Fortune Watch

What will the new decade bring for employment and career prospects? An interesting set of statistics posted by the Bureau of Labour offers some insight into trends and provides information on where career and business opportunities might lie.
1) Management and consulting services

Leading the list of five industries with the largest wage and salary employment growth potential in the ten years from 2008 to 2018 is the category of management, scientific and technical consulting services.

The sector falls under professional and business and could see an increase of 82% in employment figures. It will certainly prove to be the decade for consultants and professional advisors.

2) Services for the elderly and persons with disabilities

There is no prize for reckognising this as a growth area for employment. This field, falling under health care and social assistance, is considered to grow by 73% in providing employment and business opportunities.

With the ageing population in almost all parts of the world, it is not difficult to see that providing care for elderly people will be a substantial growth industry. Furthermore, as civilisations become more aware of the rights of disabled people, this in turn will lead to more inclusive care facilities for disabled people.

Besides the trend towards mainstreaming disabled people in schooling and the work environment there is a further push to allow disabled people to live independent lives. This particular trend will lead to a growth in the category described in number three.

3) Home health care services

Another winner in the health care and social assistance sector is the home health care service industry. This is considered to have growth potential of 46% for wage and salary employment.

Allowing the elderly to remain at home and providing assistance with care will become a more humane way of dealing with frail people. Add to this the care of disabled people at home rather than at institutions and one can see this sector could be in for a growth in employment opportunities.

4) Computer system designs

Systems design and related services falling under professional and business sector is considered a growth area in terms of wage and employment and is said to be growing by up to 45% in the period under discussion.

Technological innovation will provide for a large scale requirement for computer systems. Every gadget has a computer chip and operating system. Designing these will allow for more employment. Could it mean that computer science should become a compulsory subject in schools?

5) Retail trade

The retail trade may be growing and showing an increase in wage and employment opportunities of 40% during the term under discussion. Some of this growth could be diversified though in that the retail sector is showing particular growth in the online environment.

Some parts of retail will migrate more towards the computer system design skills set and move away from stacking shelves and ringing up goods on a cash register. Either way, retail will employ more people.

These are some interesting trends and it might be advisable for young people and members of the older generation finding themselves without traditional jobs to focus on acquiring skills in any of the above industry sectors.

U.S. taxpayers are still owed $132.9 billion by companies that benefited from the financial bailout and haven’t fully repaid. Some of that money will never be recovered, a government watchdog said.

Big companies like General Motors and AIG, which benefited from the bailout, still owe U.S. taxpayers $132.9 billion. Some of that money will never be recovered, a government watchdog said.

Christy Romero, the acting special inspector general for the $700 billion bailout, has said the bailout that began in September of 2008, could actually last for several more years. Romero told The Associated Press that some bailout programs such as the effort to reduce home foreclosures will last up to 2017 and such programs could cost an additional $50 billion or more.
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A company’s reputation is based on the satisfaction level of its customer, its financial performance, and its ability to tackle problems. Here is a list of the worst companies in U.S.
Charter Communications

Charter Communications has been ranked as the worst Internet Service Providers and its services as the worst among all the major national carriers. Charter redirected the error pages and the Windows Live Search results to the Charter’s page, without informing the customers. If any customer wanted to opt out of the option to be redirected, they had to click a link on Charter’s search page. The main problem was that while opting out, the link would install a cookie on the customer’s computers, and in order to delete the cookie, they would be required to opt out again.

In 2008, Charter reportedly deleted the email accounts of 14,000 customers during a routine sweep of the inactive accounts, which made the removed data irretrievable. Though it refused to pay any compensation to the customers, it finally decided to give a $50 account credit to each of the affected user. Its customers generally filed complaints regarding the improper billing practices and the poor customer service.

Four former Charter executives were framed for accounting frauds in 2005. In 2008, Charter announced its plans to monitor the websites visited by its high-speed Internet users via a partnership with NebuAd, but had to change its plan after many customers voiced their concerns. The company has been under financial pressure and filed for bankruptcy in March 2009, but emerged out of it in November 2009.

United Airlines

United Airlines has faced a lot of customer complaints regarding to extremely long delays of the flights, and the exorbitant baggage fees. In 2002, United Airways filed for bankruptcy, as it failed to keep its costs under control, which along with the rising oil prices made United loss $2.14 billion. It tried to cut down costs with its employees, suppliers and contractors. In 2005, it cancelled its pension plans, which was the largest such default in the U.S. corporate history. After implementing a restructuring in 2006, United finally returned to normal operations.

