-
Metals Thoughts: Tourist season
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesThe USD's three-week rally has extended the mighty dollar to a high since late March on the back of some hawkish FOMC minutes last week. Investors immediately repriced interest rate hike bets for June from 5 percent to 32 percent.
-
6 questions entrepreneurs need to ask when choosing a manufacturer
Alan Kelsky ManufacturingCongratulations, your success as an entrepreneur is on track, and the product you invented is ready to go into production. But you don't know any people in manufacturing and know of others who have reached this stage, only to find they could not find the right manufacturer for a long time — often for a year or more.
-
Does your team know what you expect?
Deborah Ike Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementHave you ever wondered why a team member did something completely wrong? Have you assigned someone a task and the final product was not quite what you needed? While it's certainly possible your team member made a mistake, perhaps he simply didn't understand what you'd requested. Ensuring your employees know what you expect is a key step in developing an effective team.
-
The future is now: 3-D printers are poised to disrupt the economy
Ronnie Richard ManufacturingIt's Monday morning. Your alarm goes off, and you slowly spill out of bed. You shuffle along to the kitchen and pour a fresh cup of coffee in your favorite mug — all set to start a new work week. But as you reach for some sweetener to add in, your arm knocks the mug off the counter, shattering it on the floor. How do you replace it?
-
3 easy ways to get more customer reviews (and boost sales)
Emma Fitzpatrick RetailIf you track your online Yelp or Google Review conversions, you already know how much online reviews impact your business. Online reviews have the power to boost your brand and drive sales. Or they can drive sales away from your business.
-
You should pay your summer interns
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementInterns are usually employees. The issue can seem confusing, but that is only because so many employers do it wrong. If people come to work for your organization — nonprofit, for-profit, large or tiny — and they do work you have or would normally pay an employee to do, they are probably employees even if you call them interns. And that is OK, as long as you actually pay them like employees.
-
Metals Thoughts: Summer break
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesWith summer rapidly approaching, it seems an appropriate time to hit pause on our weekly focus. Let's take a look at our broader, medium-term macro outlook and establish where upside and downside risks to our base case exist. Here's my version of a summer long-form beach read.
-
3 tips for responding to negative social media posts
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingWhen customers are frustrated, they often don't reach out to your customer service line anymore. For better or worse, they instead share their negative experience on social media. Negative comments, bad reviews and snarky tweets will always be there. They're never going to away, and deleting them is certainly not the way to go.
-
Selfie pay: New technology could revolutionize online purchases
Cait Harrison RetailMost of us have experienced the frustration of trying to remember a password — or worse, finding out that our personal information has been compromised. Now, a new payment initiative by MasterCard is working to address both of those problems with one solution: the selfie.
-
The increasing costs of a cyberattack
Cassie Phillips Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAfter hearing about some of the dangers within the healthcare industry concerning cybersecurity and patient information, we can only expect the trend to continue. Whether it is an inside job, ransomware or a kind of social engineering, the risks are too high for businesses and organizations to ignore the potential fallout of a data breach. The negative media coverage and financial costs are simply too high (and rising).
All Retail Articles