Corporations, too, need ’03 resolutions

January is a great time to make a list of resolutions that will improve company morale and increase employee productivity, according to Maritz Brand Alignment, a unit of Maritz Inc., a market research and consulting firm.

Among the goals Maritz suggests: building more trust among the ranks, developing greater clarity for company directions, supporting employees better, seeking more input from employees and sharing success.

“This is a great opportunity for company leaders to build trust, loyalty and increase productivity among employees,” said Rodger Stotz, a Maritz vice president.

Complaints: Checklist offers guide for customer service

With a little patience and planning, you can get satisfaction from customer service departments.

At least, so says the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals, which offers a checklist for how to complain constructively.

They advise you be firm, yet polite and respectful, when speaking with the customer service person. State the problem and your expected outcome concisely. Don’t muddle the issue with irrelevant asides, such as the horror of your previous encounter with the company in 1993.

Give the person time to speak, and listen. If they correct the problem, thank them. If not, ask for the contact information of a higher-level manager so you can press your issue.

Opinions: Optimists are few in poll on investing

When the subject of investing arises, 47 percent of investors said the tone of the talk was pessimistic, 44 percent said it was laden with regret and 35 percent said there was a tinge of fear among the participants.

Only 22 percent of people said there was any sense of optimism about the market.

The data were culled from an online survey of 1,009 people during the fall for Harrisdirect, a brokerage that is part of Harris Investors Services LLC.

Internet: Domain firm to settle lawsuit regarding refunds

Operators of the “.biz” domain name have agreed to refund the “nonrefundable” application fees it had collected as part of the initial awarding of names in 2001.

Before opening “.biz” to general registrations on a first-come, first-served basis, NeuLevel had permitted businesses wanting a “.biz” address to submit an online request with an application fee of about $2. For multiple submissions for the same name, one was picked at random.

Under the settlement, which still needs approval, businesses could get refunds of up to $2 per application.

Motley Fool: Name that company

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