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Put together a team for your job search May 19, 2013 12:00 AM
Although much of your job search is done alone, evidence suggests that the chore can be easier when you do it as part of a team. As in sports, surrounding yourself with great people can enhance your ability to win. Likewise, in sales, a lot of people say the best hunting is done in packs. In fact, professional outplacement and search firms such as Lee Hecht Harrison advocate building "job search work teams."
Retiring boomers driving sales of small businesses May 19, 2013 12:00 AM
Baby boomers preparing for retirement are driving a surge in small business sales, as they find more and more buyers confident enough in the improving economy to expand their own businesses through acquisitions. In the first three months of this year, the number of sales that closed jumped 56 percent from the same time in 2012, according to BizBuySell.com, an online marketplace for small businesses.
Carol Stream T-shirt guy’s work underscores our Business missionMay 19, 2013 12:00 AM
Have you heard the one about the Carol Stream guy who invented the combo Bulls-Blackhawks playoffs T-shirt? You will soon, says Jim Davis, news director for the DuPage and Fox Valley editions.
Americans eating more smoked seafood products May 19, 2013 12:00 AM
There's no smoke and mirrors about it — Americans are eating a lot more smoked seafood than they used to. And that demand — part of a larger trend of infusing everything from salts and cocktails to fruit and teas with a kiss of smoky flavor — has smoked seafood producers like Maine's Ducktrap River moving fast to expand production. "Our sales have increased to the point where we can't keep up," says Don Cynewski, the company's general manager.
Gender pay gap starts right away for college grads May 19, 2013 12:00 AM
As college seniors enter the workforce, some are frustrated by one factor that still enters the salary equation -- gender. According to the American Association of University Women, a gender pay gap not only exists, but it develops right away. Women working full time one year after graduation are paid an average of 18 percent less than men also working full time one year later. “We were really trying to get at a group that was as close to the same as possible right out of college," said Christianne Corbett of the AAUW. "And we still found a gap.”
GOP hopes IRS scandal will snag health care law May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
The Internal Revenue Service has a major role in carrying out the health care law, because financial assistance to help the uninsured afford coverage will be funneled through the tax system. At the same time, the IRS is also responsible for penalties on individuals and employers who fail to comply with the law's requirements.
Investor values Twitter at $10 billion; IPO expected May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Twitter was valued at almost $10 billion by one of its investors, up about 10 percent from a previous estimate, indicating shares are appreciating before a possible initial public offering for the microblogging service.
Applications reviews: Angry Birds Friends, Tempo May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Facebook’s like feature faces free-speech test in sheriff firing May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Danny Carter shocked colleagues when the Hampton, Virginia, jailer posted a picture of his boss's opponent in the sheriff's race on his Facebook page along with a link to the contender's website. The post, made almost four years ago because Carter clicked the "Like" button on the "Jim Adams for Hampton Sheriff" page, is now the subject of a federal appeals court argument over whether the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects one-click, online endorsements of a person, idea or product.
Turning off iPhone essential to pilots reporting interference May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Public figures from Sen. Claire McCaskill to actor Alec Baldwin have bristled at what they say are excessive rules restricting use of tablets, smartphones, laptops and other devices during flights. More than a decade of pilot reports and scientific studies tell a different story. Government and airline reporting systems have logged dozens of cases in which passenger electronics were suspected of interfering with navigation, radios and other aviation equipment.
Mobile app loyalty programs gain ground May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Loyalty programs are moving out of wallets and into smartphones as a new generation of applications seeks to reward consumers for shopping, watching television or snapping photos. Walt Disney Co. and Target have signed up with Shopkick, which created a mobile app that gives points to shoppers for entering stores or buying products.
The end of the credit card? May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
This week Square announced a new product that took me by surprise: the Square Stand, an iPad holder and credit card reader that's meant to function as a point-of-sale system for high-volume small businesses like restaurants and cafes.
Google highlights: Music, maps, photo, other tools May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Google boosts photo offerings to rival Facebook May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Google is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular. Many of the 41 new features being added to Google Plus beginning Wednesday will draw upon the computing power, machine learning, algorithms, semantics analysis and other innovations that established Google's search engine as the most influential force on the Internet.
Idaho spud giant bets on biotech potatoes May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
A dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They're engineered not to develop ugly black bruises. McDonald's, which gets many of its fries from Simplot, rejects those.
Research In Motion unveils cheaper BlackBerry May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Research In Motion unveiled a lower-cost BlackBerry aimed at consumers in emerging markets on Tuesday, stepping up its efforts to regain market share lost to Apple's iPhone and Android devices powered by Google's software. The lower-cost gadget, called the Q5, is the company's third smartphone to run the new BlackBerry 10 system. It will have a physical keyboard, something that sets RIM's devices apart from Apple's iPhone and most Android phones.
Ex-Groupon CEO working 9 to 5 on business album May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
Andrew Mason says he wants to present business wisdom to younger people and that his songs will help them understand ideas that are critical to becoming productive and effective employees.
A year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
Despite its disappointing stock market performance, the company has delivered strong financial results. Net income increased 7 percent to $219 million in the most recent quarter, compared with the previous year, and revenue was up 38 percent to $1.46 billion.
Hardware review: Toshiba brings high-res screen to Windows May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
Like supermodel turned rapper, the Kirabook sounds bad but looks good. It's beautifully done in magnesium, a tougher metal than the aluminum found in MacBooks and some other laptops. Magnesium is rarely used in consumer electronics, but when it is, the results can be spectacular: I had a magnesium-bodied point-and-shoot camera that didn't show a scratch after 10 years of use.
Stocks rise on hopeful economic signs May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
The Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.6 percent last month after a revised decline of 0.2 percent in March. The index is intended to predict how the economy will be doing in three to six months. The University of Michigan's preliminary survey of consumer confidence climbed to 83.7. Economists had predicted that the gauge would climb to 76.8.