Could it be that Americans are falling out of love for hamburgers and fries?That McDonald’s and Burger King are fighting for a diminishing share? Stranger things have happened. If America’s taste buds are changing after decades of a holding pattern, what are the two fast-food companies to do? They will try to follow trends, as they did […]
Posted on April 30th, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 181 Comments »
There ought to be public shaming of executives who game the system to look better. Consider this example. Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) was developed to help investors better compare companies. It is a step toward greater transparency. But executives have found ways around it so they can’t be measured against peers. There isn’t much […]
Posted on April 25th, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 169 Comments »
When does it make sense to give away proprietary technology? When it risks being eclipsed and failing as a product. That is the decision IBM has made for its Power microprocessors. It has turned the chip into open architecture to get more people to use it. Now, IBM will need to build relations with collaborators […]
Posted on April 24th, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 181 Comments »
Airbnb, the apartment sharing startup, has a problem with prostitution. It seems Ladies of the Night are using its services for tricks. The service doesn’t seem worried about it, but one wonders if it should be. What if people stop renting out apartments and rooms because they are afraid of the type of person who […]
Posted on April 23rd, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 179 Comments »
Unlike Porsche Cars, whose error we discussed yesterday, General Mills understands how to react quickly to what internet users say. The company had published a new policy last week that stated if someone “Liked” any of its brands online, that person agreed to give up the right to sue the company in favor of binding arbitration. The uproar […]
Posted on April 22nd, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 178 Comments »
This story is shocking because Porsche, the luxury sports car maker, has been so good in customer service and public relations. Porsche is a master of building and fitting its vehicles to the aspirations of a select group of owner-drivers. The rest of the world gapes in awe at the machines built for comfort and speed. Now, […]
Posted on April 21st, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 201 Comments »
Scientists have discovered a planet similar to earth and in the right zone for habitation. It is 500 light years away. Or, to put it in context, if earth had sent a message to the planet during the time of Henry VIII of England, it would just be arriving. For all practical purposes, man is […]
Posted on April 18th, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 205 Comments »
Isn’t the PR that you learned in school or practiced for much of your career. Now it is data-driven communications. The traditional model of earned media that couldn’t be measured is being swiftly replaced by social media that can be counted and tracked. Agencies that do not have access to the data are being left […]
Posted on April 17th, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 46 Comments »
The IRS has proposed an experiment in which millions of Americans can submit simple, pre-filled tax returns. One would hope the IRS finds the test positive and saves filers an annual headache. But, one company sees it as a threat to its business and is lobbying against it — Intuit, the maker of TurboTax. Rather […]
Posted on April 16th, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 425 Comments »
A failing cupcake chain is trying to get its products into supermarkets. Cupcakes were a fad not that long ago, and there were cupcake wars on reality TV cooking shows. Now, pffft. The chain went public at the height of the fad and today is closing stores. It is hard enough to run a […]
Posted on April 15th, 2014 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 183 Comments »
