Weekend Digest: Who Has Been Hardest Hit In The Recession
by August 17, 2012 4:54 pm 75 views
For our weekend business readers:
WHO HAS BEEN HARDEST HIT IN THE RECESSION?
Forbes analyzes a new Georgetown University study of labor data related to the recession and lackluster recovery.
There has been coverage of how men have been disproportionately displaced from jobs as well as college graduates. The new data suggests other trends.
Based on data collected by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the study, by Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, divided the U.S. workforce of 140 million people into three groups: those who did not go to college, those with some college education or an associate’s degree and those with bachelor’s degrees or better.
Since the recession hit in late 2007 until early 2012, the least-educated group lost a total of 5.8 million jobs, or 10%.
The middle group with some college education lost far fewer jobs during the recession and those losses reversed almost completely by early 2012.
In the group with the best education, there was no net job loss during the recession and the number of people who held jobs climbed 2.2 million, or 5%.
Read more on the subject from Forbes here.
SMALL CHANGES LEAD TO BIG BUSINESS SUCCESS
Sometimes, it's the little things that make the difference. Harvard Business Review looks at a number of big business successes that owe their popularity to subtlety.
The HBR post comes from author Catherine Kaputa whose book, Breakthrough Branding, explores the topic.
Here's an excerpt highlighting one big business small secret to success:
They treated the name as a strategic creative decision.
You want to lock in your brand's identity with a name that resonates with customers and can travel well (on the Internet and in global markets). It should be short, easy to spell, and easy to say.
For fourteen years, Phil
Knight called his athletic shoe company Blue Ribbon Sports. Then, a friend suggested that he name the brand after the Greek goddess of victory, and Nike was born.
Click here for full access.
HOW TO BE A BETTER PROCRASTINATOR
There will be a lot of folks who have been waiting for this headline and article. Don't put off reading it!
The Wall Street Journal reports that procrastinators are often very productive.
But are procrastinators truly unproductive? In most cases, the exact opposite is true. They are people who not only get a lot done but have a reputation for getting a lot done. They don't have neat desks or even neat desktops on their laptops. They spend a lot of time playing catch-up. But they are likely to be creative and on the whole amiable.
Stanford University's Dr. John Perry explores the subject in much more detail, including advice for those who consider themselves procrastinators and those annoyed by procrastinators.
Read more at this link.
HAVING FUN AT THE OFFICE
What does cutting loose and having a little fun at the office do for employee morale? Apparently, a lot.
Not only can planning “fun at work” events break the monotony of daily routines, it can build teamwork, help with problem solving, and boost creativity.
For one gentleman, it is even turned into a career. Read more about the hijinks at this Marketplace report.