Productivity

Whether perusing the beauty and personal care products at Target or Whole Foods or shopping online at Sephora, consumers are increasingly encountering the phrase "paraben-free. " What exactly does paraben-free mean, and why might it matter? We take a closer look — including sussing out pretty makeup products that are paraben-free. What are parabens? Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products such as soap, moisturizers, shaving cream and underarm deodorant, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Microsoft Corp. is partnering with Paramount Pictures on a promotional effort for the studio's "Star Trek Into Darkness. " It represents the biggest such undertaking ever for the software giant. The Redmond, Wash., company's campaign isn't short on whimsy: Bing, Microsoft's Internet search engine, was updated Tuesday to include the "Star Trek" language Klingon in its online translation service. But there also is strategic significance to the marketing venture, because it leverages so many Microsoft services, devices and platforms in a way not previously attempted by the company for a movie promotion.

The downturn we call the Great Recession officially started in 2007. But after spending the last two years talking to people who lost jobs, homes or savings during the official recession, I'd argue that the trouble actually started decades earlier. Almost all those I spoke to had already slogged through many years of stagnant or declining hourly wages by the time the recession kicked in. Couples who wanted to maintain homes like the ones they were raised in had often borrowed heavily and/or taken second and sometimes third jobs.

The downturn we call the Great Recession officially started in 2007. But after spending the last two years talking to people who lost jobs, homes or savings during the official recession, I'd argue that the trouble actually started decades earlier. Almost all those I spoke to had already slogged through many years of stagnant or declining hourly wages by the time the recession kicked in. Couples who wanted to maintain homes like the ones they were raised in had often borrowed heavily and/or taken second and sometimes third jobs.

WASHINGTON — The productivity of U.S. nonfarm businesses dropped in the second quarter at a 0.9 percent annual rate, the first decline after five quarters of strong growth, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The reversal suggests that employers looking to increase output may need to hire more workers, a boon for the sluggish job market. In the second quarter, hours worked increased at a 3.6 percent annualized rate, the fastest since the first quarter of 2006, the government estimated.

James Flanigan puts a clean, clear statement on record ("Information to Give Airlines Added Thrust," March 12). He says that greater productivity is what information handling with computers is all about. Pontificators say that labor saving is what computers are all about. In long association with computers, I have yet to see anyone lose a job to a computer. Countless people, though, have been made more productive--from the laid back to the overachiever. This puts grins on their faces (and certainly on the faces of the customers, management and the stockholders)

Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz unveiled his highly anticipated new company, a developer of software that aims to help people work more efficiently. Asana is a task manager that enables teams of people to manage their work flow by breaking projects into tasks. The Web-based software gives workers one central place where they can see what colleagues are doing and get updates on how a project is progressing, Moskovitz said. Moskovitz, at 27 the world's youngest billionaire according to Forbes, and Asana co-founder Justin Rosenstein, a former colleague from Facebook, said they think of it as the modern way of working.

Between Independence Day landing on a Wednesday, the record temperatures scorching the country and the generally languid pace of office-bound summer workers, businesses shouldn't expect to accomplish much this season, experts said. Productivity will likely take a hit as “key decision makers, associates and customers” take off the days straddling the holiday, said John A. Challenger, chief executive of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Workplace productivity typically tumbles 20% in the summer, according to a study of 600 white-collar North American workers by digital media company Captivate Network.

American workers made modest productivity gains in the third quarter, but the lackluster manufacturing sector posted its lowest output gain in three years and continued to slow the overall economy, the government said Wednesday. And for the first time this year, the quarter-to-quarter hourly wage gains made by workers outpaced the growth in consumer inflation, the Labor Department said.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that productivity of U.S. workers rose in the third quarter at the slowest pace in almost two years, signaling that companies might begin adding workers at a faster rate to meet demand. A separate report showed that weekly jobless claims fell. "From a job-growth point of view, the drop in productivity is good news," said Tim McGee, chief economist at U.S. Trust Corp. in New York.

