What’s going ‘on’:

Cornell building island tech hub:Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology are planning a $2 billion high-tech research complex to be built on Roosevelt Island on the East River, which they hope will help New York City compete with the Silicon Valley for the title of top tech start-up hub in the country.

So it’s not surprising that fraud in the workplace increased during the economic crisis and recession. The median loss tied to occupational fraud is $160,000, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ 2010 report, so companies have every right to be concerned. Moreover, the group says small businesses are especially vulnerable.

What’s going ‘on’:

Gas prices expected to slip: Gas prices are expected to continue their recent decline in the coming weeks, and even if they do rise later this summer, they are likely to remain well below the $4 or $5 per gallon that some observers had previously forecasts, according to Gasbuddy.com. The national average has already fallen from its peak of $3.91 per gallon in early April to $3.64 on Memorial Day.

Students have unbelievable loans. Many are moving home to live with parents.  Some say there are no jobs.  But I know of at least one job that a media production company has unsuccessfully tried to fill for eight months.  It’s my company!  And I know other Michigan companies that have similar stories to tell about openings and the lack of prepared graduates. 

According to many studies, having an open door policy encourages an open and transparent work environment where employees are able to directly communicate with top management.  Many companies, especially small businesses, implement an open door policy to foster an environment of collaboration, high performance and mutual respect where employees can feel empowered and directly involved in the growth and direction of the company. 

If you’re like most business owners, your days are filled by efforts to make your company successful. Those tasks might be focused on making a great product, generating sales, or building customer relationships. And you might be great at those things.

What’s going ‘on’:

Senate hits dead end on student loan measures: Senators held two votes Thursday on bills to stop loan rates from soon doubling for millions of college students, but they couldn’t reach an accord on either. Each failed to reach the 60-vote threshold necessary to move forward, as the parties cannot agree on how to pay for the $6 billion loan subsidy.

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Immigration policies, marketing strategies, emerging technologies, tasty cupcakes — they were all part of the conversation on Wednesday at the Powering Small Business.conference sponsored by Washington Post Live.

The U.S. Department of Labor issued guidelines Thursday for state workforce agencies to create programs that would allow their states’ unemployed to collect unemployment insurance while starting their own businesses. The so-called Self-Employment Assistance programs will be funded by a $35 million grant, divided among all 50 states and D.C., and disbursed to individuals who qualify for unemployment compensation but wish to start their own companies rather than find a new job.

What’s going ‘on’:

Small business sales, hiring increasing: Small firms are enjoying stronger sales and hiring more workers, according to the latest study by CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive. Nearly one-third (32 percent) said their sales increased over the last two quarters and nearly half (46 percent) expect sales to increase over the next two quarters.

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What’s going ‘on’:

Senators introduce Startup Act 2.0: A birpartisan group of senators introduced the bill, which would create two new types of visas, one for foreign students who obtain graduate degrees in science- and math-related fields from American universities, and another for immigrants who start companies and create jobs in the United States.