Information Week
Computer maker Dell said it successfully completed its tender offer for Perot Systems’ shares and is close to completing its acquisition of the Texas-based outsourcer.
The offer gives Dell more than 90% of Perot’s outstanding shares. The company announced its intention to acquire Perot for $3.9 billion in September.
As we wrote about in a previous post, small business owners cite healthcare costs as a major hurdle faced by their business.
In a National Small Business Association press release, the President of the organization has stated that “The number of small-business owners who are able to provide health insurance to their employees has dropped from 67 percent in 1995 to 38 percent in 2008. NSBA members voted health care reform their number one priority for 111th Congress–addressing the failures of our health care system simply can not wait yet another year.”
Since healthcare reform is such a hot topic for small business owners, here are some key points of each of the proposed bills being discussed in Congress right now.
The key points (which are discussed in Forbes) will help you gain a deeper understanding of what each of the bills holds for you as a small business owner.
The House Democratic bill (Affordable Health Care for America Act)
Who’s covered? Ar Read more…
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| James Lundy Credit: David Needle |
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — You can’t ignore the real-time Web. That was one of the main messages Gartner Analyst James Lundy hammered on in a keynote address at the Collaborate 2.0 Summit Friday, sponsored by SD Forum.
Real-time services span everything from instant messaging, Twitter and online conferencing to blogs and wikis that users can update without an editorial or management filter. Lundy said a new generation of users that grew up with these consumer services expects to continue to use them in an enterprise setting regardless of corporate policy.
In an article entitled “A Push to Regulate Prepaid Cards,” The Wall Street Journal (on 6/25/09) warned that prepaid reloadable cards—payment cards not tied to a traditional bank account—will not be covered by the new federal law designed to protect against fraud, ID theft, and losses from stolen cards. Also not covered: gift cards, wire transfers, checks, and securities/commodities transfers.
“Though many prepaid card companies do offer some consumer protections,” the article said, “they do so voluntarily.” A member of the federal government’s Consumer Advisory Council cautioned: “Cardholders’ inability to reject unauthorized charges makes it risky for them (to use the cards) to pay bills or make purchases online.”
However, the article continued, almost all prepaid cards are serviced by either Visa or MasterCard, “which offer holders zero liability and other protections against fraud.” But, usually, prepaid card issuers don’t send out monthly statements, so you won’t know if or when you’ve been a victim of fraud, or by whom.
As more people with cred
Worried that giving a reference might open your company up to being sued? Read over these points to cut off any legal issues with giving references before they happen.
When checking references, its important to try and get as much information about the potential employee as possible. But when giving references for a former employee many entrepreneurs aren’t as eager to provide the same information. Here’s some information about why it is important to give a reference no matter what the former staff member’s history with the company was, as well as some procedures for every small business to follow to avoid legal ramifications.
When offering letters of reference or giving references over the phone, sharing a former employee’s negative experience can have serious legal and financial consequences.
Acer reported its best quarter for revenue ever on Friday, smashing its earlier stellar growth rate, and predicting it will do even better thanks to continued growth of netbooks and its planned expansion into smartphones.
Acer reported third quarter revenue 5.3 percent over the third quarter of 2008 to NT$167.6 billion (US$5.2 billion). Net profit increased 14 percent to NT$3.47 billion (US$107.8 million). Acer executives said the company would have done even better had it not been for shortages of some components.
Both Gartner and IDC have put Acer in second place in the PC market, but that’s in units sold. Dell is far larger than Acer in terms of pure dollar revenue. That’s because Dell sells server, storage systems and has a services business. Acer, a pure consumer play, has none of that.
Many people enter network marketing to earn additional income and are surprised by the social and emotional benefits of becoming part of the organization.
Multi-level marketing is not a new concept, but the latest thing to hit the network marketing world is certainly getting attention. The Trump Network offers a well-tested line of health, wellness and anti-aging products. But the benefits of this type of marketing network certainly go beyond the financial gains. Let’s explore all of the benefits.
Network Marketing’s Social Benefits
Network marketing offers social networking at its finest – - an opportunity to grow a business and nurture new relationships. Many people enter network marketing to create multiple streams of income, and realize they have found a great group of new friends.
A rapidly growing computer support franchise is, for a limited time only, slashing the price of its business opportunity.
The founder, Hamish Robertson, explains what Robertson Technologies franchisees can expect for their money – which will amount to an initial £15k instead of £25k for the first five successful applicants.
Beyond that Hamish intends to recruit a staggering further 75 franchisees.
Most of our competitors want to service clients remotely and only provide on-site support in an emergency. We
“Many Americans are coping with the worst job market in a generation by doubling up. (Moonlighting.) They’re scrambling to pick up the slack as they, or their partners, lose jobs, endure pay cuts or watch their retirement savings shrivel.” That’s a quote from a feature article in USA Today (6/24/09) entitled “Moonlighting becomes a way of life for many.”
Other reasons not mentioned: To pay down credit card balances, cope with the new, higher interest rates on many cards, and compensate for having their credit limits decreased.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national newspaper reported, there were about 7.6 million holders of multiple jobs so far this year: 5.3% of all employees. Workers in