When I lived in the Middle East, I learned that tender tabbouleh salad and crunchy fried kibbeh , the celebrated Levantine croquette, share a key ingredient: bulgur. Since ancient times, bulgur has been a staple in the Fertile Crescent, where it is popular today as pilaf and is used in a variety of other dishes, including stuffed vegetables, lentil entrees, meat stews and stuffings for poultry. In fact, the word "bulgur" comes from Turkish, and southeastern Turkey may be the area where wheat was first cultivated.

Corey Perry wanted to carry the Ducks on his shoulders in the Stanley Cup playoffs. At least that was his plan leading into the first-round series against Detroit. Four games later, Perry has produced just one assist and the Ducks now are in a best-of-three fight against the Red Wings, with Game 5 on Wednesday night at Honda Center. "Obviously, it's not the start that I wanted, we're tied 2-2," Perry said. "Hopefully, I can get it going and we'll take things from there.

Herbalife Ltd. shares gained 4% and traded part of Monday above the price they were when hedge fund manager Bill Ackman first accused the Los Angeles nutritional products company of operating a long-running pyramid scheme. The company's stock price plummeted Dec. 19 after Ackman publicly disclosed that he had taken a $1-billion short position against its shares. In the four trading days after Ackman's announcement, the stock fell 43%, reaching an intra-day low of $24.24 on Christmas Eve. Taking a short position involves borrowing shares at a high price and selling them, expecting to repurchase them later when the price falls and thus profit from the decline in stock prices.

SACRAMENTO - A "Made in USA" label has long been seen as an advantage in marketing a product. Now there are in-state manufacturers that want to see the adoption of an official label that declares Made in California. State Sen. Ellen M. Corbett (D-San Leandro) has introduced legislation to require Go-Biz, the governor's business development office, to come up with a plan - including the new label - to promote California-manufactured products. The bill, now before the Senate Appropriations Committee, would enhance California's reputation for making environmentally safe and energy efficient products, Corbett said.

There's a wrinkle in the outlook for expensive women's designer jeans. Europe has more than tripled a tariff on the high-end denim creations, which could snag the boom for pricey pants. Beginning Wednesday, the European Union duty on women's denim trousers manufactured in the United States jumped to 38% from 12%. The hike, if passed along to customers in the form of price increases, could put a damper on denim exports to Europe, currently a growing market for U.S. denim makers.

Ordering some Chardonnay or Cabernet while eating out can sometimes be the priciest part of a meal. And it's only getting more expensive. The price of vino by the glass rose steadily over the last six months, according to Restaurant Sciences, an independent firm that tracks food and beverage product sales. The cause of the costlier buzz? A tightening squeeze on wine inventories - some even call it a shortage - coupled with swelling consumer demand for the alcohol. "We're seeing more and more wine lists with nothing under $40 for a bottle," said Michael Whiteman, president of Baum/Whiteman International Restaurant Consultants.

Sadly, most American managers would rather pay lip service to productivity than money for it. Indeed, most companies would rather downsize, restructure or reorganize than have the guts and brains to better align their incentive systems with their corporate strategies. The simple truth is that if organizations really cared about improving productivity, they would be willing to pay for it.

American workers posted a modest productivity improvement in the second quarter of the year with significant gains by factory workers leading the way, the government said Wednesday. The Labor Department said productivity in the non-farm portion of the economy rebounded at a revised annual rate of 0.7% in the April-June period, up from the 0.2% gain reported in preliminary data last month and much better than the 1.3% decline in the first quarter.

Hollywood North is going south. That's the fear among many in the once-booming production community in Vancouver, Canada. Although Vancouver still attracts high-profile movies and television shows, including A&E's recently launched "Bates Motel," the city is rapidly losing its perch as one of the industry's busiest production hubs as it faces rising competition from cities in eastern Canada and south of the border. The city that pioneered the use of film incentives now finds itself struggling to compete with emerging rivals offering stronger tax credits and rebates.

Jack Shea, a Hollywood veteran who directed popular sitcoms such as "The Jeffersons" and who, as president of the Directors Guild of America, forcefully argued for minority hiring and local production, has died. He was 84. Shea's death Sunday at a Tarzana care facility was caused by complications from Alzheimer's disease, a family spokesman said. His first TV directing gig came when he was 27, a frightened novice who suddenly was asked to fill in when the director of the game show "Truth or Consequences" called in sick.