Business - Opinion

When Petr Vojak was deciding where to settle down with his family last year, his aim was clear. He wanted somewhere peaceful yet central. Eventually, they decided on a new flat in a northern district along the Vltava river, which flows through Prague. Full Story »

Hey, you rock star, you. You know all about innovating through mobility, right? You do the text messaging and the digital coupons. You're even developing the app your boss wants. You're mirroring what you have on your website. All in all, you have it under control. Yep, you can check another item off your to-do list. Full Story »

Harvard Business School (Harvard Full-Time MBA Profile) and Columbia University's Graduate School of Business (Columbia Full-Time MBA Profile) have joined a growing list of business schools that are adding courses on social media to their MBA curricula, addressing the corporate demand for social-network-savvy employees. The two schools are among at least six that have added courses in the past year that allow students to learn about Internet marketing and social media strategy, according to course syllabi and faculty associated with the classes. Full Story »

Among the top international MBA programs, a berth at London Business School (London Full-Time MBA Profile), is among the most coveted in all of Europe. As a result, the competition to get in is getting fiercer. During a live chat on July 21, Oliver Ashby (screen name: OliverAshbyLBS), manager of recruitment and admissions at LBS, fielded questions from the audience and Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Francesca Di Meglio (screen name: FrancescaBW) about what it takes to get accepted at LBS and what career opportunities lie in store for graduates. Here are edited transcripts of the chat: Full Story »

Ask anyone under 30 for their home phone number and they may look at you funny. The landline business is in permanent decline. After peaking at about 141 million in 2000, the number of U.S. home phones fell to 78 million by the end of 2008, according to the Federal Communications Commission. While most of this erosion was the result of people going wireless, the FCC says some 19 million households replaced landlines with Internet phones. Full Story »

In the beginning, there was the NERF Ball, a polyurethane foam sphere that could be tossed around the living room without threatening mom's Hummel figurines. It was followed in the 1990s by a line of goofy, plastic NERF launchers that lobbed foam balls and arrows. Full Story »

Wall Street's hottest new product is fear. Pimco, Deutsche Bank , and Citigroup are among firms offering clients protection against "long-tail" risks -- extreme market moves that Wall Street's financial models fail to anticipate. In what Morgan Stanley strategists say is an indication that more investors are seeking insurance against financial turbulence, they estimate there was as much as a fivefold increase last quarter in trading of credit derivatives that speculate on market volatility. Full Story »

Two decades ago, when Consumer Reports started evaluating treadmills, it built a test machine it called the Johnny Walker. A drum-like steel cylinder studded with green rubber balls, the Johnny Walker spins above the rolling belts of its victims, pummeling them with blows meant to simulate the footsteps of a 170-lb. runner. In the early days, after a few hours of insistent pounding, some treadmills caught fire. Full Story »

With 14.6 million Americans unemployed and plenty of others dissatisfied with their jobs, many are heading back to school for retraining. Full Story »

At the Georgia Tech College of Management (Georgia Tech Full-Time MBA Profile), the job search starts even before students are admitted. The director of MBA career services plays a big role in the admissions process, and students whose job prospects look poor might not get in, says MBA Admissions Director Paula Wilson. "This is a big investment for the student, and an investment for us as well," she explains. Full Story »

The most promising region in the U.S. for job hunting by newly minted college graduates is the South, and the city with the best mix of job openings, pay, and affordability is Houston, according to Businessweek.com. Full Story »

Baby boomers fretting over their pensions should spare a thought for Constance DeCherney. Like many of her generation, the 27-year-old Web strategist at Planned Parenthood in New York has done little to prepare for retirement. While she became eligible for a 401(k) in 2005, DeCherney only began putting money into it last year. She now contributes 3 percent of her pay, though that's just half of what Planned Parenthood will match, and DeCherney doesn't know how the investments are performing. "Just the idea of (saving for retirement) feels overwhelming," she says. ... Full Story »

(Corrects the name of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education in the 29th paragraph.) Full Story »

Until recently, it was a given that President Barack Obama would make good on his campaign pledge to let the Bush-era tax cuts that benefited wealthy Americans expire at the end of this year. Ditto for his promise to maintain the tax cuts for households earning up to $250,000 a year. Full Story »

Mixing art and commerce has always been tricky. It's getting trickier in Australia, where workers can stock their retirement savings accounts with paintings and sculptures. "I grew up with art all around me. It's my life. I love it," says John Cruthers, a 56-year-old Sydney resident who has amassed more than 100 artworks to help fund his retirement. Full Story »

Annuities. Reverse mortgages. Life insurance pools. Principal-protected notes. The options being offered to senior citizens hoping to ensure a comfortable retirement are dizzying. And in a growing number of cases, that may be the intention as more scammers--often elderly themselves--try to con retirees. Though hard numbers are difficult to come by, many lawyers and advocates for the elderly say more seniors than ever are being lured into investment schemes that are unsuitable for people of their age or are outright swindles. ... Full Story »

Natalie Malaszenko has always loved pets. A 31-year-old resident of San Diego, Calif., she has a dog named Sarge and a cat named Leo. Years ago, when she lived in Texas, she took care of cows and horses and even a stray emu. In recent months, however, since beginning a full-time job at the pet retailer Petco, she has taken on the additional responsibility of tending to a breed of notoriously unruly carnivores, capable of scaring off even the most patient caregiver -- namely, online commenters. So far, Malaszenko says she loves them, too. Full Story »

Google my name, and you'll see my photo next to a blog calling me "the most dangerous woman in America." Why does a U.S. News & World Report blog put me up there with Typhoid Mary and Octomom? In October 2008, just as the financial crisis was gathering steam, I told a congressional committee that it's time to reinvent the 401(k). I suggested a government-guaranteed alternative consisting of diverse and prudent assets such as blue-chip stocks and corporate and Treasury bonds. "The 401(k) is a failure," I told the House Committee on Education & Labor. ... Full Story »