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Greek yogurt sales have doubled every year since 2006. It is praised by nutritionists for its flavor and protein content. The market leader is Chobani, founded by Hamdi Ulukaya, of Turkish origin, who has dairy plants in Johnston, New York. Chobani's sales were $196 million, as of Oct 3, 2010, having nearly tripled from the prior year. The irony is hat Chobani bought Kraft's yogurt plant to set up this business. Kraft had decided to exit the yogurt business in 2005. Now with sales climbing rapidly, Kraft is back in the business. Kraft has introduced its new Athenos brand Greek yogurt at Wal-Mart stores. General Mills introduced Greek Yoplait yogurt in March 2010. A change in American eating habits is driving this trend, as more people are substituting yogurt for breakfast instead of cereal. Overall yogurt sales are up 7.8% over the past year, according to UBS analyst Palmer. The CEO of Yoplait, General Mills, says there is room for continued growth, as Americans eat yogurt less per person than people in the U.K., Australia or Canada. The No 2 yogurt maker is brand is Fage, which started in a small dairy shop in Athens. Fage began exporting to the US in the 1990's, and set up a dairy plant in New York state. To reach the main demographic for yogurt- health conscious women- this brand advertised in Women's magazines Vogue and Elle, and ran banner ads on the New York Times website, as well as ads on food and wine sites. Fage's sales were up 50% by Oct 3, 2010, and reached $123 million in the US market....

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The large response triggered on the internet by Anne-Marie Slaughter's article in the July/August 2012 issue of the Atlantic on women and work, how it is difficult for women to work and raise children without making changes in today's American society so that a healthy balance can be achieved.

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Anna Fifield of the Washington Post provides this exceptional piece on Yuka Ogata, a 42 year old municipal assembly member of the Kumamoto Municipal Assembly. Yuka sat in the assembly seat with her 7 month baby in the front row to the men looking on in amazement. Ogata has a Masters degree in conflict resolution from George Mason University. Ogata was earlier reported to have created a stir by sitting while pregnant while asking questions.  Yuka Ogata says she wants to draw attention to the struggles of women as they seek to work so that they can raise a child and work happily. Japan's government has announced the key goal of "womenomics" to increase participation of women in the economy as a way to increase growth. Earlier Yuka had asked the Assembly authorites to open a day care center or let mothers bring their children to work. Both requests were denied and Ogata's child was removed from the Municipal Assembly. Here Anna Fifield gives other examples. Larissa Waters who according to new rules nursed her baby in the Australian parliament. Licia Ronzulli, an Italian member of the European parliament takes her daughter to the chamber in Strasbourg sine 2010. Yuka Ogata says it helps to know what other countries are doing as she makes her own efforts to get the same opportunities in Japan. ...

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Azimji Premji of Wipro is one of the few Indian business leaders with a strong bonding with Gandhi's ideas of personal responsibility for India's betterment and the betterment of millions of ordinary people in India. He says Gandhi influenced him only next to his mother who ran an orthopaedic hospital for disabled children for 50 years, and learned what it took to do this as well as the difference it made in people's lives. He quotes Gandhi as his own personal philosophy-  "Supposing I have come by a fair amount of wealth- either by way of legacy, or by means of trade and industry- I must know that all that wealth does not belong to me; what belongs to me is the right to an honorable livelihood, no better than that enjoyed by millions of others,. The rest of my wealth belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community." Azimji Premji gives as three enduring parts of Gandhi's leadership- the pursuit of truth, the importance of means over ends, and empathy for all human beings. He cites a saying of Gandhi to be seen at Sabarmati Ashram and Gandhi Smriti- "I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man (woman) whom you may have seen, and ask yourself of the step you contemplate is going tobe of any use to him or her. Will he or she gain anything by it? Will it restore him (her) to control over his (her) own life and destiny? In other words will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away." ...

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Shellye Archambeau talks about lessons she learned. She had a unique approach to mentors- find a mentor but do not ask directly whether he will mentor you, instead simply act like he is your mentor, ask questions and cultivate the relationship. This is because most people think mentoring is a committment and will take a lot of time which they consider scarce. Suggestions include: to ask someone have you any thoughts on how...? to get people's idea on doing something. She suggests being sincere and acting on it, and thanking that person, as a great way to get them to respond in the future. Getting people to believe they want to do something is importnt and getting them to believe that it can be done, is a great way to get people inspired to achieve new things. Reducing fear, while all the time being clear about what is expected, produces the best results.Taking risks, venturing out into the unknown, is part of all this because only by getting out and doing new things when you still feel you are not 100% ready, can one learn, grow and create value....

