Inside Business articles from August 2003

Inside Business archives from August 2003

One player, many teams. (Editor's Column).(work force loyalties)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Peter Drucker, move over. Management theory's surprise new guru is none other than an 18-year-old named LeBron James. Dr. James has something he'd like to teach you about leadership and employee motivation. James, in case you've been under...

Image counts. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... I agree with much of what you had to say in "Remember the Customers" (July), particularly the parts about keeping it simple (no 342-page business plans) and keeping overhead low. But I have to disagree with some of your comments. Image DOES...

A question of figures. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... Several years ago, I saw an article in a business magazine that I was reading on an airplane that analyzed the 80 percent new-business failure rate you mentioned in your column ("Remember the Customers," July). I wish I had kept that article...

Top of the list. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... With the July publication of Inside Business, your magazine just leapt to the top of my monthly periodicals to read first! Dennis Boen Wooster

Lost in a limo. (Frontlines).(items left behind in limousines)
August 1, 2003... It happens to nearly every businessperson. Preoccupied with thoughts about the upcoming power meeting, you hop out of your limo, dash to your destination and then realize that you left the contract, laptop or blueprints you needed in the back...

Homework. (By The Numbers).(statistics on telecommuting)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Today, nearly 28 million people worked diligently at their jobs without ever leaving home. Proponents, particularly in the information-technology arena, for years have heralded the benefits of telecommuting on the worker. However, in light...

Emerging from crisis: Mohsen Anvari talks about managing an organization in shock. (Five Questions).(Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management hostage crisis)(Interview)
August 1, 2003... Nearly every organization deals with crisis at some point. Whether it's a financial downturn, the loss of a major client or an act of nature, business owners and managers must prepare for how they'll react when that day arrives. Case...

Understanding overtime. (Frontlines).(U.S. Department of Labor intends to make changes to overtime rules)
August 1, 2003... Ohio companies--especially small-business entrepreneurs--must be aware of sweeping changes the U.S. Department of Labor intends to make to overtime rules. Eliminated would be two forms that for 50 years were used to determine overtime...

Thirst for knowledge. (Frontlines).(wine education for businesspeople)
August 1, 2003... Pop that cork and get to work. This is educational, after all. You need not be intimidated the next time the waiter hands you the leather-bound wine list at the onset of that important business dinner. If you've done your homework, your...

Cleveland AIP Web Analytics Luncheon. (Working The Room).(Association of Internet Professionals)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Members of the Cleveland chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals received a crash course in getting the most return from monitoring their corporate Web sites at the Web Analytics Luncheon held in mid-June at the Rock Bottom...

The Web.
August 1, 2003... Do you get enough? That's what we thought. So inside-business.com delivers more of what you like about Inside Business Magazine. Here's some of what has appeared exclusively at Inside-business.com in the last month.

Gil speaks. (Inside-Business.Com).(Gil Van Bokkelen's company, Athersys Inc., is center of economic-development strategy uproar. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Unless you've been in the Mongolian desert for the past year, you'd know that Gil Van Bokkelen's company, Athersys Inc., has been at the center of an economic-development strategy uproar. Gov. Bob Taft told Inside Business, "We're going the...

Biz links.(Phone numbers and Web sites of various businesses)(Directory)
August 1, 2003... Biz Links AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTION Colortone Staging (440) 914-9500 www.colortone.com & Rentals Hughies Audio-Visual (216) 241-7773 www.hughies.com Service Inc. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & ASSISTANCE American...

Customers can be wrong: that's right, and sometimes you have to send them away. (Customer Service).
August 1, 2003... We have all heard the expression, "The customer is always right." Well, contrary to popular belief, I don't think it's true. In fact, most times THE CUSTOMER IS USUALLY WRONG! But here is the thing most people forget: THE CUSTOMER IS IN CHARGE....

Tech in a tragedy: advanced communication brought comfort, but little else, to those trapped in the Lewis Building. (E-Industry).
August 1, 2003... It was Friday afternoon and I was eager to start the weekend, so I left work early. Cruising up Euclid, I noticed several police cars speeding by, but with University Hospitals nearby, sirens are routine. I turned off the radio as I...

Sight to the blind: an Elyria company is making it safer to drive big trucks. (Regional focus: Lorain County).(Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC'S X Vision infrared technology )
August 1, 2003... The Annaville Fire Department has been shown the way. The department, in a city near Corpus Christi, Texas, faced considerable risks on the road because fog is common in the region. "The fog gets so bad sometimes that roads have to be shut...

Swinging for the fences. (Director's Column).(Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award dinners )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend two of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award dinners across the state. Little did I know that at one event I would have the privilege of sitting with the one and only Johnny Bench,...

Human resources: creating a diverse employee base is the right thing--and the smart thing--to do. (Staffing).(African-Americans comprise only 4% of upper management in Northeast Ohio)
August 1, 2003... Ohio businesses are falling behind the diversity curve. Despite the fact that about 20 percent of Northeast Ohio's population is African-American, they comprise only 4 percent of upper management in the area, according to a 2002 survey of...

