It’s a sad day, as our generation’s Edison has passed away at the young age of 56.
Page 19 of 28
Meg Whitman is in, and the unpopular Leo Apotheker is out as CEO.
There’s little information on how this will impact HP’s strategy or their possible spinoff of the PC business. We’ll see . . .
There’s plenty of bad news out there about the economy, but sales of luxury products are doing very well.
Nordstrom has a waiting list for a Chanel sequined tweed coat with a $9,010 price. Neiman Marcus has sold out in almost every size of Christian Louboutin “Bianca” platform pumps, at $775 a pair. Mercedes-Benz said it sold more cars last month in the United States than it had in any July in five years.
Even with the economy in a funk and many Americans pulling back on spending, the rich are again buying designer clothing, luxury cars and about anything that catches their fancy. Luxury goods stores, which fared much worse than other retailers in the recession, are more than recovering — they are zooming. Many high-end businesses are even able to mark up, rather than discount, items to attract customers who equate quality with price.
“If a designer shoe goes up from $800 to $860, who notices?” said Arnold Aronson, managing director of retail strategies at the consulting firm Kurt Salmon, and the former chairman and chief executive of Saks.
The rich do not spend quite as they did in the free-wheeling period before the recession, but they are closer to that level.
The performance of the stock market has a lot to do with it according to the article, so sellers of luxury goods are probably very nervous today!
Things are still tough in Las Vegas. Check out this article about the state of business at strip clubs.
Times are rough in Las Vegas, even for Sin City’s second-most lucrative vice.
With the recession still dragging down discretionary spending, just the opportunity to ogle — or fantasize about your chances with — dozens of beautiful naked women isn’t enough to pack in the tourists these days. So a number of Las Vegas strip clubs are offering discounts and freebies to seal the deal, particularly during off-peak hours.
Some, such as Cheetah’s, will give you two-for-one lap dances every afternoon.
Others, like the Can Can Room and Crazy Horse III, halve the price of a lap dance that usually costs $20 for three to 4½ minutes at an all-nude club or two minutes at a topless joint.
These clubs are a huge business in Vegas, and it’s a great barometer of the overall economy.
“For years, Las Vegas has pretended like the adult community doesn’t exist,” says Wayne Bridge, CEO of the Sin City Chamber of Commerce, an alliance of adult-oriented businesses. “It’s a huge part of the economy and it’s really helping to carry a lot of people.”
At last count, there are 32 active strip clubs and between 30,000 and 40,000 registered exotic dancers in the Las Vegas Valley. On weeknights, some 1,500 women bump and grind at clubs here; weekends, that number doubles or triples.
“It’s huge,” Bridge says.
How huge?
An estimated $8 billion per year, second only to gaming as a component of the Las Vegas economy.
The freebies are working, as business has picked up. You couldn’t get a deal anywhere in Las Vegas 4 years ago. Now, the hotels, clubs and other establishments are working hard for business. It might be a good time for a trip!
In today’s business environment, you might find that your company needs to expand into new markets located in other countries. As your company’s reach grows, you could find that your profits grow, too. To compete with other companies in your industry, though, you will need to know how to effectively grow your business internationally. Follow these tips to learn effective ways to enter international markets and succeed in them.
Learn About Foreign Cultures
In the United States, people often like to get down to business. You can walk into a meeting, give your presentation, and expect feedback almost instantly. Business doesn’t work that way in many countries.
Asian and Latin American countries, for instance, place a heavier emphasis on relationships. If you don’t understand the culture, then you will stand out as someone the people there do not trust. Before you travel to a foreign country, learn about the ways people there interact with each other. Perhaps you should bow instead of shaking hands, or maybe you should use their surnames instead of their common names. The more aware you become of the cultural mores, the more successful your business will become.
Go Mobile with Smart Phone Apps
Traveling to foreign countries means you can’t rely on your office’s equipment. Say “so long” to your fax machine, copier and computer network. Luckily, smart phones make it possible for you to stay connected even when you are not in your office. For instance, the new MetroFax mobile app that just released lets you read faxes directly on your smart phone. You don’t even need to print anything. The MetroFax mobile app lets you browse the last 200 faxes that you have received. That makes it even easier than using your office’s fax machine.
Expect a Slower Pace
Compared to the rest of the world, Americans move at lightning speed. You can’t expect your new business partners to conform to your speed when you visit their countries. Get used to a slower pace of life and expect the unexpected. Consider the way other people conduct business might seem strangely slow to you, but your methods might seem odd to them too. Imagine how you would feel if someone wanted to close a deal before you felt you had enough time to go over the details and weigh your options. That pressure would probably cause you to back out of the deal. That’s what could happen to you when you don’t conform to the pace of life in foreign countries.
Each country has its own culture that will influence the way you do business. In fact, you will probably find that smaller areas within these countries have their own cultural differences. Remember that you are a visitor in these countries and that you will benefit from learning more about their cultures. Keep an open mind, pay attention to your surroundings and stay connected to your office through mobile applications, and you should find that you can effectively grow your business internationally. That way, you can establish yourself in emerging markets before your competitors have a chance.
FOLLOW US!
CATEGORIES
© 2026 American Business Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