Target Confirms Store Location in Oshawa
MINNEAPOLIS (January 26, 2012) – Target Corporation is pleased to confirm that Five Points Shopping… [more]
Avoiding a slippery situation for your small business
You’re a smart small business owner. You pay attention to your customers needs. You pay attention to… [more]
The benefits of effective energy management
By: Cathy Minz | Photo by Ryan Pfeiffer/Metroland The rewards of managing energy consumption,… [more]
Ramp up your website’s accessibility
By Sue Sutcliffe Mortar and glue, bells and whistles: everything’s ready to launch on your new company… [more]
DSEA launches new electric vehicle project at Whitby campus
Furthering its commitment to the advancement of state-of-the-art energy initiatives, the Durham Strategic… [more]
Leadership Tips
Developing a high-impact strategic plan
By: John Skelton As the senior manager or proprietor of a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), does the prospect of developing a strategic plan frighten the daylights out of you? Do you view strategic planning as the exclusive domain of intellectuals, expensive consultants, or … [More...]
Use your talents to become a better leader
By: Todd Skinner With the 41st federal general election campaigns in full swing and all the talk about who is fit to lead Canada, I thought that it would be well-timed to look at one of my favourite subjects – Leadership. There’s a common misconception about leadership, and … [More...]
Marketing Tips
Video tools, techniques and tips for business, part two
By: Sue Sutcliffe Last month’s column talked about how businesses use social media video. From virtual tours to face-to-face-interviews to how-tos, the applications are endless. But how do you get started? Tools For most organizations, securing a YouTube channel is a smart … [More...]
SEP develops website caller ID
By: Glenn Hendry Accurately tracking traffic to business websites has always been a bit of a sketchy enterprise, involving a lot of Google analytics mixed with best guess scenarios. No longer, thanks to Search Engine People (SEP)and its newly unveiled SiteVisitorID … [More...]
Management
Sales & Operations Planning: Benefits
By: John Skelton The S&OP business process fits effectively within a wide range of businesses, including manufacturing, assembly, distribution, wholesale, retail, and service industries. Its many benefits include. New Product Introductions: Time required to launch new products can be significantly reduced, and disruptions to the market … [More...]
Best Practices Produce Best-In-Class Results
By: John Skelton In a report released in August, 2011, research firm The Aberdeen Group of Boston, MA found that a formal process of Sales and Operations Planning was a key enabler in companies who were able to achieve best-in-class results in customer service levels, average cash conversion cycles, forecast accuracy at product family levels, … [More...]
The Multi-Million-Dollar Focusing System
By: Todd Skinner I admit I’m a sports fanatic, and at this time of year it’s all about pro football. The teams are making a run for the Superbowl and every inch counts. Recently, I was watching a Monday night football nail-bitter and while I know that most professional athletes earn millions of dollars a year, I was struck by something … [More...]
Face the truth and grow your business
By: Todd Skinner Over the past few months I have been reaching out to my network of clients, business associates and contacts across the world as well as here at home to learn what others are doing to succeed in 2011. With slight modifications and removal of some proprietary content, I have been asked by many to share these simple yet powerful … [More...]
Recruiting and retaining staff: The next decade’s talent war
With the recent heated debate about jobs moving overseas to countries with lower labor costs such as China, India and Eastern Europe, who would think that, within the next decade, there is high potential for a significant shortage of workers in the North America possibly creating a crisis? If you take into consideration the 70 million Baby … [More...]
Playing to win with social media
By: Sue Sutcliffe You’ve heard it before: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Nowhere is this truer than with social media. In an April 2011 survey, people were asked if social media has impacted their organization. Of the people who said ‘no,’ a third blamed their inability to measure and analyze the data. Conversely, respondents who … [More...]
Have you evaluated your social media game plan?
By: Sue Sutcliffe Social media: what a great marketing tool. It’s inexpensive, it’s customizable – but is it working? In last month’s column, you learned how to plan and launch a social media campaign, but now you need to figure out how well it performs. Who are you attracting? What’s engaging them? What’s bringing in business? … [More...]
Stop the war and end the continuous work conflicts
By: Bill Templeman Whenever I ask clients what they find most challenging about managing their own businesses or being in charge of a department in the public sector, I hear several very predictable answers, no matter the size or focus of the organization. To my continued amazement, managing workplace conflict frequently ranks among the top … [More...]