High gasoline prices cause spending cutbacks

In these days of pricey gasoline, is riding a bicycle a viable alternative to driving? It is for some people, according to a survey of 547 people earlier this month.

Half said they were driving less because of higher gas prices, and 47 percent said they were considering using a bicycle instead.

The survey, which was split between urban and suburban residents, found that 61 percent said they had altered their discretionary spending because of gas prices and 27 percent said they had reduced the budget for their vacation.

The survey was conducted for Texas-based Bell Sports, which makes sports accessories.

Labor: Unemployed consider switching occupations

You’ve lost your job, and the search for a new one may be discouraging. But you stand to improve your odds by considering a new industry.

In an annual poll of job seekers, human resources firm DBM found that 75 percent of the respondents switched industries to land a new job, up 3 percent from 2001. But 65 percent of that group said their new position came with a lower salary than the old one.

“The best way to navigate this tough employment market is for job seekers to strategically market themselves to potential employers as opposed to simply applying for a job,” said DBM president Tom Silveri.

“Job seekers should consider repackaging their skills and competencies to demonstrate how they can easily and effectively be transferred to a different industry, and explore job opportunities that may not at first be obvious,” he said.

Motley Fool: Name that company

Based in Japan and employing more than 100,000 people, I’m a premier driver in the tire industry. In my early days I made rubber-soled shoes. In 1990, my U.S. division merged with the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., which traces its roots back to 1900. That division alone has 38 manufacturing facilities making 8,000 kinds of tires. (One is a 13-foot-tall tire for earth-moving equipment.) Firestone tires have won more Indy 500 races than all other tire brands combined. I sell some 50 million tires a year. My Japanese founder’s name means rock-built river crossing. Who am I?