Business News Online

As Data Scientists we are regularly asked about interesting trends taking place on LinkedIn. One of the biggest trends in the professional space last year was the economic collapse. Reports from numerous sources all tell a similar story — the economic downturn has affected thousands of companies with millions of workers laid off.

At LinkedIn we have a unique view into the ebbs and flows of labor markets and one trend we noticed was there were beneficiaries of these large-scale upheavals.  In particular, we saw substantial spikes in user activity for the following 5 companies during major financial events:

• Barclays
• Credit Suisse
• Citigroup
• Bank Of America
• JP Morgan Chase

Each of these firms saw an increase in the LinkedIn activity of their employees, measured by member registrations or updates to the individual’s company title on LinkedIn. This activity coincided with key corporate announcements such as the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank Of America, or the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy announcement.

Talent flow during the financial collapse (Source: LinkedIn Data)

Where did all these employees go?  One

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The revelation came during a panel discussion at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting 2010. One of the panel members, Anamitra Banerji, is Twitter’s head of product management and monetization. In response to a question about timing, Banerji seemed to indicate that Twitter could begin a launch of some sort within the next month.

Obviously, it’s probably not a good idea to hold your breath given how long it has taken Twitter to monetize. And even if the company does roll out an ad service, it may be limited in scope and highly experimental. But that doesn’t mean that marketers and entrepreneurs can’t start thinking about the opportunities that Twitter ads may inform them.

While Twitter ads will certainly receive a lot of attention, it is likely that the early days will offer the typical Gold Rush opportunities for those who are savvy. Here are three possible areas of opportunity that I see.

• SEM providers/resellers.

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Setting up a workstation for the workplace or for the home office, should include the person or the people using the workstation. Utilising ergonomic office equipment will increase productivity, reduce the risk of injury and may assist in reducing any current repetitive strain type injuries. Poor posture and poor office furniture will increase fatigue and stress for users and increase the risk of soreness to the shoulders, neck, back and wrists. Here is some information to developing a good ergonomic office.

Office Furniture

The desk should be adjustable and the height should be varied to suit users. The height should allow adequate space for the user’s feet to remain flat on the floor with the thighs parallel to the floor. The surface area should be adequate to accommodate the amount of work required and of course, the computer and pointer devices.

Office Chairs

Office chairs should be fully adjustable. That is that the height, seat tilt and back rest should able to be adjusted for various users. O

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A strike by about 4,000 pilots at German airline Lufthansa has been suspended – with union officials agreeing to resume negotiations.

The action – which had been scheduled to run for four days – was called off after less than 24 hours of delays and cancellations for passengers.

The pilots had walked out at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings over job security and pay issues.

There will be no further action until at least March 9, the union said.

A spokesman for the Cockpit union added the two sides had reached an agreement after a two-hour long hearing at a Frankfurt industrial court.

‘Disproportionate’

However the strike has already disrupted an estimated 10,000 passengers around the world, with the carrier trying to arrange alternative travel for them.

It had been offering train journeys to domestic air travellers, and attempting to rebook international passengers on other airlines.

The airline normally offers about 1,800 flights daily – of which 160 are long-haul trips.

A Lufthansa spokeswoman said that about 960 flights had managed to go ahead.

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No disrespect intended to the attorneys for beginning this post with a cartoon from the creative mind of Terry Hart, a/k/a, Hartboy. Rather, it’s intended as an excellent visual metaphor for my takeaway from the recent article written by our friend (and attorney) Andy Williams on his Benefits Law Group of Chicago website. 

Andy writes What a Difference a “P” Makes: Hairsplitting Decision Denies Disability Claim. You can delve the details about the outcome of an ERISA case hinged on the difference (not a distinction) between whether a plan provision applied to a “Period of Disability” rather than just “periods of Disability.”

But here’s the takeaway to which I referred above which is very relevant as the EGTRRA restatement deadline is just a few short months away for most retirement plans. (See our EGTRRA Restatement Series).

It’s simply that a retirement plan doesn’t just include Internal Revenue Code qualification requirements for favorable tax treatment. The plan document also defines the rights and obligations of the plan sponsor, participants, and beneficiaries.

A

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General Motors (GM) has said chief executive Ed Whitacre will get an annual salary of $1.7m (£1.1m), plus $7.3m in shares at a later date.

The pay package was approved by the US Treasury, which spent billions of dollars bailing out the carmaker last year and now owns a large stake in it.

GM also said Mr Whitacre’s predecessor, Fritz Henderson, is being paid $59,090 a month as an adviser.

Mr Whitacre took over as interim chief executive in December last year.

Last month, he was officially confirmed in the position on a permanent basis. He is also chairman of GM.

Mr Whitacre was appointed chairman by the US administration last year, having previously run telecoms company AT&T.

His salary compares favourably with that of his predecessor. In an agreement reached last October with the US government, Mr Henderson’s pay was cut by 25% to $950,000, about half of what he made in 2008.

Collapsing sales during the economic downturn forced GM to turn to the US government for aid, but this could not prevent it entering bankruptcy protection in June last year.

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