Index of Leading Indicators

The Index of Leading Indicators is published monthly by The Conference Board. The ten economic indicators that make up this index change before the economy has changed. Examples include production workweek, building permits, unemployment insurance claims, money supply, inventory changes, and stock prices. The Fed watches many of these indicators as it decides what to do about interest rates.
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Walt Disney

Born in Chicago in 1901, Walt Disney developed an early interest in drawing, sketching and photography, and later developed movie animation methods. Mickey Mouse made his debut in the 1928 cartoon film "Steamboat Willie". Thus began Disney's fantastic run as a movie and entertainment franchise. Walt Disney and his staff have received more than 950 honors, including 48 Academy Awards.
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Route to the CEO office

The finance department has replaced marketing as the direct route to the CEO office, according to recent study published in CFO Magazine. The study found that one-fifth of all American CEOs were former CFOs, almost double from a decade earlier. The main reason for this shift is the increased importance of quarterly reporting as well as more financial scrutiny as a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley act.
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Creativity Economy

The Creativity Economy is the next bastion beyond the Knowledge Economy. According to a recent Business Week article, new paradigms such as design strategy and consumer centric innovation are fueling new corporate growth. The new strategies are a blend of consumer observation, discovery, educated risk and process improvement.
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Tea

People have been drinking tea for at least 5,000 years. Studies show that tea produces a multitude of health benefits for humans. Tea contains Theanine, a molecule that improves one's ability to focus, and with caffeine, produces as calming effect. Research has found that tea supports the aging brain. In addition, tea researchers believe it may prevent lung cancer.
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Creative people

Psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi suggests that creative people have one trait that most makes them different from other individuals - complexity. Csikszentmihalyi's summary of exceptionally creative people: smart but naïve, often introverted, both humble and arrogant, more androgynous than others, both conservative and rebellious.
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Bad news

Medical Doctor Robert Buckman consults businesspeople, including executives at IBM, Andersen Consulting, and Upjohn, on how to deliver bad news. As stated in an article by FastCompany, Buckman suggests communicating bad news by engaging and listening, maintaining emotions, and ending with summary: review the message, identify a plan, and agree on a "contract" for the next contact.
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Stay-at-home moms

Stay-at-home moms are on-duty 24/7, wear several hats and work many jobs in the home. Compensation software and services provider Salary.com recently set out to estimate the worth of stay-at-home moms in the marketplace. Based on a schedule of up to 100 hours a week, they have estimated that a fair wage for the typical stay-at-home mom would be $131,471 for executing all of her daily tasks.
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Chorei

"Chorei" is a common morning meeting ritual in Japanese organizations. Each work day begins with a meeting where employees stand in a circle and share their day's work agenda or project status. Chorei is a cultural export in the expanding global economy. Practitioners of chorei believe this type of meeting technique can help improve communication resulting in better productivity.
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