Ford Motor Company is planning to hire at least 12,000 employees by the close of 2015, with nearly half of these employees expected to serve on the assembly team for the 2015 Ford Transit. This marks the first time the Ford Transit has been manufactured and sold in the United States.

Sold regularly as a cargo van, the Ford Transit is also available as a pickup truck, cutaway van chassis, minibus or passenger van. The Transit is a complex vehicle that offers consumers a choice of two wheelbases, three roof heights, three body lengths and diesel or gasoline engines. It is being created with new and improved paint and body shops and assembly lines. Additionally, Ford has invested more than $1.1 billion to increase production of the company’s full-size F-150 pickups and commercial vans.

In 2014, Ford had stated a goal of hiring 5,000 salaried and hourly employees in the United States. Kansas City currently includes nearly 5,000 hourly workers on three separate crews – the last of which was created in the summer of 2013. Extra workers have been hired for plants at Michigan Assembly and Flat Rock, as well as Lima and Louisville, Ohio. Approximately 300 more jobs are expected at the engine plant in Cleveland.Ford recently paid out over $500 million to cover service, recall and warranty costs for vehicles.

By the end of 2015, Ford plans to open two additional manufacturing facilities in Asia and one in South America. The company will sell the stripped chassis and the E-series cutaway and is working with fleet customers to prepare for an upcoming switch from the E-series to the Transit.

from Colombia – a country where coal is cheap to acquire and can be shipped in higher quantities.  Research firm IHS Energy calculates that the average load of coal from the US costs $26 per ton to ship while Colombian coal averages just $15/ton. Lower labor costs also contribute to the disparity in price. Colombian coal is, on average, $4 cheaper per ton than US product.

China, the largest coal importer in the world, has seen a weaker demand in coal use this year. Europe’s declining imports have also added to the depressed coal prices.

The first six months of 2014 saw a surge of coal imports. The US bought more than 5.4 metric tons between January and June which is a 44% increase from the same period in 2013. Only one-third of this was purchased domestically. Colombian coal companies ramped up production by 24% to meet the increased demand.

The US Energy Information Administration predicts that US coal consumption will rise to 862 tons by the end of the year. The expected increase is directly related to a frigid start to the year when power companies used more coal to produce electricity than expected.

Birmingham, Alabama-based Drummond Co. anticipates that its two Colombian mines will produce nearly 30 tons of coal this year. The company refused to comment on the fundamental cause of the ramped up production but said that reflected a 19% production increase.

US coal producers are working toward creating competitive pricing as the year progresses. Rail company CSX has announced plans to increase its fleet to over 4,700 locomotives by year’s end and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. will add 5,000 new cars.

The personal data gathering techniques of Facebook, Google and other international organizations has deepened the fear of many Americans who are worried about privacy issues, according to a new poll conducted by Reuters. Facebook and Google ranked at the top of Americans’ list when expressing concerns about the ability to monitor personal communications and spending habits and track physical locations, according to a new Reuters poll.

The survey displays the public’s ambivalence towards companies whose online services – search, e-commerce and social networking – have grown into one of the world’s most powerful businesses.

As the line between real world services and web products has blurred, many Internet companies are working to carve a niche in a variety of industries, from automobiles to home appliances. Amazon, Facebook, Google and others have been busy acquiring a wide range of companies and developing technology projects. Google in particular has developed into one of the most ambitious companies, investing in drones, robots, augmented-reality glasses and self-driving cars.

Among the 4,781 respondents, a little more than half (51 percent) said that three companies – Twitter, Microsoft and Apple – were playing too much of a role in people’s lives.

Approximately one-third of respondents said they were unaware of Google’s plans to move into the arena of real-world products like appliances, cars and phones. Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of respondents were worried about how these companies would store their data or collect personal information. New wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness bracelets have allowed many companies to gather biological data.

Only 13 percent of survey respondents expressed negative feelings about online home appliance companies. On the other hand, 42 percent said they were concerned about drones (29 percent robots).

University of Washington law professor Ryan Calo, who recently published a paper about the social and legal implications of robotics, indicates that the recent revelations of NSA surveillance as related to the Edward Snowden scandal have heightened public sensitivity about data security.

From vacation to education, American taxpayers have more options than ever before to allocate their incoming funds. Every year thousands of businesses advertise special post-tax season sales in an effort to garner a portion of America’s big payday. The most popular promotions across the board are the Tax Day freebies. While it may seem counterproductive to give things away, businesses known that if they can associate their name with something positive in times of stress – such as tax day – consumers are more likely to patronize them all year long. Some of the most popular tax day giveaways include a free 15 min. HydroMassage (available at Planet Fitness), free shredding service from Office Depot, and even a complimentary dinner at Hard Rock Café.

Other businesses opt to slash prices on large purchases to convince buyers to take the plunge. Many auto dealerships across the nation offer vehicles at or near cost, appliance and electronics retailers boldly display their goods with low down payments, and vacation destinations will gladly check people in for up to half price – as long as they’re willing to prepay.

But, not all refund holders will splurge. According to bankrate.com, the average tax refund is over $2500. The site suggests that savings will also be hot in 2014. Families have numerous options to put their money to good use aside from traditional retirement accounts.

A large tax refund may offer the opportunity to create an emergency reserve for expenses such as food, utilities, and mortgage. Additionally, consumers can save thousands of dollars over the course of a credit card repayment cycle by paying down their balance. Those looking to build further into the future typically elect to invest in their careers by spending money on continuing education programs. Other ways to save in the long run include paying for a home energy audit or tackling energy-consuming maintenance projects.

Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame University has scored the number-one position in Bloomberg Businessweek’s rankings of the top undergraduate business schools in the United States. McIntire School of Commerce (University of Virginia), Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management (Cornell University), Carroll School of Management (Boston College) and Olin School (Washington University – St. Louis).

The Mendoza College of Business features more than 2400 students in graduate, undergraduate and executive studies.

A total of 132 programs were ranked in five different categories. Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) is the lone entry on both the undergraduate list and the recent MBA rankings. Notre Dame appeared in the top five for employer sentiment and academic quality, and placed first in student assessment. Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) moved into the top ten for the first time at No. 8.

The School of Business at Wake Forest University secured first-place honors in the category of Academic Quality for the second year in a row. This category takes into account such components as student-faculty ratio and average SAT score. Olin School at Washington University – St. Louis kept the top ranking for best percentage of placing undergrads in leading MBA programs.

Tepper School of Business (Carnegie Mellon University) tied with Wharton and McIntire as the educational institutions with the highest starting pay at $70,000 annually. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), undergraduate business owners can expect an average starting salary of $55,144.

A major reason for the between MBA and undergraduate top tens is that many institutions such as Harvard University and University of Chicago do not provide undergraduate business programs. With the increased demand for undergraduate business education, Stanford University and other schools are creating certificate programs. In order to attract students from across the country, many private colleges with leading MBA programs have begun to offer courses for younger students.