Business News in Brief: University opens recruitment site

| Tuesday, October 24, 2006 7:46 PM PDT ∞

Compiled by: KELLEY CARLSON -

CARLSBAD ---- The University of Phoenix will hold a grand opening for its new business and administrative office in Westfield Plaza Camino Real from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday. The office is on the upper level of the mall's southeast entrance.

Burnham Real Estate merges

SAN DIEGO ---- Burnham Real Estate/ONCOR International, headquartered in San Diego, has expanded into the Inland Empire region through a merger with CDM Group Inc. in Temecula. The company still operates under the Burnham Real Estate name and brand.

BP says 3Q profit fell 3.6 percent

LONDON (AP) ---- BP PLC's third-quarter profit declined by 3.6 percent, slumping on lost Alaskan production, higher taxes in Britain and a sharp drop in gasoline prices.

BP, which has experienced a run of difficulties in the United States, also lowered its average daily oil production forecast for 2006 because of asset sales and snags at several oil fields. The first of the major oil companies to report quarterly earnings this week, BP said net income for the three months ended Sept. 30 came to $6.23 billion, compared with $6.46 billion in the third quarter of 2005. Revenue climbed 4 percent, to $70.7 billion.

Toyota's worldwide production rises

TOKYO (AP) ---- Toyota Motor Corp.'s global production rose 3.8 percent in September, putting the company on track to overtake General Motors as the world's biggest automaker. It was the company's 23rd consecutive monthly advance.

Surging oil prices have prompted drivers to favor fuel-efficient cars, including the Prius hybrid, Corolla compact and the midsize Camry, the best-selling model on the U.S. market for eight of the last nine years. Toyota's total output last month came to 696,594 vehicles, the company reported Tuesday. Overseas production climbed 2.8 percent, to 340,945 units, while domestic output rose 4.7 percent, to 355,649 vehicles.

Vista upgrade coupons to be offered

SEATTLE (AP) ---- People who buy certain Windows personal computers this holiday season will be offered free or heavily discounted coupons to upgrade to Microsoft Corp.'s new operating system, Windows Vista, under a program designed to spur sales despite Vista's delay, Microsoft said Tuesday.

Vista is scheduled to be released to consumers sometime in January, after numerous delays that forced the Redmond, Wash., software-maker to push the launch date beyond the holiday season. It's also scheduled to be released to big business clients in November, although exact launch dates for both versions haven't been made public.

The coupon program begins Thursday and runs through mid-March. Particulars of the deal will vary depending on the computer-maker and retailer.

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