ETD: 720 Who are you?; Members need help; U.S. Small Business Owners Oppose New National Holiday to Commemorate September 11; Automotive sector steers RFID market--for now; Risk Management

E-Tailer's Digest etd_post@gapent.com
Thu, 11 Sep 2003 06:22:15 -0400


  E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the  Retailer
  Issue #0720                     September 11, 2003
  George Matyjewicz, Moderator         mailto:georgem@gapent.com
  Published by:  GAP Enterprises, Ltd.  http://www.etailersdigest.com
==================================================================
   CONTENTS

  [1]  Greetings
  [2]  Who are you?
  [3]  Members need help
  [4]  U.S. Small Business Owners Oppose New National Holiday to 
Commemorate September 11
  [5]  Automotive sector steers RFID market--for now
  [6]  Risk Management

==================================================================
  [1]  Greetings.
==================================================================
Hi All:

Today is a very solemn day as we all remember the tragedy that hit the U.S. 
and the world two years ago.  Here in NYC, ground zero is still a very 
somber area.  You actually get chills when visiting.  Very sad.

James Watkins stated it very well: "Two small numbers, 9/11, have become 
shorthand for an infinite number of emotions: the shock and disbelief of 
watching the terrorist attack on live TV, the horror of watching the twin 
towers collapse upon themselves, the national grief as the number of 
confirmed casualties grew to over 2,800, the growing realization that we 
are no longer beyond the reach of terrorist attacks, and perhaps most of 
all, the fact that those who remember where they were on that date, will 
never, ever be the same." http://www.gospelcom.net/watkins/terrorism03.htm

My heart goes out to anybody who had personal losses that day.

Folks, I have not been getting many posts lately.  It's getting more and 
more difficult to publish without help.  So, how about it?  We can start by 
telling us a bit about who you are (section 2), or maybe answer some of our 
list members queries.

Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.

Sincerely


George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem@gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com

==================================================================
  [2]  Who are you?
==================================================================
Today, one of our long-term members had to move on to other arenas, having 
left retail.  He was kind enough to tell me what he is/has been doing for 
the past couple of years, and I was shocked.  One of the areas he 
specializes in is something that we are actively seeking.  And I've "known" 
him for over 5 years.

Which got me to thinking.  What do we really know about each other?  What 
resources do we have available?  So, how about telling us a little about 
you and your organization?  If we get inundated, we will spread them 
out.  And, we will create a special resources page at the ETD site.

1.  What is your organizations name?

2.  What is your name and business title?

3.  What products/services do you sell?

4.  What is the benefit of using your  products or service?, i.e., what can 
I hope to accomplish if I use it?

5.  Why are you better than the competition?

6.  Why did you start this business or service?

7.  How long has the service been in existence?

9.  How do you market the service?  Word of mouth?  Newsletter 
(subscribers)?  Affiliates?  Ads?

10.  What does it cost?

11.  How do I sign up/buy?

George

==================================================================
  [3]  Members need help
==================================================================
Some of our new members need some assistance...

Information about profit margins, e-marketing, back office systems

David Lauginiger
Down Island Sports
Texas

+++ [Next Post] +++

Innovation ideas, marketing ideas, etc

Scott Brennan
Sales Manager
US

+++ [Next Post] +++

Direction for the hottest items so that I can parallel my product features 
on my website

Colleen Simons
Merchandise Manager
Humble House
NC

+++ [Next Post] +++

Market targeting such as: Spain, Greece etc.

Elisabeth Anderson
AZ

+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
We have some of the world's best retail gurus.  I'm sure we'll get some 
replies.

For reports on What's Retailing and What's Wholesaling in the Northeast, 
the Southeast, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West, check out this 
month's issue of Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine. I don't think the 
info is available online. Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief has an Internet 
Special ($30 annual subscription) here:
http://www.giftsanddec.com/index.asp?layout=siteInfo&doc_id=12078&webzine=GDA&publication=GDA

George

==================================================================
  [4]  U.S. Small Business Owners Oppose New National Holiday to 
Commemorate September 11
==================================================================
  An overwhelming majority of small business owners oppose instituting a 
new national holiday to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks 
that killed thousands of U.S. citizens and destroyed New York's World Trade 
Center, a new survey shows.

The survey, conducted during Aug. 15 - 30 on www.DollarDays.com shows that:

* 23 percent of small business owners think Sept. 11 should be a national 
holiday, while 74 percent oppose it.
* 30 percent of small business owners say they lose money on national holidays.
* Just 20 percent of those surveyed say they close their businesses on all 
national holidays, while 76 percent don't.
* 25 percent would be willing to assume the cost of closing their 
businesses for the day to commemorate the unprecedented terror
attacks, but 71 percent are unwilling to lose money on another national 
holiday.

"Small business owners are clearly unwilling to foot the bill for another 
national holiday," said Marc Joseph, president of DollarDays. "While our 
survey is not scientific, it does point out the burdens faced by small 
business owners in these tough economic times."

Details at...
http://www.kensei-con.net/BizDev/publish/factoids_us/article_15390.shtml

==================================================================
  [5]  Automotive sector steers RFID market--for now
==================================================================
Big retailers get all the headlines, but automotive manufacturers are the 
big spenders in the RFID market right now.

The automotive applications currently account for 46% of the total RFID 
market today, says research from Allied Business Intelligence (ABI), Oyster 
Bay, N.Y. The auto industry is poised to spend $600 million on the 
technology in such applications as immobilizers, automatic vehicle 
identification, tire tracking and passive entry systems.

"While the technology has made its way into millions of production vehicles 
each year, growth potential also exists in the automotive supply chain," 
says Edward Rerisi, ABI's director of research. There are, for instance, 
deployments where suppliers identify components with RFID tags prior to 
shipment to the assembly line.

"It's a one-tag-fits-all solution, enabling the OEM to track shipments and 
work-in-process," says Rerisi. "The same benefits that this technology can 
bring to retail supply chains are being realized, even proven, in the 
automotive supply chain."

The retail sector has gotten most of the attention lately because of a 
high-profile mandate from Wal-Mart to adopt RFID pallet and case tracking 
by 2005, and pilots and trials conducted by Gillette, Metro, Tesco, Ahold 
and other companies.

Details at...
http://www.frontlinetoday.com/frontline/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=68964
==================================================================
  [6]  Risk Management
==================================================================
High on the lists of many organizations these days is risk management.  If 
you are a publicly-traded company, it is mandatory that you comply with 
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and with the SEC Final Rule: "Management's 
Reports on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and Certification of 
Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic Reports."

I've been working with these issues this year, and I will say it's not a 
bad thing, in spite of the work involved to implement internal 
controls.  Why shouldn't you know the risks in your business?  And once you 
know them, why shouldn't you establish controls to mitigate those 
risks?  And once you implement controls, why not test the controls?

I won't go into the risk frameworks, like the new COSO, or COCO, Basel II, 
Turnbull, et.al.

If you're interested in learning more about risk management, you may want 
to attend a conference we will be organizing for the end of October.  We 
hope to have some internationally-renowned speakers, and some top level 
companies joining us for this one day event.  If you are interested, send 
me a note to mailto:georgem@gapent.com?Subject=Risk_Conference

George

==================================================================
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==================================================================
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