Human Resources

Dick’s Sporting goods will pay $2 special dividend before year end in a move to help investors avoid what are presumed to be higher dividend tax rates in 2013 and beyond.

The dividend payment will be made from cash on hand, according to the company.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN announced Tuesday it has appointed Karen Etzkorn to the newly created position of chief information officer of HSNi, effective Jan. 3.

Etzkorn is charged with overseeing all aspects of information technology for HSNi's two operating segments -- HSN and Cornerstone.

Etzkorn was most recently senior VP and CIO for Ascena Retail. Prior to that, she was senior VP and CIO at Tween Brands and has also held senior technology roles at The Home Depot, Williams-Sonoma, Gap and Limited.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Former Belk executive Carl Scibetta has been named the new EVP and GMM at Shoe Carnival. Scibetta will report to Cliff Sifford, the former GMM, who was recently appointed president and CEO of the company.

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM announced Tuesday the closing of its acquisition of Kenexa, a provider of recruiting and talent management solutions, for approximately $1.3 billion.

IBM said that Kenexa complements its strategy of bringing relevant data and expertise into the hands of business leaders within every functional department, from sales and marketing to product development and human resources.

Columbus, Ohio -- Big Lots Inc. reported Tuesday a loss of $6 million for the third quarter, compared with net income of $4.2 million in the year-ago period. Results, however, topped analysts’ earnings expectations.

Revenue slipped 0.4% to $1.13 billion, missing Wall Street’s forecast of $1.3 billion.

The retailer also announced that its CEO Steven Fishman will retire as chairman and CEO after 40 years in retail. Big Lots has launched a search for his successor; Fishman will stay until a new CEO is appointed.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Pitney Bowes has appointed Marc B. Lautenbach as its new president and CEO, effective immediately. Lautenbach succeeds Murray D. Martin, who is retiring as the company’s chairman, president and CEO and has resigned from the company’s board of directors.

Martin will continue to work with Lautenbach, who has nearly 30 years of experience in the technology and business services industry in senior leadership positions at IBM, on an effective transition.

ST. LOUIS — Grey Eagle Distributors, the Anheuser-Busch wholesaler for St. Louis County, has acquired the Illinois Distributing Company, an Anheuser-Busch wholesaler based in Belleville, Ill.  

The acquisition includes Illinois Distributing's assets and sales territory, which includes most of St. Clair County, Monroe County, Collinsville and Granite City. Grey Eagle will begin selling beer to retailers in the new territory today. Illinois Distributing sold approximately 2.6 million cases of beer annually.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Less than six months after joining Family Dollar, Tammy L. DeBoer has been named SVP of food.

DeBoer will report to Paul White, EVP and CMO at the rapidly growing discount retailer. This latest appointment comes as the retailer has taken steps to position itself as a one-stop destination for shoppers with expanded assortments of food and consumables.