Tag Archives: Business

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Falsely accused …change.org

05/19/2011 Nativegrl77

In the next few weeks, the Walmart Corporation will help decide if three activists live or die.

See, Walmart relies on cheap subcontractors across the developing world, many of which force workers to toil in unimaginable conditions.

Three Bangladeshis, Kalpona Akter (pictured at right), Babul Akhter, and Aminul Islam, had been fighting to help the workers at some suppliers in their country.

Rather than treat workers fairly, these suppliers have filed false criminal charges against the trio.

The accusations are demonstrably false. For example, the supplier claims that Kalpona and Babul destroyed property on a day when multiple witnesses saw them at a meeting 35 kilometers away.

But so far, that hasn’t mattered. Kalpona, Babul, and Aminul were imprisoned and tortured for their activism. They now await a sham of a trial that could begin as soon as June 1st. If it doesn’t go well, they could be sentenced to death — and once the trial begins, the process is almost impossible to reverse.

If Walmart demands that the suppliers drop the charges, the activists will likely go free. But there are only two weeks until the window for intervention closes.

Let’s create a huge uproar that shows Walmart executives that customers around the globe are watching their decision. Please sign the petition calling on them to demand that false charges be dropped immediately:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-walmart-intervene-before-labor-activists-are-sentenced-to-death

Thanks for taking action,

– Patrick and the Change.org team

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From Gallup.Com: One Year Later, Americans Split on Healthcare Law

03/22/2011 Nativegrl77

One year after President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, Americans are divided on its passage, with 46% saying it was a good thing and 44% saying it was a bad thing. Most Americans are skeptical that the law will improve medical care in the U.S. or their own personal medical care.

Read more at www.GALLUP.com

http://www.gallup.com/poll/146729/One-Year-Later-Americans-Split-Healthcare-Law.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=Healthcare

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Energy: Crude Profits

03/21/2011 Nativegrl77

The cost of filling up a gas tank has shot up in recent weeks as oil trades at unusually high prices for this time of year. Oil prices have come down slightly since hitting a high of $106.95 a barrel two weeks ago — the highest price for a barrel since the record 2008 oil price hike — but early trading today has already pushed prices back up. The spike in the cost of oil this early in the year poses a serious threat to the fragile economic recovery, with experts saying that prolonged high gas prices could cripple economic growth at a critical time. Some economists are even warning that high oil prices could cost the economy up to 600,000 jobs. “[S]ustained rises in the prices of oil or other commodities would represent a threat [to] both to economic growth and to overall price stability, particularly if they were to cause inflation expectations to become less well anchored,” Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress earlier this month. A new CNN poll of experts shows that “economists are most fearful of one major headwind [to recovery]: oil prices.” So what’s causing this spike in prices? One factor is Wall Street speculation. The government has new powers created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law to deal with this problem, but as part of their war on consumer protection regulation, Republicans have so far prevented this from happening.

WHAT’S BEHIND OIL PRICES: While there are several causes that contribute to rise in oil prices, many experts point to Wall Street speculation: hedge funds, investors, and big banks trying to make money by betting on the price fluctuation of oil and other commodities. Speculation in and of itself isn’t a bad thing — in fact, it’s necessary in moderation with proper regulation to help end users like airlines hedge against price fluctuation — but excessive speculation, especially when it is based on fear about inherently unknown future events, can artificially inflate the price of oil beyond the price that natural supply and demand forces would set. Experts concluded in 2008 that that year’s spike in oil and other commodity prices couldn’t possibly be explained by supply and demand forces, and that speculation must have played a role. “[T]here is substantial evidence that the large amount of speculation in the current market has significantly increased prices,” a House Homeland Security Committee report on oil prices from 2008 concluded. The same appears to be true today. While many blame high oil prices on the crisis in Libya, the country accounts for only 2 percent of the world’s output. More importantly, Saudi Arabia has vowed to make up for any shortfall in global supply by increasing its own production. So supply issues are not likely having a significant impact on prices. And despite conservatives’ scapegoating, President Obama’s policies are clearly not to blame either. Meanwhile, a commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) — the government agency charged with policing commodity speculation — said earlier this month that speculation on energy futures, including oil, is at an all-time high, jumping 64 percent even since 2008. Speculation was blamed by both Republicans and Democrats three years ago for oil prices, and even with conservatives’ tea party embrace of Wall Street today, several Republican congressmen, and conservative leaders have acknowledged that speculation is a driver of oil prices.

A SOLUTION: Recognizing the problem of oil speculation, Congress gave the government new powers to protect consumers and help ensure market stability with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law passed last year. The law gives the CFTC the ability to limit “excessive speculation” by limiting the bets speculators can make. The law expanded the CFTC’s authority to regulate the entire market for the first time. While futures — bets on the future prices of commodities like oil and wheat — were regulated before the law passed, traders could choose to instead purchase “look-alike” futures that were not subject to regulation. Dodd-Frank changes this by allowing the CFTC to “impose a uniform set of rules across exchanges and the over-the-counter market, replacing a patchwork of inconsistent restrictions for different venues and commodities.” Curbing regulation could help make these markets more stable and transparent, and help bring down the cost of oil.

