New York SBDC Research Network

The end of this month brings the deadline for signing up for the Affordable Care ACT.  So how do you face this deadline and what are people doing to face the deadline?  Below are some articles from popular news sources on what the deadline means, whether it affects you, and what people are saying about the deadline. Disclaimer:  News from popular news sources are not always accurate or up-to-date, so it important to read  from multiple sources. Millions May Avoid Obamacare Penalty as Deadline Looms Deadline looming for Affordable Care Act enrollment Obamacare enrollment bests 4.2 million; more young adults signed up Facing Obamacare enrollment deadline, these states are pushing for more time

Whether you work in a hazardous environment or in a comparatively safer zone, workplace safety is important to prevent mishaps. Since you are spending most of your time at your work place, it must be safe so that no threat to health is posed. Thus, health and safety of employees are major concerns of an organization. Health and safety programs are an important part of preventing injury and illness in the workplace. Health programs help employers and employees understand the potential hazards they are exposed to on a daily basis. Effective health and safety programs educate workers on the benefits of practicing proper workplace behaviors. When companies understand the impact injuries have on their bottom line, they are more inclined to implement programs to keep their workers healthy and safe. Understanding the importance of safety at workplace should be the concern of the management. Certain norms are established that an individual should know to ensure self-safety. There should be

From USA Today : Q: Just when I thought I had it all going on with regard to my website, it turns out that I am now supposed to have a mobile version of my site, right? Is this really necessary? I have more important things to spend my time on, don't you agree? -- T.J. A. I would like to agree, but unfortunately, I cannot. Consider, just for starters, these statistics I recently saw from Visual.ly: • Mobile search has grown five times in the past two years. • 52% of all local searches are done on a mobile phone. • Nine out of 10 mobile searches end in a purchase. So, no, you cannot ignore your mobile website; indeed, for most small businesses, it needs to become a priority. Look, we live in a world where mobile is taking over (or has taken over.) More and more, people are using smartphones and tablets as their main access point for the Web, and that means that sites that are not optimized for mobile devices have a problem.

Over the last year, the Federal Trade Commission has continued aggressive enforcement of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by bringing or resolving nine debt collection cases, according to the agency’s annual summary of debt collection activities. “When it comes to debt collection, the FTC has many tools in its arsenal, including research, enforcement, and consumer education,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the agency’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “But in the years since the financial crisis hit, we have increased our emphasis on law enforcement.” In 2013, the FTC obtained court orders stopping illegal debt collection activities in seven cases, and referred two other debt collection cases to the Department of Justice for civil penalties. In several of the cases, the FTC obtained temporary restraining orders halting the unlawful conduct, freezing the defendants’ assets, and appointing receivers to take over operations while court proceedings progressed. More from the FT

Different industries are having different reactions to the Affordable Care Act.  Below are some articles on different industries and how they say the ACA will effect them How latest change in health care bill impacts restaurants Manufacturers warn of ObamaCare fallout New Obamacare Regulations Spark Growth in Vending Industry Companies Say Obamacare Is Slamming The Health Care Industry I've tried to provide a mix of industries above.  If you are interested in finding information on an industry that I haven't touched on, please comment below, and I will try to find information for you.  If you would like to search on your own, I advise looking at an association website.  Associations are valuable sources of up-to-date information on specific industries.

Once upon a time, syndicated data providers were the main source of retail POS data, and what was available was limited and extremely expensive. But times have changed, with richer, more detailed demand data becoming available from more and more sources: syndicated data providers, brokers, third party data managers, and increasingly, retailers themselves — usually for free. But not all consumer goods (CG) companies are aware of who’s sharing and what’s available — even from their own customers. While it’s true that few retailers share data on the level of Walmart with its Retail Link® portal, more and more are grasping the benefits of enabling their suppliers to access store-level sales and inventory information in virtually real time, and taking steps to make it more available. Store-level demand sensing is the fuel that fires a responsive, profit-enhancing CG demand chain. The ultimate goal is a robust analytics solution that drives actionable business decisions, from supply and

Get Business Continuity Tips at Free Webinar Hosted by SBA & Agility WASHINGTON – Floods are a threat for areas hit by heavy late-winter snowfalls. Severe storms—sometimes in the form of deadly tornadoes or massive rainfall—often wreak havoc across the U.S. during spring. There are many low-cost, efficient steps you can take now to make sure your company, clients and employees are safe in the months to come. Join the U.S. Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery on Tuesday, March 11 at 2 p.m. EDT for a free webinar on best practices for mitigating spring weather risks. These preparedness tips are based on real-life recovery experiences from business owners. The SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies through its “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for additional preparedness tips. The SBA provides disaster recovery assistance in the form of low-interest loans to hom