Business Vocabulary Builders :Glossary Blamestorming, 404,

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Terms become part of business life because they entertain and capture a moment from real life. Enjoy a few that we’ve collected for you.

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ADMINISPHERE:  the rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file.  Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate of irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

 

BLAMESTORMING:  Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

 

OHNOSECOND:  That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you’ve just made a BIG mistake.  (Like hitting send on an email by mistake).

 

SEAGULL MANAGER:  A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.

 

CUBE FARM:  An office filled with cubicles.

 

404:  Someone who’s clueless.  From the World Wide Web error Message “404 Not Found,” meaning that the requested site could not be located.

 

PRAIRIE DOGGING:  When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people’s heads pop up over the walls to see what’s going on.

 

MOUSE POTATO:  The on-line, wired generation’s answer to the couch potato.

 

SITCOMs:  Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage.  What Yuppies get into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.

 

STRESS PUPPY:  A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.

 

SWIPEOUT:  An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

 

XEROX SUBSIDY:  Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one’s workplace.

 

IRRITAINMENT:  Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them.

 

PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE:  the fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.  Often feel like doing this to my computer….

 

GENERICA:  Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and subdivisions.

 

 

WOOFS:  Well-Off Older Folks.

Ending Credit Card Confusion

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There is a lot of confusion out there with all the different credit cards available.  The Fed is working to help clear up some of this confusion…

“The goal of the proposed revisions is to make sure that consumers get key information about credit card terms in a clear and conspicuous format and at a time when it would be most useful to them,” Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday. “Greater clarity in credit disclosures allows consumers to make more informed credit decisions and enhances competition among credit card issuers.”

People now often have to wade through tiny print and dense language to get information about the terms of their credit card. When terms — including rates and fees — are changed, that can be on a separate piece of paper accompanying the monthly statement. Those separate inserts aren't always looked at, the Fed says.

To help, the Fed's proposal would call for a table summarizing the changes to appear on the statement above the list of the consumers' transactions. That's where people are most likely to notice the changes, the Fed says.

From solicitations to monthly statements, the Fed's proposal would require key information appear in larger print, with rates and fees in an easier-to-see boldface. The proposal also aims to make language easier for people to understand.

To learn more about the changes being considered, read the complete article below from USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/2007-05-23-credit-card-proposal_N.htm?csp=34

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

So Many Office Celebrations

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Celebrations for different important events in co-workers lives are important.  People spend a large part of their day with co-workers and become close friends with many of them.  So taking the time to celebrate a new baby or a birthday can be very important.  But it can also get out of hand or cause problems in the work place.  This article gives some good advice on office celebrations that may be helpful…

Q. It seems there’s a cake in the conference room every week celebrating a birthday, a new baby or a wedding engagement. Are personal celebrations appropriate at work?

A. Yes, but in moderation. We spend a lot of time with our co-workers, so it is natural to want to note life events and achievements with them. It is also a morale booster, providing a chance to step away from your desk for a while and have some fun.

“People are so used to dealing with computers and not human beings; celebrations give us a chance to be human again, to connect with others in the organization,” said Peter Handal, chairman of Dale Carnegie Training, a company in Hauppauge, N.Y., that focuses on interpersonal skills.

But frequent celebrations can also cause resentment, if employees are continually asked to make financial contributions or if parties interfere with work.

“When it’s forced, it’s not fun,” said Kate Zabriskie, president of Business Training Works, a consulting firm in Washington that specializes in business etiquette.

“If you don’t have time to plan your kids’ birthday party,” she said, “you don’t want to be forced to help plan a party for someone who isn’t really your friend.”

If you want to read more, you can view the complete Kamaron Institute Job Market article by clicking the following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/business/yourmoney/20career.html?ex=1337313600&en=571f6e939ad61752&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Kamaron Institute business news, educational career and parenting reference tips and resources.  

Happy Graduation – Say It With Cash

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Nearly 30 percent of American’s have a graduate on their gift list this month. Nearly all of those shoppers (90%) will be giving one of two basic gifts that are sure to please.  According to researchers, we plan to says “Congratulations Grad” with cash or its electronic twin, the Gift Card.  We will be spending about $50 per graduate and that brings the total graduate gift spending to $4.5 Billion.

