Financial 411: The Best Places to Work in New York City
Hackers Defend WikiLeaks
The WikiLeaks saga of disclosed classified documents and the arrest of its founder has now spread to the business community. MasterCard's Web site suffered severe technical problems today, in what could be retaliation for the company pulling the plug on its relationship with WikiLeaks. An Internet group operating under the label "Operation Payback" claimed responsibility for the MasterCard problems in a message on Twitter.
MasterCard ended its relationship with WikiLeaks on Tuesday, following the lead of Amazon.com, eBay's PayPal and other companies that had helped WikiLeaks raise money.
Bloomberg Criticizes Federal Government
The federal government came under criticism today by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Speaking to real estate and business executives in Brooklyn, the mayor urged the White House, Congress and state leaders to unite behind centrist solutions to the nations' fiscal woes.
"When did cooperation in government become treason?" Bloomberg asked. "The new 'politics as usual' is making a mockery of our democracy, and a mess of our country."
During his 30-minute speech, the mayor touched on proposals he's offered before, such as immigration reform, reducing regulatory red tape, and cutting business taxes to prevent companies from moving overseas.
Markets
Financial stocks surged on the hopes of a tax break extension, outweighing a general decline market-wide. The Dow added 13 points, to close at 11,372. The S&P 500 edged up nearly five points, or .37 percent, closing at 1,228. And the NASDAQ grew by 11 points, or .41 percent, ending the day at 2,609.
Crain's Releases 'Best Places to Work 2010' List
The best place to work in New York City is not a glamour place like NBC or Vogue, Goldman-Sachs or even WNYC. It's a little company that helps book doctors' appointments online. Who knew?
Crain's editors have reviewed surveys sent to management and employees at diverse companies across our area, and now the results are in. They include Microsoft, Ernst and Young, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and many smaller and lesser-known employers.
Cara Trager put the list together for Crain's. She explains why the number one company, ZocDoc, topped the list. She also discusses other industries represented on the list -- including technology, non-profit, and construction -- as well as what employers can do to improve loyalty and productivity in the workplace.
