Articles written by Charley James - Page 2

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About me - Charley James

A former assistant editor of "Business Week" magazine, and a television news producer and reporter before that, Charley James began writing when he was about eight and hasn't stopped.

Now, covers and writes news articles including his own independent investigative

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Business > Sales The science of successful sales techniques: 7 of 23
Selling is dead. So what are companies doing to survive? After all, s ales pays for everything in every company. So why is it that in a recent study, 92% of sellers were judged by those who manage them to be selling at extremely low levels? The study pointed to ineffective management of sales opportunities as the principal c... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Society & Lifestyle (Other) Assessing how the meanings of words change over time: 1 of 3
Maybe it's because I slept late this weekend and missed the announcement, but when did everything become an "experience?" I read something the other day that examined the growing length and complexity of restaurant menus. A half dozen restaurateurs and chefs used the words "dining experience" to describe what, to me, always ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Environment (Other) Is it fair to ask underdeveloped countries to "go green" when many advanced industrial countries owe their success to destructive environmental practices?: 20 of 58
Can the industrialised world demand developing countries be "green" as they grapple with creating jobs, improving living standards and building wealth for its people? Yes. Is doing so fair? The answer is yes again, but with a caveat. The West started the pollution and climate change ball rolling with the Industrial Revolutio... More..
Personal Finance > Investing Basics About commodities futures: 2 of 5
Commodities: A commodity is a product, as opposed to a service, that forms the basis for trade or commerce in that item. Typically, but not always, commodities refer to unprocessed goods such as grains, fruits and precious metals. Commodity Exchanges: Commodity exchanges provide a bid-ask, open market for trading commodity f... More..
Health & Fitness > Aging & Longevity The best things about growing old: 10 of 24
To underline how despicably aged I am, life has dealt me another small yet significant blow. I'm not sure it would be on anyone's "Best of Growing Old" list, but it ended up on my "The Reality of Growing Old" list - and it's not fun so stop chuckling. For a while now, I've found that it hurts to type a problem for a writer. ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Society & Lifestyle (Other) Public transit: Evaluating how offensive individualism has become: 1 of 2
Sure, I've read the articles about how we live in an on-demand, just-in-time world. Some grouse about the pitfalls of the trend, others talk in glowing terms about how technology allows us to do more, and more quickly. So, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised by a news report citing a study showing that something like 2... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Joining the ranks of the voluntarily bald: 1 of 2
The first time I heard someone use the awful word "bald" in referring to me, I was only maybe 10. It was worse than learning that Santa Claus didn't live at the North Pole but was my maternal grandfather wearing a costume, and the cookies left for him were baked by an elf known as grandma. The news came at me like a screamin... More..
Business > Finance & Insurance How to get capital funding for your company: 1 of 2
Help lenders say "yes" in the middle of a credit crunch. In fact, emerging and midsized businesses always feel a credit pinch first. So, smart borrowers realize that their business and financial plan must tell a story that's more than a spreadsheet and sales goals. The really smart ones also know that many non-bank lenders a... More..
Creative Writing > Essays Essays: Spring: 15 of 29
Trees are blooming, tulips Are budding and baseball is underway. It is spring again. I have had a life-long bias against cold weather and I might as well admit it up-front. I suspect that a lot of people living in colder climates feel the same way. The trouble is that most of them won't say so in mixed company. But they do w... More..
Personal Finance > Smart Spending How to plan your grocery list to avoid impulse purchases: 49 of 90
Grocers are experts at getting customers to make impulse purchases. In the 1970s, Byerly's the upscale Minneapolis grocery chain pioneered the science of encouraging shoppers to buy things they didn't know they wanted. How? By moving commonly purchased items a few feet or up one shelf every few weeks, ensuring that as people... More..