Retail businesses set to capitalize on growing Hispanic market By Holly Fisher “Se habla Español,” (“Spanish spoken here”), is the new moneymaking phrase for Lowcountry businesses realizing the potential in reaching out to Charleston’s burgeoning Hispanic population.
Report urges start of regional economic growth council By Dennis Quick Whether or not the tri-county area cruises along a prescribed road to economic development is now up to the Charleston Metro, Berkeley County and Greater Summerville/Dorchester County chambers of commerce and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, says John Darby, chairman of commercial real estate giant The Beach Company.
Workforce training tops area manufacturers’ 2004 goals By Dennis Quick The Lowcountry Manufacturers Council, a nonprofit group of nearly 70 tri-county area manufacturing companies, is promoting two workforce education and training programs, one aimed at high school students, the other at job hunters seeking work in manufacturing.
‘E-waste’ expected to become even bigger problem By Sarah G. McC. Moïse The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculates that more than 3.2 million tons of electronic waste is laid to rest in landfills each year. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association estimates that 30 million retired cell phones will contribute to that pile as a result of number portability in 2004 alone. Fortunately, over 95% of PC materials are reusable, from the disk drive and memory to gold and silver used in the circuit board wiring; lead can be harvested from solder and computer monitors; copper can be mined from wires and internal circuitry.
THE BRACK REPORT: Panel agrees that S.C. needs to plan better for future By Andy Brack One of the biggest challenges facing state government is the need for sound planning—planning for education, economic development, fiscal management and more. At least that's the consensus of an informal panel of a half dozen Charleston-area business leaders who shared a lunch of Chinese food recently.
Study shows solution to work-related strain is in the chair By Aleigh Acerni Workers who spend their days in front of computers or at desks can be more productive given the correct chair and ergonomic training, reports a recent study by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. The study is the first scientific evaluation that links better health and increased productivity to the office chair, an idea that has seen support from medical practitioners for years.
TIME WELL SPENT: Ready to abandon your resolutions? Try this first By Honor Hawkins Most of us start the New Year with lofty resolutions. We’re going to lose weight, add to our bank account, learn conversational Italian and be kind to others. But a month later we’re chomping Doritos, behind on deadlines and slammed with holiday bills.
Hospitalist programs improve quality of inpatient care By Dennis Quick In July, the Medical University of South Carolina began a hospitalist program, which now consists of four dedicated hospitalists, each caring for 15 to 20 patients.
The simple life: Should we do less to accomplish more? By Holly Burns Bill Jensen, author of 2001’s Simplicity, is back with a new corporate tome, The Simplicity Survival Handbook. Boasting 32 ways to “do less and accomplish more,” the book subscribes to the philosophy that most work complexity originates from within the company itself.
RETAIL LEAD: Analysts forecast luxury spending surge in 2004 By Dennis Quick Even though the past holiday season proved a mild disappointment to the nation’s retailers—Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, reported that holiday shopping sales fell short of the projected 3% to 5% increase for the season—2004 should bring good cheer.
MARKETING COACH: Disappearing act: Where have all the young men gone? By Bruce D. Murdy Men aged 18 to 34 are watching substantially less primetime network television this year. A recent, highly controversial Nielsen ratings report indicates that young men are watching 11% less network television this year compared to last.
REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY NEWS: From software to web sites: The latest news and information on the tech front of the real estate industry Realtor.com, the official for-sale homes web site of the National Association of Realtors, is now providing listings from Realtors in the United States to WorldProperties.com, the official web site of the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations. The web site, operated by Homestore Inc., has enhanced features designed to promote international real estate practitioners in countries that participate in the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations.
BEST PRACTICES IN CONSTRUCTION: Language barriers on construction sites easily overcome By Tom Frisby If you’re in the construction industry and you don’t yet speak Spanish, it’s time to learn. That’s because Hispanics, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, will be the largest minority by the year 2005, with over 36 million Hispanics living and working in the United States.
TECHNOLOGY LEAD: Online auto sales: risky or reputable? By Sarah G. McC. Moïse With new buying methods come new fraudulent practices: The Federal Trade Commission reports frequent complaints about misrepresentation of vehicle condition from Internet auction sites such as Autotrader.com, Carmax.com and eBay Motors.
TECH TALK: Cookies—they’re not just in jars anymore By Ingrid Tugwell Contrary to popular fears and misconceptions, cookies were not created to spy on or otherwise invade the privacy of Internet users. Cookies contain only information that users volunteer and they do not have the capability of infiltrating a user's hard drive and sneaking away with personal information.
WORKING: Get money, money, money: the raise you deserve By Aleigh Acerni The working world is competitive, and sometimes professional survival depends on looking out for yourself, whether that means aggressively going after pay increases, leaving jobs that are unfulfilling or simply being able to market yourself without coming off as overconfident.
