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Biz bits

By wire services
Published September 25, 2005

THINK BUSINESS CAPITAL, and a city such as Detroit may come to mind. But Fortune Small Business says the country is dotted with "secret capitals of small business," dependent on dozens of small companies that dominate a particular industry. Wichita, Kan., is the center of light aircraft, for example, with some 300 companies in that industry. The center of orthopedic surgery is Birmingham, Ala., Phoenix is tops for helicopters, and Durham, N.C., is the nation's weight-loss capital.

CORPORATE CHIEFS need to watch their language, at least in official documents. The Securities and Exchange Commission threw the book at two former top executives of Kmart Corp., former chief executive Charles Conaway and former financial chief John McDonald Jr., for their allegedly misleading explanation of the retailer's finances in its 2001 quarterly reports, BusinessWeek says. It says the civil suit is the latest sign that the SEC intends to turn the "management's discussion and analysis" section of quarterly and annual reports into a no-spin zone.

UNLESS YOU'RE a business traveler, racking up frequent-flier miles can be tough. But there are ways to earn extra points while keeping your feet planted firmly on the ground, SmartMoney.com says. Online, you can find membership programs that let you earn miles toward the airline of your choice for every dollar you spend with companies in the program's network. You could furnish your apartment, go grocery shopping or reserve a hotel room, and earn frequent-flier miles at the same time. SmartMoney.com details some popular programs.

THE GLOBAL GROWTH in solar power is hitting a snag, particularly in Japan and Germany, Barron's reports. "A worsening shortage of the polysilicon needed to make solar cells will crimp growth for at least the next several years and potentially trigger a supply crisis for some smaller players." Barron's names several companies that could benefit from the polysilicon shortage, including MEMC Electronic Materials and Japan-based Tokuyama.

SITTING DOWN once or twice a month to write out checks can be overwhelming and depressing. Jean Chatzky, author of You Don't Have to Be Rich, writes that it's better to pay your bills as they come in rather than let them pile up for a lengthy bill-paying session. She suggests keeping stamps, pens and a checkbook in one location, near wherever you open your mail. Open each bill and pay it when it arrives, she suggests, then put it in the next day's outgoing mail.

Compiled from Times wires and Web sites.

[Last modified September 23, 2005, 19:35:04]