How U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work

In this week's IEconomy Section of The New York Times, there was a great article about "Why Jobs are Flowing to China." Authors Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher use Apple's experiences in manufacturing its 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products overseas to tell the story.

This definitely should be required reading for every MBA student and every politician who wishes to serve the public. It looks like Charles Duhiggs will be answering readers' questions later this week. www.nytimes.com/business.

The article, How U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work can be found at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

P&G's Profit Drops 49%

The Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204573704577186622143009202.html?mod=WSJ_business_whatsNews

By PAUL ZIOBRO

Procter & Gamble Co. posted a sharply lower profit for its fiscal second-quarter reflecting higher commodity costs and a hefty write-down for past acquisitions, including its $57 billion megadeal for Gillette.
The world's largest consumer-goods company also struck a downbeat tone for the current quarter citing a higher-than-anticipated tax rate, as well as commodity costs, and lowered its full-year earnings outlook due to the stronger U.S. dollar.

At the same time, P&G, whose products include Bounty paper towels, Gillette razors and Pampers diapers, still expects a strong finish to its fiscal year as commodity costs stabilize and higher prices continue to boost profits. Sales excluding the impact of currency translation, acquisitions and divestitures are now forecast to rise 4% to 5%, narrowed from 3% to 6%

For the quarter ended Dec. 31, P&G reported a profit of $1.69 billion, or 57 cents a share, down from a profit of $3.33 billion, or $1.11 a share, a year earlier. Stripping out a write-down of 50 cents a share related to the company's appliances and salon professional businesses, P&G reported core earnings of $1.10 a share for the quarter. .

No More Résumés, Say Some Firms

This is a Wall Street Journal article on Careers January 24, 2012 By RACHEL EMMA SILVERMAN

Union Square Ventures recently posted an opening for an investment analyst.
Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm—which has invested in Twitter, Foursquare, Zynga and other technology companies—asked applicants to send links representing their "Web presence," such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Applicants also had to submit short videos demonstrating their interest in the position.

Union Square says its process nets better-quality candidates —especially for a venture-capital operation that invests heavily in the Internet and social-media—and the firm plans to use it going forward to fill analyst positions and other jobs.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203750404577173031991814896.html?mod=WSJ_Careers_CareerJournal_2

A previous posting for an Internet marketing position had applicants rate their marketing and social-media skills on a scale of one to 10 and select from a list of words how friends or co-workers would describe them. Options included: high energy, type-A, laid back, perfect, creative or fun.
In times of high unemployment, bypassing résumés can also help companies winnow out candidates from a broader labor pool.

This is interesting stuff.

By Joe Castaldo  | January 19, 2012
On January 22, Research In Motion announced that Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie would step down as co-CEOs and co-chairmen of the board of directors. Lazaridis will now be vice chair of the board, and head up a new innovation committee. Balsillie will become a director. Their replacement as CEO is Thorston Heins, formerly RIM's chief operating officer for products and sales.

How management has failed at RIM

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/66599--how-management-has-failed-at-rim 

Research Roundup: Team Performance, Demystifying Market Composition and the Reality vs. Hype of Sponsored Search

This article was Published: January 18, 2012 in Knowledge@Wharton.
How do interpersonal relationships affect the performance of individual team members? Why is a shopping mall composed the way it is, and how do different stores affect each other's business? Do higher-ranked sponsored search listings pay off in terms of a company's bottom line? Wharton professors Jennifer Mueller, Maria Ana Vitorino and Kartik Hosanagar, respectively, examine these issues -- and what they mean for business -- in recent research articles.
How Better Interpersonal Relationships Lead to More Effective Team Members
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2928

How do you reward team performance?

How U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work - New York Times article - January 22, 2012

This is a thought provoking article that shows why jobs are flowing to China. The authors are Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher. Follow at www.nytimes.com/business.