NATION

NATION
Sexual harassmentcontinues to be problem
NEW YORK -- Many women continue to confront sexual harassment at work. A recent study of 1,000 Americans by the Employment Law Alliance found 21 percent of female respondents said they have encountered sexual harassment on the job, compared with 7 percent of males.
"The poll results confirm the fact that sexual harassment is still very much a fact of life in the American workplace," said Stephen J. Hirschfeld, chief executive of the coalition of labor and employment lawyers.
Still, he said, it's significant that 85 percent of those said they have not been sexually harassed at work, suggesting U.S. employers are doing a much better job at curtailing the behavior.
Strong ties keepcompanies on top
NEW YORK -- Companies perform better for their shareholders when they form strong ties with their suppliers, customers and partners, according to a study by management consultant Booz Allen Hamilton and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
More than two-thirds of executives at the top-performing companies surveyed said their firms focus on meeting customers' expectations and nurturing relationships with them.
By contrast, 90 percent of executives at lower-performing concerns said their companies were more concerned with reducing costs and spinning off noncore businesses.
Associated Press