This topic is not something new, but I’m always surprised that it happens as frequently as it does. At best, the result of not communicating in writing with a customer is reprinting the job, at worse, it’s the lawsuit which occurs because the “printer” did not do what was “expected.” Continue reading
Monthly Archives: June 2009
Traveling in the Heartland
Last week I was traveling in our nation’s heartland. Jim Oldebeken and I put over 800 miles on his car while visiting members, as well as prospective members, of the Association in Missouri and Kansas. This is the land of business forms printers; yearbook publishers; regional newspapers; religious publishers, and oh, yes, commercial printers. Continue reading
Health Care Fairy Tale?
As I do many Sunday mornings, this past week I turned on the TV to watch “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” I saw our former Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius and immediately realized this week’s topic was Health Care. After listening to her interview and then The Roundtable discussion, which is comprised of various journalists and “opinionaters,” I agreed with George Will, which I don’t always do, that having the government create a competitive insurance program is blatantly wrong-headed. Continue reading
RIF Fallout?
Reduction in force. It’s become a phrase we are using too often, but it’s the reality of our economy. But I’d like to look beyond the present layoffs, RIFs, right-sizing, etc. and ask the question, what’s going to happen when the economy starts turning around? Continue reading
New Media Mix
Cary Sherburne contributor to Print CEO, recently wrote an article titled “The Role of Print in The New Media Mix.” The article is good food for thought about the opportunities being created by digital technology for the print industry. There’s also a video interview produced by Kodak with Jon Bracken, VP Enterprise Solutions which also deals with the issues raised by Sherburne.
Yet, with all this discussion of new media and new roles for the industry, no one addresses the REAL challenges of changing a company which has been built around the traditional print model. This is all interesting stuff – but where’s the beef? Continue reading
The Shoe Has Dropped
This morning (Monday, June 1st) it finally happened. General Motors declared bankruptcy. What was totally unthinkable 24 months ago and totally consumed the business and economic news for the past six-eight months, finally came about.
Yet, the business markets seem to be sighing in a breath of relief (Dow was up 175 points prior to noon). And from the macro economic perspective this could finally indicate that we’ve hit bottom and now it’s time to start the road back to “normal.”
But there’s a lot more pain to come on Main Street since the repercussions will not only be felt in Detroit but across the U.S. Continue reading
