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Smallbusiness.com News Wire tracks small business-related news, features, and small business blogger commentary.

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1 Economy
2 Policy
3 HR
4 Technology
5 Startup
6 Marketing
7 Management
8 Finance and Accounting
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Economy

March trade deficit drops by bigger-than-expected amount | AP: The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in March as demand for imports fell by the largest amount since the last recession was ending.
Banks Fear Demand for Corporate Loans | New York Times: The number of banks that tightened their commercial lending standards and raised loan prices increased sharply between January and mid-April.
Small Business Bankruptcies on the Rise | BusinessWeek.com: More businesses filed for bankruptcy in April, 2008, than in any month since new bankruptcy laws took effect in 2005, according to a company that tracks federal court filings.
Jobless claims post sharp decline | AP: The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits fell to 365,000, a decline of 18,000 from the previous week. Economists had been looking for a much smaller decrease of around 5,000.
Time to Get Prepared for an Economic Downturn | Entreprenureal Mind: To get prepared for any economic downturn, it is best to think in terms of getting your financial statements in order.

Policy

Government launches crackdown on unfair credit cards | AP: The Federal Reserve and other regulators are moving to crack down on "unfair and deceptive" practices in the credit card industry that have added billions in debt to people already struggling to cope.
Truckers rally in Washington to protest high fuel prices | AP: Truck drivers honked horns, waved placards and shouted through bullhorns at the Capitol on Monday to protest rising fuel prices they say are hurting their livelihood.
Gasoline prices top concerns over jobs, health troubles | AP: Paying for gasoline easily tops the list of economic woes facing families in the United States, according to a survey on how changes in the economy have affected people's lives.
Tax rebates start going out today, earlier than planned | AP: Tax rebates will start going out today, earlier than previously announced. President Bush announced the change in schedule on Friday.
Bush says rebates going out Monday should help economy | AP: President Bush said tax rebates will start going out Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Americans cope with rising gasoline and food prices, as well as aid a slumping economy.

HR

Improving Company Performance Through Work-Based Learning | Kiplinger.com: Learning programs are moving out of HR and into the hands of managers, who are matching skills being taught to specific company objectives.
The Key to Retaining Sales Talent: Golden Handcuffs | TheStreet.com: Instead of a financial penalty, they represent a potential financial reward. If salespeople leave the company prematurely, they lose their chance to reap the reward.
Jobless claims post sharp decline | AP: The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits fell to 365,000, a decline of 18,000 from the previous week. Economists had been looking for a much smaller decrease of around 5,000.
Worker productivity up at 2.2 percent rate in first quarter | AP: Worker productivity rose by a better-than-expected amount in the first three months of the year while labor cost pressures eased.
Your Employees Are Dying to Be Heard | BusinessWeek.com: Poor workplace communication could be costing you business in more ways than you might imagine. Here's what you can do to improve it

Technology

Internet Ad Trends Favor Consumers | Kiplinger.com: Regulators are ready to restrict online tracking of Web surfing, threatening to derail breakneck speed of Internet ad growth.
Electronics Recycling Is Gaining Steam | Kiplinger.com: As states create a patchwork of laws, manufacturers and consumer groups debate who should pay for the cost of recycling toxic electronics.
Microsoft Adds $3 Million to Small Business Subsidies | PCWorld: Microsoft has invested several million more dollars into an incentive program it recently unveiled for small businesses, hoping to make it easier for customers in that market to run their businesses using Microsoft products.
Small business plugged into technology | thestar.com: More than 500,000 small businesses will be created globally in next five years, spending $517 billion on technology.
Papa John's surpasses $1 billion in online pizza sales | AP: In the past seven years, Louisville-based Papa John's has sold over $1 billion of pizzas online. Today, online and text-message orders account for 20% of its sales.

Startup

The allure of the .com domain name | The Industry Standard: Most businesses prefer a .com domain name because it is a highly recognized symbol for having a business presence on the Internet.
Degrees Designed for Rural Business | BusinessWeek.com: Some business schools are creating programs so grads can apply their skills to the farms and businesses of rural America.
How Do Entrepreneurs Come Up With New Business Ideas? | Small Business Trends: Rather than "searching" for a startup idea, most entrepreneurs get their ideas from their experience working in an industry.
Age and the Entrepreneur | Paul Kedrosky: A new report from the Kaufmann Foundation shows that U.S. tech entrepreneurs are, if anything, older than expected.
Entrepreneurs and the Optimism Advantage | Independent Street (WSJ.com): Sometimes it?s just about breaking mental habits that prevent pushing forward when things look bleak ? habits that ?are as hard to break as stopping smoking or biting your fingernails.?

Marketing

Internet Ad Trends Favor Consumers | Kiplinger.com: Regulators are ready to restrict online tracking of Web surfing, threatening to derail breakneck speed of Internet ad growth.
Papa John's surpasses $1 billion in online pizza sales | AP: In the past seven years, Louisville-based Papa John's has sold over $1 billion of pizzas online. Today, online and text-message orders account for 20% of its sales.
The allure of the .com domain name | The Industry Standard: Most businesses prefer a .com domain name because it is a highly recognized symbol for having a business presence on the Internet.
Do-It-Yourself Display Ads May Reshape Online Marketing | WSJ.com: Start-ups and major Internet players such as Facebook Inc. are giving advertisers the option of planning, buying and tracking online-ad campaigns all on their own.
As Gas Costs Soar, Buyers Flock to Small Cars | NYTimes.com: Soaring gas prices have turned the steady migration by Americans to smaller cars into a stampede.

Management

Improving Company Performance Through Work-Based Learning | Kiplinger.com: Learning programs are moving out of HR and into the hands of managers, who are matching skills being taught to specific company objectives.
The Key to Retaining Sales Talent: Golden Handcuffs | TheStreet.com: Instead of a financial penalty, they represent a potential financial reward. If salespeople leave the company prematurely, they lose their chance to reap the reward.
A recipie for a perfect boss | management-issues.com: Does the perfect boss actually exist? If so, what does he or she do that makes them perfect?
Degrees Designed for Rural Business | BusinessWeek.com: Some business schools are creating programs so grads can apply their skills to the farms and businesses of rural America.
Worker productivity up at 2.2 percent rate in first quarter | AP: Worker productivity rose by a better-than-expected amount in the first three months of the year while labor cost pressures eased.

Finance and Accounting

Banks Fear Demand for Corporate Loans | New York Times: The number of banks that tightened their commercial lending standards and raised loan prices increased sharply between January and mid-April.
Small Business Bankruptcies on the Rise | BusinessWeek.com: More businesses filed for bankruptcy in April, 2008, than in any month since new bankruptcy laws took effect in 2005, according to a company that tracks federal court filings.
Time to Get Prepared for an Economic Downturn | Entreprenureal Mind: To get prepared for any economic downturn, it is best to think in terms of getting your financial statements in order.
What Tight Credit Can Mean for Small Business | The Entrepreneurial Mind: Higher standards for cash flow, personal credit history, collateral requirements, and performance standards. Business loans that might have been approved a year ago, might no longer meet this new standards.
Economic Clouds? Wall Street Sees Signs of Sunshine | NYTimes.com: Many on Wall Street, the epicenter of the credit mess, seem to think that the worst is over. For the first time in months, analysts and executives sound upbeat again.