Business Leadership: Do You Have What It Takes?

What is the key the great business leadership? It may be different for every individual. But certainly leadership is an important ingredient in entrepreneurial success. In this roundup, we look at some ideas about leadership, some case studies and some things entrepreneurs need to know to run their businesses. Do you have what it takes for great business leadership.

Leadership Qualities

Being a great leader: Do you have what it takes? Being an entrepreneur often means being a great leader, at least on some level. And while leadership qualities have always been somewhat elusive, here?s a look at what researchers say may truly create the ?managerial mystique.? Inc.com

A few more thoughts on leadership. Some people would argue that leadership and management aren?t the same and that understanding the difference between the two, their strengths and the way they approach problems and the world, is crucial in business and beyond.?Seth Godin?s Blog

Branding & Customer Relations

The key to understanding brand. For entrepreneurs starting a new business or even understanding what they can bring to a business, understanding brand is hugely important. Clearly brand includes more than simply a logo and a company name. What brand are you building for your product or service?or for yourself or your company. Youngentrepreneur

The real key to business success. The real key to business success isn?t creating the perfect product, developing the perfect brand, developing the perfect marketing plan or inventing the perfect system of distribution. The real key to business success is simple: knowing your customer?s needs. Seth Godin?s Blog

Strategy

Going global from home. The Internet has made going global a possibilities for even the smallest businesses given the right product or service. But going global with a home-based Internet business does require considering a few important steps. Youngentrepreneur

Don?t forget your customers. You may know where your company is headed, but don?t forget about the needs of the customers who have gotten you there. This case study on the missteps of large company that misread its customers can be a warning to all entrepreneurs of the dangers in forgetting this rule. Yahoo! Finance

Tips & Trends

Wholesaler?s success strategy takes the cake. Check out this interview with David Overton, who transformed his parents? struggling wholesale cheesecake business into a brand worth millions with limited marketing and an unusual success strategy. WSJ

Exporting entrepreneurship. In a highly competitive global economy where great entrepreneurship is one of the keys to economic recovery and prosperity, the U.S., with its current immigration law, may be exporting its entrepreneurial talent at a time it can least afford to do so. Inc.com

Financing

Looking for funding alternatives. There are financing options for businesses beyond VC investment or bank loans. The key is to find the financing option that is right for you. Here is a look at one of those options in detail. Be sure to consider all the options when considering raising money. AVC

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/10/business-leadership-do-you-have-what-it-takes.html

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IBM Names Sales Chief Virginia Rometty As CEO, Samuel Palmisano Will Remain As Chairman

virginiaIBM's board of directors has just named Virginia M. Rometty as the company's new CEO and president, replacing Samuel J. Palmisano, who currently is IBM chairman, president and chief executive officer. Palmisano will remain chairman of the board. Rometty will become CEO effective January 1, 2012. Rometty was previously senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing and strategy. Rometty joined IBM in 1981 as a systems engineer. She was previously senior vice president of IBM Global Business Services, and then was promoted to global sales leader. In her most recent role with Big Blue, She is accountable for revenue, profit, and client satisfaction in the 170 global markets and for the company's worldwide sales results, which exceeded $99 billion in 2010.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/lCQ3Ebn1JDU/

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Will Romney regret giving health care to illegal immigrants? (The Week)

New York ? The GOP frontrunner criticizes Rick Perry for offering tuition help to illegal immigrants in Texas ? even though Romney provided them with health benefits in Massachusetts

Mitt Romney has been attacking GOP presidential rival Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, for supporting education aid for children of illegal immigrants, saying it's time to stop giving them "extraordinary government benefits." But Romney's own record on immigration came back to haunt him this week, when the Los Angeles Times pointed out that the health reform law Romney signed in 2006 as governor of Massachusetts included a Health Safety Net guaranteeing subsidized medical care for illegal immigrants and others with no insurance. Is this a major setback for Romney's campaign?

