Research

Analysts are sifting through the latest economic data for their states, but there is little good news to be found. According to December figures on unemployment recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment is up over last month in each of the 50 states.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced the Obama administration's plan to rescue financial markets yesterday. The plan was long on promise and short on details, however, which sent markets spinning.

When it comes to examples of crises in business, we have "an embarrassment of riches," according to the author of "Crisis Communication: Practical PR Strategies for Management and Company Survival." The debacle of Enron's collapse and the Tylenol package-tampering scare are examples of crises tha

The story sounds just like a John Grisham novel: The CEO of a West Virginia energy company spent more than $3 million to help a relative unknown unseat the incumbent and become a judge on the state's Supreme Court.

People who know Mike Figliuolo likely were unsurprised when he founded a training and development firm called "thoughtLEADERS, LLC" in 2004. Up to that point, every stage of his career led seamlessly to the next, as he groomed himself in teamwork, delegating, structure, strategy and leadership.

When times are good, expansion plans, future investments and revenue growth are the focus points in most industries. But during down times, organizations scrutinize spending. The current economic crisis is hitting the health care sector as hard as other industries.

"Victory is contagious, and food always tastes better when you win," says Ray Artigue, the former senior vice president of the Phoenix Suns, who is now a professor of practice in the marketing department at the W. P. Carey School of Business and director of the W. P. Carey MBA

Bad news is never welcome, and there is always plenty of it during recession. Research economist Lee McPheters, editor of Economy@W. P. Carey, concedes that while this recession lasts, more depressing headlines lie ahead.

The extreme appreciation that thrilled Phoenix area residents who bought their homes in the period just before the run up is gone — all gone. But the downward slide isn't over yet.

In the nation's hospitals, today's dread epidemics are Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile. At the office, the scary "bug" is boreout, according to a new book from Phillipe Rothlin and Peter Werder.