
Top News
Despite 11.3 million unemployed Americans, there are 3.9 million job openings in the U.S. right now, and 39% of businesses report having difficulty filling jobs, according to a 2013 Manpower survey. Wouldn’t it be nice if job hunters could be matched up with the available jobs? Of course, the 37% of the unemployed who have been out of work for six months or longer will always be harder to place, but there are other reasons it is proving difficult to make these matches. (Kiplinger's)
Visit http://www.kiplingers.com/article/business/T019-C021-S000-why-do-jobs-go-begging.html to view the full article online.
I did it. I went to a cocktail party where I didn't know anyone, and successfully chit-chatted for two hours. (Not to myself. I actually spoke with other people.) I have never been good at the kind of networking where you're supposed to walk into a room full of strangers and walk out with "connections." The very idea makes me cringe. (Inc.)
Visit http://www.inc.com/kimberly-weisul/how-to-work-a-room-the-only-strategy-you-need.html to view the full article online.
Janet Yellen, the woman the White House wants to run the Federal Reserve, has defended its stimulus efforts and vowed to continue them if confirmed. In her first appearance in front of Congress, she said the Fed's $85bn bond-buying programme was a "meaningful contribution to economic growth". (BBC News)
Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24946776 to view the full article online.
Career
The idea that we can get it all done is the biggest myth in time management. There’s no way Brad can meaningfully go through all his email and there’s no way any of us are going to accomplish everything we want to get done. Face it: You’re a limited resource. Each day only has 24 hours and we can’t sustainably work through all of them. On the one hand, that’s depressing. On the other hand, acknowledging it can be tremendously empowering. (Harvard Business Review)
Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/01/the-biggest-myth-in-time-manag/ to view the full article online.
Some people instantly make us feel important. Some people instantly make us feel special. Some people light up a room just by walking in. We can't always define it, but some people have it: They're naturally charismatic. Unfortunately, natural charisma quickly loses its impact. Familiarity breeds, well, familiarity. But some people are remarkably charismatic. (Inc.)
Visit http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/10-habits-of-remarkably-charismatic-people.html to view the full article online.
For young, highly educated workers who usually put in long hours, working 5 extra hours per week is linked to a 1% increase in annual wage growth, according to a study of thousands of U.S. workers by Dora Gicheva of the University of North Carolina. The finding holds only for those who work at least 48 hours per week; when hours are lower than that, there’s no correlation between additional work and wage growth. (Harvard Business Review)
Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/11/yes-its-worth-it-to-work-those-long-hours/ to view the full article online.
Diversity in the Workplace
NBMBAA
Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University will host the tenth annual Minority MBA Student Case Competition, February 28 - March 2, 2014 in Cleveland, OH. Online registration begins October 14, 2013 and ends January 3, 2014. To register, visit http://fisher.osu.edu/keybank.
KeyBank Foundation will supervise the selection of a contemporary and
never-before-used case topic addressing business issues with varied
implications at either a national or international level. Teams of three
presenters are being invited from universities and colleges across the
country to compete. Each team will benefit from the opportunity to develop important professional skills such as analyzing and responding quickly to often-complex business issues. Also, teams will have a chance to hone their communication and team-building talents while learning from the expertise of business executive judges and moderators.
Learn More...
Professionals of color can take advantage of unique scholarship opportunities through NBMBAA university partners such as the University of St. Thomas, the Simmons School of Management and Northeastern University.
University of St. Thomas MBA Outreach Scholarship
The University of St. Thomas offers up to 15 full-tuition, two-year scholarships for talented young professionals of color.
Scholarships are for full-time study at the University of St. Thomas, located at their vibrant downtown Minneapolis campus in close proximity to the corporate headquarters of several of the world's leading employers, including Target, General Mills, Best Buy, and U.S. Bank.
Details
Simmons School of Management/National Black MBA Association Scholarship
In partnership with the Simmons School of Management, this renewable scholarship offers up to full tuition for candidates who are National Black MBA Association members in good standing and admitted to Simmons’ Master of Business Administration program. Awards are made on the basis of academic, professional and/or personal merit.
Details
Northeastern University/National Black MBA Association MBA Scholarship
In partnership with Northeastern University, this merit-based scholarship covers up to full tuition to qualified candidates who are NBMBAA members and admitted to Northeastern’s Full-time MBA program. Awards are made on the basis of academic, professional and/or personal merit. This scholarship may be renewable.
