The deal, reached with D.A.W. Inc, a subsidiary of Florida-based Nyer Medical Group,

Shares of the penny Nyer stock were up some 200 percent in after hours trading.

Eaton has stores in Dorchester, Brockton, Danvers, Peabody, Salem, Sherborn, Framingham, Southborough, Gloucester, Wellesley, Lynn, Westwood, Weston, Marblehead, Woburn and Newton.

Walgreens promised to keep on most of the Eaton employees.

“Today is a very special day for our Boston market,” said Dave White, Walgreens market vice president for Boston, in a statement yesterday. “Not only are we keeping most of the pharmacies open, but we also intend for eligible employees at all 12 locations to join our team.”

White said Eaton’s long-time customers will see the same familiar faces and level of service with the expanded Walgreens umbrella of products and services.

“We look forward to continuing Eaton’s 100-plus year tradition of quality pharmacy service in communities around the Boston area,” White said.

“I am confident that the best choice for our customers and employees is Walgreens,” said Mark Dumouchel, President of D.A.W and Nyer Medical Group

The acquisition is subject to certain terms and conditions, and is expected to close within the next 90 days, Walgreens said.

Walgreens is the nation’s largest drugstore chain, operating some 7,000 stories in all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The company did $63 billion in sales in fiscal year 2009.

Instructors are donating their time to hold a 3 hour spinathon and a 2 hour zumbathon, with a suggested donation of $5 per hour per participant for charity.

Zumba is a high energy, latin dance class that can easily be adapted for people with a limited range of motion, and spinning burns the most calories of all our group fitness classes, at an average of 500 calories per class.

Commonwealth Sports Club is also holding a raffle to help raise money for the cause. The staff at CSC and Joint Ventures Physical Therapy have donated their time to offer raffle prizes such as an acupuncture session, personal training packages, pilates packages, and massages. Other prizes include CSC gear, $25 Visa Gift Cards, and a $100 gift certificate to The Kells Bar and Grill, Blast’s perennial party spot, donated by restaurant owner and sports club member Jerry Quinn.

There will also be inspirational artwork sold with part of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

Be there from 6-9 p.m. tonight, and make your workout for a good cause.

That’s why many retailers are ensuring that they have service quality systems in place to avoid the typical holiday mishaps between shoppers and service staff, according to the American Society for Quality, which provides service quality training for many industries, including retail.

“The top four causes of customer dissatisfaction are out of stock items, discontinued items, returns and shipping charges,” says John Goodman, an ASQ customer service expert. “These are issues that are easily resolvable if sales staff have the right tools and training.”

Bigger stories like Bath & Body Works, for example, provide staff with training to handle these kinds of complaints. Its sales staff takes steps such as maintaining eye contact with customers during every step of the sale. They are also trained in how to detect and respond to unspoken needs and are told to “treat a return like a sale” because a properly handled return will often move the customer to buy something else.

Best Buy is ranked highest in customer satisfaction among national and multi-regional major appliance retailers, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates. One key reason is that they make customer service training a priority.

In addition to a rigorous certification process, employees are well-educated on complicated products and solutions, enabling them to better help customers, says Mike Fisher, senior director of Lean Six Sigma for Best Buy’s corporate campus in Richfield, Minn..

The store’s TRUST model ensures that employees thank consumers for coming into the store, respect their opinions, understand their needs, solve challenges together and thank and support the ongoing consumer relationship.

“Our goal is to put more sales staff or ‘blue shirts’ on the sales floor instead of handling paper work and other duties,” Fisher said. “That way they are immediately available to assist consumers with their questions and needs.”

While many retailers will make an extra effort to ensure excellent customer service this holiday season, Goodman suggests that customers take these steps to help ensure a positive sales experience:

• Get to know the sales clerks at your favorite stores. This ensures that you will be in the loop regarding stores sales and events. A salesperson who knows you may also be more apt to help if a problem does arise.
• Research store policies before you buy. Being aware of policies regarding cash refunds or sale merchandise returns can help you avoid problems later on.

So what happens when you run into a problem? Goodman offers these tips for successfully handling service complaints.

• Take three deep breaths — when you are upset you may not think clearly and therefore often don’t present your case logically.
• Tell the company rep that you know that the problem is not their fault – this reduces their defensiveness.
• After outlining the facts, state exactly what you want the rep to do for you – if you don’t they might go off in the wrong direction in developing a response.
• Don’t ask for cash compensation for your time — companies can almost never do that, but they can give you credit toward your bill.
• Never use profanity — most reps are authorized to hang up on you if you do.
• If you have been a long-term customer, point that out but don’t exaggerate — employees can often access your actual purchase history.

The simplest and most important thing you can do is to recognize good service when you receive it by remembering to say thank you.

Courtesy of ARA Content

An example of accelerator pedal interference caused by out-of-position all-weather floor mat. (Media credit/Courtesy of NHTSA)

“This is an urgent matter,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration.”

According to NHTSA, the problem is with the clearance of the actual foot pedal.