This exposes the hypocrisy of Romney's immigration demagoguery: "This story pretty much neutralizes Romney's attack on Perry's college tuition subsidies for illegal immigrants," says Alana Goodman at Commentary. He'll look totally "hypocritical" now unless he shuts up. Fortunately for Romney, conservatives already hate "RomneyCare" so thoroughly (because of its insurance mandate) that they might overlook this additional flaw.
"RomneyCare funded health care for illegal immigrants"

Give Romney a break on this one: Perry's the one trying to make something out of nothing, says Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post. As Romney's campaign points out, federal law requires emergency medical care for everyone, including illegal immigrants. And "there are obvious reasons not to dissuade illegal immigrants from seeking medical treatment" ? for example, "they may well have a communicable disease that poses a public health hazard."
"Illegal immigrants spat continues"

But Romney's defense makes him look silly: Romney claims he thought the program would only benefit people who were here legally, says Kevin Drum at Mother Jones. He also blames his successor for broadening the availability of medical care for illegal immigrants. But the truth is, this policy keeps these patients out of emergency rooms, which saves the state money. Plus it proves that "in 2006 Romney still had a small core of human decency left in his soul" ? he just doesn't have the guts to admit it to today's GOP voters.
"Mitt Romney hearts illegal immigrants"

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Indonesian group strikes unusual bargain to save forest

A local Indonesian non-profit and an American organization have partnered up to offer discounted health care to Indonesian communities that reject illegal logging practices.

? A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.

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Indonesia, like many developing nations, is trying to balance progress with forest preservation. The president recently pledged the remaining three years of his term to advancing conservation. But environmental groups call for more concerted action.

Health in Harmony, a US-based organization that has partnered with local nonprofit group ASRI to run a rural health-care clinic, has come up with a way to curb illegal logging. ASRI, meaning ?harmoniously balanced,? sits in the shadow of Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, an area marred by water shortages and increasingly denuded land. Rising timber prices have been a boon to family incomes here, but cofounder Kinari Webb says providing access to cheap health care creates less dependency on the forest for income.

Communities that do not engage in illegal logging receive a 70 percent discount on their health care. Patients can also barter, exchanging woven baskets, seedlings, or even labor for treatment. In addition, ASRI staff teach locals skills for sustaninable livelihoods, such as organic farming.

Trust is key, says Ms. Webb. And in the four years ASRI has been operating, villagers have poured in, giving up the two-hour drive to reach the nearest hospital. What?s more, many have agreed to put down their chain saws.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/mRP1l_UEluw/Indonesian-group-strikes-unusual-bargain-to-save-forest

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The Connected Lifestyle

Weisberg will also moderate a panel featuring Marios Zenios, Chrysler?s head of connectivity and infotainment; Philippe Guillemette,? CEO of Sierra Wireless; Farhad Manjoo, Slate?s technology columnist; Roger Lanctot, senior analyst for Strategy Analytics; and Robert Acker, general manager of Aha Radio by Harman.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=b129b20e003b5e7254bcc405abef4c61

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US envoy: Progress in NKorea talks, but no deal (AP)

GENEVA ? U.S. and North Korean officials have concluded their two-day talks about Pyongyang's nuclear program.

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations says Tuesday's final session lasted for two and a half hours.

U.S. officials said they would comment to reporters about the outcome later in the day.

After the first day of talks Monday, the U.S. top envoy said the two sides were narrowing their differences.

It was the second direct encounter between the two parties in less than three months on whether to resume so-called six-party nuclear talks that include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea in addition to North Korea and the United States.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

GENEVA (AP) ? The start of a second day of talks between U.S. and North Korean diplomats on Pyongyang's nuclear program was delayed without explanation Tuesday, a day after the top U.S. envoy reported some progress in narrowing differences between the two sides.

U.S. officials said North Korea had asked the American delegation to come to its U.N. mission in Geneva "for a working lunch and an afternoon session." The talks had been scheduled to start at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT; 4 a.m. EST).

North Korean officials couldn't be reached for comment.

In the closely watched meetings, the second direct encounter between the two parties in less than three months, diplomats from both sides are trying to determine whether the so-called six-party nuclear talks, which include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea in addition to North Korea and the United States, can resume.

The top U.S. envoy, Stephen Bosworth, said late Monday night that the discussions are also touching on other long-standing issues, such as urgently needed food aid for the North, families long separated on the Korean peninsula and the remains of troops missing in action. The U.S. and North Korea are still technically at war.

The U.N.'s top relief official, Valerie Amos, said Monday after visiting North Korea that it was "not appropriate" for the nuclear talks in Switzerland to extend to humanitarian assistance to the chronically hungry Asian country because that aid "must be kept separate from a political agenda." The U.N. is calling on countries to provide $218 million in emergency aid to North Korea.

