As you gather with friends, family, co-workers and loved ones this week to celebrate this annual international event you may want to reflect on the humble beginnings of this renowned holiday. Yes, it’s true. We’re in the midst of the official Customer Service Week as proclaimed by the U.S. Congress in 1992 as a nationally…
Glance back over the past five years, and I think you’ll quickly be able to identify at least a dozen major instances in the news that demonstrated a very obvious absence of anything resembling a “sense of urgency.” It’s becoming commonplace in politics, sports, the economy, environment, business, healthcare, safety, entertainment, and the list goes on…
I throw out that challenge in much the same way Hank Williams Jr. invites people to join him for Monday Night Football. The difference is simple — his viewers have a choice as to whether they participate. If you haven’t noticed, CHAOS has not only arrived, it’s been here for a while now, and it…
Chocolate Anyone? Campbell Soup, the largest soup company in the U.S., recently reviewed their extensive portfolio and decided to explore strategic alternatives, which include the possible sale of their Godiva Chocolate division. They feel the premium chocolate business simply doesn’t fit their strategic focus on simple meals such as soup, baked snacks, and vegetable-based beverages….
I hate to contradict myself, but I was shocked, yet not surprised, to hear that 76-year-old co-founder and chairman Herb Kelleher has announced that he will step down as chairman of Southwest Airlines in May of 2008. As if that weren’t enough of a shock to one of the most unique cultures in the business…
From time to time, we like to offer you a “big picture” update on recent business tidbits. Nothing in depth, just a quick overview to keep you “in the know.” For instance: WENDY’S Apparently, Wendy’s International, Inc., the nation’s third-largest hamburger chain with approximately 6,600 locations, is seriously in search of a buyer. By the…
Microsoft, the software giant, is excavating a giant pit for an underground parking garage with the capacity for some 5,000 vehicles. When finished, it will be one of the largest underground parking structures in the United States. It will cover the equivalent of six downtown city blocks and go four stories deep. The underground garage…
They’re b-a-c-k-k-k-k-k-k! After several years at the top of the Fortune 500, Wal-Mart was bumped into the second slot by Exxon Mobil in 2006. This surprised very few people based on rising oil prices the past few years. What did surprise many was the fact that Wal-Mart regained the coveted number one position this year…
Based on the feedback we receive from those attending our time management and stress management seminars, it’s quite evident that the majority of us appear to have less and less spare time to focus on newspapers, magazines, and television/radio newscasts to catch up on the latest business news. Internet surfing is even more time consuming. To address…