Toyota and Lexus vehicles affected by this consumer alert are:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350

According to NHTSA, in September 2007, Toyota recalled another all-weather floor mat sold for use in some 2007 and 2008 model year Lexus ES 350 and Toyota Camry vehicles because of similar problems.

For more information, call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s hotline at 888-327-4236 or the Toyota Experience Center at 800-331-4331 or the Lexus Customer Assistance Center at 800-255-3987.

Apple maintains, at least since yesterday, that they are working with Google on the Google Voice App for iPhone.

Apparently Google is saving its best for last. It has in its possession an image of the rejection letter. So Apple will most likely approve the Google Voice App to save face, and we’ll probably see it in a few days as the Post speculated.

The questions remains, if Apple did lie to a federal regulatory agency, what will come of that?

Walsh, (D-Boston) who covers a district that includes Boston College, is sponsoring legislation that would ban any alcohol-related advertising on state-owned property. The crazies in the anti-alcohol (and even the anti-advertising) lobby have joined, and they are calling on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (The T) to join in and ban alcohol ads on buses, trains and stations.

No other state in the US has such an advertising ban, which would eliminate things like billboards and limit advertisements for locally-owned wine and spirits shops, which is simply a bad idea in this economy.

“It is unfathomable that in the midst of an epidemic of underage drinking in Massachusetts, a government agency would allow alcohol advertising on public property,” said Amy Helburn of the collaborative, “Supporting an Alcohol Advertisement Free Environment,” in a statement supporting Walsh’s legislation.

The bill also has the support of a group called “Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.”

Because that’s possible.

Ok. You’ve heard the facts and seen what’s proposed.

This is never going to happen.

It’s a perennial bad idea like many that come up each year from a relatively new and a creepy alliance of teetotalers and helicopter parents.

Blast is the only media outlet that’s entirely run by Generation Y, so let me be as frank with you as possible: The ads aren’t screwing up your kids. Teens don’t start drinking because a whimsical frog says so.

Young people don’t start drinking because of commercials or billboards. Young people start drinking for two reasons. First, they start drinking because it’s (perhaps only in the US) considered a rebellious taboo. And second, the vast and overwhelming majority of American adults drink.

But that alone is a pretty poor argument against liquor legislation. The fact is alcohol is dangerous. It kills people and can lead people to do things that can hurt them or others. Like all vices, it’s users, especially young people, are not taught moderation. In fact, the only people telling us to “drink responsibly” are the liquor companies in their commercials!

I’ve seen lives ruined by alcohol, but I’ve also seen lives ruined by overbearing colleges that take away scholarships, throw students out of residence halls, charge fines and publicly embarrass students for a first time alcohol offense. I’ve seen college newspapers report the names of students that got caught with a beer in their hands. I’ve seen them come into my office when I was in the Northeastern University student government in tears when they got turned away from internships and jobs because of it. I’d need a drink, too, if my school just ruined my life.

HEY, OLD PEOPLE: Listen up.

Your precious little honor student is going to drink when he or she gets to college. (They’re also going to have sex, a lot, and they might even try pot!) More than 90 percent of college students drink. You wanna help them? Teach them responsibility. Teach them to know their own limits. Give them cash for a cab. Teach them the warning signs of alcohol poisoning so they don’t leave some kid in a bathroom to die.

Commercials aren’t the problem. There is a much deeper issue here. Alcohol, sex, smoking, marijuana, etc. etc. etc. The more you tell someone “no” without an explanation, the more curious they become. If Massachusetts is such a liberal bastion, they should do something really radical: teach kids safe sex and drinking in moderation.

Let’s start small: Colleges could give students the phone number of a cab service instead of a pamphlet of vague threats.

Just don’t waste my time trying to convince me that it’s all the commercials’ fault.

Barry became a part of Rocket Chemical Company after they were commissioned by aerospace companies to develop several degreasers and rust-prevention liquids. Their main project, a water displacement formula, took 40 attempts to perfect, and thus, the most famous lubricant in America was born. WD-40 – “water displacement, formulation successful on 40^th attempt.”

Soon after its invention the lubricant made a huge splash among aerospace companies, so large that employees stole cans from work to use in their own homes. The inventor of the lubricant, Norm Larsen, then had the idea to sell the miracle lubricant to the general public.

Barry became president and chief executive of Rocket Chemical in 1969, 10 years after the product first hit shelves in San Diego. Sales were consistently increasing, with new uses often being discovered by users in their own homes, however it was Barry who made WD-40 synonymous with lubricant.

Barry decided to change the name of Rocket Chemical to the WD-40 Company, dispelling all rumors that the company produced rockets. He works tirelessly to protect the formula, choosing not to patent it in order to keep it secret. He protected the company’s trademarks and the infamous yellow and blue can as signatures of WD-40.

Barry perfected the look and marketing of the product during his tenure as executive, and in a fantastic marketing move, sent 10,000 samples a month to soldiers during the Vietnam War to help keep their weapons dry. The company was seen as not only the manufacturer of a great product, but also one that values its country’s soldiers.

In less than 15 years, Barry helped to increase sales to wholesalers by almost 1,200 percent. In his first year as president, Rocket Chemical was selling to 1,200 wholesalers. By the early 80’s, the WD-40 Company was selling to more than 14,000.