The merger with Continental Airlines had negative impacts on customer services. The Air Line Pilots Associations sued the company saying that the revised operating procedures were inadequate to maintain the levels of safety. The merger led to the check-in kiosks being inoperative, flight delays, and loss of baggage.

Comcast

The company has been in the loop of a lot of criticism for its stance on net neutrality, and poor levels of customer satis
faction. The common complaints included poor communication with the customers when it came to updates and changes in the billing systems, making the channels unavailable for customers who didn’t update to digital cable, long waiting time for technicians, and a very steep increase in prices. Comcast is also stated to having spent millions of dollars on lobbying relations with the government. Though Comcast is a largest cable company on the basis of its revenues, it is equally big when it came to providing the worst customer services.

Time Warner Cable

The company has been into a lot of controversies with regards to bandwidth metering, agreement to local stations, and cable and on-demand channels. The common complaints were centered around fraudulent business acts and bad services, capping the usage by customers, limited support for public access television, and a steep increase in the prices. In 2008, the company started capping the customer’s broadband usage. In 2010, Time Warner Cable’s transmission on the kids channels was interrupted by a programming by Playboy TV for around two hours.

Time Warner enjoyed a long period of monopoly, which enabled it to rule its customers with its own policies, but the increasing competition from the satellite companies, forced Time Warner to provide better services.

Delta Airlines

Delta has been ranked the worst U.S. airline for a long period and the usual complaints revolved around flight delays, exorbitant baggage fees, and service cutbacks. The other controversies the company has been involved related to its free upgrades and lining the pockets of policymakers, a lousy service, and their refusal to let people use their frequent flier miles. In 2005, Delta filed for bankruptcy, owing to increasing fuel prices, lot of competition and a declining inflow of cash. The sacrifices made by all, from the employees to the management, pulled Delta out of bankruptcy in 2007.

Delta acquired Northwest Airlines in 2008, to form the world’s largest airline in terms of schedules passengers carried, after which the level of customer satisfaction dropped further.

Source

Corporations are notorious for being formal and stuffy, but not all big businesses are created equal. Over the last decade, more big-name companies are ditching the standard suit and tie and allowing their employees to wear khakis, jeans, and even (gasp!) flip-flops. These trend-setting companies have gone above and beyond the business norms to provide a comfortable and fun working environment for their employees, while providing awesome amenities like free gym memberships, complimentary dry cleaning, and on-site chefs to meet their daily needs. Check out these 10 big businesses with incredibly casual offices.

1. Google. Google was one of the first companies to adopt the laid-back corporate culture that emphasized creativity and achievements on an individual basis that add to the team’s overall success. One of the company’s 10 principle philosophies is “you can be serious without a suit.” This philosophy speaks volumes for the casual culture of Google. Not only is the dress code casual, but the overall look and feel of the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., is also laid back and fun. Google employees can enjoy ping pong, snacks in the break rooms, video games, and “huddle” rooms for everyone to take a break. Some additional office amenities include massage chairs, foosball and ping pong tables, an onsite gym, haircuts, and complimentary car washes.
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The true enemy is not necessarily Wall Street and its counterparts, it is the Federal Reserve. Wall Street’s greed created the housing bubble and subsequent collapse but it was saved by both the US Treasury and FR. The FR secretly loaned $1.2 trillion in public money to Wall Street firms before the Treasury even stepped in. The FR is the safety net for the criminals of Wall Street and until that source is cut, Wall Street will remain backed by the most powerful corporation in the United States.

Why aren’t these protest taking place where it needs to be: Washington DC. Where they piss away 90% of OUR money on bloated bureaucracies with regulations that encourage businesses to move overseas and entitlement programs that keep people reliant on govt. instead of earning a living and some self respect. I have no problem with govt. assistance when it’s needed, but it’s a way of life for too many people. At least Wall Street earned theirs.

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What will the new decade bring for employment and career prospects? An interesting set of statistics posted by the Bureau of Labour offers some insight into trends and provides information on where career and business opportunities might lie.
1) Management and consulting services

Leading the list of five industries with the largest wage and salary employment growth potential in the ten years from 2008 to 2018 is the category of management, scientific and technical consulting services.

The sector falls under professional and business and could see an increase of 82% in employment figures. It will certainly prove to be the decade for consultants and professional advisors.

2) Services for the elderly and persons with disabilities

There is no prize for reckognising this as a growth area for employment. This field, falling under health care and social assistance, is considered to grow by 73% in providing employment and business opportunities.

