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Top causes of absenteeism and how to fix them
Joy BurgessCompanies expect employees to use some sick days from time to time. Life happens, and family issues, injuries and sickness will interfere with the work schedule of a company's employees. However, excessive absences can quickly become costly for employers.
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Bumpy road for redevelopment getting smoother in Irving, Texas
Bambi MajumdarThe Heritage Crossing Redevelopment Project in Irving, Texas has seen more ups and downs since it was conceptualized in 2006 than perhaps any other downtown revitalization project. But plans have started moving forward recently, giving hope to this once-thriving area.
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Neighborhood watch: Syrian conflict’s effect on oil prices
Lucy WallworkThe recent agreement brokered between the U.S. and Russia on Syria's chemical weapons saved Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria from the threat of military strikes — for now. It also seemed to settle some nervy oil markets.
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Contract transparency: A win-win situation
Stefanie HeerwigContract transparency is increasingly advocated as a tool to achieve good governance in the extractive industries around the globe. Those opposing contract transparency argue that if the practice is not implemented consistently, nontransparent companies will have an advantage to transparent ones, and nontransparent countries will attract more investment compared to transparent ones.
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Location, location, location: The global downtown trend
Bambi MajumdarThe last decade saw a slow, steady shift of corporate America to the suburbs. The primary reason was financial since the economy remained unstable. It made sense to set up shop in cheaper locations where the overheads didn't eat into the trickling revenues, where businesses could house a larger workforce and where they could even hope to get cheaper labor.
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Awaiting the SEC’s decision on transparency in the extractive industries
Stefanie HeerwigWhatever will happen in the next months will probably be a turning point in the history on transparency in the extractive industries. What I am talking about is Section 1504 of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which will require U.S.-listed oil, gas and mining companies to publish revenue payments to governments such as taxes, royalties and license fees on a country-by-country and project-by-project basis.
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Can Egypt have a serious impact on the international oil market?
Stefanie HeerwigWithout doubt Egypt is one of the strategic hotspots when it comes to transporting fuel between the Middle East and the Mediterranean. But are fears about possible supply disruptions justified? And if they are, would these disruptions have a major long-term impact on the international oil market?
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US as leading subsidizer of fossil fuels? Do estimates matter?
Stefanie HeerwigIf you want to know the true costs of fossil fuel subsidies in the US, you might think you can just have a look at the U.S. budget and that's it. No, sorry, it's not that easy, because major organizations like the IMF, OECD or the IEA have not agreed upon a uniform methodology to measure subsidies yet, nor on a definition of subsidies.
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Iran’s influence on the oil market and the fate of the US oil industry
Stefanie HeerwigThe first question, of course, is whether Iran would throw a 1 million barrels a day on the market in the short-term future. This depends mostly on whether sanctions by the U.S. and EU will be lifted.
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5 reasons every employer needs an employee handbook
D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe days of believing that a handbook can cause more harm than good are long gone. In today's business environment, a handbook serves both as a sword to carve out your legal rights, as well as a shield to protect them.
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