time MBA from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis while gaining valuable work experience directly at FedEx. FedEx provides students with full tuition payment and a $36,000 stipend during the program resulting in a debt-free MBA experience.

A Rhodes-Like Scholarship For Study In China

May 2, 2013 -- Education
If you're interested in studying in China, a new scholarship program could help you on your way. Rivaling the prestigious Rhodes scholarships, the new program was announced recently by Stephen Schwarzman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone Group, one of the world's biggest private-equity firms. (NPR)

Mexico: The Stranger Next Door

May 2, 2013 -- International
Not so long ago, if you believe what you read in the papers and see on TV, Mexico was the next Afghanistan. It was poor, lawless, and plagued by drug violence, a failed-state-in-the-making whose problems and people would soon cascade over the border. In the last year, however, Mexico’s image has witnessed a dramatic transformation. In the eyes of U.S. media and policymaking elites, the country’s gone from being the next Afghanistan to the next China. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

The Latest Corporate Mania: Snagging 'Passive' Job Candidates

May 2, 2013 -- Corporate America
One of the big fads in corporate America is the "passive candidate" craze. I use quotes on the word "passive" because these job candidates could be considered passive only when they’re viewed through an employer’s self-centered lens. They aren’t passive at all, of course; these folks are busy at their jobs, blissfully unaware of the existence of whatever corporation has them in its sights and its Passive Candidate database. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

NYU Prof: How to Spot a Dishonest Company

May 2, 2013 -- Leadership
New York University business school professor David Yermack routinely teaches students how executives and major corporations have managed to skirt the law. By exposing students to questionable legal and ethical behavior, he says, the goal is to help them "formulate their own response when they encounter similar situations." (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

What Lean In Means for Women of Color

May 2, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
Sheryl Sandberg's self-described feminist manifesto is provoking thought, challenging paradigms and causing women everywhere to ask, "what does this mean for me?" I was no exception. As an MBA educated black woman, I couldn't help but finish the book and wonder, "what exactly does Lean In mean for women of color?" (Huffington Post)

PhD Project Grooms Minority Professors

May 2, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
When Monique Bell receives her Ph.D., she will become one of only 171 African American marketing business school professors in the United States. The PhD Project has announced that Bell is the first recipient of the $10,000 Melvin and Patricia Stith Marketing Dissertation Grant. She is defending her dissertation titled, "Self-Enhancement and Self-Transcendence Organizational Values’ Effects on Customer Satisfaction and Corporate Reputation" at Drexel University. (Politic365)

Study: Women, Minorities Get Fewer Business Loans

May 2, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
Are women and minorities seen as riskier when it comes to small business lending? Banks seem to think so, according to a study released Tuesday by the Small Business Administration (SBA). According to the findings, even when controlling for factors like industry and credit score, African American, Hispanic and women business owners were less likely than white male business owners to have their loan applications approved. (Fox Business)

New Data Shows Only 30% of American Workers Engaged in Their Jobs

May 2, 2013 -- Top News
The numbers are pretty discouraging. It’s still a few weeks before Gallup’s latest "State of the American Workplace" report, but the research firm is already previewing some of the data. The report, which draws on interviews with more than 150,000 U.S. workers in 2012, examines employees’ engagement with their jobs. (The Washington Post)

Some Retailers Rethink Role in Bangladesh

May 2, 2013 -- International
Ever since a building with garment factories collapsed in Bangladesh last week, killing more than 400 people, Western apparel companies with ties to the country have scrambled to address public concerns about working conditions there. (The New York Times)

Boom, Bust or What? Larry Summers and Glenn Hubbard on Our Economic Future

May 2, 2013 -- Top News
Larry Summers and Glenn Hubbard have shadowed each other for decades. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, they were young academic stars, part of a revolution in economics taking place at Harvard. New computer technology and large data sets allowed them to explore with unprecedented precision how government policy affected the economic behavior of people and companies. (The New York Times)

Robert Diamond’s Next Life

May 2, 2013 -- Corporate America
In the sparse office he now occupies in the Seagram Building in Midtown Manhattan, Robert E. Diamond Jr., the former C.E.O. of Barclays, paced in circles and tried to explain how he had gone from being one of the highest-ranking and highest-paid bankers in Britain to a guy who takes the subway to this office in exile and waits in line for his coffee at a cart on Park Avenue. (The New York Times)

Craving Wi-Fi, Preferably Free and Really Fast

May 2, 2013 -- Technology
Travelers hitting the road with their mobile electronic devices have three questions about staying connected away from home: will there be Wi-Fi, how much will it cost and how well will it work? Increasingly, it is that last question that matters most. (The New York Times)

Business Results Strongly Related to Engagement Regardless of Economy

April 25, 2013 -- Leadership
Employee engagement appears to be just as important in tough times as it is during good ones. Despite a global recession that has led to widespread layoffs and restructuring, the link between engagement and key organizational results has remained remarkably consistent regardless of the organization, industry or country, a recent Gallup Inc. study found. (Society for Human Resource Management)

7 Steps To A Truly Effective Leadership Style

April 25, 2013 -- Leadership
If you’ve ever been led by a Mushroom (everyone’s in the dark), a Seagull (swoops in, squawks and dumps), or a Kipper (two-faced and gutless), you’ll be all too aware of the leadership style you don’t want to be known for. (Forbes)

