Transom

• U.S. workers were willing to do more for their employers in February than they were last August, according to Minneapolis-based Modern Survey. All five measures in the firm’s periodic national surveys on employee engagement—including willingness to go “above and beyond” job requirements—declined from August 2007 to August 2008, but had rebounded slightly by February. Read more on the results at modernsurvey.com, and read our story on Modern Survey.

• The Minnesota Twins’ final season at the Metrodome will feature “Market Mondays,” with the price of a ticket in the “home run porch” for a Monday home game determined by the Dow Jones Industrial Average at market close the preceding Friday—$8 if the Dow is in the 8,000s, $9 if it’s in the 9,000s, and so on. Safe bet: No one’s really rooting for cheap seats.

• Since February, most display rings at Dean and Umit Nasifoglu’s Wedding Day Diamonds stores are sterling silver and cubic zirconia. That’s saving the company at least $20,000 a month in overhead and security costs, Umit says, and allowing the company to triple its selection of rings. “This just takes our capital investment to next to nothing,” he adds, enabling them to put more money where they want to—buying loose diamonds.

• Radio station KYCR 1570-AM has switched from a general talk format to business talk. Syndicated programs, such as Bloomberg Financial and the Lou Dobbs Show, make up the initial schedule, but John Hunt, Twin Cities general manager for station owner Salem Communications, expects to add local content in coming months. The station also streams its programming live at business1570.com.

• Cargill says it’s setting new standards in the beef industry by launching a third-party, 24/7, video auditing program in its 10 North American cattle processing plants. Video monitoring to prevent animal mistreatment and processing of sick “downer” cattle has become common, says Cargill’s Rebecca Hayne, but third-party auditing—Cargill has hired New York–based Arrowsight to audit its plants—raises the bar on food safety and employee training.