Barry pushed to get the solvent into supermarkets and foreign markets. WD-40 Company’s annual sales shot up to $91 million by 1990, compared to just $2 million in 1970.  In it’s most recent fiscal year, they reported sales of $317 million in 160 countries.

“We may appear to be a manufacturing company, but in fact we are a marketing company,” Barry once said to Forbes Magazine.

Barry leaves a lasting legacy not only in the success of WD-40 Company, but in his family as well. He is survived by Marian, his wife of 56 years; his two sons, Randy and Steve; his daughter, Deborah and his four grandchildren.

Mr. Mays’ wife found him unresponsive Sunday morning.

“My dad didn’t wake up this morning.. I’m sure you’ll all hear about it. It hasn’t yet hit me but it’s about to,” said his son, Billy Mays III via his Twitter account. “He’s gone. I’m gonna be strong for him. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers everyone.”

Mr. Mays is the famous television product spokesman who became so well-known that Discovery Channel created a reality series around his work.

His death is under investigation, but authorities have said it does not appear to be suspicious. An autopsy is scheduled for this week.

According to Tampa’s Bay News 9, Mr. Mays was on US Airways Flight 1241 from Philadelphia to Tampa on Saturday when the flight took a hard landing after the front landing gear blew. No one was reported injured in the flight, but Mays did tell the station that he hit his head.

Mays’ wife, Deborah, said the family was not going to make a public statement and asked everyone to respect their privacy.

The television salesman-turned-star is the latest household-name death to hit the news after the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson in the past two weeks. Mr. Mays was less renowned than the previous three, but he was as well known as many famous entertainers for his bevy of television commercials and the reality show.

If you’ve ever had to add a product to your cart on a website in order to see the price, you’ve experienced minimum retail price enforcement in action. Apple is a company well known for such enforcement. This is why an iPod almost always costs the same at the online Apple store or at Amazon.com Similarly, your iPhone cost the same at Best Buy or the AT&T store.

However, some online stores can offer better prices on some of these products, mostly because the overhead costs are so much lower with online retail. Costs for hosting and being able to stock product limited only on the size of your warehouse for an online store will always be less than paying a lease and utility bills on a physical store in which shelf space is limited.

Now, some online retailers are arguing that online stores have an unfair advantage. An oft-cited example of these unfair practices is how consumers will visit a brick and mortar store, play with product displays, use the employees’ time to ask questions, and then go home and order the product cheaper online because it’s cheaper. The physical store has lost time and money, the online store gets a sale.

In Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, the Supreme Court decided (and I’m paraphrasing here with my decidedly non-legal background) to allow for a new standard of stricter enforcement of minimum retail prices to which both online stores and individual people — eBay sellers included — will be held. In fact, some retailers use tools that comb through eBay listings to find products going for below the minimum retail price and then threaten legal action on these sellers. For the most part, individuals selling on eBay don’t have the legal clout to challenge the suit either.

Of course, these anti-trust challenges have to move through the court system, so it will take time for the decision to filter through the market; indeed time will tell what effect this will have on the prices the consumer will pay, but the days of getting a good deal online could very well be numbered.

Thomas Farina, 42, of Fairport, N.Y., faces 20 years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines after he allegedly made a Pfizer sales representative delete evidence that promoted a company drug for off-label usage not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

According to the FBI, Farina also had the sales rep. change the dates on a computer and “instructed his sales representative on how to change the clock and date setting on the computer, and then alter and re-save the documents in order to make the sanitized documents appear to have been last modified at an earlier time.”

Authorities said Pfizer has cooperated fully in the investigation.

The next thing you know, you’re rounding the block, zeroing in on a neon sign containing an aquatic maiden surrounded by a distinctive green loop. Starbucks is beckoning you to over a Venti nonfat half-caff soy latte with extra whip.

So what inspired you to make the purchase? It was not the store location or the advertising that Starbucks pays for. This morning, it was that empty coffee cup you saw in the gutter.

The image of the Starbucks logo triggered your memory to think about your last cup of coffee — how it tasted when the hot liquid met your mouth and when your upper lip touched the frothy whipped topping. And on your way to work, all you can think about is that cup of coffee. You may normally walk past Starbucks, but today you went inside.

Brand logos have an incredibly high value because of their ability to make you, the consumer, instantaneously think about the bigger picture.

If a woman sees a CVS bag blowing down the street, it might remind her that she needs more Q-Tips and shampoo. And when she goes to make that purchase later, she is probably more likely to shop at CVS.

Think about an empty Cinnabon box you see at the mall. Not only are you going to be stopping at American Eagle and Express, but you will be finding your way to the food court to grab a bite of that cinnamony deliciousness. You know in the back of your head that every mall has a Cinnabon, but it is not until you see the empty container that you now want to go there.

What do the Starbucks cup, the CVS bag, and the Cinnabon box all have in common? They are trash!

Trash is driving sales all across America. It’s the company’s logo on the trash that is really driving the sales, but the fact is, it is free advertising for companies. When somebody litters or reuses a bag with a retailer’s name and logo on it, then that person is indirectly driving sales for the company.

