For the Kaiser Chiefs album, see Employment (album)

Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. In a commercial setting, the employer conceives of a productive activity, generally with the intention of creating profits, and the employee contributes labour to the enterprise, usually in return for payment of wages.

Employment also exists in the public, non-profit and household sectors.

In the United States, the "standard" employment contract is considered to be at-will meaning that the employer and employee are both free to terminate the employment at any time and for any cause, or for no cause at all.

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NYT > Automobiles

Mr. Ford’s T: Versatile Mobility
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:54:30 -0000
Nearly as significant as the Model T’s ubiquity was its knack for performing many tasks, going far beyond basic transportation.
Behind The Wheel | BMW Hydrogen 7: A Sedan Fueled by the Future
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:25:11 -0000
The 6-liter V-12 engine in this demonstration BMW runs on gasoline or hydrogen, allowing drivers to switch back and forth.
Rethinking a Pioneer
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:10:41 -0000
Students at the College for Creative Studies tried to redesign the Model T for the 21st century.

Freep.com - RSS - Autos

FORD CENTENNIAL: Model T prepares to celebrate 100 years
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:37:00 -0500
By now, hundreds of passionate Model T owners and their families will have descended upon the quaint town of Richmond, Ind., with its 39,000 or so residents, white picket fences and friendly flag-decorated porches, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the car that, quite seriously, changed the world.
FORD CENTENNIAL: Amid fond looks at its past, Ford begins hard look at the future
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:57:00 -0500
Most family histories are full of ups and downs, tales of both tragedy and triumph. For the Fords of Ford Motor Co., there will surely be some of both this week.
MARK PHELAN: GM develops brands' images
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:54:00 -0500
Chevrolet is high volume; Cadillac is high luxury. But what about General Motors' other brands? Despite the emphasis on the Big C's in the money-saving plan unveiled this week, there is, in fact, a strategy to make GM's other brands contribute to the bottom line.

L.A. Times - Auto Industry News

Aston Martin, Maserati coupes two sides of the same envy-inducing coin
Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
A pair of evenly matched super-luxury sports cars have distinctly different personalities. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage and the Maserati GranTurismo S are beautiful, irrelevant cars -- an evenly matched set of luxury-performance cuff links.
State considers pay-as-you-drive auto insurance
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
A plan that charges motorists based on miles driven could cut fuel use, pollution and traffic as well as lower premiums, say backers. Opponents worry about privacy issues. An alliance of insurance companies and environmentalists wants to bring a new kind of mileage-based auto insurance to California and charge motorists only for the number of miles actually driven.
GM to sell assets, borrow money and cut jobs to raise up to $15 billion
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The cash-strapped automaker, facing bankruptcy rumors, says it will also suspend its dividend to increase liquidity. It expects to post a large loss in the 2nd quarter. Short on cash and facing bankruptcy rumors, General Motors Corp. said Tuesday that it would suspend its dividend, sell assets worth as much as $4 billion, borrow an additional $2 billion to $3 billion and lay off salaried workers, among other steps.

Daily automotive news and comment - from just-auto.com

THE WEEK THAT WAS: Eye on the biggies
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:28:00 -0000
Not a good week for Toyota which dropped the ball a bit in Europe in the first half. Nor BMW which the analysts are eyeing as its financial targets look a little elusive.
BRAZIL: New Toyota won't be entry level
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:01:00 -0000
In a terse 80-word statement, Toyota recently announced the acquisition of land to build a new manufacturing plant in Sorocaba, just 55 miles west of São Paulo City, where a compact model will go into production from 2011 as 2,500 people build 150,000 units a year.
BELGIUM: Toyota Europe H1 sales off 7%
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:22:00 -0000
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) sales fell 7% in the first half of the year to 617,356 though the passenger car market was up 4%, driven primarily by strong-growing markets in the east. Its president is optimistic new models will soon reverse the trend.

