Business Writing

A new buzz word has emerged in the retail space relevant to both retailers and manufacturers: Space Productivity Optimization (SPO) also referred to as Store Mapping or Store Configuration Database or Space Measurement. Similarly to Category Management which was a buzz work for 2 decades before it became an established practice with a definition that everyone agreed to, SPO made a shy appearance about 3 years ago when RGIS (a then inventory services company) started experimenting with a few retailers a software company and a consulting group. Even though Category Management as a discipline theoretically covers both the macro (product category level) and the ... Read Full Story

Recruitment, Integration, Retention in the 21st century By Michalis A. Michael Getting the Right People on the Bus This is a parallel borrowed from Jim Collins’s book “Good to Great” that has nothing to do with a bus drive and everything to do with a roller coaster ride! Getting the right people on the bus is a good start but that’s all it is. To keep them for the duration of the ride and to keep them fulfilled in all aspects is a challenge by far more demanding than selecting and attracting them. 1. Recruitment The conventional way of recruiting people is to first ... Read Full Story

With less than 200,000 hits on Google search “Inventory Accuracy” does not exactly qualify as one of the most popular business subjects. Especially if compared to buzz words or phrases such as “Customer Loyalty” (2 million hits), Innovation (134 million hits) etc. However if Inventory Accuracy (IA) is connected to 2 of the biggest unresolved (industry-wide) pains of the retail industry – and not only- then it follows that IA deserves more attention from the business community than it currently receives. The 2 sides of IA which at the same time represent 2 of the biggest pains of the retail industry are: 1) Inventory ... Read Full Story

I know many people who grow thinking of becoming a writer. I, myself, had dreams of making a living a as a serious writer. To this day, I have yet to finish one of the novels that I’ve started. Half-way through, I wasn’t quite happy with what I’ve written. I always wanted to write something creative and profound; something that no one could think of before. I haven’t quite reached that point yet. One thing I am quite good at writing is telling other people information on how to make choices for living their own lives. “So You Think You’re Cut Out To Be” ... Read Full Story

When you start talking about something as artsy as voice in writing, people think: “What am I supposed to be writing, a novel?” Well, sure, if you want to. Who am I to stifle anyone’s creativity? But voice matters in professional writing, too. It matters because voice – or, to be less than particular about it, you might call it tone here too – is a big part of the impression you make on your reader. Are you an expert, writing about your area of expertise? Are you an employee, writing to ask your boss for a raise? Are you a consultant, writing to ... Read Full Story