Corporate Governance

New York -- Amazon is increasing the annual membership of its Amazon Prime service from $79 a year to $99. The online giant, which made the announcement on its homepage, had suggested last year that increased shipping costs would force it to raise the annual price of its premium membership.

The price hike takes effective in seven says. Until then, customers can still sign up for the $79 rate. The increased fee will be charged when users renew their Prime memberships.

Chicago – Morale is the biggest challenge facing retailers trying to fill and maintain their staffs. According to a new survey of 168 retail staffing managers and HR executives conducted by Harris Poll for CareerBuilder and WorkInRetail.com, 37% of respondents cited lifting employee morale as a challenge.

The following are the top 10 staffing challenges faced by retail hiring managers:

1. Lifting employee morale – 37%
2. Retaining top talent – 36%
3. Maintaining productivity levels – 29%

Armonk, N.Y. -- With consumers engaging more directly with businesses through mobile and social media, more than 60% of CIOs will focus more heavily on improving the customer experience and getting closer to customers, according to a new report released by IBM.

The report, entitled "Moving from the Back Office to the Front Lines — CIO Insights from the Global C-suite Study” is based on face-to-face conversations with more than 1,600 CIOs from 70 countries and 20 industries worldwide.

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Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly opposing any change in current regulations regarding overtime pay. In a prepared statement issued in response to reports that President Obama will propose a change in federal overtime rules, David French, senior VP for government relations for the NRF, said current overtime rules have been in effect for 10 years and are working.

Lakewood, Colo. -- Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. has adopted MicroStrategy as its enterprise analytics standard. The company said an expansion of MicroStrategy licenses will allow it to rapidly deploy and extend its mobile application that provides store-level information to its management team.  

Mexico City -- Yelp Inc. has announced the availability of Yelp Mexico. Beginning March 13, people throughout Mexico are able to create accounts on Yelp.com.mx to share their opinions about great local businesses.

Yelp's free iPhone and Android applications will be available as well as its free suite of business owner tools: Yelp for Business Owners.

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. opens a new store in Davenport, Iowa on March 20. As of March 20, DSW will operate 398 stores in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

DSW Rewards is a free loyalty program in which customers earn certificates toward future DSW purchases and receive special member-only offers. Customers can also participate in a Shoe Lover community on Facebook to receive exclusive offers and giveaways.

San Antonio -- Stephen Smith, former co-CEO of the Toronto-based restaurant chain owner and operator Cara Operations Limited, has been elected to the CST Brands' board of directors. Smith's most recent experience was with Cara as co-CEO and, prior to that, CFO of Cara. Previously, Smith served for many years as an executive of Canadian grocer, Loblaw Companies Limited.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General on Thursday reported a 1.5% rise in fourth-quarter profits, below analysts’ estimates, as the retailer felt the impact of harsh winter weather, along with increased competition and low consumer confidence. The company also said it plans to open approximately 700 new stores in 2014.

The retailer earned $322.2 million in the quarter ended Jan. 31, compared with $317.4 million a year earlier.