Comments for AutoReport

Comment on Mergers Redux by Andrew Charles
Andrew Charles Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:24:11 -0000
In the years since I wrote this, there have been a number of changes, some minor, and others quite major. Going down the list: DaimlerChrysler de-merged into Daimler AG and Chrysler LLC, and sold its stake in Mitsubishi. Daimler AG retains its truck and bus brands (including Mitsubishi Fuso), and Mercedes-Benz and smart in the car group. A cross-licensing agreement with Jaguar covers the use of the Daimler name. Chrysler LLC retains the active Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler brands, and has re-affirmed its ownership of the defunct Willys brand. Hyundai has kept out of the merger game since acquiring Kia, but has added a new brand in the Korean domestic market with its Genesis luxury sedan (in other markets sold as a Hyundai). Fiat has ended its alliance with GM after extracting a hefty divorce settlement. The company's subsequent success makes this one of GM management's worst decisions in recent years. After dropping Autobianchi, last seen in the Italian domestic market, Fiat is said to be exploring a new low-cost brand. Maserati, formerly owned by Ferrari, is now allied with the group's main auto operation, now known as Fiat Group Automobiles. Ford has unwound several key acquisitions in the last few years, first selling Aston Martin Lagonda to an Anglo-Arab investment syndicate, and most recently Jaguar Land Rover to Indian automaker Tata Motors. Rumors persist that Ford is either interested in selling Volvo, or has been approached by other automakers seeking a luxury acquisition, but the company is far more integrated into the Ford organization, with common powertrains and platforms underlying every model. GM has also unwound several equity investments, although not on the scale of Daimler and Ford. Its minor interests in and alliances with Fiat, Isuzu and Subaru have been ended, and engine development centers in Germany and Japan previously controlled by GM returned to Isuzu. Its alliance with Suzuki remains, on a smaller scale, but its equity interest has been reduced. The company is now evaluating the future of the Hummer brand, acquired from AM General, and despite denials rumors persist that other brands are also being evaluated for sale or closure (fueled by an active and even malicious campaign by disaffected members of middle management). Phoenix Group, which acquired MG Rover, predictably imploded, with government investigations continuing at enormous expense into the reasons. Its assets have been divided among several parties, Chinese automakers SAIC Motor and NAC acquiring the main carmaking operations, and a scion of the Riley family acquiring MG Sport and Racing and the X80 project. The Rover brand, and associated trademarks, previously licensed from BMW, were then sold by the German company to Land Rover. As a result Tata Motors has acquired not only Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover, but also Daimler, Lanchester, Rover and Sterling. Having lost the chance to acquire Rover, SAIC established its own Roewe brand as an alternative, and subsequently acquired NAC and its NAC MG operations, including the Austin, MG, Wolseley and Austin-Healey brands. An alliance with HFI Automotive and the Healey family supports the possible revival of the latter marque. Peugeot SA has augmented its non-equity alliances with Ford in diesel engines and Fiat in commercial vehicles. It now produces small cars in co-operation with Toyota, 4-cylinder gasoline engines in alliance with BMW, and SUVs in alliance with Mitsubishi. The Panhard et Levassor operation has since been sold to military 4×4 specialist Auverland. Renault's most recent activity has been an alliance with Russian automaker AutoVaz, owner of the Lada brand. German automaker Volkswagen, after acquiring a number of other companies over the years, has most recently found itself the target of long-term partner Porsche, whose founder was responsible for the original Volkswagen prior to WWII.
Comment on Mazda Kazamai Concept to Premiere at Moscow International Automobile Salon 2008 by VW Informer
VW Informer Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:27:52 -0000
That's a really awesome concept; but I just don't see it going into production without a lot of alterations, especially given the practical considerations of a grill-less design. --- Working with VW to spread the word about the new Tiguan. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know.
Comment on New Ford Focus RS On Track as First Details Confirmed by Ken MacDaniel Sr
Ken MacDaniel Sr Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:24:11 -0000
Please bring it to the US. The Mustang GT and GT 500's are great but.................................

Auto news - CNNMoney.com

2 hot cars, if you can afford the gas
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:50:23 -0400
The Dodge Challenger SRT-8 and Nissan GT-R show off their companies' performance skills. But are "halo cars" like these out-of-place today?
Fear not the Ford Flex
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:43:48 -0400
Ford's new super-sized crossover's not too bad on gas, but it's great on space.
GM's strugglers: Room for hope
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:28:27 -0400
Some of the automaker's oldest names are on shaky ground, but one industry watcher still sees hidden value that GM would be wise to mine.

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