Hallmark Cards announces voluntary job cuts - KansasCity.com

Hallmark Cards on Tuesday announced a voluntary job cut program which is expected to eliminate 300 to 400 positions.

The employee buyouts, prompted by disappointing financial results during the recession and slow recovery, are being offered to employees who are least 50 years old and have at least 15 years of vested service with the company.

For more, click the link below:

Hallmark Cards announces voluntary job cuts - KansasCity.com

Facebook Warns Employers Not to Ask Job Applicants for Log-in Credentials

Facebook on Friday warned employers about trying to gain inappropriate access to Facebook accounts to check out private information about potential employees, citing possible legal liability.

In recent months, Facebook has seen a "distressing increase" of reports about employers trying to access user accounts in the U.S., Erin Egan, Facebook's chief privacy officer, said in a post. "The most alarming of these practices is the reported incidences of employers asking prospective or actual employees to reveal their passwords."

For more, click the link below:


http://www.pcworld.com/article/252436/facebook_warns_employers_not_to_ask_job_applicants_for_login_credentials.html#tk.nl_bdx_h_crawl

Seedco, New York Job Agency, Is Accused of Filing False Job Claims

Note to visitors: The Palo-Negro-Blog is no longer being actively maintained.  For more current posts, please visit:  http://JBK-BizTech.blogspot.com


Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Seedco, New York Job Agency, Is Accused of Filing False Job Claims

By MICHAEL POWELL

City investigators have discovered evidence of large-scale fraud in one of the agencies leading Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s signature initiative to find jobs for unemployed New Yorkers.

The Department of Investigation found that Seedco, a nonprofit organization that frequently works with the Bloomberg administration, falsely claimed to have helped at least 1,400 people — out of about 6,500 — find jobs; those people are in fact jobless or found employment on their own.

Seedco “developed systematic practices to report false placements” to the city’s Department of Small Business Services, according to a report on the investigation that was released on Friday.

The Department of Investigation noted that the number of fraudulent claims could be much higher, because Seedco, with permission from the city, shredded job placement documents between 2008 and February 2011.

Federal prosecutors have begun their own inquiry and have interviewed several former Seedco employees. Seedco is cooperating with that inquiry, the agency president, Barbara Dwyer Gunn, said through a spokesman.

The reports of fraud come as a blow to Mr. Bloomberg, who sought a third term based on his ability to lead the city in a tough economy and has heralded his administration’s success in finding jobs for unemployed New Yorkers.

Cloud Computing & Jobs

Microsoft: Cloud Computing to Create Millions of Jobs

Countering conventional wisdom, new commissioned research from IDC predicts the cloud will generate nearly 14 million new jobs worldwide by 2015.

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REDMOND, Wash. — March 5, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today published commissioned research from analyst firm IDC indicating that cloud computing will create nearly 14 million new jobs globally by 2015. IDC’s research predicts revenues from cloud innovation could reach $1.1 trillion per year by 2015, which, combined with cloud efficiencies, will drive significant organizational reinvestment and job growth. “For most organizations, cloud computing should be a no-brainer, given its ability to increase IT innovation and flexibility, lower capital costs, and help generate revenues that are multiples of spending,” said John F. Gantz, chief research officer and senior vice president at IDC. “A common misperception is cloud computing is a job eliminator, but in truth it will be a job creator — a major one. And job growth will occur across continents and throughout organizations of all sizes because emerging markets, small cities and small businesses have the same access to cloud benefits as large enterprises or developed nations.” The report also indicates specific industries will generate job growth at different rates, and that public cloud investments will drive faster job growth than private cloud investments. The report also notes governments can influence the number of jobs created by cloud computing within individual countries. More information, including the full report, is available athttp://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2012/mar12/03-05CloudComputingJobs.mspx. Microsoft is delivering a set of solutions to drive the cloud’s growing future. The company offers full public and private cloud solutions for consumers and organizations of all sizes. These enable customers to reap the benefits of cloud computing — from connecting and sharing for consumers, to lowering costs and realizing new technical or strategic opportunities for organizations. More information on Microsoft cloud solutions is available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud/default.aspx?fbid=92ndoVValL4. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Apple Study on Job Creation

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Monday, March 05, 2012

Apple Study on Job Creation Spurs an Economic Debate

By NICK WINGFIELD

Apple has made its first attempt to quantify how many American jobs can be credited to the sale of its iPads and other products, a group that includes the Apple engineers who design the devices and the drivers who deliver them — even the people who build the trucks that get them there.

On Friday, the company published the results of a study it commissioned saying that it had “created or supported” 514,000 American jobs. The study is an effort to show that Apple’s benefit to the American job market goes far beyond the 47,000 people it directly employs here.

Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., released the study on its Web site but declined to say why it published the results.

