Four Traits of Great Employees
What makes a great employee? The American Management Association had an interesting take on that recently. The association’s survey of about 800 managers and executives found that senior leaders value what the group calls the “Four Cs”: Critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Those are also the kinds of skills that are critical for startups, where your survival can depend on how quickly you can adapt and innovate. Three out of four managers think the “Four Cs” will become even more important in the next few years – and they say many employees are lacking in these critical skills. In fact, 50% to 60% of managers feel the majority of their workers are at best average in these skills. These are skills you should look for when hiring, of course, and the survey suggests that they can be developed in employees too. While experienced workers are much more likely to have these skills than recent graduates, survey respondents also said that it’s easier to develop ...
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Think There are a Lot of Craft Breweries Out There Now? Just You Wait
Last year, 409 new breweries opened in the U.S. That’s the biggest surge since the period just after Prohibition ended. After such a spurt, you might think that brewery growth would level off. Nope. The Brewers Association, which speaks on the behalf of craft brewers in the U.S., reports that there are now more than 1,250 new American breweries in the planning stage. Many of these breweries wouldn’t necessarily be entirely new companies, however. Instead, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brewers Association director Paul Gatza said that many businesses are exploring the possibility of opening up multiple breweries around the country: “We’re starting to see more breweries, instead of shipping across the country, opening up new breweries,” Gatza said, adding that he thinks more craft brewers will follow suit. The Brewers Association is also actively trying to limit the world’s big beer companies such as Anheuser-Busch InBev from owning beer distributors. “When A-B [Anheuser-Busch] ...
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For women, pay gap threatens retirement
A new report contains some bad news for women: After shrinking in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, the wage gap—or the difference between the median wages of men and women—has stopped narrowing. And in addition to leaving women with median paychecks that are 23% smaller than men’s, the trend also puts them at risk when it comes to saving for retirement. According to the report, from the American Association of University Women, one of the widest gender pay gaps occurs between ages 45 and 54—a time when most workers build the bulk of their nest eggs.
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Despite the Rosy Reports, Very Few People Go to the Movies Frequently Nowadays
Are you a frequent moviegoer? That’s the term the Motion Picture Association of America gives to someone who sees at least one movie per month in the theater. And the association’s report says that across the board for all age demographics, there was an increase in frequent moviegoers last year. A Los Angeles Times story concerning the MPAA’s 2012 data pointed out that there was an especially sharp rise in older frequent moviegoers: 5.8 million Americans ages 40 to 49 went to the movies at least once per month in 2012, compared to 3.3 million the year before. The 50-59 frequent moviegoer bracket rose from 3.1 million to 3.3 million, and the 60+ group increased from 4.1 million to 4.6 million. In fact, every age group saw an increase in frequent moviegoers in 2012. These “super fans” are extremely important to the movie business, too: Though they constituted only 13% of the population, they accounted for 57% of all movie tickets sold last year. And they helped make for a strong ...
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As Craft Beer Gets Bigger, Will It Become More Like Big Beer? Or Perhaps Wine?
After another year of huge growth, it’s clear that craft beer is big business—perhaps too big, or at least too snobby. The Brewers Association, which represents “small” American breweries that produce less than six million barrels annually, proudly announced that craft beer had a terrific 2012. Across the board, craft beer numbers were up: 18% more breweries in the U.S., 15% more beer produced by volume, a 17% increase in sales, and a whopping rise of 72% in American craft beer exports. Overall, beer sales by volume increased just 1% in 2012. Sales of traditional mass-produced beer in the U.S. have basically remained flat for several years, giving the impression that if consumers are drinking more beer, they’re probably turning to craft beverages. Drinkers even seem to be shying away from the usual beer options on chug-happy holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, when beer sales declined by 4% over the weekend at bars, compared to last year. (MORE: Raging Bitch? Wailing Wench? What’s ...
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