Marketing

Chicago -- The nation’s finance chiefs have a lot on their minds these days, from uncertainty in the U.S. economy to cybersecurity to regulatory and compliance issues. Another big concern: Congressional dysfunction around tax reform.

New York -- Consumers didn’t let the heat get them down in August.

Consumer confidence rebounded in August, rising 10. 5 points to the strongest reading in seven months after having fallen sharply in July.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its index of consumer confidence rose to 101.5 in August, up from a revised July reading of 91.0. It was the best showing since January.

Imagine this scenario: You’ve worked hard to build a profitable business and you’ve done it the right way. You’ve taken every step to control the things you can control about every aspect of your company. You’ve got handbook policies regarding equal employment opportunity and prohibiting discrimination or harassment on any basis, and you have a diverse workforce that evidences your commitment to equal opportunity.

New York -- Coming soon: a theatrical spin on the drama surrounding American Apparel and its controversial founder and ousted CEO Dov Charney.

The play, entitled “Unseamly,” is due to make its off-Broadway debut on October 8, at the Urban Stages theatre. The drama, which first ran in Montreal in 2014, was written by Oren Safdie a first cousin of Charney. (Safdie has had several plays produced off-Broadway).

Seattle – In the aftermath of the Ferguson riots, Starbucks Corp. asked store employees and managers to be extra sensitive to customers who may be feeling emotional about racial issues. Now Starbucks is asking workers in stores to show financial sensitivity.

According to Fusion, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sent an internal email to employees and managers in stores asking them to recognize and respond to customers who are experiencing stress and anxiety resulting from the recent global stock market crash.

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. met Wall Street expectations for profit but did not grow revenues as much as projected during a mixed second quarter of fiscal 2015.

Costs and expenses increased at a slower rate than sales, allowing net income to improve 9% to $37.61 million, from $34.33 million in the prior year period. Net sales increased 7% to $627.2 million, from $587.1 million. Same-store sales rose 1.8%.

Mike MacDonald, president and CEO, also attributed rising profits to merchandise selling strategy.

Just in time for back-to-school, Lands' End has a new partner for bringing moms and dads the latest information on parenting and child development, enabling them to get back into the new school year with ease.

The retailer is teaming up with the Child Mind Institute to create digital content that helps parents raise strong, compassionate and curious kids.

Fast growing e-commerce firm Instacart is now delivering groceries to a 17th major U.S. metropolitan area.

Beginning this week, customers can order from Whole Foods Market, Costco (no membership needed), Marsh Supermarkets, Georgetown Market and Petco stores and have everything delivered by Instacart in as little as one hour.

Denver -- Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is going on a hiring binge.

The chain will hold its first-ever “National Career Day,” on Sept. 9, with the goal of hiring 4,000 new employees.

In terms of employment, Chipotle is considered one of the more desirable fast-food chains, offering higher-than-average wages. In June, the company announced it planned to offer benefits previously available only to salaried workers to all employees, including full tuition reimbursements, sick pay, and paid vacation days.

New York -- Target Corp. has agreed to pay $2.8 million to resolve a hiring discrimination claim filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
 
The EEOC said three "employment assessments," which Target no longer uses, disproportionately screened out applicants based on race and gender, according to the Associated Press, and therefore violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.