101 Ways to Build Wealth

April 25, 2013 -- Personal Finance
Money magazine's 101 Ways to Build Wealth package offers blueprints for the different stages of your life on how to achieve real financial security. In tips #1 through #27, we offer advice for 25- to 34-year-olds. (Money)

Wall Street Isn't Bowing to Caps on Pay

April 25, 2013 -- Corporate America
Regulators overseeing America's banks may be patting themselves on the back for reining in the kind of lavish bonuses critics say almost destroyed our financial system, but little has changed in the amount Wall Street pays. For those who've held on to their jobs, that is. (Fortune)

Will You Leave Your Comfort Zone? Ask Yourself This Question

April 25, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
I live in Basel, Switzerland, which might have the best public transportation system in the world. It is clean, fast, on time, and can get you where you want to be. In fact, it's so fabulous that I've lived here for four years and still don't own a car. So, I was somewhat amused to look out the window of my tram this morning and see at least 100 people, in business attire, with small suitcases, waiting for taxis. (Inc.)

How Did the World's Rich Get That Way? Luck

April 25, 2013 -- Personal Finance
Why are some people so rich and others so poor? Is it from good choices or good luck? Hard work, smarts, and ability – or something else? That depends who you are comparing yourself to. If you are more successful than your friends, colleagues, and family members, surely a lot of it is because you are better at what you do, or have made better choices, or have worked harder to get where you are. Think former President Bill Clinton, compared to his somewhat less successful brother. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Meet the New Middle Class: Who They Are, What They Want, and What They Fear

April 25, 2013 -- Top News
In all, the survey suggests that after years of economic turmoil, most families now believe the most valuable – and elusive – possession in American life isn't any tangible acquisition, such as a house or a car, but rather economic security. Asked to define what it means to be middle class, a solid 54 percent majority of respondents picked "having the ability to keep up with expenses and hold a steady job while not falling behind or taking on too much debt"; a smaller percentage defined it in terms of getting ahead and accumulating savings. (The Atlantic)

How Your Smartphone Could Get You a Job

April 25, 2013 -- Top News
Keith Gormley wasn't looking for a new job on a day last fall when he used his iPhone to pull up the Indeed.com job-search app during his morning commute. "I was bored, and maybe Twitter wasn't as active as usual. I was just flipping through to see what jobs were out there," he said. (The Wall Street Journal)

6 Case Studies: Why Companies Rise & Fall in the DiversityInc Top 50

April 25, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
What are the biggest differences between companies whose D&I initiatives are increasingly important to business goals and those whose efforts are not sustainable? Resources and metrics. Our analysis of six companies shows that real CEO support includes accountability for results and an empowered chief diversity officer who works effectively across the organization. (DiversityInc)

Show Yourself the Money

April 25, 2013 -- Education
You'd think it would be hard to go broke on $1.1 million a year, which is what the average NFL player pulls down. The trouble is, the average NFL player retires in three-and-a-half years, and most blow through their retirement savings in less than ten. Which is why there's now an MBA program with one goal: to take these men from signing contracts to writing them. (GQ)

NBMBAA Member Becomes First African-American Treasurer of Cuyahoga County

April 25, 2013 -- NBMBAA
In an unprecedented move, Ohio swore in its first African-American County Treasurer. Mark A. Parks Jr. took the oath of office on March 27th, 2013, from Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald before a group of 11 council members and community supporters. (New Pittsburgh Courier)

To Be Authentic, Look Beyond Yourself

April 25, 2013 -- Top News
Authenticity – what is it, who has it, and how do you get it? Most people associate authenticity with being true to oneself – or "walking the talk." But there's a problem with that association; it focuses on how you feel about yourself. Authenticity is actually a relational behavior, not a self-centered one. Meaning that to be truly authentic, you must not only be comfortable with yourself, but must also comfortably connect with others. (Harvard Business Review)

What to Do When You've Made Someone Angry

April 25, 2013 -- Career
I was running late. My wife Eleanor and I had agreed to meet at the restaurant at seven o'clock and it was already half past. I had a good excuse in the form of a client meeting that ran over and I wasted no time getting to the dinner as fast as possible. When I arrived at the restaurant, I apologized and told her I didn't mean to be late. She answered: "You never mean to be late." Uh oh, she was mad. (Harvard Business Review)

Job Titles Aren't That Important

April 25, 2013 -- Career
Are companies creating their own skills gap? While much of the skills deficit in the U.S. is fueled by a sheer lack of high skill labor for in-demand occupations, a recent CareerBuilder study of more than 2,000 companies suggests that employers may unwittingly be playing a part. Half of hiring managers said that they were concerned about the expanding skills gap, and around the same amount say they limit their candidate pools by only looking at applicants with specific job titles. (Harvard Business Review)

The Double Bind for Women at the Top

April 25, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
Twitter erupted on Wednesday, as Twitter likes to do, over a story about three topics – sexism, women in leadership and the New York Times – that, when combined, are a potent cocktail for social media. (The Washington Post)

As Wall Street Relies More on Technology, Social Media Can Tilt the Markets

April 25, 2013 -- Technology
The evolution of market news — from messages on homing pigeons to newspaper articles to round-the-clock wire reports — has taken yet another disruptive step with the arrival of Twitter on trading desks throughout the world. (The Washington Post)

Who Actually Creates Jobs: Start-ups, Small Businesses or Big Corporations?

