Government and Economy

It's Official: Barack Obama Elected 44th President
Presidential electors have formally elected Barack Obama the nation's 44th president. Electors gathering in state capitols across the country have pushed Obama above the 270 electoral votes needed to win, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

US Deficit Would Top $1 trillion with New Method
The federal deficit for 2008 would top $1 trillion if the government had to use the same accounting methods as private companies. And that doesn't even account for the huge costs of the Wall Street bailout, which didn't really start until the new budget year began on Oct. 1.

A Short-Form Application for Big Bailout Bucks
Ever need a college loan? You've probably pored through the notorious eight-page FAFSA application. A likely home buyer? Try the five-page Uniform Residential Loan Application. But what if you're a bank looking for a few billion from the federal government's new Capital Purchase Program? Two pages.

Management and Financial Issues

Managing Change
Organizations that manage change effectively have certain things in common, such as a clear focus and goals, an openness to new ways of getting work done and senior leaders who are open to ideas from their employees.

Cutting Costs Without Pink Slips
Some businesses are trying to manage costs without layoffs by putting a freeze on hiring, asking for voluntary retirement, reducing hours, cutting salaries or delaying raises, passing a greater share of insurance costs to the employees, reducing contributions to retirement plans and cutting internal costs for such things as training, travel and bonuses.

Timing Critical to Start-up Success
Serial entrepreneurs are more successful with new business ventures because they become better at picking the right business and the right time to start it, according to new research conducted at Harvard Business School.

Benefits and Labor Issues

Reinforce Training With Good Follow-up
One important key to making training more effective is to continue to support employees after they have finished their training. You can do this by having employees write a plan on how to put their new skills to use and to have follow-up meetings between peers and supervisors on the new skills.

Health Reform Discussions
Some business groups are worried that an insurance mandate could be unhealthy for businesses already struggling with the downturn in the economy. As the debate heats up, one thing is sure: Small outfits with slim profit margins cannot easily afford to offer insurance benefits.

Sales and Marketing

Serve Customers in Ways the Competition Cannot
Beat the competition by creating new offerings that meet customers' needs in ways their rivals' goods or services do not. Examine your customer portfolio and decide which segments deserve the greatest focus and which can be eliminated.

How to Handle More Serious E-mail Mishaps
What if your e-mail has an inaccurate offer or mistaken information? Second in a two-part series.

Future Proofing Your Search Marketing Strategy
Search engines could be forced to develop new ways to connect people online with content. What does that mean for marketers?