Qantas Airways has grounded its entire fleet over a labour dispute, prompting the government to ask a tribunal to stop the conflict out of concern it is putting both the airline and the economy at risk.Tens of thousands of passengers and almost 20 world leaders were affected by the unprecedented decision on Saturday, which came a day after a stormy shareholder meeting and clearly took the government by surprise.It came as an embarrassment for Prime Minister Julia Gillard who was hosting a summit of Commonwealth leaders in the western city of Perth, 17 of them booked to fly out on Sunday with Qantas.Unions, from pilots to caterers, have taken strike action since September over pay and to oppose Qantas plans to cut its soaring costs, as it looks at setting up two new airlines in Asia and cutting back financially draining long-haul flights.It plans to cut 1,000 jobs and order $9 billion of new Airbus aircraft as part of a makeover to salvage the loss-making international business.”They are trashing our strategy and our brand. They are deliberately destabilising the company.
Are you compliant with your software licensing?
Stock Index Futures Rise
Stock Index Futures Rise
Wall Street continues the up and down ride seemingly on the headlines that emerge from the European debt crisis on a daily basis. Investor fear keeps the market reacting to the news. There is hope however that as Europe stabilizes the signs that the economic and earnings news is positive and will strengthen investor confidence. The headlines today on the heals of potential turmoil and rally as Greece implements austerity is that Euro zones bailout facility will be cleared to buy bonds on the secondary market.
Investors continue to monitor the situation with a close eye. Today AT&T and Microsoft are expected to report results for the quarter. As a result the S&P Futures rose 3.2 points, the Dow Jones added 55 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.25 points.
Roth-IRA – The better alternative among the IRA’s.
Year of 2010, is officially the year of Roth-IRA. There has been a lot of debates, talk-shows on this topic. People are confused as to which retirement plan to choose , which is the better alternative. Both Roth as well as Traditional are retirement accounts, providing benefits of their own. It lies on the discretion of the people to check out which retirement scheme is the best for them. Visiting roth-ira.org wouldn’t go down as a bad idea , if you planning on your retirement.
The Roth-IRA came into force from the year 1998 , when the taxpayer’s relief act was passed. The eligibility for any person to open a Roth-IRA account is that:
Firstly: he/she should be compensated in the form of Wages, salaries, tips and what not?
Secondly:Roth-IRA has contribution limits. Read more…
Meeting Expectations, GE’s 3Q Net Leaps 57%
Blue-chip conglomerate General Electric met Wall Street’s expectations on Friday by posting a 57% jump in third-quarter earnings and projected more growth ahead for 2012.
The Fairfield, Conn.-based maker of everything from jet engines and nuclear power plants to microwaves said it earned $3.22 billion, or 22 cents a share. Excluding one-time items, it earned 31 cents a share, matching consensus calls from analysts.
Revenue flatlined at $35.37 billion, surpassing the Street’s view of $34.94 billion.
“We are pleased to deliver our sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit operating earnings growth in a volatile macro environment,” CEO Jeff Immelt said in a statement. “We improved earnings, achieved solid double-digit infrastructure order growth, executed on our balanced capital allocation plan and maintained a strong balance sheet.”
Nearly all of GE’s business segments grew revenue last quarter, led by a 48% surge in transportation to $1.3 billion and a 30% leap in energy to $10.9 billion. GE’s finance
The Process of Planning
When is a plan not a plan? When its a tool.
Perhaps the most important factor in achieving your desired result and turning your plan into a management tool is regularly reviewing the plan.
In the final two videos of Tim Berrys video series on how to write a successful business plan, he talks about the actual heart and soul of business planning.
Its not in the number of pages you have, or in how the finished product looks, or even if everything is spelled right. Its in its ongoing success. Were you able to take your thoughts, ideas, forecasts and plans and make them work?