Republicans

The Republican party is traditionally viewed as pro-business and is backed by a wide variety of industries from the financial sector to small businesses. Since Ronald Reagan became president in 1980, the GOP has branded itself as lower taxes, strong military, less regulation, pro-business, and social conservatism. Statistically, Republicans are about 50 percent more likely to be self-employed, and are more likely to work in the area of management
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The Office

The television series "The Office" first aired in Great Britain in July 2001. Versions of the Office have been produced in France, Germany and Chile. The U.S. version of show first aired in 2005. The show chronicles the daily interactions of a group of idiosyncratic office employees at the Dunder Mifflin paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, as seen by a documentary film crew's cameras.
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Commercial gambling

State lotteries are the most popular form of gambling among Americans. Nevada was first to legalize casino gambling in 1931, New Hampshire was the first state lottery in 1963. Over the last quarter century, 40 states have added lotteries, 11 states have added commercial casinos, and 28 have added Indian casinos. Commercial gambling in the U.S. generates almost $30 billion annually.
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Financial cities

London is the world's best financial and commercial city, according to the latest commercial and financial research by MasterCard. Following London on the list: New York, Tokyo, Singapore, and Chicago. Shanghai and Moscow showed the greatest improvement in rank while Los Angeles was displaced from the top ten.
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Index of Coincident Indicators

The Index of Coincident Indicators is published monthly by The Conference Board. The four economic indicators that make up this index reflect the current state of the business cycle: non-agricultural employment, personal income, manufacturing and trade sales, and industrial production. Other coincident indicators are stock market prices and interest rates.
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LLC

A limited liability company (LLC) is a hybrid business entity having characteristics of both a corporation and a partnership. The primary advantage of an LLC is that its owners, known as members, are not personally liable for the debts and liabilities of the LLC. LLCs may find it more difficult to raise business capital. Some states levy taxes or fees against LLCs.
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U.S. patents

U.S. patents are granted for a term of 20 years from the date of application. Design patents last for 14 years. After expiration of the term of the patent, the person holding the patent loses the right to exclude others from utilizing the invention, so that anyone can go ahead and make use of the invention without permission of the patent holder.
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J.K. Rowling

"You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default." - J.K. Rowling.
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Men and women shop differently

Men and women shop differently, according to a recent Wharton School study. Men typically get what is needed and get out. In contrast, women "experience" the shopping trip. The number one issue for women: unable to find help. For men: parking. Women felt more strongly about being ignored by a sales clerk than men. Men felt more strongly about products being out of stock. Both groups appreciated low-pressure sales tactics.
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Fortune

Fortune Magazine has been publishing global business news and features since 1930. Fortune was published as a monthly magazine until September 2005, when it became a bi-weekly publication. Fortune is best known for its annual Fortune 500 list of top American public companies. Forbes compiles other annual lists. Forbes magazine is served online at CNNMoney.com.
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ISO 9000

ISO 9000 is an international quality system standard that certifies the process or system used to manufacture a product or service. The standards cover design, procurement, production, quality assurance, and delivery processes for everything from banking to manufacturing. Many of the best managed companies try for ISO 9000 certification and only the best of the best make the grade.
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Online advertising

Online advertising represents about six percent of all American advertising dollars spent, according to online market research company eMarketer. Online advertising has been growing significantly over the past five years and should continue through the next several years. Emarketer estimates total online ad spending to hit $25 billion by the end of 2010. Paid search and video ads will increase, display ads will decrease.
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Matrix organization

A matrix organization is an organizational structure where employees report to more then one manager or supervisor. One manager represents a functional area of the organization while the other manager(s) represent a project within the organization. Matrix structures allow members to share information more readily and it allows employees to develop increased specialization.
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Viral Marketing

The term Viral Marketing was coined by a Harvard Business School professor Jeffrey F. Rayport in 1996. Viral marketing is a phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing messages via existing social networks, such as email, blogs, or messaging. Success depends on a high pass-along rate from person to person.
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Law of Diminishing Firms

The Law of Diminishing Firms suggests that as transaction costs decrease, as in the case of technology and communication advances, the size of the firm will also decrease. Trends toward downsizing, outsourcing, and otherwise distributing activities support this view. The "diminished" firms will reside in a complex relationship network of customers, suppliers and regulators.
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Western Union's dubious business decision

