Productivity in the United States increased 1.67 percent and unit labor costs rose 1.7 percent in the nonfarm business sector during the second quarter of 2012, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. more

Recently, a press release by the governor’s office, which was based on calculations by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, stated that employment here is not doing as badly as had previously been thought. Instead of employment continuing to decline on a year-over-year basis, as the “official” DLT data have been indicating for quite some time now, we were informed that employment here has actually been rising for some time. more

Nortek Inc. reported net income of $18.5 million, or $1.19 per diluted share, during the second quarter of 2012, compared with a net loss of $31.9 million, or $2.11 per diluted share a year earlier, the company announced late Thursday. more

U.S. stock-index futures dropped, indicating the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index will fall for a third straight day, after a Federal Reserve report showed manufacturing in the New York area unexpectedly contracted. more

Even a dead business can have value. In fact, sometimes the age and obsolescence of an enterprise, the fact that it didn’t evolve into the next big thing, makes it worth something. more

(Updated Fri, Aug. 17, 4:30 p.m. with comments from Textron) Textron Inc. – the Providence-based company that includes Bell Helicopter and Cessna Aircraft – was named the No. 2 corporate air polluter in America by researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. more

Juvenile health, safety and wellness product maker Summer Infant Inc. posted a net loss of $424,000, or 2 cents per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, compared to a $921,000, or 5 cents per diluted share, gain during the same period in 2011. more

The challenge of finding jobs for the unemployed in manufacturing, as in many industries, is complicated by an apparent mismatch between job openings and qualified workers. more

Living in Italy was a dream come true for Jessica Ricci, even if the dream she ended up with was different than the one she planned. more

Bryant University will host the fifth annual Supply Chain Management Summit on Thursday, Aug. 23, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the university’s Bello Center in Smithfield. more