Tag Archives: business

Harvard study: Smartphone use makes you weak

In this Nov. 11, 2008 file
photo, the Xperia X1 mobile phone from Sony Ericsson, New York. (AP
Photo/Bebeto Matthews, file)

Smartphones and tablets have become symbols of the with-it executive doing
business and making money 24/7. Staring intently at their cellphones or hunched
over their iPad, tech savvy execs exude power.

Or do they?

A new study at Harvard Business School suggests that those who use
smartphones and tablets are less aggressive than their peers who use larger
screen devices, according to a report by CNET.

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Will corporate execs do the right thing in 2012?

In case you missed it, here’s a recent attempt on my part to convince greedy corporate execs to do the right thing in the new year.

My column in the News Sentinel business section suggests that more CEOs should follow the example of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver when it comes to pay raises.

As is often the case, readers posted interesting comments.

A Christmas wish for executives

Tennessee slips in ranking of best states for business

Tennessee is the 18th best state for business in 2011, according to CNBC’s annual rankings. That’s down two spots from the 2010 list.

Virginia captured the top spot for the second straight year.

CNBC’s study considers 10 categories: Cost of Doing Business, Workforce, Quality of Life, Economy, Transportation & Infrastructure, Technology & Innovation, Education, Business Friendliness, Access to Capital and Cost of Living.

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Haslam whiffs on Amazon tax issue

Missed opportunities can haunt us all of our lives. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam had one of those moments yesterday. Amazon+Sales+Tax.jpg

Haslam had a chance Tuesday to come out in favor of legislation that would require Amazon.com to collect state sales taxes on Tennessee purchases after it opens a pair fullfillment centers near Chattanooga.

But he whiffed.

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Trump vs. Alexander: Looking for a rematch

Mixing politics and business is always fun as we’ve seen this week with the emerging fued between celebrity businessman Donald Trump and Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexader.

Alexander tossed the first jab, telling CNN that Trump has “absolutely no JAPAN+TRUMP(2).jpg chance of winning” the presidency. But Trump won the bout with this smackdown: “Sen. Lamar Alexander, who I do not know and have heard very little about over the years, perhaps because of a certain ineffectiveness … “

Ouch!

Let’s hope there’s a rematch. It’s going to be a long presidential campaign and we will need comic relief.

Poll: Could Trump beat Obama in 2012

Photos: Lamar Alexander (Knoxville News Sentinel archives); Donald Trump (Associated Press archives)

Are college students learning?

Every business owner — and parent — should be disturbed by the findings in a new book that looks at what college students are learning, or rather, what they aren’t learning.

Here’s more on the book “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.”

Student Tracking Finds Limited Learning in College

Report: First two years of college show small gains

Controversial speech perfect start for new Forum

Kelly King got the Knoxville Economics Forum off to a rousing start on Friday, even if some of his assertions were a bit of a stretch. The loquacious chairman of BB&T Corp. brought the right mix of commentary, controversy and insight to the first of what I hope will be a long series of talks by distinguished speakers.

King caught some of those in the Forum’s audience off guard by pushing a political agenda. Clearly, anyone who says voters need to eliminate the “fundamentally socialist” attitude that controls Congress, is being politicial.

At first, I was put off by the tone of King’s remarks. But as I thought about his talk over the weekend it occurred to me that his speech was perfect for the Forum’s first event.

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Lot at stake for business in midterm elections

With Labor Day behind us the stretch run begins for the midterm elections and a lot is at stake for business.

Today, President Obama is expected to propose a $200 billion tax break that would allow businesses to write off 100 percent of new capital investments through 2011.

You know it’s going to be a tough campaign when a Democrat is proposing tax breaks for business.

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Communism bad for business — in Cuba

I know this comes as a surprise, but were you aware that communism is bad for business? That was the word from the Cuban government as reported Monday by the Associated Press.

President Raul Castro himself has said “about one in five Cuban workers may be redundant” and the island nation is going to have to trim its bloated work force, AP reported.

“Without people feeling the need to work to make a living, sheltered by state regulations that are excessively paternalistic and irrational, we will never stimulate a love for work,” Castro said.

Wow! What’s next from Raul — capitalism isn’t so bad after all?

Read the full AP story here.

Tennessee good for biz, magazine says

Tennesseeis the third best state for business on Chief Executive magazine’s Best/Worst States for Business 2010. That’s up from No. 5 last year.

Texas and North Carolina were the top two for 2010. The magazine rated states on taxation, workforce and living environment.

For what it’s worth, three high tax states — California, New York and Michigan — anchored the bottom of the list.

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