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Digest

On the stand

By TIMES WIRES
Published November 2, 2006

Biz tidbits from and about magazines

Don't say it: 'Brainstorming'

Just the word "brainstorming" elicits a lot of eye rolling in most offices, writes Michael Myser in Business 2.0. But the problem, he says, is not with the concept of brainstorming, but the way it is done. "Most often, modern brainstorming involves a group of people sitting around a conference room, staring into space, and waiting for ideas to come. But in its true form, it's a rigidly structured process," he writes. Given how badly it is usually done, it sounds as if most companies could use a brainstorming session to figure out how they should brainstorm.

It's not too early to get line for the mall

Black Friday is getting closer. That's what retailers call the Friday after Thanksgiving, which marks the official start of the holiday shopping season - as opposed to the actual start about a month earlier. Smart Money says sales jumped 22 percent during that first post-Thanksgiving weekend in 2005, with sales reaching $8-billion on Black Friday. The buying phenomenon seems to get bigger every year, with retailers offering deeper discounts and staying open longer. Smart Money offers hints to consumers to help them save more. Some stores play off each other, such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Sears.

Go west, young workers. Very west.

Boomers are getting to retirement age, Generation Xers - the offspring of boomers - are moving up corporate ladders, but members of Generation Y - Americans born between 1978 and 1995 - will have to look overseas for their opportunities, the Futurist predicts. "For the first time in its history, the United States will see a significant proportion of its population emigrate to overseas opportunities," the magazine says. Gen-Yers will be the first generation of Americans to pursue a big portion of their lives overseas, if not their entire adult lives. Meanwhile, those left behind will work longer: The over-55 cohort will grow to 19 percent of the labor force by 2012 from today's 14 percent. In some cases, the age range of workers could span four generations, the Futurist reports. "As a result, the idea of 'retirement' will change significantly.

[Last modified November 2, 2006, 01:07:58]