economy

When Is the Right Time to Start a Business? Now.

Rob Hayes — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:29:19 -0500

My favorite answer to a question VCs get every time they sit on panels was from Gordon Moore. "When is it a good time to start a company?" someone asked. Moore shook his head incredulously and answered, "When you have a good idea!"

Tech & Innovation Spending Show Corporations Are Recovering

Chris Dannen — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:49:32 -0400

Despite cutting back on spending, big corporations actually expanded their R&D budgets by 5.7% in 2008, reports The New York Times. It's only half as much as the increase in 2007, but it hints that research spending is one of the last things on the corporate chopping block and that the economic slowdown might not stymie innovation as much as conventional wisdom suggests.

Microsoft Quarterly Revenues, Profits Take a Hit

Kit Eaton — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:10:22 -0400

If Apple's recent financial report had a musical theme, you might choose Tchaikovski's 1812. But Microsoft's just-revealed quarterly stats might incline toward something somber from Handel ... they're not looking cheery.

How to Drive a Stake into the Hearts of Shareholders

John A. Lee — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:16:32 -0400

Recently, I received an email from a reader of an article of mine who thanked me for being an Evangelist of Ethonomics. Evangelist of Ethonomics? I thought, hmmmm. . . is that what I am? Sounds like a 60s kind of guru, a cross between John Maynard Keynes and Aristotle.

According to Wikipedia, Ethonomics goes down as the “provisional name for the discipline of formally mapping and defining the prioritization of values within value systems.”

Economics Nobel Prize Award a Nod to Sustainability

Kit Eaton — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:36:01 -0400

Two U.S. academics have just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics, with the Prize Committee noting the winner's work in economic governance. One winner is Elinor Ostrom--the first woman to land the prestigious prize.

Is Inflation Dead?

Joe Fibonacci — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:41:48 -0400

Inflation is dead, according to the latest CPI figures. But you may want to protect yourself from it, just in case. Many people now are asking why gold, the traditional hedge against inflation, now costs more than it ever has in the history of the U.S.? In fact, this past week it briefly came close to surpassing $1,050 an ounce.

Infographic of the Day: How Much Does Your Company's CEO Make? Per Hour?

Kelsey Keith — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:51:24 -0400

GOOD Magazine issued a challenge to its design-savvy readers last month, calling for infographics that "explore how much corporate officers in this country are paid," and using illustration and design to describe data like company profits, stock price, and salaries of CEOs versus lower-level workers.

Online Ads Turn a Corner: More Spent on Internet Ads Than TV in U.K.

Kit Eaton — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:55:38 -0400

A new report by the Internet Advertising Bureau and Pricewaterhouse Coopers has revealed something amazing: The U.K. has become the first major economy to see advertisers spending more on internet adverts than traditional TV ones.

Infographic of the Day: Bailout Matrices

Kelsey Keith — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:32:36 -0400

Doing More With Less: Using the Down Economy as a Design Brief

Dan Harden — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:31:30 -0400

No doubt, a bad economy sucks. A bad economy is tough on a company's bottom line and even tougher on those individuals that have to struggle to make ends meet. But when it comes to the design profession, I would argue otherwise. Not because the industry is immune from a bad economy--far from it--but because negative economic conditions are often a catalyst for change. It also forces designers to create with more care.

Get Bullish With Google's New Investing Weapon

Chris Dannen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:30:43 -0400

Google has created a service that tracks Americans' search queries as compared to market growth--and it works.

Need an Economic Barometer? Check These Four Indicators

Lydia Dishman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:43:08 -0400

The economy is showing signs of life. Cause for celebration: for the first time since the beginning of the year U.S. manufacturing is on the rise, and the Wall Street Journal reported, "financial markets in much of the world have been rallying in recent months. Businesses and households have been regaining confidence, and economists have revised forecasts upward. U.S.

Position Yourself as a Leader

Mark Hunter — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:16:33 -0400

It's been said that to be a successful salesperson, not only do your listening skills have to be great, but your closing skills have to be even better. However, I believe that while these skills are helpful, they are not essential. In my opinion, to be a top-performing sales professional, you must be a great leader. It is a fundamental character trait. Although we have all known salespeople who have had stellar years based on the luck of a few great clients, those with sustained, long-term success always exhibit great leadership skills.

Why Customer Service Destroys Salespeople

Mark Hunter — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:14:10 -0400

One position that has not been impacted by the economy is sales. Ask any CEO and you will hear that one of their biggest issues is finding and retaining good salespeople. Something happened on the way to a sour economy: Too many companies learned the hard way that their salespeople didn't know how to sell. Instead, their salespeople were good at taking orders and providing customer service. There is nothing wrong with this approach, as long as the marketplace is always going to serve up new customers and keep current customers in business. Does that kind of marketplace always exist?

an Economic Superpower nolonger

Joyce Johnson — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:23:16 -0400

My basic argument is that the U.S. is becoming a smaller part of the global economy, while the combined emerging markets and resource-rich markets are starting to matter more.

jose Roncal — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:56:31 -0400

Jose D. Roncal