SOUTHFIELD - How automotive dealers respond to online shopping inquiries significantly impacts vehicle purchase decisions, contends a forthcoming study that will be released in April by R. L. Polk & Co. More than 570 new car purchasers were surveyed about their online shopping experience. The study concluded that simply initiating a response is not enough
DETROIT - A net 2 percent of chief information officers in the Detroit area expect to hire information technology professionals in the second quarter of 2008, s new study shows. Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report reported nine percent of executives surveyed plan to add staff during the quarter and 7 percent
DETROIT ? General Motors on Tuesday at the Geneva Auto Show announced it would produce a new version of its GM Hybrid System in 2010 using a lithium-ion battery to deliver three times the electric power of its current power train, which means SUV hybrids could get somewhat better fuel economy. The No. 1 auto
KALAMAZOO ? Two different groups will be carrying the Michigan life sciences industry's banner this June at the BIO International Convention in San Diego, the world's top biotechnology trade show. What impact two separate biotech marketing groups will have on the state's efforts to attract life sciences companies has been the subject of debate for
LANSING - The Michigan House Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee heard from scores of people involved in the film industry on Tuesday who urged lawmakers to act quickly on a package of bills providing tax credits, job training and loans for productions in Michigan. While neither panel voted on their respective bills,
ANN ARBOR - This special edition of News Maker interview on the new Dali Lama Visit channel is a talk given in February by Gelek Rimpoche, founder of Jewel Heart, a Tibetan Buddhism educational and cultural institute in Ann Arbor. He discusses the April 19-20 visit of his Holiness the Dali Lama to Ann Arbor,
LANSING - Despite ongoing economic woes and a major budgetary and fiscal battle in 2007, Michigan was awarded one of the highest rankings among the states in the annual Government Performance Project conducted by the Washington. D.C.-based Pew Center for the States. Michigan's government was ranked with a B+ grade, the highest ranking of any
LANSING - Studies show that young, highly educated persons gravitate towards regions that do not have just jobs, but jobs with higher average pay and where "possibilities and opportunities abound," an economist at the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank said. Weather and other natural features also play a role in attracting younger, educated workers, an article
ANN ARBOR - Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest has launched the spring cycle of its statewide business plan competition. Early stage technology and life science companies can enter the competition to win cash awards up to $25,000. All tech entrepreneurs are encouraged to enter the competition, whether their venture is in a very early stage of
KALAMAZOO ? Sandra Cochrane, former chief operating officer of the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center, has been appointed Technology Business Consultant by the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center. Cochrane?s new role, which starts March 1, will be to work with high tech entrepreneurs on their launch, commercialization and growth strategies. She will ensure that