A backup plan to cut the federal deficit and keep the U.S. government from default gained momentum Thursday even as President Barack Obama and congressional leaders paused their negotiations to determine if they can reach a deal. (Wall
Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304911104576445731595487202.html to view the full article online.

 

Unemployment in the African American community continues to hover devastating highs with a reported 16.2% unemployment. It is time for action on the most important issue of our time – economic opportunity, jobs! Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will travel the country for the CBC’s For the People Jobs Initiative. Look for us in a city near you!

Visit http://thecongressionalblackcaucus.com/issues/jobs-initiative/ to view the full article online.

 

For more than a year the euro zone’s debt drama has lurched from one nail-biting scene to another. First Greece took centre stage; then Ireland; then Portugal; then Greece again. Each time European policymakers reacted similarly: with denial and dithering, followed at the eleventh hour with a half-baked rescue plan to buy time. (The Economist)

Visit http://www.economist.com/node/18958397 to view the full article online.

 

The anemic job market doesn’t just mean it’s tough for many people to find a job. It also means that those who have jobs may also be getting fewer benefits. A few family-related benefits have taken a hit since the recession, and haven’t recovered, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) latest annual survey of 600 employers’ benefits’ offerings. (Wall Street Journal)
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Read the SHRM Study

 

The transition from worker to manager can be overwhelming. Perhaps that’s why so many first-time managers suck. They suck time, energy, and resources from many organizations. Both managers and their employees can learn from these expert tips.

Visit http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/07/12/why-first-time-managers-fail to view the full article online.

 

In this excerpt from the new book The Accidental Creative, author Todd Henry explains how people's expectations from being compared to peers, or even to those that inspired them, can limit the creativity in their work. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1767098/the-accidental-creative-todd-henry to view the full article online.

 

Two weeks ago News Corporation was a corporate giant led by a legend and on the verge of the biggest deal in its history. Now the deal is off and Rupert Murdoch is widely derided. Britain’s three big political parties have ganged up on the company, along with the Church of England, every other media outlet and an array of celebrities. A once-feared colossus has become a pantomime villain, hissed from the stage. (The Economist)

Visit http://www.economist.com/node/18958553 to view the full article online.

 

About two dozen European banks were put under official pressure to bolster their reserves following a much-anticipated test of whether they would be able to survive economic shocks, such as a further deterioration in the sovereign debt crisis, banking regulators said Friday. (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/16/business/global/european-banks-urged-to-bolster-reserves-following-stress-tests.html?hp to view the full article online.

 

Business schools are developing apps that allow users to track applications, donate cash, and in one case pinpoint the location of alumni anywhere in the world. (BloombergBusinessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/bschool-apps-target-applicants-alumni-07142011.html to view the full article online.

 

Currently many B Schools are witnessing a shake-out with seats going vacant. Even in this month of July when most of the leading B schools have commenced their new academic session there are more than 200 plus B schools that are still looking for students with big newspaper advertisements. (MBA Universe)

Visit http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/4772/ to view the full article online.

 

Time is running out to register for the NBMBAA 33rd Annual Conference & Exposition, coming up October 4-8 in Atlanta, GA. Save money by registering in the next 15 days to take advantage of early discounts and to make sure you get the sessions and hotel locations you want.

Visit http://www.nbmbaaconference2011.org to view the full article online.

 

With nearly everyone in America already carrying a cellular phone, companies are thinking outside the box – way outside – to drum up fresh demand for their networks. U.S. carriers are betting they can get "wireless penetration" – now around 90% – up to 300% or 400%. In plain English, that means they need every man, woman and child in the country to each use three or four wireless products, a goal that can't be accomplished with phones alone. (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303544604576434013394780764.html to view the full article online.

 

If you're a Netflix disc-by-mail subscriber, then you got a very irritating e-mail yesterday. The company announced new pricing plans, through which it intends to break out the costs of streaming and by-mail services. Currently, anyone who subscribes by mail can stream at no additional cost. While the concept of a la carte pricing for these services might be well-intentioned, the company's execution was not. This move is misguided for at least seven reasons. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/7-reasons-why-netflixs-price-hike-is-a-bonehead-move/241869/ to view the full article online.

 

Amazon's entry to the tablet market is long rumored. It was presaged by its own Android App Store, which was modeled after Apple's App Store and was better in many important ways than Google's marketplace. We're now pretty sure Amazon's tablet, powered by Android, is imminent. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1767072/what-we-know-and-what-we-can-guess-about-amazons-tablet to view the full article online.

 

Even before the credit crunch, the smallest of small businesses had trouble getting loans. The reasons why are many: Sometimes traditional lenders view them as too risky, or the credit profiles of the small business owners are poor. Some entrepreneurs don't have enough collateral. Enter microfinance companies, or microlenders. (CNN/Money)

Visit http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/smallbusiness/1107/gallery.top_microfinance_companies/ to view the full article online.

 

Veteran entrepreneur of Silicon Valley Steve Blank shares his funding stories, what he's learned about the entrepreneur/investor relationship over the years, and the best way to pitch to a venture capitalist. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1767059/steve-blank-venture-capital to view the full article online.

 

During the two-year recovery from the recession, men have gained 768,000 jobs while women have lost 218,000 jobs. This new gender gap in employment trends represents a sharp turnabout from the recession itself, when men lost more than twice as many jobs as women. (Pew Research Center)

Visit http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2049/unemployment-jobs-gender-recession-economic-recoveryssion-economic-recovery to view the full article online.

 

Hopes for a quick economic rebound in the second half of the year seemed more remote on Friday after a glimpse at consumer sentiment showed it at its lowest level in more than two years. Industrial output also hit the brakes in June, rising a modest 0.2 percent, according to the Federal Reserve. although much of the stall was attributed to auto sector disruptions from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. (CNBC)

Visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43766909/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/ to view the full article online.

 

Consumers love the free flights, gadgets and cash back they get when they pay with their rewards credit cards. But mom and pop stores cringe when they do. It costs a merchant more each time a consumer pays with – or "swipes" – a rewards card than when a consumer pays with a basic credit card.

Visit http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/14/smallbusiness/rewards_credit_cards/index.htm to view the full article online.

 

Financial planning is often perceived as a service reserved for the wealthy. That’s understandable. The more money you have, the more complex your finances are. But people who don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings need guidance, too, and they often don’t have enough money to satisfy the ever-increasing minimum asset requirements of some financial advisers. (Kiplinger's)

Visit http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/financial-planning-for-the-middle-class.html to view the full article online.

 

Managers who hold themselves above the political fray at the office are doomed to fail. To be an effective boss, you must influence others. (Fortune)

Visit http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/14/why-avoiding-office-conflict-is-not-an-option/ to view the full article online.

 

"Wouldn’t it be cool if ..." And with that phrase comes a chance to lose tens of millions of dollars – and maybe your job. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/management/how-the-big-idea-will-get-you-fired-07122011.html to view the full article online.

 

Human beings have developed all kinds of ways to tackle life’s everyday decisions in order to make the process of choosing less overwhelming or less time-consuming by simplifying and organizing – for example, ordering the same dish as a dining companion, sorting alternatives by an important feature, or excluding the least familiar menu items from consideration. (Columbia Ideas@Work)

Visit http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/ideasatwork/feature/7221834/Complicating+Choice# to view the full article online.