CAMP honored for communication. (Roundup).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... CLEVELAND -- The Northeast Ohio Direct Marketing Association (NODMA) has chosen CAMP Inc. as the recipient of its 2003 Direct Marketing Award. CAMP was chosen for this award for the quality and value of its two monthly e-newsletters--CAMP...

Kent company licenses technology. (Roundup).(Kent Displays Inc. licenses its patented cholesteric liquid crystal display technology to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... KENT -- Kent Displays Inc. has licensed its patented cholesteric liquid crystal display (ChLCD) technology to Japan-based Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. Cholesteric "no power" LCD technology was developed by Kent State University's...

A guide for entrepreneurs.(small business resources in the Ohio area)
August 1, 2003... EDUCATION/UNIVERSITIES Baldwin-Wallace College Entrepreneurship Center (440)826-3331; www.bw.edu Contact: Sandy Stark sstark@bw.edu The Entrepreneurship Center puts B-W's combination of theory and practical application to...

Go ask Alice: Alice Korngold has spent her life pursuing volunteerism. Today, her Business Volunteers Unlimited looks to establish a national presence. (Profile).
August 1, 2003... Alice Korngold remembers the white rabbit. While most kids her age were setting up lemonade stands to turn a profit, the energetic, pig-tailed 9-year-old orchestrated carnivals in the name of charity. These were sophisticated affairs,...

Sleeping with the enemy: three couples who can't answer the question, "how was work?" (Cover Story).
August 1, 2003... When I call on a Sunday morning, Marc Bona says he and his wife, Lynne Sherwin, are reading the paper. For the sake of diplomacy, I don't ask which one. That's because he works for The Plain Dealer, and she's on staff at the Akron Beacon...

On the quick: whipping up that important meeting. (Special section: guide to: meeting and event planning).
August 1, 2003... Cindy Andrews, a senior location executive for IBM in Cleveland, has about a week to get together key executives from her company and members, of Cleveland's Technology Advisory Council for a joint meeting in town. That means notifying and...

Where to go: how do you pick a meeting site? (Special section: guide to: meeting and event planning).
August 1, 2003... When suddenly faced with the challenge of putting together a high-impact executive meeting for your organization and the company boardroom or meeting room just won't suffice, where can you go? Where else in town can accommodate a short-notice...

Meet the experts: planning a meeting or event? Read on. (Special section: Ask The Experts).
August 1, 2003... Q: HOW CAN I BEST PLAN FOR AN OFF-SITE MEETING? A: "The first step to planning should be to begin with the end in mind," says Kate Greth, director of operations for the Joseph E. Cole Center for Continuing Education at Cleveland State...

True Brew. (One 2 Watch).(George Nemeth, free-lancer and blogger)(Interview)
August 1, 2003... George Nemeth, 37 free-lancer, blogger george@brewedfreshdaily.com. HOW MANY CUPS OF COFFEE A DAY? "It depends on what time I get up in the morning and what time I go to bed at night." CREAM OR SUGAR? "If the coffee is good, I...

Family business: there is a balance between running a business and raising a family. (Balance).
August 1, 2003... Late dinners, missed Little League games, business travel that may as well be intergalactic... these are the realities of entrepreneurs who have families, and often the cause of bristly family relations. Yes, there's the possibility of the big...

On the record: how business owners get it wrong when it comes to dealing with reporters. (Media).
August 1, 2003... David Akers waited for his first national radio interview. Despite hours of training for this very moment, his palms were sweaty and his stomach churned. A good interview could mean valuable positive exposure for his fledgling company; a bad...

Seed money: be prepared when hitting up family and friends for startup funds. (Financing).
August 1, 2003... For Dee Wooden, getting the startup money for her business was a cinch. As her grandmother was cooking dinner one night 12 years ago, Wooden took the direct approach about financing her brainchild, what would become Cleveland-based DCS Graphic...

Outer space: taking the leap from home to the first office is a big step. (Workplace).
August 1, 2003... Mom's basement feels more cramped by the minute. The cat's favorite napping spot is your stack of client files, and your little sister keeps telling clients that you can't come to the phone right now because you're in the bathroom. Without...

The boot: firing a member of a small business isn't fun, but there are ways to lessen the impact on your company. (Staffing).
August 1, 2003... It is an exciting moment when your new endeavor takes off; you finally have the financial resources to hire a small staff, Although you handpick your new employees, it's likely that one won't meet your expectations. It's time to hand out your...

Go ape: consider edgy, guerilla marketing that doesn't bust your budget. (Marketing).
August 1, 2003... It's not every day that you see a gorilla marching down the aisle of a business trade show at the 1X Center. Especially when that gorilla is being closely followed by a man in a kilt belting out tunes on a bagpipe. John Kusik, president of...

Resource directory. (2003 Entrepreneurs' Toolkit).(business resources in Northeast Ohio)
August 1, 2003... BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CAMP INC. (800) NOW-CAMP WWW.CAMP.ORG CONTACT: CINDY NELSON CINDY.NELSON@CAMP.ORG CAMP is dedicated to supporting emerging and existing regional manufacturers and other technology-based partners...