Business News - Consumer News
Letting staffers telecommute requires management
NEW YORK - Wednesday, 03 September 2008 09:48:37
By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG - AP Business Writer
With gasoline prices expected to remain uncomfortably high, many small businesses are letting some of their staffers work at home. And some owners are discovering that allowing employees to telecommute can require a different management style, and some basic trust.
Businesses' steps to save on energy turn permanent
NEW YORK - Wednesday, 20 August 2008 12:31:27
By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG - AP Business Writer
As the cost of gasoline soared over the past year, many small businesses took steps to mitigate the damage to their cash flow and profits. Now, even though gas has fallen from the record levels it hit in mid-July, companies are making those money-saving strategies permanent.
Column: How to ensure online shopping is safe
By JORDAN ROBERTSON - AP Technology Writer
Q: With so much talk about Internet security problems and credit card fraud, how do I protect myself while shopping online?
ALL BUSINESS: Keep an eye on business spending
NEW YORK - Tuesday, 12 August 2008 09:07:25
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
Economists and the media keep talking about the fragile state of the consumer, but it might be time to look at how businesses are spending, too.
Real Estate Close-Up: Kansas City
By J.W. ELPHINSTONE - AP Business Writer
First came H&R Block Inc. Then the downtown Kansas City, Mo.'s resurrection followed.
Small business owners have many learning options
NEW YORK - Wednesday, 06 August 2008 12:49:34
By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG - AP Business Writer
An entrepreneur who's mystified by accounting or putting a marketing plan together can get some help, and soon, with the arrival of the fall semester. Schools, colleges and universities around the country offer a variety of courses aimed at small business owners, and many cost little or nothing.
ALL BUSINESS: Know bank deposit insurance rules
NEW YORK - Tuesday, 05 August 2008 13:00:47
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
The money we keep in the bank is supposed to help us sleep at night, not cause nightmares.
Green jobs, subprime confessions
By ERIN CONROY - AP Business Writer
'GREEN-COLLAR' JOBS: Companies are stepping up their environmental initiatives, and that could mean one thing _ a boom in "green-collar" jobs.
ALL BUSINESS: Glass-half-full take on the economy
NEW YORK - Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:52:38
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
Just for a minute let's set aside all the bad things plaguing the financial world. Even in these gloomy times, there's some good news worth checking out.
Renters go downtown to save on gas, commuting
By J.W. ELPHINSTONE - AP Business Writer
Sick of filling up the tank for sixty bucks? Considering a place near work downtown and tossing the car keys? Prepare to pay higher rents as more like-minded apartment dwellers flock to urban digs.
ALL BUSINESS: InfoGroup lets CEO keep title
NEW YORK - Friday, 25 July 2008 09:40:58
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
A CEO packs his board with cronies, uses corporate dollars toward things like a yacht and allows his company to do business with others he owns.
Web sites give voyeurs view of neighborhood safety
LOS ANGELES - Friday, 18 July 2008 11:17:29
By ALEX VEIGA - AP Business Writer
I have no reason to feel unsafe in my neighborhood, but I appear to be surrounded by dozens of people convicted of everything from theft and sex crimes to public drunkenness and speeding.
ALL BUSINESS: Don't count on ailing-dollar bailout
NEW YORK - Friday, 18 July 2008 09:28:50
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
Federal rescue plans are all the rage in Washington right now, for what seems to be everything but the dollar. The U.S. currency is not going to get a bailout, even though its steep decline is feeding inflation and straining the economy.
ALL BUSINESS:Taxpayers on hook for mortgage rescue
NEW YORK - Tuesday, 15 July 2008 11:39:16
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
We knew it could happen, even though they said it wouldn't. The government is using our money again to haul private companies' hindquarters out of the fire _ this time it's troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
ALL BUSINESS: Minimum-wage gains rattle businesses
NEW YORK - Saturday, 12 July 2008 00:10:16
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
If the law of averages really worked, then the upcoming hike in the minimum wage would help offset consumers' surging food and fuel costs.
Real Estate Close-Up: Las Vegas
By J.W. ELPHINSTONE - AP Business Writer
Las Vegas has the distinction of having one of the worst housing markets in the country. But now that slump, along with job losses and high fuel prices, is infecting Sin City's commercial real estate market, sending vacancies in all sectors sky high.
$1 tickets, free parking saves money at ballpark
NEW YORK - Wednesday, 09 July 2008 14:00:52
By CANDICE CHOI - AP Business Writer
A day at the ballpark doesn't have to empty your wallet.
ALL BUSINESS: Wall Street CEOs should return pay
NEW YORK - Tuesday, 08 July 2008 12:00:22
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
If Wall Street CEOs really want to revive their credibility, they should return the bloated bonuses they got when they made what eventually turned into wrongheaded bets on the mortgage market.
ALL BUSINESS: Job cut surge keeps wage growth low
NEW YORK - Thursday, 03 July 2008 10:44:43
By RACHEL BECK - AP Business Writer
All those job cuts at automakers, newspapers and even Starbucks are hard to stomach. But in a roundabout way, they may actually help the economy a bit.