recession

This recession seems to have changed the employer-worker relationship in ways that will last for many years -- in ways that won't put a smile on employees' faces.

The Wall Street Journal reports on a survey revealing that 2 out of 3 large companies that have cut employees' health-care benefits don't plan to restore them to pre-recession levels.

The financial pressures that have closed or squeezed newspapers and magazines in recent years largely come down to one thing: the "advertising recession."

Last month, Bloomberg News reported that U.S. advertising expenditures fell by 14% over the first half of the year.

Is a turnaround on the horizon?

Children are back in school and feeling care-free, leaving their parents to stress over the tough decisions they face coping with a job loss or other effects of this recession.

Back in the 1990s, the hard-rockin' band Bane released an album called It All Comes Down to This. But there wasn't a single track on that album about men's underwear. Maybe band members just hadn't heard.

Another Wakefield Snapshot

Wakefield recently conducted a survey on behalf of Bliss-Phillips on the subject of bikini-line shaving.  It found that 80 percent of women have tried it at least once. It turns out that bikini-line grooming is one of the most widely practiced beauty routines in America. Who knew?

Maybe some ideas are so good that the economic climate is irrelevant (like the Manzier) but kudos to anyone with the cojones to start a business in this economy.

But that's exactly what some brave souls have done. In the midst of one of the worst economies in national history, more than four in 10 Americans (42%) have considered starting their own business since the start of the downturn.

Most experts and columnists have reminded us at least once in the past year that quality customer service is crucial in a tough economy. Yet, recent consumer opinion data reveals that nearly half of American adults (43%) feel that customer service has actually gotten worse during this economic downturn.