In a dubious business decision, the Western Union company passed on the offer to purchase the patent for the telephone in 1876. In response to the proposal, Western Union president William Orton said "Mr. Bell, after careful consideration of your invention, while it is a very interesting novelty, we have come to the conclusion that is has no commercial possibilities. What use could its company make of an electrical toy?"
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Built to Last

The book "Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" is a recommended read. Authors James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras spent six years researching 18 "visionary" companies to determine what's special about them. Leadership styles and planning methods differed among the companies. However, each company shared the characteristic of having employees highly committed to its identity, ideology and success.
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Celebrity endorsements

Victorian era potter Josiah Wedgwood is credited with inventing the celebrity endorsement. Wedgwood began marketing "Potter to Her Majesty" when he learned that his products being sold to Queen Charlotte. Wedgwood capitalized on the endorsement as he was able to increase prices on his coveted goods, creating further marketing fervor.
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Passion

Gregory Benford is a professor of physics and astronomy, a long-time advisor to NASA, and a novelist. A good rule of thumb coined by Benford says passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available.
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The rule of 72

The rule of 72 calculates the number of years required to double an investment at a given interest rate. The value is determined by dividing the interest rate into 72. For example, an investment at 8% will take about 9 years to double.
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Henry Ford

Henry Ford is considered the Father of Mass Production. Ford experimented with combustion engines and produced his own vehicle, the Quadricycle. Nearly ten-years later, in 1908, Ford introduced the Model T. To meet growing demand, Ford combined manufacturing, interchangeable parts, a division of labor, and a moving assembly line. By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model Ts.
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Longest average lifespan

The Japanese district of Okinawa has the longest average lifespan in the world and the highest number of people over age 100. Researchers believe their longevity is explained by fact that Okinawans eat up to 40 percent fewer calories than Americans and 17 percent fewer calories than the Japanese average.
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Committees

"A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours."

-- Milton Berle.
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Corporate boards

Corporate boards are wielding more influence on CEOs in the push for more control and higher growth. Management consultant Booz Allen studied CEO departures during the years 1995 to 2006. The number of CEOs leaving because of conflicts with the board increased from 2% in 1995 to 11% through 2006. The study suggested corporate boards are demanding more strategic involvement while flexing more muscle on underperforming executives.
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PC software market

One of the most infamous business decisions occurred in the early 1980s when IBM ceded dominance of the software market to Microsoft for $80,000, paying Bill Gates a fee for his PC operating system and allowing him to freely market the software to others. IBM did not appreciate the potential value of the software market, and were overconfident that they could dominate the hardware market.
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Research and Development

After decades of cost-cutting in areas such as manufacturing, back-office and warehouse activities, many companies are focusing on the effectiveness of their R&D areas. In the face of intense global competition, companies are realigning, outsourcing or cutting R&D to achieve a balance of efficiency and competitive advantage while retaining core competency. The emerging global division of labor is playing a key role in latest business evolution.
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Passionate employees

Most hiring managers believe passionate employees are high achievers. Assessing a potential candidate's passion is more of an art than a science. Some feel those that pursue a job opening with vigor are passionate. Some think speed-talkers or speed-thinkers are passionate. Others gauge passion by looking at high school or college activities such as sports, band, and debate team participation.
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Workaholism

According to a CareerJournal.com article on workaholism, a recent study found that highly effective managers worked an average of 52 hours a week, while less productive managers averaged 70 hours of work per week. Managers who logged more hours also reported twice the level of stress-related health problems, such as stomach ailments, headaches, lower-back pain and common colds.
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ISO 9000

ISO 9000 is an international set of five related quality standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization. Businesses that are certified to these standards have documented, repeatable processes for ensuring that they deliver quality products. The ISO 9000 requirements were established in 1987.
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Aviaphobia

Fear of flying (aviaphobia) can have negative impacts on employees and employers. An otherwise excellent employee may avoid career opportunity or advancement due to aviaphobia, while employers may not have the best employees in positions where air travel is required. Experts agree that most people who are afraid to fly can be treated. Statistically, the average person would have to fly every day for 29,000 years before getting involved in a fatal airline crash.
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