Stories related to: business

New Tech Sinks or Swims Based on Whims

New York Times  |  Jan 20, 08 8:09 PM CST

(Newser) - Innovations like the iPod and Prius usually require new user skills, and acceptance can depend on one's willingness to adapt, writes G. Pascal Zachary in the New York Times. “You throw technologies into the market and see what sticks,” he quotes one analyst as saying. Revolutionary stuff can sink, while tough-to-master can swim. More »

No Real Estate Meltdown Here

New York Times  |  Jan 9, 08 7:52 PM CST

(Newser) - For the first time since the company's founding, Amazon's administrative employees will reside in one ZIP code, the New York Times reports. But the planned 2010 move from scattered offices to a single Seattle location will hardly make it the first big name in Paul Allen-directed South Lake Union: The Microsoft co-founder owns 60 acres in the lakefront neighborhood, whose tenants include REI and Tommy Bahama. More »

IBM Launches Social Mapping Biz Tool

MIT Technology Review  |  Dec 29, 07 7:39 PM CST

(Newser) - IBM has released a software tool named 'Atlas' that aims to track and analyze statistical relationships among individuals in a corporate setting, MIT Technology Review reports. Employees are given the opportunity to partake in business-adapted online practices—blogging, social grouping, bookmarking, organizing projects—and Atlas creates a "social graph" of the relationships formed among participants. More »

Syrian Expats Return Home Seeking Fortune

Christian Science Monitor  |  Dec 27, 07 3:16 PM CST

(Newser) - Many Syrians who long ago moved to the US are returning to their homeland to pursue business opportunities. New laws are loosening regulations on private investment and foreign exchange, creating lucrative targets for people with available funds and previous experience with Syria's bureaucracy. The Christian Science Monitor looks at an economy emerging from 40 years of tight government control. More »

CompUSA to Close After Xmas

Associated Press  |  Dec 8, 07 6:28 AM CST

(Newser) - CompUSA has been sold to a restructuring company and will be ending retail operations after the holidays, AP reports. The troubled electronics retailer, bought by Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim in 1999, closed more than half its outlets in the spring after repeated  turnaround efforts failed. Gordon Brothers Group will close the remaining 103 stores after holiday closing sales. More »

Black Friday Getting Longer

Associated Press  |  Nov 22, 07 8:08 PM CST

(Newser) - Stores will open earlier than ever on Black Friday, with midnight openings becoming more common, the AP reports. Wal-Mart, in fact, began its sales today. "You sell two sweaters and you've broken even,” said one analyst. But Gap chief Glenn Murphy will be out with the hordes, then crunching numbers. “There is a point from an industry perspective where you get diminishing returns.” More »

Don't Blame China for Toy Recalls: Study

Globe and Mail  |  Nov 13, 07 6:13 PM CST

(Newser) - Don't blame China for soaring toy recalls, a new Canuck study says; the problem is design. "If you are going to get into a finger-pointing game, you should point it mostly on the design side," said a Canadian prof. "It has got nothing to do with China." Recalls of toys made elsewhere actually spiked higher than Chinese-made products, the Globe & Mail reports. More »

Siemens, Banks Bow to US Pressure to End Iran Biz

Guardian (UK)  |  Nov 9, 07 4:44 AM CST

(Newser) - The Siemens company in Germany, one of the world's largest engineering operations, and the country's three largest banks are cutting business ties with Iran under White House pressure to get out or risk US interests. It's a sign that major European corporations are beginning to line up behind American economic pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. More »

Microsoft Fires CIO

Associated Press  |  Nov 6, 07 10:16 PM CST

(Newser) - Microsoft sacked its chief information officer, Stuart Scott, "after an investigation for violation of company policies," according to an email response to press inquiries. The company refuses to elaborate further, but since Scott appeared onstage with his boss at a technology conference less than a month ago, it seems his downfall was rather abrupt. More »

Making Money: Patent Pending

Associated Press  |  Oct 24, 07 6:43 PM CDT

(Newser) - Big Blue is seeing green in a recent patent filing. IBM, which holds more patents than any company in the world and reaps more than $1 billion in royalties annually, says it wants to make it easier for small companies to license its ideas on a “floating privilege basis.” So it's seeking a patent on a method of granting access to patent portfolios, reports the AP. More »

Web Biz Alibaba Launching Record IPO in China

Wall Street Journal  |  Oct 22, 07 4:24 AM CDT

(Newser) - Alibaba, the business-to-business service that links small and mid-sized Chinese manufacturers to customers around the world, is expected today to announce what will likely be the biggest Internet IPO  in Chinese history. Analysts expect the world's most-visited import/export site to pull in an estimated $1.3 billion from Hong Kong investors, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

Note to Dems: Use Health Care to Woo Business

American Prospect  |  Oct 10, 07 4:38 PM CDT

(Newser) - The GOP is losing its grip on the big-business vote, and Democrats need to seize the opportunity to move in, argues the American Prospect 's Paul Waldman. Health-care reform is the perfect peg for the left to woo Wall Street, and with single-payer systems far cheaper than the current mess, wise Democrats should be able to convert even the hardest-hearted CEO. More »

Cargo Drop-off a Sign of Slow Economy

Los Angeles Times  |  Oct 9, 07 8:02 PM CDT

(Newser) - A drop in cargo at US ports has stunned analysts, who call the 1.4% fall more evidence of a stalled economy. A few factors are keeping foreign cargo at bay—the low dollar, wary buyers, and a cool housing market among them—yet observers still expressed shock. "When I first saw these numbers, I asked if they had left a column out of the spreadsheet," said one. "I thought it was a typo." More »

Bain, Chinese Firm Buy 3Com