Biz Buzz

NATION

Windows 8 for phones on the way

As it struggles to gain a foothold against the iPhone and Android phones, Microsoft Corp. is planning to issue a dramatic update to its phone software, one that won't be available to current Windows Phones. The new software, Windows Phone 8, will be available on new phones this fall, Microsoft said Wednesday at a presentation in San Francisco. The software will bring Windows phones closer to PCs and tablets running the company's upcoming Windows 8, which is also scheduled to launch later this year. With its planned software updates -- and the Surface tablet computer it introduced earlier this week -- Microsoft is taking steps to ensure that it plays a major role in the increasingly important mobile market. The company is playing catch-up in an arena dominated by Apple and Google.

Starbucks to open Tazo tea shop

Starbucks Corp. plans to open its first Tazo tea shop this fall, in yet another move to expand beyond its ubiquitous coffee shops. The Seattle-based chain says the store will open near its headquarters and will include a tea bar where customers can blend their own tea mixes with the help of a store worker the company is calling a "tea partner." The store will offer more than 80 varieties of loose-leaf tea, tea lattes and iced teas, as well as chocolates, infused sugars and honeys. It's the latest move by Starbucks to expand beyond its 17,000 cafes around the world. Earlier this year, it announced plans to open its first Evolution Fresh juice store.

Survey: Fewer CEOs plan to hire

A survey of chief executives shows fewer large U.S. companies plan to hire or boost spending in the next six months, reflecting a weaker U.S. economy. The Business Roundtable says 36 percent of its CEO members plan to add workers over the next six months. That's down from 42 percent when the survey was last taken three months ago. Jim McNerney, the group's chairman and CEO of The Boeing Co., blamed the dip on "concern over increasingly persistent obstacles to a stronger recovery." Those include uncertainty over potential U.S. tax increases and spending cuts early next year and Europe's financial crisis. Overall, the CEO Outlook survey index fell to 89.1 in the second quarter, down from 96.9 in the first three months of the year. A reading above 50 indicates growth.

Burger King returning to NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange is once again the home of the Whopper. Burger King began trading as a public company Wednesday under the ticker symbol BKW. The world's No. 2 hamburger chain had last traded as a public company between 2006 and 2010 before it was purchased and taken private by investment firm 3G Capital. Burger King's return to the Big Board wasn't through an initial public offering, however. 3G Capital announced an unusual deal in April to sell a minority stake to Justice Holdings Ltd., a London-based entity that was specifically set up to invest in another company. Under the deal, Justice suspended trading on the London Stock Exchange and emerged as Burger King Worldwide Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange.

WORLD

BlackBerry maker shedding jobs

Struggling BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said Wednesday it has started laying off employees as part of its restructuring plan aimed at saving about $1 billion this year. RIM said in May that there would be "significant layoffs" this year. Yesterday, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said it has "reduced some positions as part of its program and may continue to do so as the company methodically works through a review of the business." RIM declined to provide numbers, but will offer an update when it reports quarterly financial results on June 28. RIM had about 16,500 employees in early May. -- AP