There are so many advertisements which bombard us everyday that many times, we simply ignore the message. It seems that incremental sales growth is mostly likely to happen when consumers least expect it-when looking at trash.

Whether it is resting in a waste can or lying in the street, the logos on the trash remind us of things we may want. And once we get thinking, especially about food, many consumers make a purchase. During a difficult time for economic growth, litter-bugs may just be the secret step to growing sales.

“My whole belief is that the community of gamers all over the world, including Boston, is insulted by commercials, bored with TV content and is looking for a source of entertainment with more depth,” said Gamer Doc president Jim Belanger, 54. “Video games are providing that.”

“They want true freedom to play what they want when they want,” Belanger said. “They’re kind of rejecting the old ways of marketing.”

Gamer Doc has generated news buzz in local and national markets.  They sell games, but instead of just putting product on shelves, there are video games being played all around with game systems being repaired in the back and gaming-related events and contests going on in the middle.

This interactive “gaming community” experience promises to be unique.

“We’re like a Gamestop, a Blockbuster, an arcade and a repairs center all rolled into one,” said Jason Renfro, 37, who opened the first Gamer Doc in Los Angeles.

Gamer Doc hopes to launch three stores in the Boston area this year

Locations provide services based on the needs of the customer. By talking with staff, gamers and new players can increase their knowledge of specific games and systems. Customers can actually play games and participate in events in the store like tournaments, gaming leagues, new game demonstrations and release date events.

In the original Gamer Doc location, the model seems to have worked too well — “In December there was so much business in the store that we had to cancel all the events,” said Renfro.

When events do happen,  Gamer Doc locations will often recruit regular customers to help out the staff. Knowledgeable gamers can be a great asset to the community in a Gamer Doc location, Belanger said.

“They are key to our success,” he said. “We have a process of recognizing, and involving, the knowledgeable gamers to get them into the system.”

Belanger said GamerDoc planned to open three franchise stores in and around Boston

A franchise store is paid for by a group of investors. An agreement between Gamer Doc and the investors defines the market area. The challenge for the company is to find qualified franchisees, this will affect the timetable for store openings in Boston, Belanger said. The company sees benefits to franchising.

“The benefit to the owner is to be part of a growing and exciting brand,” the founding president said. “For the customers, we find generally, franchisees are more committed to the customer experience.”

Belanger and David Huether started the company in 2007. Many of the staff members on the current roster have been with the company from the beginning. There were many retailers selling video games at the time, but the pair had a different idea. Instead of simply selling the video games, they wanted to begin recognizing the role of “hardcore gamers” in the store.

“On the Xbox 360 there were these malfunctions called ‘the red ring of death’ that made the system inoperable,” Belanger said. “Hardore gamers were amazed when we gave them loner machines, so they could get back to playing their games,” Belanger said.

The focus on hardcore gamers will be reflected in the layout of the store. Locations will even have a specific line where gamers can quickly pick up their games and go if they want.

“Our idea is to make it so that people can get their games, and get to playing them right away,” Belanger said.

Belanger has been gaming since 1977. His first game was a “cocktail” version of the Pac-Man arcade game that sat two people for simultaneous play. His first console was an Atari 400. He currently owns an Xbox 360 Elite, a PlayStation 2 and a Wii.

He ended any ambition of PC gaming after repeated destruction in World of Warcraft, at the hands of his co-workers.

“Overall, I see the gamers of today are as the golfers of my generation, you have to play every stroke every time, or you’ll never know if you’re really good.”

Over the last several months, students at Northeastern University conducted a research study aimed aimed at discovering the commonalities shared by small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Graduate and undergraduate students, advised by business professor Matthew Allen, found the following:

Of the 48 respondents identified as small business owners and entrepreneurs, most had several years of experience in their industry before starting their own business.

Average industry experience from the group was 17 years, Imean) while the most common response was 10 years (mode).  Of the respondents 58 percent have a family member working with the company, which indicates a trend towards family business.

Fifty-two percent of the businesspeople had completed a bachelor’s degree, 25 percent had achieved a master’s degree and 13 percent had not studied further than high school.

Frequent preparation and review of financial statements is commonly believed to be a necessary component to success in small businesses. The survey reports that 52 percent of those surveyed review financial statements prepared on a monthly basis. while 35 percent only prepare financial statements annually and 12 percent never prepare or review financial statements. Two thirds of respondents contract with a third party accounting professional to prepare these financial statements. On the software side, Quicken was by far the most popular accounting software with 65 percent usage. Peachtree came in second with 13 percent.

These small business owners and entrepreneurs responded most commonly as having two years in operation with their current small business. Seventy-three percent of them provided their own startup funding, while 10 percent received bank loans, eight percent were funded by friends and family and six percent used equity financing. 

Regarding workload, 83 percent of all respondents said they operated in their business full time, 10 percent worked part-time on their own enterprise and six percent considered their small business a hobby. About a third actually owned their own office space, and the rest leased it.