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Women executives at a panel discussion sponsored by Columbia Universiy in New York, in Dec. 2014, provide ideas for getting more women in Tech fields. Ideas include, mentoring, with early education exposure to technology careers- as early as middle school. One executive says she takes in 150 female high school students to Washington D.C. for leadership training. Other ideas are to turn maternity leave into a positive feature of women's lives by letting women who do well keep their duties by delegating them to others while they are away, and making a smooth pathway back to work full time. The suggestion is to allow a gradual transition to ramp back up to full time work, and allow flexible hours, working from home. In daily work women are encouraged to look for partnerships with other areas of the organization for getting results, and being sensitive to which areas of the organization they need to build support in.

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According to OECD information, only 61% of Korean women with a university education were employed in 2008. This was 28.4% less than the participation of men with university education in employment. The need for S. Korea to make better use of knowledge workers in a changing economy.

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Cyrus Mistry, who is 43 years old, head of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, a construction company, will be the new CEO of Tata Sons. He was a board director of Tata Sons for several years. His father is the largest shareholder in Tata Sons with an 18% stake in the company. Mistry, who comes from the same Mumbai based Parsi families as the founder and previous heads of Tata Sons, studied civil engineering at the Imperial College in London and management at the London Business School. He is an Irish national because of his father's marraige to an Irish woman. The previous chairman of Tata Sons before Ratan Tata, J.R.D. Tata, who ran the company for most of the postwar period, also had a similiar background, as J.R.D.'s father married a French woman. By virtue of its acquisition of the steel company Corus Group, and the acquisition of Jaguar-Land Rover, Tata Sons is now the largest manufacturing company in the U.K., in addition to being one of the largest and most well known companies in India. About 58% of sales now come from overseas. Companies in the Tata Group include Tata Consultancy (IT), Tata Motors (autos), Tata Steel (steel), and a range of other businesses in India. Ratan Tata will remain chairman till Dec. 2012, to give time for Cyrus Mistry to assume his new role....

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Claire Cain Miller points to the high cost of child care in the U.S. and the benefits to society from providing affordable child care. It has a high impact on women's employment and incomes, and ability to pursue opportunities in education and career. The effect on children especially for low income families is enormous. Average cost for child care in the U.S. is by one estimate $16,514. The higher the quality of care in early years the better the outcomes are for children in education, careers, income, and later in life.

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The incredible story of Beate Gordon of Mills College, California. As a 22 year old she joined the staff of General MacArthur in Tokyo. She was assigned the task of writing the section on women's rights in one week in 1946. She searched libraries in Tokyo for constitutions of other countries. Mills had lived in Japan for 10 years with her parents, and knew the situation for women in Japan, with the lack of basic rights. She took up the task as the only woman on the constitutional committee.

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Women in senior management positions at GM include Mary Barra, Melissa Howell, Anne Larin, Victor McInnis, Grace Lieblein, Alicia Boler-Davis. Howell is senior vice president of global human resources. Leiblein, vice president for global purchasing. Boler-Davis, senior vice president for global customer experience and quality. Barra is the new CEO in 2014. Here Leiblein describes her decision as chief engineer for large crossover utility vehicles- to leave a gap at the bottom of the left foot rest making room for female drivers wearing a high-heel shoe. Barra says she concentrates on doing a good job and doesn't count the number of women in the room at meetings. Other female managers says women have to put in more than men to be recognized.

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This report in the BBC shows the effect of the highly competitive nature of business in Sweden on young women who face burnout from long hours and lone achiever culture. The individualistic culture in Sweden where young people at an early age become independent also increases burnout compared to living in a culture that is friendlier and more community centred.

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Al Kamen interviews EPA chief Lisa Jackson.

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Yelena Chizhova was given the 2009 Russian Booker Prize for her novel "Time for Women." Chizhova describes how she gained a glimpse into the life of the period before the 1990's- during the Brezhnev period and the siege of Leningrad- from stories told by her great grandmother when she was only five or six years of age but which remain in her memory. In her book she tells the story of three elderly women raising a girl in a communal apartment in the 1960's. She says her book is part of this search for moral bearings in Russia that looks back to look forward.