Details
Technology
Digital scrapbooking site Pinterest is stepping into the spotlight in a big way. In recent months, the company has drawn attention through large funding efforts, high-level hires, and international expansion, but still has yet to reveal a proper revenue strategy. But the startup's recent actions signal not only that it is serious about growing its already impressive audience but also tackling that thorny monetization issue. (CNN/Money)
Visit http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/11/14/pinterest-plots-its-monetization-strategy/?iid=SF_F_River to view the full article online.
The Economy
In a speech in Frankfurt in October, Peter Praet, a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank, told a conference of economists something curiously obvious. "Individual households are heterogeneous in many respects," he said. "It is important to measure and analyze this heterogeneity because it can have important implications for aggregate figures." People are different, he meant, and we need to understand how to understand the economy. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)
Visit http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-07/economists-discover-the-poor-behave-differently-from-the-rich#r=read to view the full article online.
The reasons businesses are opening on Sundays – and opening for longer hours – are, not surprisingly, largely economic, says Jonathan Marek, a senior vice president at predictive analytics software firm Applied Predictive Technologies. For the postal service, which is expected to lose an estimated $6 billion this year, the Amazon deal likely represents a nice infusion of cash (neither Amazon nor the USPS would talk monetary details, but package delivery is often more profitable than first-class mail delivery). (MarketWatch)
Visit http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-end-of-sunday-2013-11-13 to view the full article online.
Personal Finance
Teenagers and college students can spend only so much time cooped up with their families on a holiday like Thanksgiving. This year, some retailers are betting that this target spending group dashes out the door after dinner, perhaps dodging dishwashing or other duties, and in all likelihood ditching their parents. Destination: the mall. (The New York Times)
Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/business/shopping-before-the-turkey-gets-cold.html?ref=business to view the full article online.
Year-end tax planning should be easier this year than last. Thanks to the new law enacted in January, you won’t have to wait to see whether Congress will reinstate popular breaks that have expired. But don’t break out the bubbly just yet. If you’re a high-income taxpayer, there’s a good chance your taxes will go up in 2013, and that makes year-end planning more important than ever. (Kiplinger's)
Visit http://www.kiplingers.com/article/taxes/T055-C005-S002-year-end-moves-to-trim-your-tax-bill.html to view the full article online.
Corporate America
As companies compete to lure young, socially minded talent, they are stepping up their B game. More companies are touting the B Corp logo, a third-party seal of environmental and social credentials, to attract young job seekers who want an employer committed to both a social mission and the bottom line. As a result, the B Corp logo – a circumscribed B – has been popping up on everything from company websites to office signage to shopping bags, even as some question whether the designation means much. (The Wall Street Journal)
Visit http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304868404579193973525834320 to view the full article online.
Leadership
Paul Smith had 20 minutes to sell the CEO of Procter & Gamble, and his team of managers, on new market-research techniques for which Mr. Smith's department wanted funding. As associate director of P&G's market research, Mr. Smith had spent three weeks assembling a concise pitch with more than 30 PowerPoint slides. (The Wall Street Journal)
Visit http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303482504579177651982683162 to view the full article online.
Much of my work as a coach involves helping people wrestle with an important decision. Some of these decisions feel particularly big because they involve selecting one option to the exclusion of all others when the cost of being "wrong" can be substantial: If I’m at a crossroads in my career, which path should I follow? If I’m considering job offers, which one should I accept? If I’m being asked to relocate, should I move to a new city or stay put? (Harvard Business Review)
Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/11/stop-worrying-about-making-the-right-decision/ to view the full article online.
A town in eastern Canada had a problem with its municipal rubbish pickup. To complete their routes, workers were racking up overtime hours, at great cost to the town. So the city council came up with a solution: All rubbish collectors would be paid for eight hours of work, regardless of how long it took them to complete their task. If they were done quickly, they still got the full day’s pay. If they took longer, they got the same eight hours pay. (BBC News)
Visit http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20131113-when-good-management-goes-bad to view the full article online.
Lifestyle
My generation – the Baby Boomers – are beginning to retire, particularly the very successful ones who can afford to retire earlier. They have stayed at work late, risen early, traveled more than they wanted when their children were young, survived under different bosses, ascended through the ranks, and attained ever increasing responsibilities. Now, many of them have decided to slow down, play more golf or tennis, volunteer, and travel for pleasure. But that’s mostly just the men. (Harvard Business Review)
Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/11/when-he-retires-and-she-still-works-what-happens/ to view the full article online.
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