Retail

Amid Job Losses, All Isn’t Lost

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

“The unemployment rate shot up by half a percentage point in May, the biggest single-month increase in over twenty years,” notes Princeton economist Alan Krueger. The job cuts have hit the retail and financial services sectors particularly hard, and they illustrate problems in the economy in general. But they also point to opportunities for forward-thinking business leaders.

When the Going Gets Tough

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Companies around the globe, such as Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, and Wal-Mart, are battling with the marketing challenges posed by a tough economy. What strategies work best for these global brands -- and why? A marketing expert tackles these questions.

The Business Value of Niceness

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Upscale clothier Jack Mitchell, author of the bestseller Hug Your Customers and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, explains his infectiously enthusiastic approach to management in his latest book, Hug Your People. In this interview, Mitchell tells why positivity is good for productivity and profits.

Many Paths to Engagement

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

There isn’t a perfect route to employee engagement, a single path that passes from manager to employee to productivity to profit. Instead, there are as many effective ways to manage people to attain high performance as there are great managers. Want proof? Here's the story of two managers with very different styles, both of whom have become highly successful with the same company, Mars Incorporated.

Performance Reviews Without the Anxiety

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Many managers dread having to give performance reviews, and many employees equally dread receiving them. A manager in Belgium, one of the highest rated supervisors in Gallup's global database, has solved this problem by not making such a big deal about the reviews. Rather, he gives his workers insightful and personal feedback throughout the year. This approach has proven very effective for his team and has earned the veteran manager accolades. Would his approach work for you?

B&Q Does Career Improvement Too

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The young manager of a home improvement store in Wales excels by giving his employees opportunities at work to learn and grow. In fact, he does this so well that he has become one of the most successful managers at it in Gallup's worldwide database.

How Ann Taylor Invests in Talent

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Does spending on workplace learning and development deliver measurable business results? Is employee education a "nice to have" for organizations, rather than an essential investment? The retailer Ann Taylor has been wrestling with these questions for some time. A leading executive there explains how the company has created a clear and measurable link between its investment in developing talent and its bottom-line business performance.

The Most Powerful Position in Retail

Thu, 13 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

While many other positions in a retail operation are crucial, a great store manager can motivate a team and dramatically improve customer relations -- and sales. This is a story about one such manager.

Driving Organic Growth in Retail

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Executives from some of the world's leading retailers report that they want more business from their current customer base. The question on all of their minds is: How can their companies achieve this aim? Here are four key strategies these leaders are pursuing.

The Constant Customer

Sun, 17 Jun 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Holding onto a customer has never been harder -- or more important. Proprietary Gallup research shows that the key to wooing customers isn't price or even product. It's emotion. Here's how to win over fickle customers and make them love you for life.