The company’s employment practices have come under closer examination. Apple and other high-tech companies, including Internet companies, employ relatively few people compared with other stalwarts of American business, like General Motors and General Electric in their heyday.

Apple, which is now the world’s most valuable company, has created more jobs overseas, approximately 700,000 through a network of suppliers that make iPhones, iPads and other products.

The accuracy of the Apple jobs calculation in the United States may well be debated among economists for years. “Apple has a big effect, and big is about as precise as I can make it,” said Gary P. Pisano, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. “It’s hard to say the exact size.”

David Autor, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said via e-mail that the “entire business of claiming ‘direct and indirect’ job creation is disreputable” because most of the workers Apple is taking credit for would have been employed elsewhere in the company’s absence.

“But of course, they might not have been as well paid or gratified with their work,” Mr. Autor said. “We’ll never know.”

FBI Internet Scam Alerts

From the FBI:

Internet Crime Complaint Center's (IC3)
Scam Alerts

February 17, 2012

This report, which is based upon information from law enforcement and complaints submitted to the IC3, details recent cyber crime trends, new twists to previously-existing cyber scams, and announcements.

MYSTERY SHOPPER SCAM TO EVALUATE WIRE TRANSFER SERVICES

The IC3 has recently received over 250 complaints reporting a new twist to the online employment scam. The scam involves individuals who responded to online ads or were contacted via e-mail as a result of their resume being posted on job websites. The perpetrator posed as a research company and requested participants to complete a paid survey regarding services provided at wire transfer locations to improve the effectiveness of the company's money-transfer services.

Complainants were hired and then mailed a cashier's check or money order. They received instructions to cash the check/money order at their local bank, keep a portion as payment, and wire the remaining amount via wire transfer to a designated recipient. Victims were then asked to immediately e-mail their employer with the transfer number, amount wired, recipient's name and address, and the name of the wire transfer location evaluated. Upon sending the information, victims received a questionnaire form regarding their overall wire transfer experience to complete and return. Those who did not promptly follow through with the instructions received threatening e-mails stating if they did not respond within 24 hours, their information would be forwarded to the FBI and they could face 25 years in jail.

Shortly after the transactions, victims were informed by their banks that the checks were counterfeit and were held responsible for reimbursing their banks. Most victims owed their bank over $2,500.

SPAM REFERENCING U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS AND GADDAFI

Criminals continue to explore new avenues to lure victims, most recently by claiming to be a US military contractor, who was performing reconstruction work in Libya. Fraudsters sent unsolicited e-mails claiming that several metal boxes were found in cellars of high-rise buildings built and occupied by Muammar Gaddafi. Each box purportedly contained large sums of money, in addition to guns, armor, bullets, and drugs. The e-mails requested the recipient’s assistance with transferring the money out of Libya. The fraudsters also told the e-mail recipients that they were expected to receive, secure, and protect the boxes until the overseas assignment elapsed and promised the victims a 30 percent profit.

Often times in online scams, once communication with the fraudsters begins, they will request personal information, including but not limited to bank account details, claiming funds are needed to cover various expenses.

Be wary of any unsolicited e-mail, especially those requesting personal information or soliciting the submission of money for any reason. Unsolicited e-mails should not be opened, as they often contain viruses or other malicious software.

POX PARTY ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS

Recently, the IC3 received a complaint from an individual reporting an advertisement on a social media site that offered ways to obtain "natural immunity" from the chickenpox by sharing lollipops licked by children infected with the virus. Parents have been known to take their child to a "Pox Party" as an alternative to vaccinating children from varicella, otherwise known as chickenpox, but sending virus-covered lollipops through the mail is against Federal law.

One individual posted a message stating "fresh batch of pox in Nashville shipping of suckers, spit, and Q-tips available tomorrow 50 dollars."

As a disclaimer, the social media site posted the following notice on their page:

"This page has never condoned the mailing of infectious diseases. For our members: The mailing of infectious items, such as lollipops, rags, etc, is a federal offense. This page is not private and can been seen by members and non members alike. You may post on the page that you have the pox and are willing to share in YOUR AREA but please keep your specifics in private messages between members. Again, this page can be seen by anyone and mailing is a federal offense. We are all intelligent adults but these guidelines will help protect your privacy."

According to the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) website, www.cdc.gov, chickenpox is spread in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be spread by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from the chickenpox blisters. The CDC also discourages chickenpox parties because the disease can be serious. Dangerous diseases like hepatitis A and strep can be transmitted via saliva according to the CDC's website. Therefore, not only is the contaminated candy not likely to provide exposure to chickenpox, it could expose children to an entirely different disease.