April 25, 2013 -- The Economy
With unemployment stuck above 7 percent, policymakers have been searching anxiously for ways to put more people back to work. However, the first step in that process may be the most complex — simply identifying which type of business actually creates jobs. (The Washington Post)

How Jerry Brown Scared California Straight

April 25, 2013 -- Government
Jerry Brown is a happy man who rarely smiles. That’s because underneath all that energy and California optimism, there’s an old, practical Buddhist. This is all that can be done. We can tax the rich a tiny bit, if we do it right now and we show lots of ads of happy kids getting schoolbooks. We can build high-speed rail, if we slash aid to the poor. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Migrants Stay Busy as Unemployed Greeks Spurn Menial Jobs

April 25, 2013 -- International
Until a few days ago, the fields around the village of Nea Manolada in the Peloponnese were a hive of activity as thousands of immigrant workers picked the strawberries that southern Greece exports across Europe. Now those fields are quiet. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Head of the Class: Highest-Paid CEOs With MBAs

April 25, 2013 -- Education
To aspiring chief executive officers currently making your way through B-School: These are the kinds of pay packages you may someday be able to look forward to. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

UK Economy Avoids Triple-Dip Recession

April 25, 2013 -- International
The UK economy has avoided falling back into a recession after recording faster-than-expected growth in the first three months of the year. The Office for National Statistics said its first estimate for gross domestic product (GDP) showed the economy grew 0.3% during the first quarter of 2013. (BBC News)

With Its New Contact App, LinkedIn Updates Its Job Title To "Relationship Manager"

April 25, 2013 -- Technology
As LinkedIn courts daily users, its new tool aggregates information from your address book, email, and calendar. But there's a big list of contacts missing -- users still can't pull in data from other social networks, like Facebook. (Fast Company)

Study Finds Minorities Pay More for Housing Than Whites

April 25, 2013 -- The Economy
Black and Hispanic homebuyers paid about 3.5 percent more for comparable homes in four metropolitan U.S. markets than white buyers did, according to a Duke University-led analysis of more than 2 million home sales from 1990-2008. (Duke University)

Shifting Retail Landscape Tilts Support For Online Sales Tax

April 25, 2013 -- Corporate America
The U.S. Senate may vote this week on the , a bill that would allow states to collect sales tax from more online retailers. And as the political and retail landscape has shifted from the last time around, the Senate is expected to approve the measure. (NPR)

The Truth About How Much Workaholics Actually Work

April 25, 2013 -- Career
Most people grandly exaggerate the number of hours they work – and in doing so, undermine their own productivity. Here's how to track your real work time and make the most of every hour. (Fast Company)

The Rise of Pre-Commerce

April 25, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
While the social nature of business is nothing new, the recent rise of globally networked social media and the growth of the sharing economy has changed the rules of the game. Old business models are coming apart at the seams. Outsourcing, crowd funding, viral marketing and access or subscription-based services are challenging historically favored strategies in many areas – including, perhaps most surprisingly, product development. (Fast Company)

Galaxy S4 Puts More Features Into the Same Package

April 25, 2013 -- Technology
"We’re No. 2," went the old Avis slogan. "We try harder." There’s a world of wisdom there. When Apple designed its original iPhone, it had zero market share; the company had nothing to lose by taking risks. As a result, the phone teemed with bold ideas. (The New York Times)

Possible Fed Successor Has Admirers and Foes

April 25, 2013 -- Government
In July 1996, the Federal Reserve broke the metronomic routine of its closed-door policy-making meetings to hold an unusual debate. The Fed’s powerful chairman, Alan Greenspan, saw a chance for the first time in decades to drive annual inflation all the way down to zero, achieving the price stability he had long regarded as the central bank’s primary mission. (The New York Times)

Strategies to Pump Up Your Lifetime Income

April 18, 2013 -- Personal Finance
Low bond yields have raised troubling questions about whether the 4% withdrawal rule still holds up. Here is what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to stretching a retirement nest egg. (Kiplinger's)

An Interview With Stanford Dean Garth Saloner

April 18, 2013 -- Education
Does business school cost too much? Is it really worth it? Ask the dean of the most expensive MBA program in the world and not surprisingly you’ll hear a strong argument for why Stanford is worth every penny of the record $185,054 estimated cost of its two-year, full-time MBA program. Garth Saloner, dean of Stanford Graduate Business School since September of 2009, argues that MBAs can easily recoup the costs in hefty starting salaries, generous bonuses and a boost in lifetime earnings. (Poets & Quants)

How to Retire Like a Cheapskate – and Live Well

April 18, 2013 -- Personal Finance
On paper, it might seem a difficult task: Retire on the cheap while enjoying the standard of living to which you are accustomed or you desire. But Jeff Yeager reports that it’s really possible, if retirees are willing and able to follow the principles outlined in his new book, "How to Retire The Cheapskate Way." (MarketWatch)