When asked to rank factors for success on a scale of 1-8, the below are the results that were obtained.  Most important factors were given a 1, while least important factors were ranked 8.  From the results we see that Cash Flow and Sales were most commonly ranked as the most important factor among responses:

When asked about the biggest challenge that their company currently faces, 36 percent chose the economy, 13 percent chose personnel, 8 percent chose customers, and 6 percent chose financing. 

When asked their firm’s most relevant competitive advantage, a third of them chose quality, 29 percent chose innovative products/services, 29 percent chose customer service, and 16 percent chose low prices (more than one selection allowed).

Employee termination was relatively low, — each company reported firing only one person on average.

Regarding succession planning and compensation, 27 percent of respondent’s companies have a formal employee selection process, 27 percent of companies have a formal employee evaluation process, and 40 percent of all firms have a formal method for setting compensation.

Innovation is a theme common throughout these firms. The overall estimation for the group is that 48 percent of net 2008 sales came from products or services less than two years old. About a third of firms surveyed have a formal process for developing new products and services. Also interesting is that 48 percent of all companies responding have a formal process for evaluating the quality of products and services.

Lastly performance had several noteworthy results which we now see. The average profit growth for all companies surveyed was 10 percent. However, the most common response was two percent, and nearly 20 percent of those responding had negative revenue growth in 2007.  As compared to their competitors in the market, most firms surveyed felt that they were slightly worse in marketing and slightly more profitable. Those surveyed felt that they were equal in terms of their sales growth and market share with their competitors.

Blast Magazine participated in this survey

The purchase will increase Pfizer’s revenue overnight, a much needed boost since the company has seen a 90 per cent drop in income because of the dwindling economy. The company’s 2009 forecasts are well below average, and the future didn’t look too promising before reports of the purchase.

Pfizer faces an estimated $13 billion drop in revenue starting November 2011, due to the inevitable release of generic competitors to the company’s cholesterol fighter, Lipitor.

America’s No. 1 drug maker will cut 8,000 jobs immediately, 10 per cent of its workforce. It is expected that Wyeth will cut nearly 12,000, bringing the job loss total to a whopping 20,000.

The guardian reports that with this purchase, Pfizer will now become a “one-stop shop” for vaccines and drugs for both people and animals. The deal is expected to close in the late third or early fourth quarter.

The deal will increase research capabilities for Pfizer’s labs, however the job loss is pretty astounding. The 20,000 pharmaceutical industry jobs lost will be hard to replace for those out of work. That can’t help the economy.

The deal is cash and stock, one of the health care industry’s biggest ever. Hopefully it results in something new that will help the American people.  

What would be ironic is if whatever new drug is shipped out by Pfizer goes to someone who was laid off by them. 

That would make me bitter for sure.

The message was clear and to the point: “The Hershey Company does not purchase peanut butter, peanuts or peanut products from Peanut Corporation of America.”

“All Hershey and Reese’s candies are safe to consume,” Hersey Company said in a statement Saturday.

Hershey asserts that all of its brands, including the Reese’s franchise, are safe and unaffected by the recent recall related to peanut butter.

“Peanut butter for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is made in Hershey facilities under the most stringent safety and quality standards,” the company said.

According to the DEA, an investigation of 53 stores starting in 2004 revealed that pharmacists knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances based on illegitimate prescriptions and failed to notify authorities when drugs were stolen from te stores.

The DEA’s full allegations include:

• At pharmacies in Kentucky and New York, Rite Aid knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid physician-patient relationship
• At five pharmacies in Maryland, four pharmacies in New York and thirteen pharmacies in California, Rite Aid failed to notify the DEA in a timely manner of significant thefts and losses of controlled substances, thus permitting the diversion of controlled substances to continue and undermining DEA’s ability to investigate such thefts and/or losses
• At pharmacies in California, Pennsylvania and Maryland, Rite Aid either failed to maintain or failed to furnish to the DEA upon request records that are required to be kept under the CSA for a period of two years
• At all 53 pharmacies in all eight states, Rite Aid failed to properly execute DEA forms used to ensure that the amount of Schedule II drugs ordered by Rite Aid were actually received.

In addition to the $5 million penalty, Rite Aid has agreed to form a legal compliance plan and a pseudoephedrine and ephedrine tracking system in each of its 4,915 stores that is designed to prevent the abuse of the over-the-counter drugs, which are used to make methamphetamine.

“This settlement demonstrates the important responsibilities all pharmacies have to prevent dangerous drugs from being diverted from their intended use,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “The civil penalties paid today are just one example of DEA’s determination to combat the troubling prescription drug abuse problem in this country by pursuing pharmacies that fail to comply with the law. Our nation’s pharmacies must play a major role in the fight against drug abuse, so that together we can protect public health and keep our communities safe.”

As part of the civil agreement, Rite Aid admits no legal wrongdoing.

The 26 year-old Colorado native co-founded the company FreeShipping.org with her husband, Luke, in December 2007. The company is the web’s premiere destination for online shoppers to find free shipping deals offered by more than 850 retailers.

Because their venture is a home-based business, Luke and Maisie Knowles have more time for themselves and to spend with their new daughter Isabelle.