America's Next Top Energy Innovator, Round 2

News release from the U.S. Department of Energy:

Secretary Chu Announces Second Round of “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” on One Year Anniversary of the White House Startup America Initiative

January 31, 2012 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on the one year anniversary of the Obama Administration’s Startup America Initiative, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) is kicking off a second year of “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator,” a program that allows startup companies to license groundbreaking technologies developed by DOE’s 17 national laboratories for $1,000 and build successful businesses. As part of this effort, the Department reduces both the cost and paperwork requirements for startup companies to obtain an option agreement to license some of the 15,000 patents and patent applications held by the national laboratories.

The White House Startup America Initiative is a multiagency effort across the Obama Administration to promote high-growth entrepreneurship by expanding access to capital, cutting red tape, and accelerating innovation through agency action.  Additional information on the program’s one year anniversary and new steps the Obama Administration is taking to support job-creating small businesses is available HERE.

“America's future competitiveness depends on our ability to innovate and advance American products and businesses,” said Energy Secretary Chu. “Through America’s Next Top Energy Innovator, we are allowing brilliant ideas to fully develop and giving startup companies the opportunity to bring inventions from our national laboratories to the market.”

Under the previous round of America’s Next Top Energy Innovator, thirty-six companies in total signed option agreements with the national laboratories.  An online contest for the top picks is currently underway, where Americans can vote online for the most innovative and promising technologies supported by the program by visiting www.energy.gov/topinnovator. The top startup companies– based on the public vote and an expert review – will be invited to be featured at the premier annual gathering of clean energy investors and innovators around the country, the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit at the end of February.

Under the next round of the “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” program:

1.      Wednesday, February 1, 2011, the Department will kick off the second round of the competition.  Entrepreneurs and start-ups must identify the technology of interest and submit a business plan to be considered for the program. Participants will have until December 10, 2012 to make their submission to the laboratory.
2.      Any of the 15,000 unlicensed patents and patent applications held by the national laboratories will be available for licensing by startup companies.
3.      From February 1 to December 10, the Department will reduce the total upfront cost of licensing DOE patents in a specific technology to a $1,000 upfront fee for portfolios of up to three patents from a single laboratory. This represents a savings of $10,000 to $50,000 on average in upfront fees.
4.      Other license terms, such as equity and royalties, will be negotiated on a case by case basis and will typically be due once the company grows and achieves commercial sales. These fees help support the Department's continuing research activities to develop new technologies.
5.      The Department has simplified the option and licensing process and has established a standard set of terms for start-ups, who generally lack the resources, time or expertise to negotiate individual licensing agreements.
6.      In early 2013, the Department will give Americans the chance to vote online for the most innovative and promising technologies supported by the program.

Learn more about DOE’s America’s Next Top Energy Innovator program HERE. Learn more about the Obama Administration’s Startup America initiative HERE.

FTC Terminates Employment Scam

News release from the FTC:

For Release: 01/31/2012

FTC Action Terminates Nationwide Employment Scam

Agency Cautions Consumers: Be Wary of Job Offers that Charge Fees

An operation that allegedly deceived consumers with bogus promises of nonexistent sales jobs will be banned from marketing any employment products or services under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
The proposed settlement order against National Sales Group and other defendants resolves FTC charges filed as part of a crackdown on scammers who falsely promise employment opportunities to financially distressed consumers. According to the FTC's complaint, the defendants advertised on CareerBuilder.com and other online job boards, and their telemarketers falsely told consumers they recruited for Fortune 1000 employers and had a unique ability to get them interviewed and hired.

The FTC complaint alleged that the defendants charged fees, purportedly for background checks and other services, and often overcharged, taking $97 from consumers who had agreed to pay $29 or $38. The defendants also allegedly charged some consumers recurring fees of $13.71 or more per month without their consent. At the FTC's request, in February 2011, the court halted the allegedly illegal practices and froze the defendants' assets pending litigation.

Under the proposed settlement order, Anthony J. Newton, National Sales Group, and I Life Marketing LLC, also doing business as Executive Sales Network and Certified Sales Jobs, are banned from selling employment products or services. They and co-defendant Jeremy S. Cooley are permanently prohibited from misrepresenting material facts about any product or service, and from violating the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule, including misrepresenting the benefits of a good or service or misrepresenting that any person is affiliated with or endorsed by another person or government entity. The defendants also are barred from violating the Rule by billing consumers without their consent and failing, during calls, to clearly and promptly disclose the seller's identity, the call's purpose, and the nature of the goods or services.

The order also bars the defendants from selling or using customers' personal information, failing to properly dispose of customer information, and attempting to collect payments from past customers. In addition, the order imposes a $13 million judgment that will be suspended once Newton has paid $279,000, terminated a lease on a 2009 Mercedes-Benz, and surrendered his interest in a residence in Huntington Beach, California. The full judgment will be imposed immediately if the defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial condition.

The Commission vote approving the proposed consent order was 4-0. It is subject to court approval. The FTC filed the proposed consent order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

For more information, read Job Hunting-Job Scams.