| Realize the benefits of
the full potential of your work environment with
the advanced creation, capture, communication and
collaboration features of Microsoft® Office
Professional 2003. Contact your Microsoft partner
or a Microsoft representative to purchase Office
Professional Edition 2003 through Open licensing
and earn up to $25,000 in cash back rebates. Click
here to learn more.
|
Microsoft has selected
chambers of commerce that are members of the
American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) as
among only a few organizations to be able to take
advantage of a special offer on Microsoft Small
Business Accounting 2006. As a member of ACCE, our
chamber is passing on this offer to you and your
employees. This offer is only good through
April 30, 2006.
You can receive $100
off the purchase of Small Business Accounting 2006
instantly - making the price only $79.00 without
the hassle of a mail-in rebate. Also included in
the offer is one year of free technical support
for Small Business Accounting 2006. A similar
support package from Intuit/QuickBooks would cost
over $200. MORE
|
| |
We have a new debate.
Should corporations recognize society in their
list of stakeholders and by doing so include
strategies for serving that stakeholder? Advocates
emphasizing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
say yes while many traditional business managers
cling to the narrower purpose of the corporation
as responsible to shareholders for a return on
their investiment. However, a recent McKinsey poll
finds that the overwhelming majority of corporate
executives do acknowledge a wider role for the
corporation than just investor returns. They also
admit that social issues and their accompanying
threats are poorly handled in current
practice. MORE
|
| |
| Want
to Run MS Windows XP on Your
Mac? |
| It was big news when
Apple Computer announced that it was going to
start using Intel chips for its processors. But
that was trumped earlier this month when Apple
released a beta version of software known as ‘Boot
Camp’ that will facilitate the installation of the
MS Windows XP operating system on the Mac allowing
a dual work environment. After installation, users
will be able switch between the Mac OS and Windows
XP by rebooting to the environment of choice. This
will make all software designed for Window XP
available to users running the new Intel version
of the Mac. While ‘Boot Camp’ is currently
available in beta version, it will be shipped with
the Mac OS starting in August. Some
resellers are already beginning to ship the new
Mac with Windows XP preinstalled. |
| |
As you browse the
ranking of top paid CEO’s, you may well see some
making in excess of $100 million for the year.
Articles accompanying the rankings may focus on
corporate accountability and critical commentary
on exec pay. A major part of the press coverage of
corporate scandals in recent years has highlighted
outlandish compensation of CEO’s at the same time
their company was going down. Researchers at
Wharton and Stanford have undertaken to determine
if the press fairly reports on CEO compensation
and evaluate whether the coverage changes
anything. Their conclusion after studying over
15,000 articles on the subject is twofold. First,
there seems to be plenty of room for bias in the
coverage. If the writer wants to be critical, the
article can selectively use wording and aggregate
various forms of compensation to come up with the
largest numbers possible. But the researchers also
conclude that the coverage doesn’t really seem to
change corporate compensation policy. For a
discussion of the research click MORE
|
| |
Now that the service
sector of our economy accounts for upwards of 75%
of the jobs, schools are starting to question
whether curriculum is adequately addressing this
shift. Some major universities are now putting
together experimental programs in what they are
calling ‘Service Science’. These courses are
designed to bring together the multiple
disciplinary aspects of effectively delivering
services. The National Science Foundation is
funding research into what it identifies as a need
for ‘a revolution in services’. The University of
California – Berkeley is introducing a
certification program in the field for graduate
students in engineering, business and information
management systems. The accumulated advances in
technology that are driving the global economy
make it all the more important that our
educational institutions prepare graduates with
the broadest set of skills and research to face
the economy of the present and the future.
MORE
|
| |
| Outsource
Savings Are Less Than
Anticipated |
Outsourcing contracts
continue to grow at an astounding rate. According
to Technology Partners International, IT and
business process outsourcing contracts signed in
the 1st quarter of this year were 173% greater
than in the same quarter in 2005. The number of
contracts in the pipeline also grew by 39%. But as
more experience is gained, companies
are finding that the savings are not as great as
planned. Overhead and management costs eat
into the great wage differentials leaving a net
cost reduction in the range of only 15%.
Even though IT is a major outsourced
function, it is interesting to note that IT
employment in the US hit an all time high in the
12 months ending March 31 with 3.472 million
workers according the an InformationWeek
analysis of the BLS data. This even exceeds
the dot com boom employment peak of 2001. The
frantic work on Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) projects of
the past year or so apparently created a backlog
of other business projects sustaining and growing
IT employment.
|
| |
Register Now! The
Employment Law Council of the Illinois Chamber is
offering seminars for business on the implications
of the new changes in workers' compensation law in
Illinois. Instructors will be experienced
practitioners that represent employers before the
Workers' Compensation Commission.
Friday,
May 5, 2006: Willowbrook, IL.
Tuesday, May 16,
2006: Collinsville, IL.
Don't miss this
opportunity! Click
here for more information and
registration. |
| |
John L. Lewis, Ph.D.,
Associate Vice President of University Outreach at
Northern Illinois University, will be presenting a
review of the Cost of Doing Business in Illinois
compared to other Great Lakes states . The
presentation will be held at McHenry County
College on May 9, 2006 from 7:30am - 9:30am.
Patricia Smith-Pierce, Ph.D., President
& CEO of Power Speaking Consultants, will be
facilitating discussions between the audience and
Dr. Lewis.
Cost: $25.00
CLICK
HERE for brochure and registration form or
RSVP by May 4 to Candace Gerritsen at 312-983-7110
(email: cgerritsen@ilchamber.org). |
| |
| Current
Economic Indicators |
| Illinois
Chamber HELPLINE |
| Knowing what you can and
can't do will help you prevent costly mistakes.
Call Howard Parker, our Chamber HR expert. He will
help you deal with problems safely and avoid
disputes. You can reach the Helpline toll-free at
800-322-4722. |
| |
SAVE 20% OR MORE ON YOUR
PAYROLL PROCESSING!
The
Illinois Chamber is offering an exclusive benefit
to Chamber members only! TruPay Corporation,
America's fastest growing payroll service now
offers its award-winning services to members of
the Illinois Chamber at special discounted rates
that could save you 20% or more. Click
here for more about this exciting new
opportunity.
Check out some of our other
programs and see how your membership pays with the
Illinois Chamber:
Learn more about these
programs and how they benefit your company when
you Join
the Leaders! |
| |
 The Chamber urges
all Illinois employers to recognize their Guard
and Reserve employees by signing and displaying
the ESGR Statement of Support. To get yours,
simply complete
an online form and you will receive a
personalized certificate that demonstrates your
support. Also visit the SBA Veteran's Business
Development web site for assistance to small
business owners that have employees activated in
the Guard or Reserves. Click MORE
|
The Exec
Report - Wood S.
McComb, Editor
Copyright © 2006 The Illinois
Chamber
|