The first day of talks was hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The U.S. delegation was being hosted Tuesday at the North Koreans' U.N. mission, on the opposite side of Lake Geneva, where Bosworth's counterpart is First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan. Bosworth is accompanied by Glyn Davies, the U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, who is taking over the negotiating brief in future talks.

At his hotel late Monday night, Bosworth told reporters he was "neither optimistic nor pessimistic" with one day left for discussions.

"I think we're moving in a positive direction. We have narrowed some differences, but we still have differences that we have to resolve," he said at the elegant lakeside hotel where both parties are staying.

"As you know, our goal is to try to find a solid foundation on which to launch a resumption of discussions both bilateral and multilateral, and we will continue to work hard to bring that about," Bosworth said. "We have made some progress, we have issues still to resolve and we will work hard to do that."

U.S. diplomats want North Korea to adhere to a 2005 agreement it reneged on requiring verifiable denuclearization in exchange for better relations with its Asian neighbors. China, North Korea's closest ally, has urged Pyongyang to improve its strained ties with the United States and South Korea.

Beijing wants to revive the stalled six-nation disarmament negotiations. North Korea walked out on the talks in 2009 ? and exploded a second nuclear-test device ? but now wants to re-engage. Last year, Pyongyang also was blamed for two military attacks on South Korea that heightened tensions on the peninsula.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111025/ap_on_re_eu/eu_koreas_nuclear

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Fukushima Nuclear Plant Released Far More Radiation than Government Said

Image: Abode of Chaos/Flickr

The disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March released far more radiation than the Japanese government has claimed. So concludes a study1 that combines radioactivity data from across the globe to estimate the scale and fate of emissions from the shattered plant.

The study also suggests that, contrary to government claims, pools used to store spent nuclear fuel played a significant part in the release of the long-lived environmental contaminant caesium-137, which could have been prevented by prompt action. The analysis has been posted online for open peer review by the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Andreas Stohl, an atmospheric scientist with the Norwegian Institute for Air Research in Kjeller, who led the research, believes that the analysis is the most comprehensive effort yet to understand how much radiation was released from Fukushima Daiichi. "It's a very valuable contribution," says Lars-Erik De Geer, an atmospheric modeler with the Swedish Defense Research Agency in Stockholm, who was not involved with the study.

The reconstruction relies on data from dozens of radiation monitoring stations in Japan and around the world. Many are part of a global network to watch for tests of nuclear weapons that is run by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna. The scientists added data from independent stations in Canada, Japan and Europe, and then combined those with large European and American caches of global meteorological data.

Stohl cautions that the resulting model is far from perfect. Measurements were scarce in the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima accident, and some monitoring posts were too contaminated by radioactivity to provide reliable data. More importantly, exactly what happened inside the reactors ? a crucial part of understanding what they emitted ? remains a mystery that may never be solved. "If you look at the estimates for Chernobyl, you still have a large uncertainty 25 years later," says Stohl.

Nevertheless, the study provides a sweeping view of the accident. "They really took a global view and used all the data available," says De Geer.

Challenging numbers
Japanese investigators had already developed a detailed timeline of events following the 11 March earthquake that precipitated the disaster. Hours after the quake rocked the six reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, the tsunami arrived, knocking out crucial diesel back-up generators designed to cool the reactors in an emergency. Within days, the three reactors operating at the time of the accident overheated and released hydrogen gas, leading to massive explosions. Radioactive fuel recently removed from a fourth reactor was being held in a storage pool at the time of the quake, and on 14 March the pool overheated, possibly sparking fires in the building over the next few days.

But accounting for the radiation that came from the plants has proved much harder than reconstructing this chain of events. The latest report from the Japanese government, published in June, says that the plant released 1.5???1016?bequerels of caesium-137, an isotope with a 30-year half-life that is responsible for most of the long-term contamination from the plant. A far larger amount of xenon-133, 1.1???1019?Bq, was released, according to official government estimates.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b9d92cf2019f2264e395663d8ef7b905

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Holland tops Pujols, Cards; Texas ties Series at 2

Fans cheer as Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland leaves the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Fans cheer as Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland leaves the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland is congratulated in the dugout after being taken out of the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington talks to starting pitcher Derek Holland before taking him out of the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols reacts as he walks back to the dugout after flying out during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 4-0 to tie the series at 2-2. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland throws during the first inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

(AP) ? Inning by inning, this World Series is getting more intriguing.

