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Norway Shatters Its Glass Ceiling

Nation requires 40% of big companies' boards to be female

(Newser) - A state-mandated shattering of Norway's glass ceiling is drastically changing gender balance in boardrooms there—and not without some resistance, the Guardian reports. A law that 40% of non-executive board directorships at larger firms must go to women went into effect Feb. 22—and though a dozen Norwegian companies failed... More »

Sprint Nextel Takes $29B Loss as Customers Walk

Loss includes huge one-time writedown; company announces cover-everything plan

(Newser) - Sprint Nextel posted a net fourth-quarter loss of $29.45 billion and doesn’t expect a quick recovery, the Wall Street Journal reports. The No. 3 US wireless company will hold off dividend payments and draw down credit lines for protection as more customers leave the service. It has also... More »

Retailers Bully Shoplifters for $$

'Civil recovery' systems using threat of legal action to extort funds

(Newser) - A system designed to compensate retailers for losses incurred by shoplifters has few controls to prevent the extortion or harassment, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Civil recovery” laws allow retailers to turn the names of suspected shoplifters over to collection agencies who demand fees of $200 or much more—... More »

FBI Targets 14 Firms in Subprime Fraud Probe

Suspected cases of mortgage fraud up in two years

(Newser) - The FBI is investigating 14 companies linked to the subprime mortgage crisis, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bureau is pursuing allegations including accounting fraud  and insider trading, said a bureau spokesman. An investigation into the complex secondary mortgage market could implicate major firms that have lost billions of investor... More »

1,000 to Lose Jobs as Yahoo Profits Fall 23%

Will continue to face 'headwinds' this year as online ad revenues sink

(Newser) - After a 23% plummet in fourth quarter profits, Yahoo's CEO said the company will face job cuts and continued "headwinds" in 2008, the Wall Street Journal reports. Facing decreased advertiser spending, the company will lay off 1,000 employees next month, though it will try to relocate some within... More »

New Tech Sinks or Swims Based on Whims

Users react to devices in surprising ways, NYT scribe says

(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... More »

No Real Estate Meltdown Here

Amazon's move will bring another big name to Seattle's booming South Lake Union

(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... More »

IBM Launches Social Mapping Biz Tool

'Atlas' analyzes individuals' business statistics, relationships

(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"... More »

Syrian Expats Return Home Seeking Fortune

Looser economic regulations are creating lucrative opportunities

(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... More »

CompUSA to Close After Xmas

All stores to close after the holidays

(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... More »

Black Friday Getting Longer

Stores open earlier to boost profits, attract headlines

(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... More »

Don't Blame China for Toy Recalls: Study

75% stem from design flaws, not manufacturing

(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.... More »

Siemens, Banks Bow to US Pressure to End Iran Biz

Firms falling in line with anti-nuke arm-twisting

(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... More »

Microsoft Fires CIO

Says investigation revealed he violated company policy but won't give details

(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... More »

Making Money: Patent Pending

IBM wants to patent an idea about its patents, which is, well, patently contrary

(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.... More »

Web Biz Alibaba Launching Record IPO in China

Operation links buyers to Chinese manufacturers

(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... More »

Note to Dems: Use Health Care to Woo Business

American Prospect says reform key to pilfering GOP support

(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... More »

Cargo Drop-off a Sign of Slow Economy

Observers stunned as port imports fall after years of growth

(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... More »

Bain, Chinese Firm Buy 3Com

US will check telecommunication buyout for security risks

(Newser) - Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co. will help private equity firm Bain Capital buy 3Com Corp., a flailing US telecommunications company, by picking up almost 20% of the tab. Recently Chinese businesses have bought strategic stakes in US companies rather than full buyouts to skirt political scrutiny, which can lead to... More »

Tightening Credit Markets Squeeze Banks

$140B in commercial paper is coming due, and forecast is fuzzy

(Newser) - Almost $140 billion in commercial paper has matured and is up for renewal by next week, and banks need to attract buyers to pay it off. The yield on the short-term loans, which are entangled in the subprime mortgage crisis, is skyrocketing. "This could be a pivotal seven to... More »

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