 

GRADUATE GIFTS

  • Gift Cards – 31.3 percent
  • Cash – 48.8 percent
  • Electronics – 11.5 %
  • Apparel – 9.1%

 

 

Parents and grandparents will spend the most on graduation gifts this year, with the average American over the age of 45 spending over $110 on gifts.

 

Sources include BIGResearch and Kamaron Institute

 

The Dow's 23rd Record Close of 2007

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Even though there may have been some not so good news today, it didn't seem to bother investors.  People are seeing the positive and the Dow has hit yet another record close!  It doesn't appear to be slowing down either…

Wall Street shot higher Wednesday after investors shrugged off a mixed reading on the housing sector and focused on the positives: a jump in industrial output, a retreat in crude oil prices and new cash pouring into the stock market.

The Dow Jones industrials rose 103.69, or 0.8%, to 13,487.53, to its 23rd record close of the year. It also had a new trading high, 13,489.57.

Broader stock indicators also advanced. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 12.95, or 0.9%, to 1514.14, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 22.13, or 0.9%, to 2547.42.

Stocks initially slipped after Commerce Department data showed applications for building permits fell by the biggest amount in 17 years during April punctured an early rally. But they gradually regained strength, finding support from a Federal Reserve report that showed industrial output rose by more than expected in April, and a rebound in U.S. crude and gasoline inventories that caused crude oil prices to pull back.

News that billionaires Warren Buffett and Edward Lampert were upping their equity investments also gave investors confidence that stocks have further to climb, although the Dow has risen more than 1,300 points in the past two months.

You can view this USA Today article if you would like to read more:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2007-05-16-wall-street-wednesday_N.htm?csp=34

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

Stay At Home Moms Have Been Working!!!

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Lots of moms have been home with their kids which is one of the most important jobs there is!  Now they may be ready to go out and get a new job (outside the home).  This article from The New York Times offers some good advice to mothers in this situation…

Q. You have been a stay-at-home mother for several years. Your children are in school now, and you are considering re-entering the work force. Will you be able to find fulfilling work?

A. Absolutely. Even if you haven’t been paid, you have still been working. Women often fail to see that while they were raising children, they were honing their skills in time management, people management and organization, said Jen Singer, creator of MamaSaid.net, an online site for part-time and full-time stay-at-home mothers.

Q. What is the first step a stay-at-home mother should take to re-enter the paid work force?

A. Figure out what, exactly, you want to do. Start by writing down your goals, priorities, strengths and weaknesses, said Steve McMahan, president of the Atlantic region for Kforce, a professional staffing firm based in Tampa, Fla. Then, analyze those skills and interests to evaluate how they might have changed during the years at home.

“Analyze every previous significant work and volunteer experience and break it down into the basic components of what each job entailed — the ones you liked, and the ones you didn’t. Then you’ll see opportunities,” said Carol Fishman Cohen, co-author of “Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-At-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work.”

If you want to read more, you can view the complete Kamaron Institute Job Market article by clicking the following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/business/yourmoney/29career.html?ex=1335499200&en=bb75e00f433453bb&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Kamaron Institute business news, educational career and parenting reference tips and resources.  

S&P 500 Is About To Hit a New Record High

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Stock market investors must be enjoying watching the stock market perform so well.  Especially after so many years of not-so-good results!  It wasn't long ago that the Dow hit a new record high and it has continued to go up.

The S&P 500 is about to beat its own record that was set back in 2000!  It doesn't sound like a long time ago but it has been 7 years! 

Here's a little news shared from USA Today on the subject:

Seven years after hitting its all-time high, the S&P 500, the large-company stock index that has been overshadowed by the blue-chip Dow's 21 record closes this year, is just 15 points away from posting a record of its own.

While S&P 1527.46 doesn't carry the cachet of Dow 13,000, it is an important milestone that Wall Street is eyeing closely.

The reason: 1527.46 is the record close the Standard & Poor's 500 set back on March 24, 2000, before succumbing to a multiyear bear market that wiped out nearly 50% of its value.

