BUSINESS

Gone are the days when most people got jobs with corporations or small businesses fresh out of college, or even high school, and forty years later retired from that company.

There were good things about that system (a level of security and a sense of being at least an important cog in a wheel) and there were not-so-good things, such as a stifling of personal creativity and, paradoxically, that same sense of being just part of a machine.
That comforting sense of security could seem, to some, like a secure prison!

But for good or ill, that system is gone. Like so many things in the world, business has changed, and is changing, so fast that we hardly have the chance to get used to one innovation before the next is upon us. Creativity may be up, but security is definitely down.

For instance, we keep hearing about the globalization of business. But we have seen that new opportunities for people across the world mean loss of jobs at home. More and more expertise in technology seems to be required but what happens when one works for ten years in a high tech field and finds the job exported from under them?

What about the recent investigations into corruption in corporations - Enron being the most notable example? How can we protect ourselves if we cannot trust our bosses to be looking out for even the welfare of their corporation, much less for us?

What about starting our own business? We may think we have a great idea but where do we begin looking for financial backing? What about environmental impact studies or workplace safety regulations?

What does the increasing computerization of almost everything mean to business? Will it really be able to make home businesses a widespread opportunity?

How do we keep our balance amidst all of this? It is challenge and one which most of need to address quickly with as much knowledge as we can acquire.

Websites

Forbes

World leader in business information.

SBA

Small Business Administration

Ceo Express

Very cool Site check it out

Executive library

Wonderful site full of tons of Business information

The Service Corp. Of Retired Executive. This is an amazing opportunity to learn from people who have been successful for years.