“Typically, one spouse remains at home with the child while the other works long hours and doesn’t spend as much time with the family as he or she would like,” Maisie said. “I am able to continue working while caring for Isabelle, and Luke is able to spend more time with us.”

Maisie was able to take a longer maternity leave because she is her own boss. She stopped working three weeks before her daughter’s birth and was able to take off 10 weeks after. This is the type of flexibility, she pointed out, that is not typically offered in traditional office jobs.

Even as a new mom, Maisie is still able to devote the same time and energy to her business by setting her own flexible hours.

“I work when (Isabelle) is napping,” she explained. “To maintain productivity, I get as much done as possible in nap times and after she is in bed. … It’s a rewarding feeling because I feel like a productive part of our business, and at the same time I feel content knowing that I am there for Isabelle.”

There are other, finance-related, benefits of working from home. Luke and Maisie do not spend any time commuting to and from another building.  With the high cost of gas, working from home also saves the couple money.  Maisie’s flexible schedule of switching between work and parenting also means the couple does not have to pay for child care.

“I belong to moms groups and they tell me I’m lucky because I’m able to help with the business and give Isabelle the attention and care she needs,” Maisie added. “Most mothers who go back to work after having a baby don’t get to see their newborn as much.”

Maisie acknowledges the risk that comes along with starting one’s own business, but says that for her it’s been worth it.

“If you don’t take the leap and devote the time to build your business, you’re not going to succeed for the long-term,” she said.

The gamble has paid off, creating the ideal work/parenting situation for Maisie, where she welcomes the opportunity to work as both an entrepreneur and a full-time mom.

The Governor’s Clean Energy Challenge, developed by the New England Clean Energy Council and the Massachusetts High Technology Council in cooperation with the state’s electric and natural gas utilities, will offer recognition to participants who meet or exceed the 10 percent target.

“I offer the Challenge to everyone to do their part to dramatically reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency measures, innovative energy technology products, and the use of renewable sources,” said Governor Patrick, who announced the Challenge at the New England Clean Energy Council 1st Annual Green Tie Gala in Boston this week. “As in any competition, there will be recognition for extraordinary accomplishment and leadership.  But this is a contest in which everyone who participates will be a winner.”

Millipore and Pfizer accepted aims to inspire action by businesses, municipalities, and residents to reduce their energy consumption in an effort to combat climate change.

“Millipore is pleased to take the Governor up on his challenge of reducing greenhouse emissions because it is important to our company and the environment,” said Millipore President & CEO Martin Madaus. “We appreciate the Governor’s leadership in positioning Massachusetts and its employers ahead of the curve when it comes to the adoption of clean energy technologies and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a critical program for the Commonwealth’s environmental and economic health, but also for the quality of life of its 6 million residents.”

Other companies that are considering participating in the Challenge and serving as mentors to other companies are members of Massachusetts High Tech Council’s Sustainable Energy Program, a component of the technology trade group’s 10-year-old energy aggregation program, which includes forward-thinking energy consumers like Boston Scientific and Varian Semiconductor. Participants will work with utilities NSTAR, National Grid, and Western Massachusetts Electric.

Clean energy advocates praised the program.  

“Massachusetts is in position to lead the way toward a clean energy future for the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world, and to capitalize on it in terms of innovation, entrepreneurship, and jobs,” said Nick d’Arbeloff, executive director of the New England Clean Energy Council. “The Governor’s Clean Energy Challenge is a way to focus attention and effort on both the environmental imperative and the economic opportunity.”

Indeed, it appears the criticism may be starting to accumulate. Dean Baker, one of the few economists who predicted the housing bubble, wrote the following for The UK Guardian.

Those following the meeting of President Obama’s economic advisory committee could not have been very reassured by the presence of Robert Rubin and Larry Summers, both former Treasury secretaries in the Clinton administration. Along with former Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan, Rubin and Summers compose the high priesthood of the bubble economy. Their policy of one-sided financial deregulation is responsible for the current economic catastrophe.

[...]

While the Bush administration must take responsibility for the current crisis (they have been in power the last 8 years), the stage was set during the Clinton years. The Clinton team set the economy on the path of one-sided financial deregulation and bubble-driven growth that brought us where we are today. (The deregulation was one-sided, because they did not take away the “too big to fail” security blanket of the Wall Street big boys.)

For this reason, it is very discouraging to see top Clinton administration officials standing center stage at President Obama’s meeting on the economy. This is not change, and certainly not policies that we can believe in.

Three leading electronics manufacturers – LG Display Co. Ltd., Sharp Corp. and Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. –have agreed to plead guilty and pay a total of $585 million in criminal fines for their roles in conspiracies to fix prices in the sale of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, the Department of Justice announced. Of the $585 million in fines, LG will pay $400 million, the second highest criminal fine ever imposed by the Department’s Antitrust Division.

Today’s charges were filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The companies have agreed to cooperate with the Department’s ongoing antitrust investigation.

Thin-Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) panels are used in computer monitors and notebooks, televisions, mobile phones, and other electronic devices. In 2006, the worldwide market for TFT-LCD panels was approximately $70 billion. Companies directly affected by the LCD price-fixing conspiracies are some of the largest computer, television and cellular telephone manufacturers in the world, including Apple, Dell and Motorola.

