Category: Your Workplace (Page 19 of 24)

      25 Most Profitable Growth Companies

      February 2, 2011 /

      Apple 

      A recent Forbes article has named the 25 most profitable growth companies in the U.S. Locust Valley, NY based EVA Dimensions compiled the list by using a metric called EVA Momentum. The metric is designed to single out big companies with snowballing profits.

      The equation used to determine EVA Momentum is simple: The change in a company’s economic profit in one period divided by the company’s sales in the prior period. Despite its streamlined nature, the equation does a good job of intricately balancing performance and momentum of a company.

      The numerator drills down to the change in a company’s economic value added. EVA itself already accounts for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles shortcomings (like the expensing of R&D investments and the practice of keeping rented assets off the books); it also allows for comparison across industries by charging for the opportunity cost of all capital.

      Apple, Google, and Priceline.com made the cut, along with others the average American probably has never even heard of. The top 25 most profitable growth companies range from offshore drilling companies such as Diamond Offshore Drilling to networks such as CBS. To watch the slideshow, click here or review the top 25 below.

      1. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG)
      2. IntercontinentalExchange (ICE)
      3. Gilead Sciences (GILD)
      4. JDS Uinphase (JDSU)
      5. Celgene (CELG)
      6. Google (GOOG)
      7. Discovery Communications (DISCA)
      8. Apple (AAPL)
      9. Southwestern Energy (SWN)
      10. Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO)
      11. Freeport-McMoRan Cooper & Gold (FCX)
      12. Priceline.com (PCLN)
      13. Salesforce.com (CRM)
      14. Broadcom (BRCM)
      15. Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH)
      16. Teradyne (TER)
      17. Red Hat (RHT)
      18. Biogen Idec (BIIB)
      19. MasterCard (MA)
      20. El Paso (EP)
      21. Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN)
      22. CBS (CBS)
      23. Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK)
      24. Altera (ALTR)
      25. Akami Technologies (AKAM)

      Your Business, Your Workplace

      Should You Go to Work Sick?

      January 29, 2011 /

      Sick at Work

      If you’re sick (and contagious) and come Monday morning you ask yourself “should I go to work sick?” the answer should always be “no.” Unfortunately, a shocking 72 percent of workers go to work when they’re sick and 53 percent of employees say they have gotten sick from a sick co-worker. Only 12 percent of respondents to the CareerBuilder survey stated that they became ill from sitting next to a sick person on public transportation during their commute.

      Besides the fact that this is one of the most irresponsible things a worker can do concerning others’ health, it is one of the most irresponsible things he can do concerning his own health. In a recent OC Register article, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources offered her opinion about workers that show up to work sick.

      “It’s important for employees to take care of their health and the health of others by staying at home if they aren’t feeling well,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Even if workers feel pressure to be at the office, they should talk to their managers about staying home if they are sick, or ask about other options such as working remotely. Most employers are flexible and understand that employees are more productive if they are feeling their best.”

      Many employers offer paid sick days, so use them if you need to. If you are fresh out of sick days and you feel you absolutely must go to work, there are a number of steps you can take to minimize the chances of infecting your co-workers. However, Haefner still says, “if you are sick, stay home,” or just try telecommuting for the day.

       If you must go to work sick, you should:

      -Work in an isolated area so you don’t spread your sickness.
      -Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
      -Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer throughout the day.

      If you are around sick people at work, you should:

      -Avoid shaking hands with people.
      -Regularly clean your keyboard, phone, desk, etc.
      -Skip meetings where you know attendees are sick.
      -Use hand sanitizer often.
      -Wash your hands often.

      To review the CareerBuilder survey, click here.

      Your Business, Your Career, Your Workplace

      Ride the Retail Wave While you Wait for Dream Job

      January 18, 2011 /

      Macys_Stockings_Dept

      Ok, so a retail job isn’t what you had in mind after graduating with a degree in accounting, but you have to make ends meet while you wait for Deloitte & Touche to call. Fortunately, according to Indeed.com, you won’t have to look for a temporary job for too long if you look to the retail Industry. Right now, retailers are in search of 400,000 employees to fill both full and part-time positions. These retail positions just are not just available at clothing stores. Retail is a broad term that covers the selling of just about any type of good or commodity. This means, retail job seekers will find positions in places ranging from Macy’s to Whole Foods to wax museums to automobile dealerships. 

      If you’re interested in a long-term retail career, you’re in luck because this trend is expected to continue. Retail careers are among the top thirty occupations with the largest employment growth for 2008-18. The following are projection figures (in thousands):

      Employment 2008: 4,489
      Employment 2018: 4,864
      Change: 8.4%

      Regarding salary, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that:

      Median hourly wages of wage-and-salary retail salespersons, including commissions, were $9.86 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.26 and $13.35 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.37, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $19.14 an hour. Many beginning or inexperienced workers earn the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, but many States set minimum wages higher than the Federal minimum. In areas where employers have difficulty attracting and retaining workers, wages tend to be higher than the legislated minimum.