After rising 4.86 points to 1512.58 Wednesday, the benchmark index that accounts for 75% of the total value of the U.S. stock market, is 1% away from rewriting the record books.

A new high for the S&P 500 is significant because it is a much broader gauge of the market than the 30-stock Dow. Also, many investors lost lots of money investing in funds that mimic the index back in the go-go '90s. Taking out the old high would also be the latest confirmation that the four-year uptrend that began in October 2002, and has lifted virtually all major U.S. indexes to new highs, is still intact.

You can view this USA Today article if you would like to read more:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2007-05-09-sandp-usat_N.htm?csp=34

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources.  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

Teenagers: Actions- Back off Brands, Read News, Spend Parents $

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If parents and the general population finds themselves concerned about teen’s reading habits.. according to one recent research study, teens are reading newspapers, and spending their own and their parents money.

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In a study done by Teenage Research Unlimited for the Newspaper Association of America, they found that teens do read newspapers—54% spent on or more hours reading one last week. The study also shows the importance of this market group and understanding the area of expanding growth.

 

With 46% of teens (12-17) expecting to spend more money, rather than 15% expecting to spend less money, over the next year. Teens say they spend $74 a week (money of their own and their parents’ money), with an average of $73 spent on their last online purchase.  One other interesting trend is that teens used to have wear completely brand names, now they feel one expensive item in their ensemble works.

Pew Internet Reports Difference Woman Men Internet Use

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Differences between men and women are even found in their use of the Internet. According to PEWInternet who released a report which finds that “men value the Internet for the breadth of experiences it offers, and women value it for the human connections.”

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This statement is backed up by their findings that men have a higher intensity of Internet usage with more time spent online and men are more likely than women to try the latest technology. Men are more avid consumers of finding information online with a wide range of interests (from financial to political news).

 

Women on the other hand, spend more time online deepening relationships with people. They use email and the Internet more as a communications tool. Their online information gathering on personal time tends to be related to health and religion, but consider the array of information as a “glut.”  For business, searching and use activities for business there is little to non difference in use or interest.

 

Kamaron Institute Technology Business Resources

Shopping For Mothers Day Gifsts

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 MOTHER’S DAY, Business Facts – Retail Shopping  

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Moms throughout the nation can expect the royal treatment this year on Mother’s Day. spending this year is anticipated to surpass $15.5  billion. The average person plans to spend nearly $140.00 up nearly $20 from 2006 , say Big Research and NRF.


 
 
The study found that the majority of consumers plan to celebrate this year. Shoppers plan to spend nearly $1.6 billion on clothes and accessories (37.0%), $2.1 billion on jewelry (32.8%), $2.3 billion on flowers (72.4%) and $2.8 billion on a special dinner or brunch at their favorite restaurant (61.0%).

Other popular items include flowers (67.6%), greeting cards (85.4%), gift certificates or gift cards (31.9%), electronics or computer related accessories (6.7%) and books and CDs (25.8%).

One explanation for an increase in spending could be that people are celebrating “all the moms they know” on this special day. Shoppers will also make sure to pick up something for their wife (20.7%), daughter (9.1%), grandmother (8.5%), sister (7.0%), friend (7.0%) and other relatives (12.3%).

Mother’s Day is the third most-popular Mother’s Day for sending greeting cards, behind Christmas and Valentine’s Day, according to the Greeting Card Association.

·         Not surprisingly, men will spend more than women with the average man expected to drop at least $148.51 on mom, compared to women who are expected to spend $97.72.


Online shopping for Mothers Day at about 17 %
Greeting card/gift stores, jewelers, florists and electronics stores will be the favorite place to shop this year for gifts of all kinds.

  • Mother’s Day ranks second only to Christmas in the purchase of flowers, according to the Society of American Florists. Of flowers purchased for Mother’s Day, 45.0 percent are expected to be cut flowers, 32.0 percent will be outdoor bedding and gardening plants, and 22.0 percent will be flowering and green houseplants.

 

References: nrf, us census bureau, national association of florists