Business Up Front - November 2007

Business Up Front

Personal Relations Still Rules

The business world is changing to incorporate technology into day-to-day interactions, meaning that managers must remain on top of the newest innovations while encouraging workers to maintain connections on a personal level. Peter Handal, president, chairman and CEO of Dale Carnegie Training said technology can be an effective tool to enhance practices already in place in the workforce. Although innovative technology offers great ways to conduct business, managers are encouraged to remember that personal relationships are truly the key to driving business results.

More Than a Temporary Fix

The use of temporary workers today is now being included in the long-term planning efforts of a majority of companies. At one point, it was viewed primarily as a stop-gap measure, but now 71 percent of executives polled in a new survey, said this flexible staffing practice has a place in their overall human resources budgets. Only 28 percent of executives said that they did not plan on incorporating the use of temporary employees into their overall budget, and 1 percent said they didn’t know.

U.S. Economy Needs Confidence Boost

The Small Business Research Board (SBRB) U.S. Small Business Confidence Index dropped to 43 during the third quarter of 2007. This is a decline of three points from the previous quarter, according to reports issued. Businesses in the Northeast, the Midwest and the South were the businesses that contributed to the third quarter decline. Each of those regions reported a decreased confidence index signifying their concern about prospects for improvements in their business during the next 12 months, according to the report. More than 800 small businesses participated in the SBRB poll.