Business

Approximately 97% of the public believes uniforms make your employees easier to recognize. Companies throughout the United States are relaxing their dress codes in an effort to adjust to the changing styles of today's workforce. While it was once unacceptable for workers to have visible tattoos, piercings or brightly colored, dyed hair in a corporate setting, such styles are now becoming much more acceptable in the workplace. As big businesses recognize that employees today dress and accessorize differently than they did even 10 years ago, they are focusing more on ensuring that employees are comfortable in their work environment, rather than enforcing tight restrictions on what employees can and cannot wear. Among the major companies changing their policies is Starbucks. After an emplo...

In news that further proves the sheer impact that video marketing is having on the web, a recent survey of marketing professionals found that video advertising's conversion rates often outperform those of other marketing tactics. According to MarketingLand.com, the recently-released report from video marketing and analytics platform Vidyard also found that 71% of marketing professionals reported that the conversion performance of online video content is either "somewhat better" or "much better" than other online advertising content. In addition, 69% of the marketers surveyed said they plan to increase their budgets for video marketing content in the future, MarketingLand.com reported -- certainly no small statistic. “Its the accessibility of video content -- via tablets smartphone lapto...

Organizing ink and toner supplies is stressing small business owners out, according to a recent survey conducted by Staples. The office supply company's Ink and Toner "Know Your Type" survey revealed that a third of small business owners who consider printing important to their business have stress levels that are "high" or "very high." Business owners who spent the most time managing their ink and toner supplies were often the most stressed, according to the survey. This seems to be related to the types of people who run small businesses. Over 70% of small business owners described themselves as "hands-on doers" in the workplace, preferring to take care of issues themselves rather than delegating responsibilities to others and waiting for them to take action. "Small business owners ten...

Home improvement startup Porch has acquired ValueAppeal, according to insider information. ValueAppeal, a Seattle startup, sent its customers a message inviting them to join Porch, and several important members of the ValueAppeal team now list Porch as their employer. As of Tuesday, former ValueAppeal CEO Charlie Walsh’s job title had been changed to senior director of data products at Porch. Company Profiles ValueAppeal was founded as a service allowing homeowners to file appeals regarding their property taxes online. Last fall, however, it ended that service in favor of developing a big data-based predictive analysis service for real estate professionals. The change in services also precipitated doing business under the new name of MostLikely. Porch, a fast-growing company whose em...

A Louisiana woman has filed suit against a grocery store after allegedly suffering serious injuries as the result of a slip and fall accident inside the business. According to the Louisiana Record, Donnea Collins is suing Whole Foods Company Inc. and their insurance company after suffering a slip and fall at the 3420 Veterans Blvd. location in Metairie. According to Collins, she was in the produce section when she slipped and fell in a liquid on the uncleaned floor. She allegedly suffered severe injuries to the muscles, joints, and bones of her ankle, foot, and leg. She says that Whole Foods should have recognized the hazard and cleaned the area accordingly before she slipped and fell. Collins is suing for pain and suffering, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, loss of enjoyment of li...

Is your relationship with your advertising agency over, and you're never, ever getting back together? Are you looking to spark a connection with a new one? Or, are you generally satisfied but just want to check out the playing field and sample the merchandise? Well, you're in luck. There's now an app for that. A newly released Tinder-like "dating" app allows clients to peruse profiles of the some of best advertising agencies in Amsterdam. The app, Pitcher, is available for both iOS and Android phones. Similar to dating apps, clients have the ability to specify criteria such as brand category and campaign type. From there, clients can browse through a selection of Amsterdam's crème de la crème of advertising agencies. Each profile provides a company overview and portfolio of their latest ...

A Santa Fe County worker has recently sued her employer, citing sexual orientation, gender discrimination, harassment and an incident in which her supervisor intentionally pushed her down a flight of stairs. According to a September 16 KOAT 7 Albuquerque article, Jayla Ortiz, who has since been let go from her job because she physically couldn't make it to work, says that she broke several bones and had damaged discs in her neck after the stair incident. "I enjoyed my job, but I didn't enjoy the part of getting harassed every day by (my) supervisor -- that was hard," Ortiz, who worked for the county clerk for about 10 years, said. In Ortiz's lawsuit, she stated that her supervisor, Esther Artino, would regularly make comments about Ortiz being gay -- and also claims Artino said Ortiz "l...

Toyota, which was the first manufacturer to mainstream hybrids with the introduction with its Prius, has consistently backed hydrogen over lithium ion batteries. Now, it seems, the fight is getting dirty. “Closely monitor charge status," a new Lexus commercial's mock instructions proclaim. "Turn off A/C and radio to conserve power. Get lost searching for charger. Plug in and wait four hours. Repeat.” The ad is just the latest in Lexus' campaign deriding electric vehicles to promote its own hybrid vehicles. In a previous ad, Lexus claimed that public charging outlets took four hours to bring a car from an empty charge to full. EV advocacy group Plug In America called Lexus out for using outdated data on charging times and charging station infrastructure. Electric car owners also pointed ...

On Tuesday, August 12, a supplier of Swedish car maker and Saab owner National Electric Vehicle of Sweden (Nevs) filed a petition in bankruptcy court that would declare it bankrupt. According to an August 12 ABC News article, the news comes after Nevs bought Saab amid its own financial hardships and lifted the automaker out of bankruptcy last year. ABC News reported that Labor Test, one of Nevs' suppliers for testing equipment, alleged that Nevs has not paid its bills amounting to 150,000 kronor, or $22,000, since February. A The Local article reports that Nevs' bankruptcy proceedings will likely begin September 18. Saab had originally filed for bankruptcy in December 2011, The Local reports -- and Nevs was created by Chinese backers in mid-2012 to buy the struggling car brand....

In the U.S. schooling system, shop classes often have a reputation for being the "slacker classes" -- the easy A's that students take to fill up space, rather than for the purpose of truly learning a skill. That perception, though, might not be based in reality as the market for auto mechanics heats up throughout the U.S.Evan Fischbach is one example of a success story. Two years out of high school, he is already making $40,000 a year -- with expected earnings of $60,000 once he gains more industry experience. Fischbach took an automotive class during his junior year of high school, and right away realized he wanted to work on cars.His parents, both college-educated, weren't sure about his career options. But before he even graduated, a local auto dealer with too few mechanics on hand offe...