“Today’s charges and criminal fines emphasize the commitment of the Department of Justice to crack down on international cartels,” said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey.

LG Display Co. Ltd, a South Korean corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, LG Display America Inc., a California company (LG), agreed to plead guilty to participating in a conspiracy from September 2001 to June 2006 to fix the price of TFT-LCD panels sold worldwide. During the conspiracy, LG Display Co. Ltd. was known as LG.Philips LCD Co. Ltd. (a joint venture between LG Electronics and Philips Electronics) and LG Display America Inc. was known as LG.Philips LCD America Inc.

Sharp Corp., a Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer, has agreed to pay a $120 million fine for its participation in separate conspiracies to fix the price of TFT-LCD panels sold to Dell Inc. from April 2001 to December 2006 for use in computer monitors and laptops; to Motorola Inc. from fall 2005 to the middle of 2006 for use in Razr mobile phones; and to Apple Computer Inc. from September 2005 to December 2006 for use in iPod portable music players.

Chunghwa, a Taiwanese TFT-LCD panel manufacturer, has agreed to pay a $65 million fine for its participation with LG and other unnamed co-conspirators in a conspiracy from September 2001 to December 2006 to fix the price of TFT-LCD panels sold worldwide.

“These price-fixing conspiracies affected millions of American consumers who use computers, cell phones and numerous other household electronics every day,” said Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department’s Antitrust Division. “These convictions, and the significant fines they carry, should send a clear message that the Antitrust Division will vigorously investigate and prosecute illegal cartels, regardless of where they are located.”

LG, Sharp and Chunghwa are each charged with price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act. Each violation carries a maximum fine of $100 million for corporations. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.

LG Display Co. Ltd., based in Seoul, South Korea, reported $15.3 billion in revenue for 2007.

Sharp, based in Osaka, Japan, reported $34.2 billion in revenues for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, including $6.8 billion in revenue from LCD sales.

Chunghwa, based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China, reported $4.8 billion in revenue for 2007.

These pleas are the result of a joint investigation by the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Field Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Francisco. The plea agreements are subject to court approval.

Anyone with information concerning illegal conduct in the TFT-LCD industry is urged to call the San Francisco Field Office of the Antitrust Division at 415-436-6660.

According to a recent study published in Human Resource Executive magazine, a third of US workers spend a minimum of twenty hours per month at work complaining about their boss. The Gallup Poll estimates US corporations lose 360 billion dollars annually due to lost productivity from employees who are dissatisfied with — you guessed it — their boss. And if there’s but one hard truth the Gallup Polls have taught US Corporations in the last decade, it’s that people may join companies, but they will leave bosses.

In the days of a strong dollar, bulging tech bubble and robust housing market, people working for a bad boss had options. Careers were mobile and talent was in short supply. It was a snap to pack up and leave. But nowadays, things are decidedly different. Jobs are scarce and the prudent worker stays put, even if he or she is working under the worst type of boss imaginable–the seagull manager.

The roots of seagull management can be traced back to the days when “micromanager” was the worst non-expletive you could utter behind your boss’ back. Managers fear of this label grew so intense that they learned to keep their distance from employees, assuming a “good” boss is one who spends as little time as possible breathing down people’s necks. And most do. They give people room to breath until the moment a problem flares up. Then — instead of getting the facts straight and working alongside their staff to realize a viable solution — seagull managers come swooping in at the last minute, they squawk orders at everybody, and deposit steaming  piles of formulaic advice before abruptly taking off.

Seagull managers interact with their employees only when there’s a fire to put out. Even then, they move in and out so hastily — and put so little thought into their approach–that they make bad situations worse by frustrating and alienating those who need them the most. Today, seagull managers are breeding like wildfire. As companies flatten in response to the struggling economy, they are gutting management layers and leaving behind managers with more autonomy, greater responsibility, and more people to manage. That means they have less time and less accountability for focusing on the primary purpose of their job–managing people.

As it turns out, seagull managers aren’t just a US phenomenon. After reading a study that found employees have lower blood pressure on the days they worked for a supervisor they think is fair, researchers from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health decided to take a closer look at this phenomenon. They followed British civil servants for a period of fifteen years to see if the type of boss one works for has any impact upon long-term, physical health.

The researcher’s findings cast a grave shadow upon anyone working for a seagull manager. The team from Helsinki found that seagull-type managerial behaviors lead to a much higher incidence of employee coronary heart disease. Employees working for a seagull manager were 30% more likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who were not. What’s more, the incidence of coronary heart disease — the #1 killer in Western societies — was measured after the researchers had removed the influence of typical risk factors, such as age, ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, socio-economic position, cholesterol level, obesity, hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

No one influences an employee’s morale and productivity more than his or her supervisor. It’s that simple. Yet, as common as this knowledge may seem, it clearly hasn’t been enough to change the way that managers and organizations treat people. Few companies recognize the degree to which managers are the vessels of a company’s culture, and even fewer work diligently to ensure that their vessels hold the knowledge and skills that motivate employees to perform, feel satisfied, and love their jobs. The very individuals with the authority to alter the course of company culture lack the facts that would impel them to do so.

