Cost-Containment

For those who are getting ready to cut a holiday check or hand out some other sort of recognition, here are a few guidelines to make the giving smoother.

The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its index of manufacturing activity rose to 57.3. That was up from 56.4 in October and was the highest since April 2011. A reading above 50 signals growth.

The actions would build on a campaign that began about a year ago to call attention to the difficulties of living on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

An employer's guide to cancer treatment and prevention was billed as the HR industrys first publication of its kind, and by the sound of it, a resource that employers will want to get their hands on.

There are more than 6,000 captives worldwide, up from 1,000 in 1981.

RightOpt, a private health insurance exchange operated by Buck Consultants, has expanded to include retirees.