June 2008
Monthly Archives
Latest stories
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8 of the World’s Most Bizarre Jobs (June 23-27)
(Image credit: NCTimes.com) Are these jobs crazy, or are the people writing the ads crazy? You decide: 1. Alaska: I Need a Tiger Strong Office Manager No whimps need apply. If you really want to work, take charge and care about your job and the company that you work, I need to talk with you. […]
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Are You a Jack or a Specialist?
When I graduated from college and went to work in consulting I was told from the earliest days of my internship to pick something and stick with it. Jack of all trades, master of none, I was told. I had to choose whether I’d be a generalist with a wide breadth of knowledge, or a […]
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Fortune 100 Company Interview: Umpqua Bank Serves Up a Lifestyle
I wish my bank served chocolate coins on a silver platter. In fact, I wish everyone served me chocolate. Unfortunately, only a handful of businesses appear to comprehend this point. Ritz-Carlton, for example. And Roseburg, Oregon-based Umpqua Bank. Umpqua has mastered the art of effective lifestyle retailing. It banks on pampered customers to differentiate itself […]
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In 7 Days, Bill Gates Leaves Microsoft in Flux. What’s Next?
Bill Gates in 1983 Farewell, Bill Gates. Your 25 years at Microsoft have nurtured it from obscurity into a megalith. Now, it’s something in between. One thing is certain. Microsoft was built around the figurehead of Bill Gates. This Friday, Gates is bidding farewell, depriving Microsoft of its key symbolic element: himself. He’ll stay as […]
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10 Best Jobs for Control Freaks
(Image credit: nordenfarm.org) Control freak. Not exactly an endearing term. I took the phrase for granted until a certain situation made me suspect I might be one. I won’t go into detail about the situation. Suffice it to say that control-freakish researching tendencies led to definitions, which assuaged my controlling mind with intelligent-sounding answers. Once […]
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Victoria’s Secret Just the Latest in a Tradition of Dumb Consumer Lawsuits
Proud to be an American? There’s reason. We have a beautiful country filled with natural and man-made wonders. We’re home to some of the world’s most talented business innovators. And we, the people, reserve the right to sue anyone we want for anything we want. You’re next, Victoria’s Secret. Because there’s nothing like an unruly […]
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10 Reasons People Hate Carly Fiorina
The media didn’t like her. Employees didn’t like her. Wall Street didn’t like her. But she’s back. Carly Fiorina, one of corporate America’s most powerful women, is reinventing herself. In 1999, Fiorina ditched her successful sales and marketing career at AT&T and Lucent Technologies to become CEO of Hewlett Packard. In 2002, she spearheaded what […]
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The Secret of Small Talk
I’m going to share with you the secret that got me through four years of accounting society recruiting events and a battery ‘social situation’ interviews. I’ve got more practice making small talk now, but I still occasionally revert to my cheat sheet at the seemingly endless social and business occasions that come with bona fide […]
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Does Growing Your Own Food Really Save Money?
(Image credit: fotzepolitic.com) The New York Times today put out a piece on this year’s unexpected rise in home gardening. Seed companies and garden shops say that not since the rampant inflation of the 1970s has there been such an uptick in interest in growing food at home. George C. Ball Jr., owner of the […]
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How Crocs Rakes in Revenues From Ugly Shoes
Photo credit: www.sethhughes.com At the beginning, there was Croslite. The stuff came out of a factory in Colorado, and was like a miracle: soft, antibacterial, and breathable. But nobody could decide what to do with it, until one day somebody came up with the idea to make a pair of sailing shoes out of it […]
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Holistic Pet Food: How is this possible?
Forgive me, but I’m a little confused. Three times in the past week I have received coupons for premium, fresh ingredient based, holistic pet food! One brand comes shrink-wrapped in the deli case ala Jimmy Dean Sausage. Apparently dogs are now even going Vegan. Huh? While gas prices are forcing me to make cuts in […]