America's Jobs Are Moving to the Suburbs

April 18, 2013 -- The Economy
Despite a short reprieve during the recession, the number of jobs moving to the nation's suburbs grew over the last decade, potentially clogging roadways and reducing job access for the poor. (CNN/Money)

The B-School Love Affair With Wall Street Cools

April 18, 2013 -- Education
When David Kralik enrolled in the MBA program at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2010, he was intent on a job in finance. He worked a summer internship at American Express (AXP) and considered investment banking, but quickly soured on the idea. It wasn’t the 14-hour days typical of the industry, but the heightened regulatory scrutiny, slashed pay at big banks, and uncertainty about the industry’s future that killed his Wall Street dreams. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Why Your Boss Wants You to Retire on Time

April 18, 2013 -- The Economy
More boomers want – or need – to stay in the workplace longer. But staying on the job as you approach retirement age tends to makes you more expensive to an employer, because of your health-care costs. And that’s why workers now face a growing wave of initiatives from companies designed to keep those costs down. (MarketWatch)

To Inspire Teams, Business Leaders Must 'Think Different'

April 18, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
Business leaders must consistently up their game just to remain competitive in today's increasingly demanding and global marketplace. There are many leadership challenges - from a multigenerational workplace to a rapidly evolving "on demand" competitive environment – that require different leadership and specific communication skills to optimize our teams, to continually meet market demand and exceed customer expectations. (Hispanic Business)

The Downsides of Job Hopping, And How To Grow Where You're Planted

April 18, 2013 -- Career
Job-hopping a bid to quickly climb the career ladder, gain varied experience, and bolster your paycheck is accepted practice – but is it always the smartest move? (Fast Company)

Apple Slowdown Threatens $30 Billion Global Supplier Web

April 18, 2013 -- Corporate America
Apple Inc.’s slowing sales are rippling through a supplier network that has long benefited from the company’s ability to churn out iPhones and iPads. Cirrus Logic Inc., a maker of audio chips that gets 91 percent of its sales from Apple, this week reported an inventory glut that suggested slowing iPhone sales, and forecast fiscal first-quarter revenue below analysts’ estimates. (Bloomberg)

3 Ways to Banish Wishful Thinking

April 18, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
Reality. That annoying thing that gets in the way of the best-laid plans for leaders and for companies. In my personal life, the consequences of ignoring reality are often pretty minor: a sport injury because I pushed too hard, a headache because I had that one last drink, or a stomachache from too much pie. (Inc.)

The Benefits of Being Stupid at Work

April 18, 2013 -- Career
Would you rather be thoughtless and successful or intelligent and frustrated? A recent article in the New Scientist addressed the never-ending ignorance-as-bliss debate with the following question: If being intelligent was an evolutionary advantage, "why aren't we all uniformly intelligent?" The obvious, unscientific answer: Probably for the same reasons we aren't uniformly good-looking. But is being smart always to your benefit? Are there instances when stupid works better? (Fortune)

Find Your Moment of Obligation

April 18, 2013 -- Leadership
People who successfully tackle big social, environmental, and economic problems are driven by what I call a moment of obligation – a specific time in their life when they felt compelled to act. These moments become their North Star; they keep them going in a positive direction when everything seems dark. The obligation is not only to the world but also to themselves. (Harvard Business Review)

The Terrifying Reality of Long-Term Unemployment

April 18, 2013 -- Top News
There are two labor markets nowadays. There's the market for people who have been out of work for less than six months, and the market for people who have been out of work longer. The former is working pretty normally, and the latter is horribly dysfunctional. (The Atlantic)

IMF: Euro-Zone Companies Face Massive ‘Debt Overhang’

April 18, 2013 -- International
Euro-zone companies face a massive "debt overhang" that could prolong the region’s downturn and risk a return to a more acute crisis, the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday in a sobering report on risks that may be accumulating in the world financial system. (The Washington Post)

Rise And Shine: How Top CEOs Kick Off Super-Productive Days

April 18, 2013 -- Leadership
They receive 500 emails a day and think life is "too exciting" to sleep in. Execs from Vodafone, AOL, and other companies on how they keep all the balls in the air. (Hint: start very, very early.) (Fast Company)

How To Schedule Your Day For Peak Creative Performance

April 18, 2013 -- Top News
Are you a certified organizational ninja? It's okay, nobody is--so steal this idea from career kickstarter Amber Rae, who shares her "Work, Play, Fit, Push" framework for getting things done while staying inspired. (Fast Company)

With New App, LinkedIn Makes First Foray Into Advertising On Smartphones

April 18, 2013 -- Technology
LinkedIn launched revamped iOS and Android app on Wednesday that, in addition to creating a more engaging mobile experience, introduces advertising on the company's smartphone apps for the first time. As with most recently launched LinkedIn features – including notifications, contributed content, endorsements, and the ability to mention other users – the new app is designed to make LinkedIn a more appealing network to visit daily, rather than only when they are looking for a job. (Fast Company)

Don't Be the Office Tech Dinosaur

April 18, 2013 -- Technology
For many people, being on the far side of 40 in the workplace brings the confidence of experience, of having hit a certain professional stride. It can also bring a nagging insecure feeling that younger colleagues – the ones with 5,000 Twitter followers, who designed their first website in middle school – are fast becoming the new office stars. (The Wall Street Journal)

