The McDowell Memo

Today's discussion is on the changes of asking the customer to do most of the work for customer service. http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3750381507001/customer-service-morphing-into-customer-self-service/?intcmp=obnetwork#sp=show-clips\ Willis Report Fox Business The above news clip talks about how we are being forced to use these new self service call lines, etc. I have seen this in retail with self checkouts cropping up everywhere. What do you all think? Please comment below.

Every organization is set up in some style of hierarchy to allow for communication and decision making. In a small organization it is usually a very well defined organization that everyone knows who is in charge of what and who is the decision maker. But , as organizations grow in size this can be blurred and so a different type of management organization maybe needed. We will break them down as best we can below and help you to see the positive and negative sides of each. Vertical Organization with straight line decision making- this is an organization that the bottom level employee reports to one manager , that manager will along with several other manager report to one manager, this continues until the CEO level with each person only have to report to one person above them. This manager makes all decisions in relation to the level below employee. Advantage is that you know who you report to and you know who made the decision you are impacted by. Disadvantages are if your manager...

Today we will finish up our introduction to various types of business ownerships. Corporations - these are the main stay of business as most of us have seen it portrayed in news and other media. A corporation is strictly a business that has filed to be able to sell shares or portions of it's company in order to raise funds, or to get tax advantages, etc. They are incorporated in a specific state, this is because certain states are where the business is located or because the state has advantages for the business(many are filed in Delaware) . A corporation can be closely held or publicly held. If it is closely or privately held all the stock is owned by one person or a family. If it is publicly held the shares are owned by may different citizens. This is usually the case with most corps. listed on the stock markets. Corporations must file quarterly tax and other statements with the state and federal governments and are regulated by numerous restrictions Advantage is that you can ...

McDowell Memo:    Today we are going to discuss a breaking incident in the press. As you have seen Ferguson Missouri has had racial type riots and looting most of the weekend, I want you to think about what you would do if you were the regional or divisional manager of a company such as Family Dollar that has been attacked and partially looted or an adjoining national company to this location. Do you send in security and try to guard your property? If so should they be armed? Do you just write off what happens and claim the loss? Do you remove as much merchandise as possible, secure the building as well as possible?  Lets look at the message each sends to the community. First sending in security personnel does two things, it shows that you do not trust the local patronage to do the right thing. Plus it puts your employees at risk and should one be hurt could you justify the injury with any amount of merchandise.  Next, let's think about whether armed guards woul...

What  is your opinion on this type of strike . It is somewhat unique in that it is in support of a displaced CEO. It also is unique in that it is being driven by the workers themselves not so much the union movement. Do we have a way to let workers have input into our hiring and firing decisions for your company? I would suggest that most do not. Should we?  Looking forward to some interesting responses on this one.  Huge protests to save 'It's a Wonderful Life' grocery boss: Workers revolt and leave shelves empty in attempt to save job of beloved CEO who 'put people before profits' A workers' revolt at the Market Basket supermarket chain has led to empty shelves, angry customers and support for a boycott Workers want return of former CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, whom they credit with keeping prices low, treating them well and guiding the company's success It's been called a David vs. Goliath story, a 'Tale of Two Arthurs' and eve...

Good Morning, Today we are discussing partnerships and Limited Liability Corporations , both very popular forms of business ownership. First , Partnerships are the joining of two or more individuals in ownership of a business. There are several ways this can occur. First there are equal partnerships , this is where each partner owns exactly the same percentage of the business assets, profits and debts. Then there are percentage partnerships in which individuals own different percentages of the business asset, profits, and debts. This can be one individual owning the majority of the business and others owning smaller parts. How big can partnerships be ? Depending on state laws they could one to hundreds of partners , although the legal work for something like that would be very prohibitive. Let's talk about the benefits and disadvantages of partnerships. Equal Partnerships have no real "Boss" as everybody owns the same part of the company . You must be in agreement ...

What is your opinions on this move by Russia to limit US food imports and how do you think it will effect US companies?  I believe it will be a minimal impact to us but will definitely hurt the EU . They get a lot of their food stuffs from Russian imports of American raw material that is then produced into brands and shipped into the EU. This entire response from the President has great symbolic impact but really does not bring the Russians to it's knees as much as seizing bank accounts and opening new oil shipments to the EU will do.  Russians ‘Biggest Losers’ in Moscow’s Western Food Ban By Matthew Rocco Published August 08, 2014 FOXBusiness Reuters Russia retaliated against Western sanctions by banning imports of certain foods, although the impact will largely be felt outside the U.S. The one-year import ban Moscow announced this week covers beef, poultry, fruit, vegetables and dairy shipped from the U.S., C...

So far we have discussed the meaning and what a business is, and how to set your ethical standards, today we begin talking about owning a business and the styles of ownership. First let's lay out the many styles of ownership Sole Proprietorship Partnership LLC Corporation Holding Company Conglomerate Non-Profit Co-op A sole proprietorship is where one individual owns the company and all of its assets and debts. The best example of these in my mind are barbershops. Many of you see these one man barbershops in your home town. The only employee is usually the owner and the product is of course in most instances a service (haircut). The owner here has to track all of his expenses and income and file this as part of his business tax . Although in most cases the owner roles all of it into his personal income tax and pays tax on it at the individual rate. In some states or should I say most states the owner must have permit to run the establishment and must have a taxpayer ID...

Procter & Gamble to Axe 90-100 Brands in its Portfolio   From Fox Business Procter & Gamble ( PG ) chairman and CEO Alan Lafley said Friday the family-products giant plans to cut 90 to 100 brands in its portfolio, leaving behind a more efficient, consolidated company. The announcement came in a fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call Friday. While Lafley wouldn’t say specifically which of the company’s brands are on the chopping block, he said part of the reason behind the decision comes down to the bottom line. He noted the 70-80 brands the company will keep in its portfolio are ones that are “consumer preferred and customer supported,” and for the most part, leaders in their categories. Breaking it down, Lafley said of those brands, 23 boast sales of $1 billion to $10 billion, 14 with $500 million to $1 billion dollars in sales, and the rest with strong brand equities and sales between $100 million and $500 million. Moreover, combined, the companies...