business people blue

Let’s Try Business

Grok doesn’t do coordinated sections like newspapers do. Maybe there’s no need. But maybe we should take more interest in things related to business. After all, business determines what’s happening in the economy; at least to the extent the government allows it.

Read more

The Keene State College Budget Crisis Evolution

photo c/o Boston.com – The beginning of Keene State’s Enrollment Crisis
photo c/o Boston.com – The beginning of Keene State’s Enrollment Crisis

Keene State College has an ongoing crisis. Enrollment is down. They are running a deficit.

In an article from this past September (in the KSC Equinox Student/Campus Newspaper) interim College President Dr. Melinda Treadwell said a lot of things, but this caught my eye.

“[We need to be] getting students excited to see what a life at Keene State could be [like] because they are shopping and we have a lot of competition, but I think we have a lot to offer,” Treadwell said. “I think we lost our story a little bit and we need to regain it.”

About that story.

Read more

O Bomb A Job

Tick. Tick. Tick. Boom: Boing announces layoffs. Tick. Tick. Boom: Murray Energy announces layoffs. Tick. Boom: Energizer Holdings to lay off 1,500, close 3 plants, Boom: Companies plan massive layoffs as Obamacare becomes reality. Boom: Utah company blames Pres. Obama for 102 workers laid off. Boom:  Large corporations join small businesses in announcing mass cuts … Read more

UNH may have to Layoff More Staff

Box of tissues for UNH cry babiesBoo hoo.

Faced with a deficit, after years of a bad economy, UNH may be forced to do what many companies had to do years ago–cut more staff.  I can’t tell you how bad I feel for them.  The small business I work for went from 30 employees down to 12…two years ago.  Of course we were not supported by taxpayers, nor did we have unions or arbitrators insisting we pay people like Ed Larkin to do nothing for five years at the staggering cost of almost half a million dollars.

At my office we streamlined down to the bare minimum needed to keep things running, and have discovered efficiencies and opportunities to be more productive with less resources.   Not only are we still in business, but things are actually looking up. Yeah, it’s more work for the rest of us, and no we have not had raises in years, but we are working and providing a product and service (and paying taxes).

But State run enterprises, or those who have become dependent on tax payer prop-ups, have little or no incentive to make those hard choices. 

Read more

Lay Off Notice

To compensate for these increases,our prices would have to increase by about 10%. But since we cannot increase our prices right now due to the dismal state of the economy, we will have to lay off sixty of our employees instead.

Share to...