With the ageing population in almost all parts of the world, it is not difficult to see that providing care for elderly people will be a substantial growth industry. Furthermore, as civilisations become more aware of the rights of disabled people, this in turn will lead to more inclusive care facilities for disabled people.

Besides the trend towards mainstreaming disabled people in schooling and the work environment there is a further push to allow disabled people to live independent lives. This particular trend will lead to a growth in the category described in number three.

3) Home health care services

Another winner in the health care and social assistance sector is the home health care service industry. This is considered to have growth potential of 46% for wage and salary employment.

Allowing the elderly to remain at home and providing assistance with care will become a more humane way of dealing with frail people. Add to this the care of disabled people at home rather than at institutions and one can see this sector could be in for a growth in employment opportunities.

4) Computer system designs

Systems design and related services falling under professional and business sector is considered a growth area in terms of wage and employment and is said to be growing by up to 45% in the period under discussion.

Technological innovation will provide for a large scale requirement for computer systems. Every gadget has a computer chip and operating system. Designing these will allow for more employment. Could it mean that computer science should become a compulsory subject in schools?

5) Retail trade

The retail trade may be growing and showing an increase in wage and employment opportunities of 40% during the term under discussion. Some of this growth could be diversified though in that the retail sector is showing particular growth in the online environment.

Some parts of retail will migrate more towards the computer system design skills set and move away from stacking shelves and ringing up goods on a cash register. Either way, retail will employ more people.

These are some interesting trends and it might be advisable for young people and members of the older generation finding themselves without traditional jobs to focus on acquiring skills in any of the above industry sectors.

Maybe it’s the holiday season, or maybe it’s just the rare sense of appreciation I felt when I noticed the missing number on the monthly invoice. An epiphany even! This company actually wanted, appreciated, and knew how to retain my business.

Moments earlier, after wrestling with a 300 pound Sumo telephone menu system, and after too many wasted minutes waiting to speak to a “representative”, my final conclusion was that I really needed to find a more responsive insurance company.

Consumers waste millions of hours annually punching numbers into keypads, just hoping for the opportunity to scream “representative” at the top of their lungs out of terminal frustration. Yes Virginia, the last thing most companies want you to do is actually speak to a person.
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My survey produced an interesting anomaly— several respondents felt that excessive consumer spending was the primary cause of the economic problems we face today, and that spending is not to be encouraged.

But the root problem they were correctly speaking to is the source of the spending money, not the spending itself. Spending is essential for demand creation, and increasing demand is what produces jobs.

So why we ask, does government remove the dollars from the economy before they accomplish the demand stimulus “thingie” (highly technical economics jargon)? Nearly half the survey responses observed that consumption taxes (The Fair Tax) are far more productive/creative than income taxes.

The other half wants to replace the IRC (Internal Revenue Code) with a Flat Tax on all forms of income. Both suggestions are simple, and quantum leaps better than anything being seriously considered by congress— “seriously” being the operative word.

A combination of the two— priceless, but later!
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Golf is one of those games where business nearly equals pleasure. It’s the sport of choice for corporate czars and tycoons: Bill Gates has shanked and scuffed his way to billion-dollar deals on the golf course.

“Golf is a powerful networking tool when used properly. Top executives in many parts of the world know that once you get a potential client on to the golf course, you can learn all about them. Inevitably it leads to a business relationship. It’s a bond based on competition and rivalry… and friendship,” says Jamie Cunningham, founder of the Corporate Masters tournament and managing director of Professional Sports Group.

It’s easy to see why: top executives would be loath to clear their schedules for a five-hour meeting, but more than willing to play a game of golf. Business need not even be mentioned, until one is at the clubhouse – the 19th hole – which is when most deals are closed.

Cunningham recalls the time he worked with Mark McCormack, IMG founder and the man who invented sports marketing as we know it today. McCormack set up a golf game between top Ryder Cup golfer Bernhard Langer who was brand ambassador for Mercedes Benz and the then Japanese ambassador to Germany. That game directly resulted in upping the quota of imported Mercedes cars in Japan.

Cunningham’s own Middle East Corporate Masters tournament held in the UK is a corporate networking event par excellence. The British telecom company O2 used it as a platform to introduce their services to business leaders, with its corporate sales director closing £5 million worth of business during the event. Closer home, Leisurecorp sold significant amounts of real estate on the back of the Middle East Corporate Masters as its title sponsor.

Donald Trump once declared that some of his biggest business decisions were made on a golf course. The real estate mogul simply uses his playing companion’s on-course behaviour to decide whether he would be a worthwhile business associate.
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Apparently appropriate brand names for these TOP BRANDS





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