What Is Professionalism Now? (Jim Karrh On Marketing)
As a practical business matter, if the professionalism bar is being lowered in many respects, then this topic represents a path for professionals and organizations to stand out. read more >
Trends & Analysis
Customer Value, Shareholder Value (Barry Goldberg On Leadership)
In essence, giving management a stake in outcomes encouraged shorter-term (think quarterly reporting) focus and left customers holding the bag. That strategy is efficient, but not sustainable. read more >
Ted Suhl Is Still A Felon (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
What's the matter with me? President Trump commuted the sentence of a man who used religion and bribes for personal gain, and my outrage meter barely registered. read more >
Sharpen Your Pencils (Craig Douglass On Consumers)
Most of the districts placed under state control have suffered from fiscal distress, even though the Arkansas Constitution requires the state to provide to all K-12 students an adequate and equitable education. read more >
Arkansas GDP Grows 2.5% in Q1
Arkansas' gross domestic product expanded by 2.5% during the first quarter of 2019, the highest quarterly growth rate for the state since the fourth quarter of 2016, Michael Pakko noted recently on his Arkansas Economist blog. read more >
Benton, Pulaski Counties Hold Wealthiest Zip Codes in Arkansas
Arkansas Business ranks the wealthiest ZIP codes in Arkansas by percentage of 2016 individual income tax return showing adjusted gross income of $100,000 or more. read more >
Inequality Increases in U.S. Wealth Distribution
Wealth disparities in the United States have widened substantially in the last 30 years. read more >
Flagging Disrespect (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
I believe in the economic boycott as a perfectly legitimate, free-market tool for encouraging different corporate behavior. It sometimes even works, although there seem to be a lot more calls for boycotts than subsequent victory celebrations. read more >
Public Infrastructure Spending Declines Since 2007
Total public spending on infrastructure in the United States fell by $9.9 billion from 2007 to 2017, according to a May report by the Brookings Institution. read more >
Arkansas Unemployment Drops to 3.5%, A New Record Low
Arkansas' unemployment rate dropped by one-tenth of a percentage point in June, to 3.5% from 3.6% in May. read more >
Number of Community Banks Drops Sharply
The number of banks in the United States fell by almost 50% during the last 20 years, from about 10,700 in 1997 to about 5,600 in 2017, with the vast majority of the decline, 97%, accounted for by community banks. read more >
Manufacturing Employment in Arkansas Hits 163,000
Manufacturing employment in Arkansas stood at 163,000 workers in May 2019, far below its peak in the 1990s but higher than the trough experienced in the aftermath of the Great Recession. read more >
Ozone Action Days: It's Good Business (Tab Townsell Commentary)
For "Telecommute Month," Metroplan highlights the health and financial benefits of a growing workplace trend. read more >
Transportation Equipment Top Export for Arkansas
Transportation equipment accounted for nearly $2 billion in exports in 2017, according to World Trade Center Arkansas. read more >
Celebrating Consumer Independence (Craig Douglass On Consumers)
During this Fourth of July celebratory week, consumers across America will be exercising their independence in the marketplace. We may shop, but we may not. Either way, we will salute in some manner the notion of consumer independence. read more >
Supreme Court Strikes Morality Standard for Trademarks (Mark Henry and Hannah Hungate Commentary)
The U.S. Supreme Court makes a big change to trademark law, striking down a provision that precluded federal registration of trademarks that "consists of or comprises immoral, deceptive or scandalous matter." Here's a brief explanation of the history and process behind this decision. read more >
Insured Losses from U.S. Catastrophes Total $52B
Insured losses stemming from natural disasters in the United States in 2018 totaled $52.3 billion, down from $78 billion in 2017. read more >
Arkansas Unemployment Unchanged at 3.6% in May
Arkansas' unemployment rate in May, at 3.6%, was unchanged from the previous month. read more >
Arkansas Soap Opera (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
I've accepted another invitation to speak to the Arkansas chapter of the Certified Fraud Examiners. I thought I'd have to scramble for material, but the hearing into former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson's motion to suppress evidence in his federal criminal case feels like manna from heaven. read more >
It's Not Them. It's Us. (Barry Goldberg On Leadership)
Instead of pointing a finger at millennials, we need to understand that they are now the workforce we must engage to be successful. read more >
U.S. Tops Other Developed Nations in Health Care Spending
The United States spends more per person on health care than similarly wealthy countries: $10,224 per person in 2017. That was 28% higher than Switzerland, the next highest spender per capita. read more >
Mean Wage for Legal Work Drops in Arkansas
The mean annual wage for lawyers in Arkansas in May 2018 was $98,780. read more >
A Look at 'Codetermination,' Bernie Sanders' Big Idea for Walmart's Board (Blake D. Lewis Commentary)
Bernie Sanders' proposal to Walmart is commonly referred to as "codetermination," a practice mandated in several European countries. Blake Lewis explains what it is, how it works and whether we'll see more of it in the U.S. read more >
Millennial Incomes: Median Hits $69,000 in 2017
Median incomes of U.S. households are rising again, and “those headed by a Millennial (someone age 22 to 37) now earn more than young adult households did at nearly any time in the past 50 years,” according to the Pew Research Center. read more >
Fake It Till You Break It (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
Overestimating one's own competence is not really the news here. What's new is the consistency with which other people — complete strangers, even — interpret confidence as competence. read more >
And Now: Good News (Editorial)
We have suggested to Michael Pakko, the state economic forecaster, that the volume of Movers & Shakers landing in our queue be considered an economic indicator. By that indication, Arkansas' economy is humming. read more >
A Tan and a Job (Craig Douglass On Consumers)
With unemployment continuing to be at undeniably low rates, the labor market is tight. Usually tight labor markets — more jobs than available or desirous workers — result in increased wage pressure as businesses increase salaries to attract the workers they want. And that contributes to inflation. But there is no wage pressure. read more >
Interview: Walter Hussman on the Future of Arkansas Newspapers
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Publisher Walter Hussman was interviewed May 21 in a 45-minute telephone conversation, three days after he had published a letter to subscribers laying out the Little Rock newspaper's plan to cut print publication to Sundays only. read more >
'Like My Father Before Me' (Ana Hernández Kent Commentary)
The strong relationship between one's own education and that of one's parents has important financial implications. read more >
Arkansas GDP Rises in 2018
Real gross domestic product rose 0.9% in 2018 in Arkansas compared with 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. read more >
Editors' Picks
