If you're wondering how to address current trends in the luxury electronics sector, you may find this White Paper enlightening. John Stiernberg, founder of Stiernberg Consulting, who specializes in entertainment technologies, has issued "Business Megatrends and our Industry 2010" including twelve factors shaping the new competitive environment. "Watch for new brands and technologies born in other parts of the world", says Stiernberg. India and China are likely to "leapfrog" in AV and music products as they already have in IT. "Two-step distribution is hot and getting hotter, as these distributors innovate ways to add value to their customers and to their suppliers." Stiernberg reminds us that the 2008 slogan "Flat is the new up," led to radical cuts in 2009. Although everything needs to be based on lean thinking: savvy companies are investing in growth of capabilities, people, and infrastructure in addition to sales, market share and profits. "Cut fat, not muscle. Lean is vital, while emaciated is dead", says Stiernberg. To read the entire White Paper, click here and search for "Stiernberg Q110 White Paper".

Have a client who needs to digitally archive their vinyl collection? We discovered two elegant solutions. Alon Moscovitch, owner of high-end Shelley's Stereo in Woodland Hills, Calif., advises his clients to purchase a credible turntable with a well-matched tonearm and cartridge (preferably moving coil). Next, look for a digital server with an analog input in the preamp stage. The second solution is similar, except that you insert an outboard A-to-D phono preamp between the turntable and server. Your client's records are archived in the server as they're played in real-time. The "digital" renditions will sound as good as they possibly can, although purists will only be satisfied with the warm musicality that an analog/vinyl setup can offer.

In this article, financial consultant Mike Periu advises that most business owners don't spend enough time analyzing their accounts receivables for risk. "If, for example, your company has $1.5 million in AR and your biggest customer represents one-third of that amount, your company is exposed to $500,000 in unexpected losses if that customer suddenly can't pay," Periu says. "This could wipe out your profitability for an entire year and deny you the cash flow to fulfill new orders."

 

Periu's formula helps you evaluate the number of companies that owe you money and how much each company owes in relation to each other. He advises business owners to reduce risk by selling more to new customers-and incentivizing your largest customers to pay faster through discounts for early payments. To study the formula, click here:

 

Business today is more competitive than ever. Regardless of your market's size, knowing where you stand in your market is important. This White Paper by The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania includes a calculator to help you address such topics as analyzing your competition, and determining overall market dollar value, as well as opportunities, pitfalls and demographics. The goal in using the calculator is to help you identify the percentage of the market that you can capture. Relative market share offers a way to benchmark a firm's share of the market (against that of its largest competitor); it also can help reveal which categories offer the greatest opportunity for growth. To read the entire White Paper, click here. For additional information about market share calculators, click here:

 

New in-the-works touchscreen technologies in the mobile/Smartphone world will benefit all manner of consumer electronics, including sophisticated home automation and control systems, says Zachary Chesler, a consultant in the field of Human Factors and User Experience at California State University, Northridge CA. Unlike ergonomics, which deals with how the human body interacts with physical objects, "human factors" focus on the psychological aspects of how humans interact with physical objects. Chesler points to the simple act of a "screen swipe" as an example. In 2006-prior to the first iPhone launch in 2007-no one knew what a screen swipe was or could do. Today, the masses expect to receive a specific outcome from a swipe.

 

 

"I have literally seen babies playing with their parent's iPhone, swiping through photo sets, and young kids swiping through iPad apps deciding what game to play. That's pretty amazing and has promising implications for other consumer electronics, from audio/video equipment, to thermostats, to smart home technologies." To learn more about human factors, click here...and here:

Small business consultant Steve Strauss of the Strauss Group equates good business and happy employees with having the right business culture. The question is how to achieve it. Strauss reminds us of the condition of the NYC subway system in the 1980s: crime, graffiti and gangs were the norm. Urban decay created general lawlessness throughout much of the city. Enter the "Broken Windows" theory. By changing little things, like repairing broken windows, the subway and downtrodden neighborhoods were transformed into one of law and order. Your business' culture reflects its inner temperament and values. Changing the culture starts with small fixes. Breaking bad habits, such as tardiness and sarcasm, will help set a new tone to which all personnel will respond. To fix your broken windows, click here: