Tuesday, November 30, 2010

CM Media buyer taken public - Dallas Business Journal:

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Acquisition (AMEX:CRB), a player in the entertainment, media and communicationes industries, has completed its purchase of AmericanCommunitty Newspapers, a conglomerate of about 100 publications. Courtside also has changed its nameto "Our new status as a publivc company provides us with access to the capital marketx and additional resources to continuwe to execute our growth plan," CEO Gene Carr said in a American Community Newspapers owns publications in Paul, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Its May acquisition of CM Media Inc.
for at leas $44 million added 22 weekly newspapere and four publications with a combined circulation of more than Included in that deal were SuburbanNews Publications, a chai n of weeklies; CM a press operation; Columbus Monthly and Columbue CEO magazines; the Other and Columbus Custom Publishing. American Community Newspapersx publishes three daily and 83 weekly newspapers and 14 nichde publications with a combined circulationto 1.4 millionh households.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Act like a

http://travel365.us/travel-jobs--how-to-make-money-while-you-travel.html
There are many things you shoulcdo — but they won’t make you that “bestt boss.” Staying calm, giving pep talks, planning effectivelu and giving timely reviewx are some actions, to name just a few, that all managerx should strive to achieve. However, none of thosd behaviors will make people think of you asthat “besgt boss.” The following list includes some simple thingds you can do that will have a huge • Find out what your individual subordinatesd want. Myriad experts assure us that every employere wantsto advance, to learn and to be passionate as part of an overarchintg mission.
Some have those motivations — but let’x face it, you also have “Bill,” a single parenft who wants to get asteady paycheck, stay with the same companu and have enough free time to be with his children. may want to get to the next rung of the ladder andshe doesn’t care what job she has to do to get “John” likes to stay in the comfort zone he established 15 years ago. Can you change theifr personalities and motivations and convert them to a higher commonteam goal? Maybe, but changing adultsa is very hard.
And do you really want to change them Finding some way tomake Bill’ss work a bit more time-flexible may motivatre him more than a raise, and you could make Mary’s advancement contingent upon helping to achieve team goals. Maybe you can find some way tolet set-in-his-wayas John keep that comfortable position and contribute to the The key is to let peopler know that you see them as individualss with different needs and motivations. • Keep them informed. Companywides meetings and town hall sessionseare critical.
But so is stoppinf someone by the vendinhg machineand saying, “If I don’t return your e-mails righ t away, it’s because I’m involved in a special You can pop your head in the officd and say, “Employee evaluations are rescheduled for two months I don’t know why.” People like to know that they can trusyt the boss to tell them what’s really going on even if the answer is, “Io don’t know.” • Give them credit. We sometimes interviee bosses who, in a four-hour never once credit their team members for theifrsuccess — not good.
You will rarely lose anythin g if, after being publicly praised for a you say, “I had a great team helping • Say thank you. It might sound But, oddly enough, this is rarely done on a consistent • Tell them what the company does. If you go one rung belo w middle management, you may be surprised to find that somepeoplee don’t know what your organizatio does. People may not want your compant logo tattooed ontheirf biceps, but they work better if they have a broad overviesw that helps them understand they are producinyg something. • Ask their opinions.
One of our the chairman of a very largeretaipl company, visits stores to ask personnel what they think will sell next However much people feel “it’e just a job,” they like having their opinions sought. And gueses what — sometimes you learn something from Why aren’t there more “best bosses?” For one those behaviors are taken for granted. Look at most C-leve search specs and you will find pages filledwith “MBA required,” “minimum 10 yearxs experience,” “experience in mergers and etc.
Take note of how many times you don’ty see: “We need candidates who keep people treat themlike individuals, give creditf to their team and have real dialogue even if only briefly” and “Thehy need to know something aboutf our industry, but we’ll teach them the rest.” Some of our successfull clients specify exactly that — but most companies Try asking employees these questions or making these helpful comments: Bill, how are you likintg the job? Mary, did you hear abouft our latest acquisition? Dolores, there’s going to be some constructiojn next week and the parkinfg lot will be torn up. Juan, thanks for gettingv those reports out.
Sam, what do you thinkl about the way we’re layint out the warehouse? Jan, would you like to go with me to aclienty meeting? Thank you for those kind words, I have to tell you I couldn’f have done it without Dolores and Sound too simple? Try it, and we’l bet that the next time we do a “best boss you ever had your name will be on the But even if it’s not, we guarantee you will be the “besy boss ever” to many people.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Re-branding retells a company

gault-rickettsias.blogspot.com
Changing things up is not a bad idea and oftenm is a sign ofa forward-thinking business that is making things happen. A re-branf offers an opportunity to retello your story and to examiner what matters most so you can convey your storuy in art and wordswith impact. A new look can also be very motivationafor employees, providing a tangiblwe rallying point to set new goals and a new vision. But as the Tropican a case study attests, re-brands are not to be takenh lightly. Your brand is about more than It touches everything concerning the way your customerzs interact withyour business. The bottom line?? Learn from the juice aisle.
Make a changs in your brand when the timeis right, but don’tf forget about the detailsa — like how the change will affect your customers. That is a great exercise and one that will prope l yourcompany forward, no matter the industry or focus of your