Business Markets

Work seems to slow to a dribble during March according to a new report. American workers could spend more than eight million hours watching NCAA Tournament games from the office. March Madness may be putting a serious crimp in the economy and in the work flow of American workers according to global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

The company estimates that total online viewership during work hours will reach 8.4 million during 2011’s March Madness games. Multiply that by the average hourly earnings of American workers which is $22.87 and you’ll get a financial impact of more than $192 million. The company used 2010 statistics from CBSSports.com on traffic to the website which show that 8.3 unique visitors watched 11.7 million hours of streaming video and audio. That works out to about 1.4 hours per visitor, an increase of more than 30% over the prior year.

“At first glance, 8.4 million hours of lost productivity seems like it would deliver a crushing blow to the economy. Howev

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LONDON, March 25 (UPI) — Official budget forecasters in Britain said the average standard of living will fall for two years at least with inflation outpacing wage improvements.

The Office for Budget Responsibility said it would be until at least mid-2013 before wages begin to rise faster than prices.

Disposable income for 2011 alone will drop, on average, by $2,411 for a middle class family, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Along with the forecast, a separate report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies said the government commitment to National Health Services required $6.42 billion in cost savings or additional revenue or a combination of the two. Britain is also expected to raise nearly $10 billion in taxes to contribute to the European Union’s bailout fund for struggling countries, the newspaper said.

Without these additional burdens, income tax for those earning $72,333 per year or more has risen this year, as has sales tax in Britain.

“I certainly accept that it is a tough time, absolutely.

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Lawyers, accountants and engineers must have formal qualifications, so why not CEOs? A new program offering Certified CEO status promises to help bosses and future bosses make a real bottom-line difference to their businesses.

The CEO Institute has partnered with Mt Eliza Executive Education to create a program it hopes will become the gold standard for professional recognition of people who lead organisations across the Asia Pacific region. The Certified CEO (CCEO) Program has its first intake of CEOs from October.

Program director Esmé Alfred, said while The CEO Institute was not advocating that formal qualifications should be compulsory, there were clear advantages for those who do opt for formal accreditation. “High quality accreditation boosts CEO self confidence and capabilities. Combining accreditation with the CEO’s life experience can positively impact the success and sustainability of a business,” she says.

Not everyone agrees though. Stephen

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 19 (UPI) — An FBI sting operation investigating Palm Beach Business Consultants in Florida has netted two more guilty pleas, court papers show.

David Ramoy, a loan officer at the Florida Community Bank and Daniel Agudelo of the Fifth Third Bank in West Palm Beach both pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to process loans and to one count of money laundering, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Saturday.

Each of the bankers processed fraudulent loans for an FBI agent. They also agreed to help conceal money the agent said was earned from a marijuana business.

The case revolves around Palm Beach Business Consultants, owned by Francis Santa, who allegedly arranged to bribe bankers on behalf of clients seeking loans.

The case has garnered seven arrests.

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Racing fans may love it, but Melbourne’s grand prix is not a formula for financial success.

WHEN the formula one circus rolls into town this week, expect a sea of red.

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The American Red Cross is already making it’s first major contribution to the Japanese Red Cross Society in order to help with relief efforts after the earthquake and tsunami there. The American Red Cross announced it is giving $10 million to assist.  “We are grateful for the American public’s generosity and compassion following what has been declared one of the most devastating earthquakes in history,” said David Meltzer, senior vice president of international services with the American Red Cross, in a news release. “The American Red Cross is in a unique position to help channel that support to our partner in Japan that is playing a critical humanitarian role and comforting the survivors.”

Besides just giving money, many volunteers are giving their time. A disaster management expert from the American Red Cross arrived in Japan on Monday for a week-long trip. The team will be providing advice and support to the Japanese Red Cross.

The Japanese Red Cross has more than two million volunteers. Many of the

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If you plan to enter the field of medical billing you may be wondering how long it takes? training medical billing requires very little education compared to many fields, job prospects are good and jobs in this area are well paid too.

No matter if you’re looking for a job in medical billing company or consider starting a home-based business in this area GuideToMedicalBilling offers you a few things to know before you start.

First you want to know that there are experienced providers in your area that can hire you. Even starting a home-based business for yourself you should gain experience in this industry by working for one of the companies that provide billing services to doctors’ offices, hospitals and health care professionals. So make sure to verify that there are such companies in your city. If you’re in a small community there may be no one of these providers.

There are several options to get training you need in medical billing. Read full post…