Business Market Research

Excellent article in the Harvard Business Review on The Rise of the SuperTemp.According to the article:

“Supertemps are top managers and professionals—from lawyers to CFOs to consultants—who’ve been trained at top schools and companies and choose to pursue project-based careers independent of any major firm.”

The article goes to say:

Most supertemps are refugees from big corporations and law and consulting firms who value the autonomy and flexibility of temporary or project-based work and find that the compensation is comparable to what they earned in full-time jobs—sometimes even better.

CNBCs The Rise of the SuperTemp in the C Suite is another version of the HBR article focused on the increasing use of executive temps.

Complete article…

Local small businesses have rated greater opportunities for growth, additional tax incentives and a focus on delivering flexible employment as key areas they’d liked to have seen on the 2012 budget agenda.

According to a Regus survey of over 400 businesses, SMBs were hoping the Government would meet their demands in these areas to help spur growth and spread risk, given today’s uncertain economic climate.

And that’s not all; half of the businesses surveyed said theyd like to see the Government provide incentives for them to invest in new graduates, suggesting local businesses are willing to support the skills development of the next generation of young professionals.

According to Regus regional vice president William Willems, some smaller businesses will be pleased with the tax off-setting measures announced in the budget – but not all will be satisfied.

“This will help to encourage SME investment into innovation and drive competition. However,

Complete article…

NEW YORK (AP) — Insiders and early Facebook investors are taking advantage of increasing investor demand and selling more of their stock in the company’s initial public offering, the company said Wednesday.Facebook said in a regulatory filing that 84 million shares, worth up to $3.2 billion, are being added to what’s shaping up to be the decade’s hottest IPO.Facebook’s stock is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Friday under the ticker symbol “FB”.The entire increase comes from insiders and early investors, so the company won’t benefit from the additional sales.The biggest increases come from investment firms DST Global and Tiger Global. Goldman Sachs is doubling the number of shares it is selling.

Complete article…

The rebound in the West Midlands housing market ran out of steam in April as prices edged lower.

The region saw the most significant decline in the UK with 43 per cent more chartered surveyors reporting falls rather than rises in house prices, according to the latest RICS UK Housing Market survey.

Surveyors predict a dip in future prices with expectations for transaction levels flat.

Transaction levels edged downwards in April, as two per cent more respondents reported increases in newly agreed sales.

Peter Bolton King, RICS housing spokesperson, said: With the upturn in activity brought on by Marchs stamp duty holiday coming to an end, it is unsurprising to see that prices across much of the West Midlands are continuing to fall.

Renewed concerns over the economy and talk of a double dip recession dominating the headlines in recent weeks may well have served to undermine consumer confidence.

Whats more, the continuing lack of affordable mortgage finance is still hindering many first time buyers who cannot afford to get a foot on the property ladder.

Demand from potential buyers remained in positive territory during April as eleven per cent more surveyors reported increases in new buyer enquiries.

New instructions, a good indicator of supply coming onto the housing market, dropped off as 27 per cent more respondents reported falls in new homes coming up for sale.

London was again the only part of the country to see prices rise, albeit at the slowest rate since the middle of 2011.

The Tropicana LasVegas.

The Tropicana Las Vegas on Monday posted a smaller first-quarter loss as revenue improved.

In its quarterly report, the hotel-casino said it lost $8.02 million in the quarter ending March 31 vs. a loss in the year-ago quarter of $9.07 million.

Net revenue of $23.3 million was up from $16.7 million.

The Tropicana, with 1,375 hotel rooms, is valued on paper at $368 million. It has been operating at a loss with negative cash flow since it was purchased out of the Tropicana Entertainment Holdings LLC bankruptcy in July 2009 by investors led by Onex Corp.

Complete article…

In 2020 the youngest baby boomers will be 55, the oldest 74. Not surprisingly, the aging of this large demographic cohort is going to fundamentally change the nature of the workforce.

As the chart below shows, by 2020one quarterof the U.S. workforce will be 55 or older.

The aging workforce is being driven by two main factors – the size of the baby boomer cohort and increases in the workforce participation rate for older workers.

As can be seen from the chart below, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects 43% of those 55+ to be in the labor force in 2020.

We think this forecast is conservative.

Complete article…

All the Americans are residing in a debt ridden world and most of us are looking for ways to pay off a chunk of the outstanding debt burden without losing a huge portion of the monthly income. Credit card debt is high interest debt and when you default on the monthly payments, the only option left for you is to file bankruptcy and discharge off your debts. Bankruptcy does give you a fresh new financial start but it also stays on your credit report for the next 7-10 years and jeopardizes your chance of taking out new lines of credit at an affordable rate. So, if you don’t want to file bankruptcy, you have to look out for the alternatives to the same. Consolidating credit card debt is certainly the best option for restoring your lost financial grip and living a debt free life without taking much pain. Complete article…

Beware monopolists claiming they have the best interests of consumers in mind.

Life may offer few absolutes, but this one might serve as a useful guidepost for Minnesota legislators who are considering a bill that would make it easier for consumers to resell tickets to concerts and sporting events.

Venues, such as Xcel Energy Center, oppose the measure. So does Ticketmaster, which has exclusive ticketing arrangements with many of the country’s most popular facilities and top-selling artists. In 2011, Ticketmaster sold more than 250 million tickets to sporting and concert events.

Complete article…