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Every week, reporters around the continent write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the continent to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about news as a social medium, the face of Indian tech, a quiet growth strategy, collaboration, and an upbeat CEO survey.

From the SF Chronicle: News as a social medium
"Extra, extra, read all about it - on Twitter and Facebook. In the past couple of weeks, social-media sites have been instrumental in keeping people in the loop about Iran's unrest and Michael Jackson's death, highlighting a transformation in the news-delivery industry. The shift, years in the making, has given social networks and their close cousins like YouTube a bigger role in how people learn about and react to world events while leaving newspapers and television struggling to adjust."

Wally's Comment: This is an excellent piece on the changing nature of news coverage and reporting. For more, with a slightly different perspective, check out Jay Shepherd's blog post: "On Michael Jackson, the media, and law firms."

From the San Jose Mercury-News: Nandan Nilekani: the face of India tech
"Nandan Nilekani is the face of the rise of India as a tech powerhouse. As co-founder of Infosys, he has helped transform the global software industry. In a forward to Nilekani's recently published book, "Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation," New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman writes, "Silicon Valley has Steve — as in Jobs. Seattle has Bill — as in Gates ... And Bangalore has Nandan — as in Nilekani."

Wally's Comment: When Jack Welch visited India and triggered the first big wave of US outsourcing, Infosys was already almost a decade old. Read this article for an idea of what the big Indian tech powerhouses are like. But don't stop there. This article will give you an idea of what the companies in the second wave of Indian outsourcing are emulating and what they are choosing to change.

From the Miami Herald: Quietly expanding with a focused, diverse plan
"Seacor operates a fleet of vessels that support oil drilling off five continents. It owns tankers that transport petroleum and chemicals. It cleans up oil spills. It moves cargo on the Mississippi River. It buys and sells rice, sugar and other commodities. It provides air-medical services to Miami Children's Hospital. And it even takes tourists on Alaskan glacier tours via helicopter."

Wally's Comment: Growth by acquisition is a dangerous strategy unless you stay firmly focused on your core business concept and manage the acquisitions well.

From the Charlotte Observer: Retailers pool resources to survive
"Prompted in part by the recession, some local independent retailers are banding together in new and creative ways – even with competitors – to promote their common interests and lure customers."

Wally's Comment: The whitewater economy is driving companies to find new ways of doing things. After recovery, some of those new things will survive. One might be the idea of companies working together. Two weeks ago I pointed you to a story about competitors sharing resources.

From the Toronto Globe and Mail: C-Suite Survey The return of optimism
"It wasn't long ago that executives saw only clouds on the horizon. What a difference four months can make. A relatively sunny view prevails this quarter."From

Wally's Comment: My sense is that the Globe & Mail quarterly survey often leads most surveys on opinion issues. That could mean that this is a good sign.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.