In Case You Missed It: In honor of evolving with the changing times, Quick Study will under-go a subtle makeover to help you get the best possible return on your time and energy. As
industry leaders, you need to have your fingers on the pulse of the day-to-day business beat, but you are faced with a challenge: An avalanche of news sources to digest, a to-do list a mile long and
far too few hours in the day. Today and in future issues, turn to Quick Study for essential news bites, industry intelligence, survey results, tips and lists, all culled from the leading
publications you meant to read but just didn't get around to.
Shopping Spree: Media, tech and advertising companies are lining up to buy dot.com startups, with online ad agencies like DoubleClick, Right Media, 24/7 Real Media and
aQuantive being purchased recently by the likes of Google, Yahoo!, WPP Group and Microsoft. This trend of corporate behemoths acquiring online marketing- and communications-
centric businesses doesn't appear to be letting up, with news that Google has acquired an RSS management provider (FeedBurner); Fox Interactive Media has purchased image editing tool
companies Photobucket and Flextor; and CBS has scooped up new video blog WallStrip.
Source: CNN Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way: The chief marketing officer, or its org-chart equivalent, may be the riskiest job in the American C-suite. Coca-Cola, Wal-
Mart, Best Buy, Gap and Verizon have seen their CMOs depart within the past 12 months. And that's just déja vu all over again: For the past three years, an annual survey conducted by
executive-search firm SpencerStuart has shown that the tenure for CMOs at the top-100 consumer-branded companies has averaged a scant 23 months.
Source: FastCompany Calling All Blogs: New technologies are being applied to blogging, prompting an evolution of the medium. Online audiences are tending to prefer quick-tidbit
posts as opposed to thoughtful-but-lengthy narrations. And, as the consumers are the driving force behind business decisions, it may be time to embrace new concepts that are gaining traction with
users: Cell blogging (services that enable blogging from mobile phones, either by typing it on the keypad or by "phoning it in" through voice recognition technology), video mobile blogging (the
ability to post videos taken with mobile phones on blogs).
Source: BusinessWeek.com
9 Questions to Ask an Unhappy Employee
1. If you could change one thing about our company, what would it be?
2. How do you feel the company and your team are doing?
3. How do you feel I am doing as your supporting leader?
4. Do you receive sufficient feedback about your performance?
5. What is most satisfying about your job?
6. What is least satisfying about your job?
7. What would you change about your job?
8. Do you receive enough training to do your job effectively?
9. How can I, or the firm, help you fulfill your career goals?
Source: Inc.com
America's Most Trustworthy Companies
(Based on accounting transparency and fair dealing to stakeholders in 2006)
1. AllianceBernstein Holding
2. Bemis Company
3. CDI Corporation
4. Dollar Financial Corporation
5. Fred's, Inc.
6. OPNET Technologies
7. Mueller Industries
8. Palm Harbor Homes
9. Dover Corporation
10. Washington Post Corp.
Source: Forbes 6 Things that Drive Employers Crazy
1. Employees who don't listen
2. Employees who show up late
3. Employees who leave early
4. Employees who squabble with one another
5. Needy employees
6. Employers who abandon ship
Source: Fortune
About Face: Facebook is making a comeback by offering the opportunity for any company, Internet service, or software maker to build services for its members. CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims to
make it an operating system that can run full applications, thus making it more than a social network. The ramifications for marketers could be frightening if someone builds tools that enable
Facebook users to get more efficient at communicating among themselves about products and services they use.
Source: Fortune