Patient satisfaction surveys haven’t changed much since the last century. Paper and pencil is still the most common way to get the job done. Research shows a positive correlation with both revenue and patient satisfaction for those who do conduct these surveys. Few medical practices today, however, are conducting these surveys. Doctors complain that the…
The 201 square mile city of Griffin, Georgia is in Spalding County, midway between Atlanta and Macon. Incorporated in 1843, it lay on the Monroe Railroad north-south line and maintained an important cotton growing industry. Textile manufacturing began in the 1880’s and several firms dominated the market, including the Kincaid Manufacturing Company that became the…
JCPenney, the hundred year old mid-range department store chain headquartered in Plano, TX, is searching for its key success factors, once again. CEO Ron Johnson joined the company in June 2011 with a bold plan to eliminate sales and to restructure the company around the Apple store model he developed, while SVP of Retail Operations…
On December 31, 2012 the last print edition of Newsweek magazine hit the newsstands. A print publication for nearly eighty years, Newsweek was sold in 2010 to Barry Diller’s online advertising and media giant, IAC (Interactive Corp), and its online offer, The Daily Beast. Tina Brown became editor of both the Daily Beast and the…
The “grab a deal” offer is almost as ubiquitous as the “win a sweepstake” offer. Email boxes and Facebook accounts fill rapidly with these advertising pitches to market goods and services. The attempt to reach eyeballs through online ads has shifted toward trying to reach pocketbooks through onsite visits. Restaurants, cruises, hotels, physical goods,…
Rubber boots are a staple consumer product for regions that experience wet weather. Nokian Footwear (Nokian Jalkineet), a Finnish boot manufacturer with a long history in Finnish rubber products, today focuses solely on high quality rubber boots. Since the early 2000′s, due to an increase in manufacturing costs, it moved the production side of the…
A recent article in the Economist on art auction houses suggests that the international purchasing marketplace is shifting towards China. The two major auction houses that have dominated the market since the 1800s (Sotheby’s and Christie’s) are losing market share to two Chinese firms (China Guardian and Poly Auction). With the increase in Chinese consumer…
In its June 11th press release this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that industry profits are expected to reach $3 billion this year with a projected net profit margin of 0.5%, in spite of the deepening Eurozone debt crisis. For the second year in a row, the figures have continued to spiral…
Gap Inc., through its store brand Athleta, and Lululemon Athletica compete head on in the yoga retail sportswear marketplace. Both companies operate storefronts in malls across the country. With over 3000 specialty stores covering its five brands, Gap Inc. competes with a variety of retail offers including clothing, accessories, and personal care products for all…
The Avedis Zildjian Company has been the manufacturer of choice for cymbal players since 1623, when the family-owned business was started in Istanbul by alchemist Avedis Zildjian I. The secret alloy-treating process he developed continues to be used to this day. The company’s closely-guarded trade secret is revealed only to specific Zildjian family members, who…