Derek Holland provided the latest twist, boosted by a pregame pep talk from his manager. The Texas lefty shut down the St. Louis Cardinals on two hits into the ninth inning, and the Rangers won 4-0 Sunday to even things at 2-all.

A day after Albert Pujols set a team record by scoring 16 runs in a postseason game, they never got close against Holland.

"When I came off the field, arm hairs are sticking up. It's not like I have much, but man, it was tingly," Holland said.

Rangers manager Ron Washington came to the mound after 8 1-3 innings following Holland's second walk of the game. So close to a shutout, and with the crowd chanting his name, Holland pleaded his case, trying to talk his way into staying in.

"He was begging," Washington said. Or, as Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler described it: "A lot of profanity, we sounded like sailors out there."

Washington listened, then signaled for closer Neftali Feliz. Holland had done his job in Game 4, and then some. He had kept Pujols in the ballpark and the Rangers in this Series.

"Now it's a best out of three," Pujols said. "See who can win two games. At the end, that's who is going to be raising the trophy."

Holland struck out seven and came within two outs of pitching the first complete-game shutout in the World Series since Josh Beckett's gem for Florida to clinch the 2003 title at Yankee Stadium.

"I was very focused. I knew this was a big game for us," said Holland, who was 16-5 with 3.95 ERA and four shutouts in the regular season. "I had to step up and make sure I was prepared."

Hobbled Josh Hamilton put Texas ahead with an RBI double in the first inning. Then Mike Napoli broke it open with a three-run homer in the sixth that set off a hearty high-five in the front row between team president Nolan Ryan and former President George W. Bush.

And just like that, for the first time since 2003, the World Series stood at two games apiece.

Game 5 is Monday night at Rangers Ballpark. It's a rematch of the opener, when Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter topped C.J. Wilson. After that, it's back to Busch Stadium to crown a champion.

Pujols produced arguably the greatest hitting show in postseason history in Game 3, tying Series records with three home runs, six RBIs and five hits during the Cardinals' romp. However, Holland has now emerged as the unlikely star.

Pujols finished 0 for 4 and hit the ball out of the infield only once.

"I wanted him to see my 'A' game," Holland said.

Feliz took over and closed. He walked Allen Craig, then retired Pujols on a fly ball and struck out Matt Holliday to end it.

Holland was in tune all evening with Napoli, his pal and catcher. Much better than the battery for the pregame ceremony ? Bush tossed a wild pitch that glanced off the catcher's mitt Ryan wore.

"I should've gone with the regular glove," Ryan said with a chuckle.

The bounce-back Rangers managed to avoid consecutive losses for the first time since Aug. 23-25, a streak that's kept them out of trouble in the postseason.

The Rangers also completed a Sunday sweep in the matchup of teams from St. Louis and the Dallas area. Earlier in the afternoon, the Cowboys beat the Rams 34-7 right across the parking lots. Hamilton and Lance Berkman served as honorary captains for the pregame coin toss, wearing their baseball uniforms.

Many fans might remember Holland from last year's World Series. He's the reliever who came in against San Francisco, walked his first three batters and promptly got pulled.

Maybe that guy was an impostor. Because this 25-year-old lefty with the sorry little mustache was completely poised, with pinpoint control. Perhaps it was the talk he got from Washington near the dugout shortly before taking the mound.

Washington put both hands on Holland's shoulders and talked to him tenderly, like a dad about to send his teenage son off to college. Holland kept nodding, and Washington finished up with a playful pat to Holland's cheek.

"It was just a general message that he's capable of going out there and keeping us in the ballgame. That's all it was," Washington said. "I talk with Derek like that all the time, it just happened to catch me on TV."

Added Holland: "He shows that he cares about all his players, and he definitely showed that when he talked to me."

After that, Holland was in total command in his first Series start, and improved to 3-0 lifetime in the postseason. The only hits he allowed were by Berkman: a double in the second and a single in the fifth. Holland got even later, getting Berkman to look at a strike three that left the St. Louis star discussing the call with plate umpire Ron Kulpa.

Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson kept his team close despite a wild night in which he walked seven in 5 1-3 innings. Jackson left after a pair of walks in the sixth and Napoli homered on the first pitch from reliever Mitchell Boggs.

"It's just a matter of time before they catch up with you," Jackson said.

NOTES: Napoli became the first catcher to hit two homers in a Series since Mike Piazza of the Mets in 2000. ... Kinsler and St. Louis C Yadier Molina played a little game of back-and-forth in the second. Kinsler robbed Molina of an RBI single with a nice stop up the middle to end the top half. In the bottom half, Molina made a snap throw that trapped Kinsler off first base for the last out.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-24-BBO-World-Series/id-21cff788b2164717a78b8584ef933eb8

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Netflix stock plunges on brutal 3Q, somber outlook (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Netflix jolted its already shell-shocked shareholders with a third-quarter financial report that portrayed a company in crisis.

Netflix's blooper reel, released Monday, included an even larger customer exodus than the company had foreseen after announcing an unpopular price increase in July. What's worse, the report contained a forecast calling for more defections from the largest U.S. video subscription service.

The backlash will deprive Netflix Inc. of some the revenue that management had been counting on to finance the company's expansion plans while it pays higher fees for Internet video streaming rights. The result: Netflix expects to post losses next year when it starts selling its steaming service in Britain and Ireland. The company didn't offer further specifics.

None of the developments pleased Wall Street as Netflix lost more than a quarter of its value after the bad news came out. If that sharp decline holds in Tuesday's trading, it will mark the first time Netflix's stock price has fallen below $100 in nearly 14 months.

Netflix shares shed $31.19, or more than 26 percent, to $87.35 in Monday's extended trading.

It's the latest setback for a former stock market darling whose shares topped $300 just 4 1/2 months ago. Netflix's market value had already plunged by about 60 percent, or nearly $9 billion, before Monday's late sell-off.

Netflix lost its luster among consumers and investors by raising prices as much as 60 percent in the U.S. and bungling an attempt to spin off its DVD-by-mail rental service.

The company, which is based in Los Gatos, Calif., ended September with 23.8 million U.S. subscribers, down about 800,000 from June. Netflix had predicted it would lose about 600,000 U.S. subscribers in a forecast released last month.

Management expects to gain U.S. subscribers in the current quarter, although Netflix didn't set a specific target. But a substantial number of Netflix's customers are expected to choose between renting DVDs through the mail or streaming video over high-speed Internet connections _instead of paying for both services.

The biggest hit is expected on the DVD side, a service that Netflix has been de-emphasizing to save money on mailing costs as its spends more to license movies and TV shows for its Internet video library. The company expects its DVD subscribers to fall from 13.9 million as of Sept. 30 to as low as 10.3 million at the end of December. Streaming subscriptions in the U.S. may rise by as much as 100,000 subscribers in the quarter, according to the company's projections.

The outlook looks even grimmer, considering that Netflix consistently added 1 million to 2 million subscribers per quarter leading up to the price increases.

From a financial perspective, Netflix did better than analysts expected in the July-September period.

The company earned $62.5 million, or $1.16, per share, in the third quarter. That compared to income of $38 million, or 70 cents per share, at the same time last year.

The performance topped the average earnings estimate of 96 cents per share among analysts polled by FactSet.

Netflix's revenue climbed 49 percent from the same time last year to nearly $822 million ? about $9 million above analyst estimates.

Netflix's downfall leaves CEO Reed Hastings in a precarious position.

Once regarded as one of the savviest leaders in technology and entertainment, Hastings has turned into a punching bag for frustrated Netflix customers and shareholders. Many of them are still befuddled by his recent decision making.

After Netflix's higher prices kicked in on Sept. 1, Hastings amplified the outrage by outlining a plan to toss the DVD rental business onto a separate website called Qwikster. The split from the Internet streaming service got panned so badly that Hastings reversed course in less than three weeks.

"We've hurt our hard-earned reputation and stalled our domestic growth," Hastings wrote in a letter accompanying Monday's third-quarter report. "But our long-term streaming opportunity is as compelling as ever and we are moving as quickly as we can to repair our reputation and return to growth."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_hi_te/us_earns_netflix

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