BBC Business Headlines

Goldman Sachs fined £20m by FSA
Wall Street banking giant Goldman Sachs is fined £20m by the UK's financial watchdog, the BBC learns.

Rig firms hit back at BP report
Contractors who worked for BP on the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon oil rig criticise the company's report into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Shoppers turning to card payments
The number of cash machines in the UK has fallen and withdrawals have dropped as shoppers turn to cards, figures show.

Empty shops highlighting 'divide'
The number of shops closing in Britain is slowing but a north-south divide has emerged, a survey by retail analysts the Local Data Company suggests.

US economic growth 'decelerating'
US economic growth showed "widespread signs of deceleration" in August, says the Federal Reserve's Beige Book.


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NY Times Economix

Nearly 5 Jobless Workers Per Opening in July
That's a better ratio than what the economy showed earlier this year, but it still shows persistent softness in the United States labor market.

The Thoughtful Roar of the Housing Bears
Bloggers expand on the case for gloom in the real-estate market.

What We're Reading: Lying Pants
Links from around the Web.

New York State Still Has Highest Unionization Rate
A new report looks at the organized labor in the Empire State and around the country, and how its size and composition have changed over the years.


Paul Krugman
Japanese Demography
Where have all the workers gone?Read more...




Buy the Book


The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
by Joseph A. Michelli

Published by McGraw Hill

Read Excerpt
Listen to podcast interview:
Five Leadership Principles that set the "Gold Standard" for your industry:
  • Define and Refine
  • Empower through Trust
  • It's Not about You
  • Deliver "Wow!"
  • Leave a Lasting Footprint
Discover the secrets of world-class leadership

When it comes to refined service and exquisite hospitality, one name stands high above the rest: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. With ceaseless attention to every luxurious detail, the company has set the bar for creating memorable customer experiences in world-class settings. Now, for the first time, the leadership secrets behind the company's extraordinary success are revealed.

The New Gold Standard takes you on an exclusive tour behind the scenes of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Granted unprecedented access to the company's executives, staff, and award-winning Leadership Center, bestselling author Joseph Michelli explored every level of leadership within the organization. He emerged with key principles that provide a customer experience unlike any other:
  • Understanding the ever-evolving needs of customers
  • Empowering employees by treating them with the utmost respect 
  • Anticipating customers' unexpressed needs and concerns 
  • Developing and conducting an unsurpassed training regimen
Sharing engaging stories from the company's employees -- from the corporate office and hotels around the globe -- Michelli describes the innovative methods the company uses to create peerless guest experiences and explains how it constantly hones and improves them.

The New Gold Standard weaves practical how-to advice, proven leadership tools, and the wisdom of experts to help you create and embed superior customer service principles, processes, and practices in your own organization.

pub date: 2008-06-13 | hardcover | 9780071548335