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Texas legislative update: Bill would create tax holiday for firearms, hunting…
John McAdams Recreation & LeisureThough this is not an extremely busy session of the Texas Legislature in terms of legislation directly related to outdoor activities, there are still some noteworthy events coming out of Austin. Specifically, there are now two pieces of legislation to keep an eye on: Senate Bill 317 and Senate Bill 457. SB 317 passed the Texas Senate with overwhelming support by a vote of 31-0 on April 11. This is a particularly interesting piece of legislation that would create a state sales tax holiday on firearms and hunting supplies for one weekend each year.
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Springfield, Missouri’s Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium is…
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureHere’s a multibillion-dollar American success story that began in the unlikely setting of a small-town liquor store. That’s where, in 1971, Johnny Morris launched his Bass Pro Shops hunting and fishing empire — selling bait and fishing tackle out of the back of his father’s Brown Derby booze shop in Springfield, Missouri. More than just an entrepreneurial retailer, Morris, now 71, is also one of America’s most renowned outdoorsmen, and his ultimate vision goes way beyond selling fishing rods, bass boats and shotguns. He is a powerful advocate in support of global environmentalism and conservation.
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Fresh food purchases, delivery apps cause worry for traditional grocers
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageE-commerce and Amazon have disrupted the grocery business, and the wave of changes has yet to die down. A recent report released by Wolfe Research says that pressure on grocers, especially conventional supermarkets, will intensify in the coming months. An interesting find from the report is that fresh food purchases are set to grow. But instead of benefiting grocers, it seems it will benefit e-tailers more.Y ounger consumers are making fresh-food purchases online or from mass merchandisers instead of traditional grocery brands. About 3 in 10 plan to decrease their packaged food purchases while 34% plan to purchase less frozen food.
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Starbucks’ mobile app: Creating a venti impact in customer loyalty
Katherine Radin RetailStarbucks may have been ahead of its time in 2008 when it introduced its Starbucks Card rewards program. Encouraging coffee enthusiasts to register for a "frequent buyer" card, fans of the coffee chain found themselves drinking their way from Welcome Level through to Gold Level status. As smartphone technology improved over the years, the loyalty program went hand-in-hand with Starbucks’ mobile app and mobile ordering system. What was originally seen as a form of convenience is now inspiring retailers to hop aboard the mobile loyalty program train.
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Unsafe firms imperil US workers, occupational safety group report says
Seth Sandronsky Facilities & GroundsEmployers can and should do a better job of ensuring U.S. worker safety, according to a new report from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH). Titled "The Dirty Dozen," it details how 12 firms put workers and communities at risk with unsafe labor practices. The report marks Workers’ Memorial Week, which honors Americans who have died and suffered injuries and illnesses on the job. "Too many workers become ill, injured and die each year under the watch of their employers who, in some cases, are repeat offenders and among the world’s most profitable companies," said Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of NCOSH.
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Are restaurant owners, managers, and consumers on the same page when it…
Linchi Kwok Food & BeverageSome big restaurant chains, such as Starbucks and McDonald's, have already taken action in responding to sustainable trends in the industry, even though a study from 2016 suggests that consumers might not want to make a concerted effort themselves to eat at a green restaurant. Do owners, managers, and consumers think alike when it comes to the green attributes that matter the most to the restaurant business? With several questions in mind, I helped conduct a study where we asked 386 consumers, 115 restaurant managers, and 80 owners in the United States to rate the importance of 12 green practices that a restaurant can undertake.
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Is Twitter still popular, relevant, or worth it for businesses?
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingMost marketers rely on the big three social platforms to connect, engage and inform their followers. For B2C marketers, 97% used Facebook, 65% used Twitter, and 60% used Instagram, according to 2018 Statista data. For B2B, 89% used Facebook, 81% used LinkedIn, and 75% used Twitter. For years, Twitter has consistently ranked among brands’ go-to destinations for social media platforms. But did you know Twitter has 32% fewer daily active users (126 million) than Snapchat (186 million)?
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How to optimize your webpages for voice search
Emily Johnson CommunicationsVoice search is not merely a passing trend. It has now gained wide popularity, as it is more convenient for many users to speak with an assistant than to type. To keep up with this change, search engine giants like Google and Bing are moving towards semantic analyses and natural language processing from a keyword-centric approach. That means voice search is already a part of key search results. To stay ahead of the competition, make sure your webpages are voice-search optimized with these eight tips.
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Business lessons learned from the Boston Marathon
Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementEarlier this week, I had the opportunity to watch the Boston Marathon. If you've haven't seen this race, which happens to be the oldest marathon in the U.S., I'd encourage you to do so. It's quite a sight to behold. Here are some of my key takeaways from the race that can apply to business.
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Are you measuring the right things?
Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe good news about today's technology-enabled world is that we have the ability to measure just about anything. And the bad news is that in today’s technology-enabled world, we have the ability to measure just about anything. We are literally drowning in data points — some of them more useful than others, but all of them screaming for our attention. How do you determine on which measurements to focus? Here's the key point to remember: What gets measured gets managed.
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