DEFENDING WALL STREET: But the CFTC has so far failed to take up this responsibility and write the rules that would rein in oil speculators. The agency missed a January deadline to file new rules because of opposition from the commission’s Republican members and one of its Democrats, CFTC commissioner Michael Dunn. The agency’s chairman, Gary Gensler — a Democrat and former Goldman Sachs banker — has taken a lead in advocating strong new rules on speculation, but the Republican commissioners have been foot dragging to defend Wall Street’s profits, making Dunn the swing vote. Dunn has said he does not have enough information to sign off on new rules, despite the fact that the agency has received hundreds of public comments and held at least 75 meetings with experts, stakeholders, and the public on the matter. But Dunn’s term is ending this summer, giving President Obama an opportunity to appoint someone who is willing to follow the law and rein in speculation. But the CFTC faces another threat from Republicans on a different front. H.R.1, the House Republican approved spending plan for the remainder of 2011, includes a nearly one-third cut in the CFTC’s budget. Such a draconian cut would require the CFTC to lay off more than 30 percent of its staff. Moreover, House “Republicans are threatening repercussions for regulators that ignore their concerns.” “We’d have to have significant curtailment of our staff and resources,” CFTC Chairman Gensler said. “We would not be able to police…or ensure transparent markets in futures or swaps.” The Republican effort to take cops off the oil trade beat would allow speculators to continue to drive up prices, ensuring even bigger profits for oil companies.

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…Larry Buhl article about moving ahead in your career

02/25/2011 Nativegrl77

Six Soft Skills Everyone Needs

More Than Technical Qualifications Needed to Move Ahead in Your Career

By Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs

In a 2008 survey of more than 2,000 businesses in the state of Washington, employers said entry-level workers in a variety of professions were lacking in several areas, including problem solving, conflict resolution and critical observation.

You’ll likely see these “soft skills” popping up in job descriptions, next to demands for technical qualifications. Employment experts agree that tech skills may get you an interview, but these soft skills will get you the job — and help you keep it:

Communication Skills

This doesn’t mean you have to be a brilliant orator or writer. It does mean you have to express yourself well, whether it’s writing a coherent memo, persuading others with a presentation or just being able to calmly explain to a team member what you need.

Teamwork and Collaboration

Employers want employees who play well with others — who can effectively work as part of a team. “That means sometimes being a leader, sometimes being a good follower, monitoring the progress, meeting deadlines and working with others across the organization to achieve a common goal,” says Lynne Sarikas, the MBA Career Center Director at Northeastern University.

Adaptability

This is especially important for more-seasoned professionals to demonstrate, to counter the (often erroneous) opinion that older workers are too set in their ways. “To succeed in most organizations, you need to have a passion for learning and the ability to continue to grow and stretch your skills to adapt to the changing needs of the organization,” Sarikas says. “On your resume, on your cover letter and in your interview, explain the ways you’ve continued to learn and grow throughout your career.”

Problem Solving

Be prepared for the “how did you solve a problem?” interview question with several examples, advises Ann Spoor, managing director of Cave Creek Partners. “Think of specific examples where you solved a tough business problem or participated in the solution. Be able to explain what you did, how you approached the problem, how you involved others and what the outcome was — in real, measurable results.”

Critical Observation

It’s not enough to be able to collect data and manipulate it. You must also be able to analyze and interpret it. What story does the data tell? What questions are raised? Are there different ways to interpret the data? “Instead of handing your boss a spreadsheet, give them a business summary and highlight the key areas for attention, and suggest possible next steps,” Sarikas advises.

Conflict Resolution

The ability to persuade, negotiate and resolve conflicts is crucial if you plan to move up. “You need to have the skill to develop mutually beneficial relationships in the organization so you can influence and persuade people,” Sarikas says. “You need to be able to negotiate win-win solutions to serve the best interests of the company and the individuals involved.”

When It Comes to Soft Skills, Show — Don’t Tell

How do you prove you’re proficient at, say, critical observation? Demonstrating these soft skills may be more difficult than listing concrete accomplishments like $2 million in sales or a professional certification. But it is possible to persuade hiring managers that you have what they need.

To demonstrate communication skills, for example, start with the obvious. Make sure there are no typos in your resume or cover letter. Beyond that, enhance your communication credibility by writing an accomplishment statement on your resume or cover letter, says Cheryl E. Palmer, president of Call to Career. “Instead of stating, ‘great oral and written communication skills,’ say, ‘conducted presentation for C-level executives that persuaded them to open a new line of business that became profitable within eight months.'”

Learn Soft Skills

The good news is that, like any skill, soft skills can be learned. The better news? Boosting your soft skills can not only give you a leg up on a new job or a promotion — but these skills also have obvious applications in all areas of a person’s life, both professional and personal.

Take a Course: Some colleges are mixing technology with areas such as effective written and verbal communication, teamwork, cultural understanding and psychology. Take a writing or public speaking course to boost your communication skills. Look for a conflict-resolution course or “leadership skills” class at your local community college.

Seek Mentors: Be as specific as you can about your target skill, and when you’re approaching a potential mentor, compliment that person with a specific example in which you’ve seen him practice that skill, advises Ed Muzio, the author of Make Work Great. “Then ask whether that person would be willing to share ideas with you about how you might achieve the same level of capability,” he says. “Maybe it will grow into a long mentoring relationship, or maybe you’ll just pick the person’s brain for a few minutes.”

Volunteer: Working with nonprofit organizations gives you the opportunity to build soft skills. And listing high-profile volunteer work on your resume gives you an excuse to point out what you gained there. For example, “As chair of the environmental committee, planned and carried out a citywide park cleanup campaign. Utilized team-building, decision-making and cooperative skills. Extensive report writing and public speaking.”