Making a Big Switch? Leap Carefully

April 18, 2013 -- Top News
Business strategist Thomas Newman left Time Warner Inc. in 2007 to launch the digital arm of Radio One Inc., a black-owned media company. But the white executive lacked experience dealing with operations or serving African-American consumers. (The Wall Street Journal)

Workers Share Their Salary Secrets

April 18, 2013 -- Career
It's one of the last taboos of workplace chatter: discussing with your colleagues how much you earn. That may be changing as more millennials challenge the taboo. (The Wall Street Journal)

In Austerity Greece, More Children Are Going Hungry

April 18, 2013 -- International
As an elementary-school principal, Leonidas Nikas is used to seeing children play, laugh and dream about the future. But recently he has seen something altogether different, something he thought was impossible in Greece: children picking through school trash cans for food; needy youngsters asking playmates for leftovers; and an 11-year-old boy, Pantelis Petrakis, bent over with hunger pains. (The New York Times)

Rising Bank Profits Tempt a Push for Tougher Rules

April 18, 2013 -- Corporate America
Banks have been reporting steady growth in earnings since soon after the financial crisis. With the latest reports rolling in, analysts think the banks’ first-quarter profits will be their best ever. But as welcome as such profits are to the banks, they may also become a source of discomfort. The ballooning bottom lines could embolden the lawmakers and regulators who want to introduce additional measures to overhaul the banking system. (The New York Times)

If You're Confident About Competence, Admit Your Flaws

April 11, 2013 -- Leadership
Within moments of seeing white smoke billow from the Sistine Chapel, media outlets were inundated with a slew of reports about the former Cardinal Bergoglio. The Vatican PR machine noted that Pope Francis was an incredibly humble Cardinal who, as was befitting a Jesuit, had an abiding concern for the poor, rode the subway, and cooked his own meals. Oh... and that he was missing most of one lung. This certainly runs contrary to conventional wisdom about how best to conduct impression management; i.e. "Put your best foot forward." (Harvard Business Review)

Givers vs. Takers: The Surprising Truth about Who Gets Ahead

April 11, 2013 -- Leadership
A colleague asks you for feedback on a report. A LinkedIn connection requests an introduction to one of your key contacts. A recent graduate would like an informational interview. New research from Wharton management professor Adam Grant reveals that how you respond to these requests may be a decisive indicator of where you will end up on the ladder of professional success. (Knowledge@Wharton)

The New New World: Latin America Starts Importing Talent

April 11, 2013 -- Top News
The history of Latin American emigration is best told over lunch. Taco and tostada stalls have spread across the United States because 12m Mexicans have settled there. In Madrid, steaks sizzle on parrillas tended by Argentines who fled the economic crisis of the early 2000s. To wash such delicacies down, bars in any big city serve mojitos mixed by Cuban exiles. (The Economist)

The Hottest Frontier: Investing in Africa

April 11, 2013 -- International
When you are trying to keep a retail outfit afloat amid hyperinflation, it helps to have a sideline. "We had a business selling crocodile skins to Hermès and Gucci for shoes and handbags," says John Koumides, chief executive of Innscor, a conglomerate based in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. The currency earned from this exotic export was a lifeline for the firm’s other arms, including its SPAR stores, when Zimbabwe’s shops were short of stock in 2008 as its currency collapsed. (The Economist)

3 Ethical Ways to Boost Positive Online Reviews

April 11, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
Online review sites, such as Yelp or TripAdvisor, can be a boon for your business. But you need to take an active role in generating and making the most of positive comments. While it isn't ethical to solicit good reviews, you can encourage customers to leave their feedback, whether positive or negative, on both your website and review sites. (Entrepreneur)

The Suitcase Entrepreneur: How to Avoid Cultural Missteps When Doing Business in Other Countries

April 11, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
As workplaces become more diverse and more companies do business globally, the opportunities for cultural missteps are also increasing. Cultural diversity expert and executive coach Gayle Cotton says today's many forms of communication have created many ways for missteps to happen. (Entrepreneur)

Middle-Class Mortgage Break Tough to Curb in Debt Talks

April 11, 2013 -- Personal Finance
U.S. lawmakers are looking for ways to carve up the $70 billion-a-year home mortgage interest deduction. What they’re finding is a political challenge that might not yield much revenue for reducing the budget deficit or lowering tax rates and may not be worth the outcry from taxpayers making between $75,000 and $200,000 a year. (Bloomberg)

Rule No. 1: Get to the Point

April 11, 2013 -- Top News
All companies today are trying to do more with fewer people, which means that everybody is short on time. That's why it's crazy to load up your documents (e-mails, brochures, websites, etc.) with fancy-sounding business cliches, and unsubstantiated opinions. Nobody has time to wade through biz-blab. (Inc.)

Short-Term Master’s Programs: An MBA Alternative?

