Which Do Customers Really Prefer: Cut Prices or More Brands?

On November 6, 2009

Which Do Customers Really Prefer: Cut Prices or More Brands?

Price cuts are a good way to build sales and destroy the business. London's Evening Standard newspaper has been giving a masterclass in this suicidal art form. Over the last two years it has responded to the free sheets by halving its price, giving it away free on some days, charging full price but giving away free umbrellas, charging less after 9pm at some locations; offering discounts for loyalty card holders and many other pricing wheezes. Each short-term fix gave a short-term boost to sales. It was following the 'birdie strategy' -- birds go "cheep cheep", and the Standard went cheap, cheap. Academics call this "blue ocean strategy", which sounds fancier. But each short-term fix was as effective as another...


On November 6, 2009

First Shoe Drops For EADS On A400M

South Africa announced that it had canceled their order for eight A400M transports due to the price increase caused by the program delays. This is the first order lost for the troubled program and will only add to the price woes associated with it.


On November 6, 2009

Will a Good GMAT Score Land Your Dream Job?

Remember how great it felt when you finished the GMAT test? After you got into an MBA program, you probably never thought about the test again. So how would you feel if you had to re-take the GMAT... after receiving your MBA acceptance letter?


On November 6, 2009

A Free Crash Course in Design Thinking

The Institute of Design at Stanford offers a program designed to meld design thinking and business, but for those without the time and resources to go back to school, or for those looking just to get their feet wet on the subject, a new series of videos might be a good place to start.


On November 6, 2009

Be Productive When Working From Home

Here are five key ingredients to being an effective worker at home, whether you're doing it to escape the cubicle part time or as a self-employed entrepreneur


On November 6, 2009

CRM for Financial Services, Part 1: Unmet Potential

The chastening effect of the recession has many financial services firms taking a cautious view of future CRM investments. One reason is that these firms are husbanding their resources. Another is a growing awareness that investments in CRM by the financial sector have not been all that successful.


On November 6, 2009

Southwest Doesn’t Fool Around

This week, I headed southwest as I continued making the rounds of travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times. My first impression of Southwest Airlines' Web site was that its online presence faithfully reflected its corporate persona: It looked to be a roll-up-your sleeves, no nonsense outfit.


On November 6, 2009

New Military Contracts Limit Losses For Oshkosh

Oshkosh reported losses of over a billion dollars for Fiscal Year 2009 due to charges and debt reduction. Recent wins of military production contracts have improved the recent quarters but the future for commercial products is fairly bleak.


On November 5, 2009

Jobs CEO of Decade Says Fortune – Give Me a Break

I can understand why people on balance admire Steve Jobs as a CEO. I can understand why Fortune might want to feature Jobs and Apple as a winning combination to feature. But CEO of the entire decade? Oh, please.


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