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How to hire winners, not whiners

Mel Kleiman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

If you're a manager, who do you want on your team — a bunch of whiners who moan and groan about everything little change or challenge, or the winners who know what they have to do and are willing to meet every obstacle as an opportunity? Of course, you'll say you want the winners, but I bet you have a few whiners on your team right now anyway

16 tips for fashion on a budget

Colette Phillips and Nancy Michaels Retail

A stylist once told us, "fashion is found wherever it exists." The translation of this statement is that we don't have to spend a fortune to look fabulous and appropriate for every situation. Here are 16 tips for crafting a smart look that won't break the bank.

2014 food trends lean toward health, fun

Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

So what will be cooking in 2014? Will be there be another surge of change in restaurant menus and grocery aisles to match health trends? Will fine dining rule or will there be more cookouts throughout the year?

2 ways to find good salespeople

Harry J. Friedman Retail

When you went into business, did you realize that you were also going into the business of hiring? Unfortunately, staff turnover in business, and particularly in retail stores, is a never-ending battle. Regardless of industry or your efforts in keeping turnover to a minimum, many people still regard retail as something to do until something better comes along.

Guidelines for appearance policies in the professional workplace

D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk Management

For good business reasons, many professional employers adopt policies regulating dress and appearance in their workplace. These policies can help enhance an office's public image, promote a productive work environment, comply with health and safety standards and even prevent claims of unlawful harassment and discrimination. While no law requires an employer to maintain a dress/appearance policy, some laws are relevant to such policies.

Record growth in the US wine market

Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

U.S. wines are taking both the domestic and world market by storm. An increase in exports as well as domestic sales figures point to this positive growth. Sales figures of all wines in the U.S. hit a record high in 2012 with a 2 percent increase in sales from the year before, at around $34.6 billion. These figures are a result of a staggering 360.1 million cases of both domestic and foreign wine sold across the country.

Experience and skills are no match for talent

Mel Kleiman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Human knowledge is now doubling every 3.7 years. This means 50 percent of what you now know will be out of date in less than four years. For this reason, it is no longer about hiring skills and/or experience. Today, it's all about hiring talent.

Employee turnover vs. retention — Which one costs you more?

Harry J. Friedman Retail

Almost every retail business owner knows employee turnover is a fact of life, as it is in most any kind of business. It's just multiplied by about 10 zillion in retail. The number of employees leaving their jobs may have dropped during the recent recession, but turnover is already starting to increase again as the economy heals. The typical view on employee turnover is that it's costly in terms of the time and money to find and train someone new. Another important consideration that's often overlooked is the cost in terms of customer loyalty.

A new paradigm for older workers

Michael J. Berens Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Results of a recent Gallup study show that large numbers of baby boomers plan to continue working well past the current average retirement age of 61 and even the traditional retirement age of 65. This is both good news and bad news for organizational leaders: good because older workers are valuable employees, bad because many organizations don't know what to do with older workers as they seek to increase opportunities for talented younger employees.

Corporate asset protection: Shielding your business from lawsuits, threats…

David B. Mandell and Jason M. O'Dell Business Management, Services & Risk Management

As we discussed in Part I of this article, in attempting to protect an ongoing business against lawsuits and potential creditor threats, most businesses leave much to be desired. They may rely too heavily on insurance, have suboptimal corporate structures in place and even unknowingly miss out on significant tax advantages.

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