April 11, 2013 -- Education
Business schools, as we report in Thursday’s Journal, are fielding huge demand from Chinese students for their specialized master’s programs in subjects such as finance and accounting. Their appeal is obvious: The quick–these programs usually last about a year–U.S. credential gives China natives a competitive edge in the hot finance market back home. And schools like the healthy revenue stream these programs bring in. (The Wall Street Journal)

Welcome to the Micro-Gig: No Job Is Too Small

April 11, 2013 -- The Economy
A crush of apps allowing us to do discrete tasks for small sums of money might be the future. But the atomization of paid labor leaves workers vulnerable. (The Atlantic)

The Economic Story of the Year: The Stock Market vs. the Labor Market

April 11, 2013 -- Top News
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 and the Dow closed at nominal all-time highs. Three days later, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy added a shockingly low 88,000 jobs in March. How bad is 88K? Well, put it this way, we're theoretically in the midst of an accelerating recovery, and 88K new jobs per month won't get us back to full employment for another 20 years, or more. (The Atlantic)

The Hidden Monopoly Behind All Those Whizbang New Ways To Pay For Stuff

April 11, 2013 -- Technology
Merchants don't have much say in how they accept payment, and that's a big problem that gets passed onto consumers. LevelUp founder Seth Priebatsch takes a closer look. (Fast Company)

Creative New Ways To Land Your Dream Job

April 11, 2013 -- Top News
The job quest often feels a little quixotic: Even getting your resume read by a human (or a robot) requires exacting, errorless presentation – and then there's the whole courting process of the interview. Then there's the hiring managers inundated with apps, given few signs to distinguish signal from noise. So you, the jobseeker, need to stand out. Cookies help; so does technology. (Fast Company)

This Is How You Master The Email Introduction

April 11, 2013 -- Career
Bringing people together is awesome. But like most social interactions, there are unwritten rules. First Round Capital partner and superconnector Chris Fralic spells them out. (Fast Company)

"Actually," She Said, "He Works for Me."

April 11, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
Let's agree that gender stereotyping still exists. We may try to suppress the subconscious image of political leaders, doctors, and CEO's as male, but that's what pops into our heads when we hear those professions. What's ironic is that I'm the CEO of an investment company, so, if I struggle with this, I suspect others must too. (Harvard Business Review)

The Happiest People Pursue the Most Difficult Problems

April 11, 2013 -- Career
Lurking behind the question of jobs – whether there are enough of them, how hard we should work at them, and what kind the future will bring – is a major problem of job engagement. Too many people are tuned out, turned off, or ready to leave. But there's one striking exception. The happiest people I know are dedicated to dealing with the most difficult problems. (Harvard Business Review)

NBMBAA Congratulates Bill Wells on Lifetime Achievement Award

April 11, 2013 -- NBMBAA
He received the award from the Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity, during the 25th annual Forum April 10 in Minneapolis. Wells, a past chairman on the NBMBAA Board of Directors, as well as current Board Member and NBMBAA Lifetime member, was honored for his tireless commitment to diversity and inclusion during his career, from his time as VP of Diversity for the St. Paul Companies to the work he’s done and continues to do to encourage, support and build the Multicultural Forum.

B-Schools to See Sweeping New Accreditation Standards

April 11, 2013 -- Education
New business school accreditation standards, including tougher curriculum requirements for ethics, sustainability, and the global marketplace, are on the way. The changes are the most significant to the AACSB accreditation standards in a decade and come after two years of discussion and analysis.(Bloomberg/Businessweek)

The New Résumé: It's 140 Characters

April 11, 2013 -- Career
Twitter is becoming the new job board. It is also becoming the new résumé. Fed up with traditional recruiting sites and floods of irrelevant résumés, some recruiters are turning to the social network to post jobs, hunt for candidates and research applicants. (The Wall Street Journal)

Chinese Deluge U.S. Master's Programs

April 11, 2013 -- International
When the business school at the University of California, Davis, started its master's program in accounting last year, administrators expected to attract aspiring accountants from nearby colleges. What they got instead was a wave of interest from overseas: Roughly two-thirds of the 189 applications received for last fall's entering class came from Chinese citizens. (The Wall Street Journal)

Why Pizza, Tacos, and Pop-Tarts Have Gone 'Crazy'

April 11, 2013 -- Lifestyle
At a certain point, we mature past eating food on a dare. If someone describes something by using the phrase, "That's crazy," you generally wouldn't put it in your mouth. But some food companies are making money hand over fist on products that they freely admit you have to be kind of nuts to eat. Why does this work? (Fortune)

The Second Coming of Facebook

April 11, 2013 -- Technology
Back in 2010 Mark Zuckerberg made a very bad decision. Instead of building separate apps for iPhones, Androids, BlackBerrys, Nokia devices, and, yes, even Microsoft phones, he put his engineers to work designing a version of Facebook that could operate on any smartphone. In effect, he was betting that as different operating systems jostled for control of mobile devices, standalone apps would go away and soon we would surf websites on our phones, just as we do on PCs. (Fortune)

Worst PC Sales Drop in History

April 11, 2013 -- Technology
PC sales certainly haven't been good over the past year or so, but this past quarter was record-setting bad. Shipments of PCs fell 14% worldwide last quarter, according to IDC. It was the worst yearly decline since IDC began tracking the data in 1994. (CNN/Money)

