Restaurant chains with locations in malls are boosting marketing, bracing for a holiday-shopping season with fewer customers.
![[Restaurant Chains Look for Creative Ways to Cut Costs]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AS995_B1SKY2_A_20081117184701.jpg)
Franchise restaurants are aggressively searching for alternative ways to slash costs, unable to pass on the higher costs to customers without losing business.
States are forgoing a total $1 billion annually in tax revenues due to laws allowing retailers to keep a slice of sales taxes that they collect.
![[Working as a Financial Adviser]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PJ-AN651_pjPAYG_A_20081117170852.jpg)
Financial advisers help people determine and meet their financial goals. They can enjoy flexible schedules and autonomy. But it's emotionally difficult when investments go sour.
![[Daniel Gunther, who works at a Meijer megastore north of Detroit, says he has been told 'get people in and out' of the checkout line to improve efficiency.]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AN646_MAYNAR_A_20081116202921.jpg)
With nearly all retailers under the gun to cut costs and improve profit margins, "labor-waste elimination" systems are sweeping the industry.
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![[Idearc publishes phone books for Verizon.]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AS980B_ADVER_A_20081116214427.jpg)
The yellow-pages industry is running out of lifelines, with the economic downturn sending it into a tailspin that threatens its survival.
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Do you work at a company or know a company with a great workplace? Nominate them for the 2009 list.
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![[Tough call]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CP580_toughc_C_20081103180250.jpg)
Entrepreneur Fred Goldstein faced a tough decision: Should he sell his healthcare firm?
![[boutiques]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AS889_BOUTIQ_C_20081110180047.jpg)
The once flourishing independent fashion boutiques are among the retail industry's hardest hit by economic woes.
Small-business owners want to know which presidential candidate would give them the best deal on taxes. It's a simple question with no simple answers.
![[Silicon Valley]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CO434_Silico_C_20081027103906.jpg)
Venture capitalists are cutting back their investments, forcing startups to scale back expansion projects, take voluntary pay cuts, delay hiring and slash expenses.
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—Laura Ricci“Since I can write off my gadgets, I tend to buy more than I might if they were not a business expense. ”
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![[Companies Trim as Business Slows]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AS250_DOWNTU_A_20081008191302.jpg)
Companies are looking for cuts in every budgetary nook and cranny in an economy dragged down by slowing consumption, an imploding stock market and tight credit.
![[piggy bank]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CJ288_SBBANK_A_20080918182051.jpg)
As many big banks pull back on commercial lending, small companies are turning to a new, and often pricier, set of alternatives.
![[The Journal Report: Technology]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/TE-AA706_COVER_A_20081020135153.jpg)
For years, mobile workers have been ditching their desktop computers for laptops that they can take wherever they go. Now road warriors are starting to realize that they can get even more portability -- and lots of computing punch -- from smart phones.
![[The Journal Report: Small Business]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CM063_sb_hol_A_20081008113931.jpg)
Millions of people are about to descend on the Internet, and competition for their dollars will be tough this year, with money tighter amid a weak economy. You need an online-marketing plan to help you make the most of the season.
![[franchising]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AS486_ENTFRA_A_20081020170332.jpg)
Some franchisees say they are being forced to pay for a variety of expenses for the first time -- making difficult economic times tougher.
![[Top Small Workplaces]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CM558_sb_cov_A_20081010184426.jpg)
It's never been harder to create a great workplace. But a rewarding work environment has also never been more important.
Gay blogger threatens to organize a boycott of chain if the company didn't address concerns.
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THIS WEEK: How small businesses are planning to get holiday sales; how the demand for developing eco-friendly buildings is a Catch-22; and why these are not the boom time you'd think they'd be for collection agencies.
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