      Compensation systems can vary by type of establishment and merchandise sold. Salespersons receive hourly wages, commissions, or a combination of the two. Under a commission system, salespersons receive a percentage of the sales they make. This system offers sales workers the opportunity to increase their earnings considerably, but they may find that their earnings depend strongly on their ability to sell their product and on the ups and downs of the economy.

      Benefits may be limited in smaller stores, but benefits in large establishments usually are considerable. In addition, nearly all salespersons are able to buy their store’s merchandise at a discount, with the savings depending on the type of merchandise. Also, to bolster revenue, employers may use incentive programs such as awards, bonuses, and profit-sharing plans to the sales staff.

      To break into the retail industry, experience helps, but most employers are willing to train the right person on-the-job. To begin your job search, visit Indeed.com.

      Your Career, Your Compensation, Your Education, Your Team, Your Workplace

      100,000 IT Jobs Gained in 2010

      January 14, 2011 /

      Information Technology

      When it came to employment, the IT industry ended 2010 with a bang by adding 3,500 jobs in December. This represents the 13th consecutive monthly increase for IT employment.

      According to a monthly index of IT jobs developed and published by TechServe Alliance, a collaboration of IT services firms, clients, consultants and suppliers, in December, IT employment stood at 3,911,900  jobs; reflecting incremental growth of 0.1 percent. Along with December’s positive news were upward revisions of both October’s and November’s IT employment numbers. On a year-over-year basis, IT employment was up 2.6 percent, approximately 100,000 jobs, compared to only a 0.9 percent increase in total non-farm employment.

      Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance mentions that the industry has not yet gained all of the jobs back that were lost during the economic downturn, but gaining 100,000 IT jobs in 2010 is “most welcome news.” This is also great news for graduates and anyone entering college with their eye on establishing a career in the IT industry.

      So what does it take to get your foot in the door at one of the nation’s top IT firms? A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for most IT positions, no matter where you apply. For management positions, most employers require a graduate degree, specifically an MBA with a technology focus. Common majors for undergraduates include management information systems (MIS), computer science, or information science. Job experience through an internship or other IT position is also required.

      While IT employment is expected to grow overall, some career fields within the IT industry are expected to grow faster than others. For example, employment for “computer and information systems managers” is expected to grow by 17 percent for the 2008-2018 decade while employment for “computer software engineers and computer programmers” is expected to grow by an impressive 21 percent. Even better is “computer network, systems, and database administrators” at 23 percent.

      IT salaries are at an all-time high as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. IT professionals can expect to earn an average median salary of anywhere from $69,740 on the low end, up to $112,210+ per year on the high end.

      Image Credit

      Information Technology Services of Cabarrus County, NC
      www.cabarruscounty.us/ITS

      Your Business, Your Career, Your Compensation, Your Education, Your Workplace

      Widespread Layoffs Lead to More Workplace Discrimination Filings

      January 12, 2011 /

      Hearing Impaired Person at Workplace_Wikimedia Commons

      It happened after the 2001 recession and it’s happening again. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a report stating that workplace discrimination filings increased from 93,277 to 99,922 between September 2009 and the end of September 2010. The 7.2 increase is the highest level of new discrimination cases ever recorded.

      Workplace discrimination cases are typically filed when a worker feels he has been unfairly treated based on sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected category. The EEOC report shows that the largest increase in filings was from disabled workers. According to a recent NYT report, “this increase may be linked to recent changes in the legal definition of disability to make it more expansive. The Obama administration’s growing reputation of greater interest in discrimination cases than its predecessor may also have increased filings. But experts say the chief reason for the increase in accusations of prejudice is most likely tied to the broad layoffs of the last few years.”

      Many employer’s feel that most of the discrimination case filings with the EEOC  are “spurious attempts by workers with no job opportunities who have not experienced discrimination.”

      “The majority of the time, the EEOC is still finding no reasonable cause for the charges being filed,” said Michael S. Burkhardt, an employment partner in the Philadelphia office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius who represents employers in discrimination class-action suits. “In some cases, people are just upset that they were terminated, and they happen to be in a protected category. Even if that has nothing to do with why they were terminated, they still file a charge.”

      He added that employers have had to become increasingly careful about how they structure layoffs when they reduce their work forces, as many have done since the financial crisis began several years ago.

      If you feel that you have been discriminated against in the workplace, contact the U.S. Employment Opportunity Commission at 1-800-669-4000 (1-800-669-6820 TTY) or visit the official EEOC website at www.eeoc.gov.

      Your Business, Your Career, Your Network, Your Workplace

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 Professional Journey

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