Career Vs. Family: A Continual Struggle

April 11, 2013 -- Lifestyle
When Sheryl Sandberg returned to Harvard Business School for a talk in 2011, her pointed answer to a question from an audience of MBAs drew stunned silence. "If current trends continue," Sandberg said, "15 years from today about one-third of the women in this audience will be working full-time and almost all of you will be working for the guy you are sitting next to." (Poets & Quants)

Firms Are Firing Less, But Not Hiring Enough

April 11, 2013 -- The Economy
Far fewer Americans are getting fired or laid off these days than they were in 2009. In fact, layoffs are back at their pre-recession lows. That said, new hiring remains weak. (CNN/Money)

Companies On The Move Look For Healthy Workers

April 11, 2013 -- Corporate America
It may cost less to do business in places where there's what some people call a culture of health. And that's put Colorado, which has the lowest rates of adult obesity in the country, on the map for companies looking to relocate or expand. (NPR)

Postal Service Will Keep Saturday Mail Delivery After All

April 11, 2013 -- Government
The U.S. Postal Service has backed off a plan to halt Saturday mail delivery, saying that Congress has forced it to continue the service despite massive cost overruns. In a statement released Wednesday, the USPS Board of Governors said restrictive language included in the latest Continuing Resolution, which keeps the government operating until September in lieu of a budget, prevents it from going ahead with the plan. (NPR)

Debt And The Modern Parent Of College Kids

April 11, 2013 -- Personal Finance
It's college touring season, and many parents are on the road with their teenagers, driving from school to school and thinking about the college application – and financial aid – process that looms ahead. Many baby boomers have already been through this stage with their kids, but because the generation spans about 20 years, others still have kids at home. So how should boomers plan to pay for school when, on average, students graduate from college in the U.S. with $250,000 in debt? (NPR)

White House Budget Curbs Some Deductions for the Wealthy

April 11, 2013 -- Government
President Obama is no longer pressing to raise income tax rates on the rich. But that doesn’t mean he thinks the wealthy are paying enough in taxes. Outlining his budget proposals to Congress on Wednesday, Mr. Obama pushed to raise more than $600 billion in new revenue, mainly by curbing deductions for the most affluent taxpayers and forcing millionaires to pay a minimum rate of 30 percent. (The New York Times)

Seeking Relief, Banks Shift Risk to Murkier Corners

April 11, 2013 -- Corporate America
Banks have been shedding risky assets to show regulators that they are not as vulnerable as they were during the financial crisis. In some cases, however, the assets don’t actually move – the bank just shifts the risk to another institution. (The New York Times)

How a Few Bad Apples Ruin Everything

April 4, 2013 -- Leadership
A growing body of research suggests that having just a few nasty, lazy or incompetent characters around can ruin the performance of a team or an entire organization – no matter how stellar the other employees. (The Wall Street Journal)

Are Your Business Decisions Biased?

April 4, 2013 -- Leadership
Sure, you pride yourself on being fair-minded in all your business dealings. But bias has a way of creeping into decision-making. Here’s how it happens and what you can do to minimize it. (Time)

Make Yourself an Expert

April 4, 2013 -- Top News
"I don’t know what we’d do without him!" That’s what an executive in a Fortune 100 company recently told us about a brilliant project leader. We’ve heard the same sentiment expressed about many highly skilled specialists during the hundred-plus interviews we’ve conducted as part of our research into knowledge use and sharing. In organizations large and small, including NASA, the U.S. Forest Service, SAP, and Raytheon, managers spoke of their dependence on colleagues who have "deep smarts" – business-critical expertise, built up through years of experience, which helps them make wise, swift decisions about both strategy and tactics. (Harvard Business Review)

After Boom-Boom Room, Fresh Tactics to Fight Bias

April 4, 2013 -- Diversity in the Workplace
When lurid sex harassment charges rocked Wall Street in the 1990s, the Chicago law firm Stowell & Friedman fielded a torrent of calls from women who blocked their telephone numbers on caller ID and initially refused to reveal their names out of fear of retribution from their employers. (NYT DealBook)

Bitcoin ATMs coming soon

April 4, 2013 -- Corporate America
42-year-old media entrepreneur Jeff Berwick hopes to bring Bitcoin ATMs to a city near you soon. Berwick expects to put the first two ATMs in Los Angeles and Cyprus in the next two weeks and is choosing between several different retail locations in both areas. He added that orders are coming in by the hundreds from 30 different countries. (CNN/Money)

8 Ways to Deal with Job-Related Stress

April 4, 2013 -- Career
If stress on the job is making it hard to stay motivated and productive, you might have considered quitting and just starting fresh somewhere else. Unfortunately, leaving a job isn’t so easy. In today’s economy, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make a career change and find that job of your dreams. Still, you do have some options when you think you can’t take one more day at your job. (Ebony)

Number of Minority Business Professors in U.S. Has Quadrupled, The PhD Project Reports

April 4, 2013 -- Education
The number of doctorally-qualified minority (African-American, Hispanic-American, and Native American) professors at U.S. business schools has quadrupled since 1994, due largely to the efforts of The PhD Project, an award-winning program aimed at increasing diversity in America's business management ranks. The PhD Project)

