NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will cut about 11,200 jobs at Sam's Club warehouses as it turns over the task of in-store product demonstrations to an outside marketing company. The move is an effort to improve sales at Sam's Club, which has underperformed the company's namesake stores in the U.S. and abroad.

The cuts, which include workers who offer food samples, showcase products and recruit new members, represent about 10 percent of the warehouse club operator's 110,000 staffers across its 600 stores.

During Wal-Mart Stores' most recent quarter, revenue at the Sam's Club division slipped nearly 1 percent to $11.55 billion. Earlier this month, Wal-Mart Stores closed 10 underperforming Sam's Clubs, cutting about 1,500 jobs.

SURVEY INDICATES HIRING WILL PICK UP

NEW YORK — Businesses expect to boost hiring and capital spending in the first half of the year as the U.S. recovery from the recession slowly continues, according to a new survey.

The latest industry survey from the National Association for Business Economics, set for release today, shows that capital spending plans continue to brighten as credit markets loosen slightly.

Meanwhile, job losses are slowing down. The percentage of companies cutting payrolls fell to 28 percent from 31 percent, and 29 percent of those surveyed expect to hire over the next six months, up from 24 percent last fall.

MOZILLA CHIEF FEARS CURBS ON INTERNET

MUNICH, Germany — The leader of the Mozilla Project, whose Firefox Web browser now has 350 million users, said yesterday she is concerned legal restrictions could limit Internet expansion.

Mitchell Baker said she worried about "the increase in laws that make it difficult to run an open network."

"You suddenly become liable for anything that gets downloaded, whether it's legal or not," she said at the start of a conference on digital innovation and creative ideas.