Posted by: Penny Miller
on Mar 15, 2010
Many business owners have the idea that green initiatives are "nice to do." And they are. However, properly designed sustainability measures can help a company compete economically as well.
Global management consulting company, A.T. Kearney published a report, Green Winners: The Performance of Sustainability-focused Companies During the Financial Crisis, focusing on companies that were green before green was cool (what song am I thinking of?)
Their findings? That companies that built sustainability into their business practices over the long haul fared better in the recent economic recession than companies that didn't by an average of 15%.
Sounds like green isn't a nice-to-do but a must-do in a competitive anvironment.
Posted by:
on Nov 12, 2009
Technically the meaning of quality is simple. Quality is meeting specification. For an object this may mean meeting the size as specified on a drawing. A good example of this could be a 1- cup, measuring cup. A drawing of the cup would include dimensions of the cup such as height, diameter and wall thickness. And with each of the measurements there would be a tolerance. The question is why a tolerance? Why should we have specifications in the first place?
First off, nothing is perfect. There are variations in every thing we do and make. Think about the situation where you are diving on a highway. The speed specification for this example is 60 miles per hour. How simple is it to keep to the 60-mph speed limit? What you find is some drivers are driving less than the speed limit and some are driving over the speed limit. Actually not everyone is driving at the same speed. Now this can get very complicated because we could start talking about the precision of speed measurement, the calibration of the speed odometer, and terrain of the road as a few examples of causes for variation. The real issue is how far from 60-mph can you go before the police will issue a ticket for not following the speed limit. So the ability of a driver to stay within a speed limit means their quality of driving is acceptable or not. That is the driver is meeting specifications of the road.
Posted by:
on Nov 03, 2009
An interesting question was once asked: If a tree falls in the forest and there is know one around to hear it, does it make a sound? Physics says yes it does make a sound. It has too! Just the act of falling and the release of energy requires there be sound. The question is much deeper than that. If there is know one to hear it, then does it mater if there is a sound or not?
The response to the question is yes. The reality is that when this question was first asked there was very little noise in the forest. The new reality is that we now live in a forest that is very noisy. Think about a business that is trying to start up. How many other businesses are out there competing for the same market? Or are these other businesses making noise (marketing) for customer attention? The physics has changed.
Posted by: Michael Paris
on Oct 16, 2009
I want to welcome those to this new blog within Wichita Falls 360. I actually grew up in Henrietta, Texas and finished up at Midwestern State University in 1991 with a bachelors in English and a minor in Philosophy.
I was the first in our family to get a post-high school degree, and it has changed my life, how a live and has given me a deep appreciation for the training my dad received from the old carpenters union on Jacksboro Hwy, if I remember correctly. By getting the skills in carpentry, he was able to provide for our family of four. My how times have changed. The union, I think, is dissolved but there are many training programs in this area in which one may get skills. My point is this, the one thing that has not changed is that you need skills during and after high school to make a decent living.
Posted by: Penny Miller
on Oct 12, 2009
When the folks at Online Concepts and I met a few weeks ago and talked about the need for a local, on-line business news center, I had no idea they would move so quickly to make the concept into reality. But I am glad they did.
Wichita Falls is a good place to do business and various agencies have been trying to bring information and services out to meet the needs of business and promote business in the community. But the efforts are not very coherent. Our thought was to create a one-stop shop for local managers and business owners to keep abreast of what's happening in the Wichita Falls area that impacts business and to spread the word about new businesses, useful services, and other information businesses need to be successful.
The Business Center just getting started, so check back frequently to see what's new.
In the meantime, my specific role is to be sure managers and business owners have the information to get the most from their employee investment. I am convinced that the most significant competitive advantage a business has it the people who work in their businesses. Unfortunately, most managers don't know how to get the most return from their investment. So that's what we'll be exploring together.
If you have specific questions you would like to have answered here, email them to
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, and I'll do my best to get a response posted soon.