Cyprus Rescue Plan Will Require Great Efforts, IMF Says

April 4, 2013 -- Top News
Cyprus has agreed to a set of measures that will release a 10bn-euro (£8.5bn; $12.8bn) international bailout. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is contributing 1bn euros, says they are "challenging" and will require "great efforts" from its population. (BBC News)

Pay-As-You-Weigh Airfares the 'Next Step'

April 4, 2013 -- The Economy
The head of Samoa Air has defended its policy of charging passengers by their weight, arguing such a system is not only fair but the future for other airlines. "The next step is for the industry to make those sort of changes and recognize that 'Hey, we are not all 72 kilograms (about 160 pounds) anymore and we don't all fit into a standard seat,''' Chris Langton, Samoa Air chief executive told CNN. (CNN)

Turn Your Resume Into an Interactive Timeline

April 4, 2013 -- Career
Career site Beyond.com has a nifty new tool that turns your resume into an interactive timeline with graphics. You can customize your page through various modules that highlight awards, publications, professional certifications and your skill sets. (CNN/Money)

From Indiana, an MBA Prescribed for Doctors

April 4, 2013 -- Education
When it comes to the health-care industry, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business is trying to innovate with a new MBA aimed at midcareer physicians. One goal: Help doctors figure out how to curb their industry’s soaring costs. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Retailers Track Employee Thefts in Vast Databases

April 4, 2013 -- Corporate America
Facing a wave of employee theft, retailers across the country have helped amass vast databases of workers accused of stealing and are using that information to keep employees from working again in the industry. (The New York Times)

Why "Simple" is Getting Harder

April 4, 2013 -- Top News
Anyone can put together the front end of a website and mock up the back end. That's bad for anyone building a serious businesses that solves tough problems. (Inc.)

The China Internship Business Is Booming

April 4, 2013 -- Education
Given China’s dramatic and evolving role in the global economy, many undergraduate business students are skipping summers on the beach for an internship in Beijing or Shanghai. The goal: to gain valuable international work experience that they hope will help them land a job. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

What the Fight Over 'Used' Music Reveals About Online Media

April 4, 2013 -- Technology
ReDigi is an online service that allows you to resell your (legally obtained) media files. It seems chipper and on the up-and-up, and you can imagine that to music industry executives this video looks like a ransom video with a cute soundtrack. Thus began some lawsuits, one of which has just concluded in favor of Vivendi (VIV), the parent of Capitol records. Much is yet to be determined, but it’s a bad outcome for ReDigi. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Canada's Economy on Thinning Ice

April 4, 2013 -- International
Disappointing exports, stalled investment and fiscal austerity leave the overstretched consumer as Canada’s only hope for growth. (The Economist)

Why the Euro Is Doomed in 4 Steps

April 4, 2013 -- Top News
We're going to need a bigger acronym. In the beginning, it was just the "Greek debt crisis". Then markets realized Portugal, Ireland, Italy, and Spain were in bad shape too, and the PIIGS (or GIIPS) were born. But now Cyprus and Slovenia have run into trouble as well, giving us the ... SIC(K) PIGS? At this rate, we're going to have to buy a vowel soon, assuming Estonia doesn't end up needing a bailout. (The Atlantic)

Welcome to Ireland, Where Mortgage Payments Are Optional and the Banks Are a Mess

April 4, 2013 -- International
With laws that make foreclosures almost impossible and a financial sector stuffed full of bad loans, the Emerald Isle's problems might only just be getting started. (The Atlantic)

5 Stupid Reasons You're Underpaid – And How To Fix Them

April 4, 2013 -- Career
You're not being out-earned because you're out-skilled. People often have blind spots about getting paid--so pull back the veil and start earning what you're worth. (Fast Company)

How A Microsoft Engineer In India Is Fixing Attachment Embarrassment On Outlook

April 4, 2013 -- Technology
During a single week in late 2008, Bhavesh Chauhan, a software engineer in Hyderabad, India, received four emails with missing attachments. Wanting to end such embarrassments, he used free time to code an Outlook extension that scanned emails for words indicating an attachment. If nothing was attached, an alert would pop up. (Fast Company)

Venture Capital vs. Crowdfunding: Let's Get Real

April 4, 2013 -- Entrepreneurship
Crowdfunding is all the rage. Even the SEC recently blessed one type of crowdfunding for which there was risk of an enforcement action. Several in the early-stage ecosystem have called for venture capitalists to "up their game," as alternative paths to financing create competitive threats to both incumbent firms and the venture model itself. I think drawing parallels between crowdfunding and VC investment is inappropriate – conflating several important factors, most of which have to do with whether a founder is dealing with a good VC partner or a lousy VC partner. (Fortune)

The Plight of the Bee

April 4, 2013 -- The Economy
We need bees. You like apples? Almonds? Onions? How about blueberries or cherries or, heck, any flowering fruit out there – to get the fruit you need the flower pollinated; and to pollinate, nothing beats a honeybee. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that a quarter of our diet depends on honeybees' pollination prowess. (Fortune)

Your Job Might be Killing You

April 4, 2013 -- Lifestyle
It's long been known that prolonged stress is tough on your health. Now, it turns out that job burnout may be worse for your heart than smoking. (Fortune)