Monster, the global employment website, announced it will open a state-of-art customer service facility in Florence, South Carolina. The opening of a new customer service center will be in conjunction with the Florence County Economic Development Partnership and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The facility will initially hold approximately 350 new employees, mainly focused on the customer service function, with the ability to grow staff over time. Through monster.com, the company will begin recruiting for these positions in the coming weeks.

Penton Media's Food Group launches its new targeted online career center, Food JobZone. The site offers industry employers a growing, qualified audience of food industry professionals in the supermarket, baking, restaurant and food service sectors, while providing industry jobseekers with food industry-specific, categorized job listings.

HR consulting firm Sibson Consulting has opened an office in Montreal, Quebec, and is the direct result of the company's success in growing its strategic human resource and benefits consulting business in Canada.

Human capital solutions firm A.J. O'Connor Associates has formed a Senior Human Resource Advisory Board, bringing together senior human resource leaders from the top companies in the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with the intent of providing a forum to share ideas and discuss business challenges. The advisory board members include senior executives from top companies in the healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consumer products and technology industries and have an average 20 years experience in human resources.

Impact Achievement Group introduced its Supervisory Basics workshop series, helping new supervisors/managers accelerate their personal success as they move from an individual contributor to a managerial position. Part of Impact Achievement Group's Performance Advantage™ workshop series and integrated training products, Supervisory Basics helps beginning managers avoid common new manager traps.

Reuters UK reports that damages sought by software maker Oracle Corp could top $1 billion (500 million pounds) in an intellectual property lawsuit it has brought against arch-rival SAP AG, according to a court filing. Oracle is suing TomorrowNow, a U.S. subsidiary of SAP, for corporate theft and alleges it illegally downloaded masses of Oracle customer service materials and passed those documents to SAP.

Recent developments in the legal profession are prompting law firms and corporate legal departments to employ increasingly progressive recruiting and talent management strategies, according to a just-released white paper from Future Law Office project. It discusses the staffing challenges caused by diminished law school enrollment, increased lateral movement of midlevel associates, seasoned talent opting out of the profession, and the pending retirement of the baby boomer generation and how law firms and corporate legal departments are responding to these issues.

San Francisco Chronicle writes on how costs are changing commutes and that high gas prices cause workers to consider distances to jobs as well as salary offers when deciding on positions.

The Tennessean suggests thinking outside the pump to solve workplace issues.