Government and Economy

SBA Report: The Regulatory Flexibility Act

The SBA Office of Advocacy saved small businesses $10.7 billion in foregone regulatory costs in fiscal 2008. The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires federal agencies to consider less burdensome regulatory alternatives that still reach agency goals.

Obama Signs Equal Pay Law

Declaring that ending pay disparity is not just a women's issue, President Obama signed legislation that gives workers more time to file their pay discrimination suits.

House Passes Massive New Stimulus Package Without Republicans

President Obama has talked about a new bipartisan spirit in Washington, and has met frequently with Republicans, hoping to win support. But when the House voted, it was clear he wasn't going to get it.

Reports: Economy Continues to Weaken
They're calling it a hat-trick of grim economic news: New-home sales fell to their slowest pace on record, businesses cut their orders and jobless claims continued to rise. What's next?

Your Tax Dollars at Work: Wall Street's Hefty Bonuses
Despite crippling losses in 2008, executives in New York's financial district collected an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses for 2008. Your tax dollars at work!

Management and Financial Issues

Small Businesses and The Pitfall of Record-keeping

One of the biggest pitfalls small business owners are likely to encounter is a perennial one: poor record-keeping. It not only makes it hard for them to complete their returns, it also keeps them from knowing where they stand financially.

Communication and the Family-owned Business

Good communication is essential to maintaining working relationships, getting necessary operating information around to people who need it, and dealing with misunderstandings before they get out of hand. Here are some suggestions to help keep that communication open and useful.

Technology Issues

Comparison: 2007 Microsoft Office System Suites
With the challenges of our global, information-based economy, employees must work more efficiently and effectively with information, and that requires tools and technology to manage vast amounts of data, facilitate information flow, and simplify the ways people work together. The technologies that comprise the 2007 Microsoft® Office system can help your company achieve these goals.

How a Paper and Packing Company Grew with a Scalable ERP System
Joshen Paper & Packaging needed to update its enterprise resource planning (ERP) distribution system. Joshen partnered with Vormittag Associates Inc. (VAI) and found a solution that resulted in faster inventory turnaround and order fulfillment and, to date, about 100 new clients in its customer base.

Benefits and Labor Issues

Healthcare: The Hidden Threat

Since climbing health insurance costs hurt small companies more than their big rivals, smart entrepreneurs are figuring out ways to cope. Here's how some of them are doing it.

Expert: Card Check Could Force Small Business Closures

Small businesses would be especially vulnerable to pending card check legislation. In fiscal 2005, over 20% of union elections involved bargaining units of 10 employees or less, while a full 70% involved bargaining units of 50 employees or fewer. Why this must be stopped now.

Sales and Marketing

Gone Phishing
There is a new twist on an old scam to discuss and, finally, an answer to the question of the mystery text in spam.

Why Give You My Business?
Online marketers must offer a convincing answer integrated into their marketing message, but this can be challenging. Here are a trio of pitfalls to avoid.

SEO Marketing Changes for 2009

Now that the 2009 is well underway, it's time to consider new tactics for marketing your website online.

Infamous Super Bowl Ads Through History
Sometime they are tacky, and oftentimes sleazy, but when it comes to Super Bowl ads, at times they are just plain nasty.