A 2007 survey suggested that 96 percent of American teenagers visit an online social network at least once a week while another suggested that easily more than half of marketing, corporate communications, and public relations practitioners regularly participate in social networks.
Such is the Web 2.0 world, as suggested by Efthymios Constantinides and Stefan J. Fountain […]

Editor’s Note: I am pleased to announce the following event on my blog. The Hotel Monaco, along with the Kimpton hotel chain, maintains a highly successful corporate responsibility program that supports a broad range of initiatives. I discussed the Monaco’s leadership in this area as part of a March 2008 article in Utah CEO.
MaryLynn […]

For quite some time, I have believed that business owners have no obligation to respect that old saw which says “the customer is always right.” In fact, as some who know me quite well – most notably, John Piquet, the co-owner of Caffe d’bolla – I believe owners have every right to fire customers, especially […]

A key element of exceptional local entrepreneurship is the capacity for new experiences. And, Caffe d’bolla – unquestionably the city’s best source for specialty coffee and tea – has entered a new phase in its ability to roast fresh whole beans which can be purchased by customers.
As much true food scientists as they are gifted […]

“Taste is not only a part and index of morality, it is the only morality. The first, and last, and closest trial question to any living creature is, “What do you like?” Tell me what you like and I’ll tell you who you are … It is not an indifferent nor optional thing whether we […]

I’m a ceaseless observer and commentator on customer service. And, I’ve crystallized a few notions about it.
First, no business, small or large, can ignore whatsoever the strategic importance of using customer service to build and sustain brand value as well as financial performance.
Second, while customer service is – and should be – common […]