Today in business: 5 things you need to know

1. BARNES & NOBLE SHARES SOAR

Barnes & Noble shares soared by as much as 26 percent early Monday after reports that Chairman Leonard Riggio had told the board he wants to buy the company's stores and website. As book buyers switch to digital formats, the company's sales have declined. During the crucial holiday season, for example, salse dropped by 10.9 percent. The company has been mulling whether to spin off business related to its Nook e-reader. "Riggio loves the (retail) business too much to let it go," Morningstar analyst Peter Wahlstrom said. [Reuters]

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2. SAMSUNG REVEALS GALAXY S IV DEBUT DATE

Samsung confirmed on Monday that the latest version of its Galaxy S smartphone will make its debut on March 14. The news of the looming launch of the Galaxy S IV came a day after the company unveiled an eight-inch version of its Galaxy Note tablet. The success of the Galaxy stable of devices has made the South Korean company the biggest and most profitable maker of Android-powered smartphones and tablets, and the most formidable single rival of Apple's popular iPhones and iPads. [Fox News]

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3. NBC TAKES RATINGS PLUNGE

NBC has nosedived in the ratings since winning 13 of the last 15 weeks of 2012, The New York Times reported Monday. The network is expected to finish the sweeps month of February behind not only its regular network competitors, but trailing the Spanish-language Univision, as well. One sign of how far the network has fallen from its days as the leader of prime-time TV — its best rated show in February was Saturday Night Live, which is 38 years old and produced only two new shows in the month. "It's like a calamity of events that has triggered this free fall," said Brad Adgate, director of research for the media-buying company Horizon Media. "SNL is the top show? That's pathetic." [New York Times]

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4. IKEA PULLS MEATBALLS FROM SHELVES IN EUROPE AS HORSE-MEAT SCARE SPREADS

Ikea has withdrawn a batch of Swedish meatballs from its stores in the U.K. and 12 other European countries after Czech inspectors found traces of horse meat in products labeled as beef and pork meatballs at one of the giant Scandanavian furniture chain's stores. Ikea is just the latest in a parade of retailers touched by a widening horse-meat scandal in the region. The iffy batch of Kottbullar meatballs contained meat from a single, unnamed Swedish supplier. The product was pulled before customers had bought any, Ikea said. [Guardian]

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5. WARMING PLANET WILL MEAN LONGER WORK BREAKS

Thanks to the warming climate, people working in jobs without air conditioning will need to take work breaks twice as often by 2050, according to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The extra breathers will be needed so workers can avoid heat stress if, as projected, temperatures jump by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit between now and mid-century, the researchers said. "The world is entering a very different environment and the impact on labor will be significant," says Ronald Stouffer, a physical scientist at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., and co-author of the report. [Bloomberg]