With the stoic pragmatism that one might expect from a Finnish University professor, Dr. Mika Kivimäki, the director of the study, had this to say about the study’s findings, “Most people care deeply about just treatment by authorities.”

Indeed we do, Dr. Kivimäki. Indeed we do.

Dr. Travis Bradberry is the president of think tank and consultancy TalentSmart. His new book, “Squawk! How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results,” addresses the problem of seagull managers in the workplace and is published by HarperCollins.

WashingtonWatch.com says American taxpayers could be hit with $2,000 and families with $6,500 in extra costs from the bailout

“It is possible that the federal government will not expend all of those $700 billion, or even make some money back later,” said WashingtonWatch.com’s Jim Harper, “but I agree with those who call that possibility laughable.”

The blog cites the Resolution Trust Corporation, tasked with cleaning up the Savings and Loan mess years ago. The estimated cost of that crisis was $50 billion, but taxpayers ended up paying $124 billion before all was said and done.

“The bailout is plainly a sop to the financial services companies whose profits were privatized and whose losses will now be socialized,” said Harper. “Proponents say that it’s needed to prevent further financial catastrophe. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says that reforms will follow. It’s up to you whom you agree with and whom you believe.”

The draft legislation would raise the public debt limit to $11.3 trillion dollars. That’s $116,000 per family, or $37,000 per person, in governmental debt.

Tuesday, Adobe said it earned 50 cents per share in its fiscal third quarter, which ended August 29. That beat Wall Street’s expectations of 46 cents per share and its own estimates of 39 to 41 cents per share.

Revenue climbed 4 percent to $887 million, beating Wall Street’s forecast of $877 million, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Adobe stock climbed 2 percent before losing ground with everyone else late in the day.

In other news, Google was down over 5 percent Wednesday. Amazon lost almost 8 percent.

The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday, with the full support of the Treasury Department, authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to lend up to $85 billion to the American International Group (AIG) under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act. The secured loan has terms and conditions designed to protect the interests of the U.S. government and taxpayers.

The Board determined that, in current circumstances, a disorderly failure of AIG could add to already significant levels of financial market fragility and lead to substantially higher borrowing costs, reduced household wealth and materially weaker economic performance.

The purpose of this liquidity facility is to assist AIG in meeting its obligations as they come due. This loan will facilitate a process under which AIG will sell certain of its businesses in an orderly manner, with the least possible disruption to the overall economy.

The AIG facility has a 24-month term. Interest will accrue on the outstanding balance at a rate of three-month Libor plus 850 basis points.

AIG will be permitted to draw up to $85 billion under the facility.

The interests of taxpayers are protected by key terms of the loan. The loan is collateralized by all the assets of AIG, and of its primary non-regulated subsidiaries. These assets include the stock of substantially all of the regulated subsidiaries. The loan is expected to be repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the firm’s assets. The U.S. government will receive a 79.9 percent equity interest in AIG and has the right to veto the payment of dividends to common and preferred shareholders.

In a statement, the Fed said “strains in financial markets have increased significantly and labor markets have weakened further.”

Read more.

Ford: Not Asking, but Doing

Ford is a classic name in cars. But in an age when most people want new cars, ‘classic’ is not a good association. Ford released an advertising campaign aimed at showcasing the ‘new’ Ford, with greater quality, fuel economy, and added features. You may remember the little jingle at the end of their commercials, “Have you driven a Ford lately?”

The problem with the jingle is that it only asked a question. Viewers would answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Ford has since amended its campaign with a call to action, encouraging viewers to do something after watching the ad. The ads feature testimonials of non-Ford drivers who tried a new Ford and were pleasantly surprised by the results. The action message at the end of the commercial now reads “Drive One.”

Mercedes: Targeting Those Who Can Afford

In a sports arena, there are hundreds of places to advertise-on the Jumbotron, on the wrap-around digital banners, or over the public address system. These ads are aimed at everyone in the audience. But Mercedes found a place to advertise at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH that targets only their ideal customers.

Mercedes has a permanent display on the base of the Jumbotron-the large scoreboard suspended in the middle of the arena-featuring their three-point star and the locations of Northeast Ohio dealerships.

What makes the ad particularly interesting is that the only people who can see the ad are the ones on the lower levels of the arena. Mercedes’ logic is, if these customers can afford the most expensive seats to Cavaliers’ games, then they are more likely to also purchase a Mercedes.

“The same question has been asked a thousand times in a thousand different ways,” said Microsoft senior Vice President Don Mattrick. “Can we deliver to our fiercely loyal fans and at the same time continue to transform the industry by delivering for everyone? The answer is yes we can.”

In conjunction with new partners NBC, Universal, MGM International, Constantin and Netflix, the Xbox 360 now will have a library of over 10,000 on demand movies and television shows.

That’s not to mention the countless other partners Microsoft has, such as Disney, Warner, ABC and MTV.

Consumers have spent more than $48 billion this past year on videogames, Mattrick said. That is more than the amount they have spent on movies both on DVD and in the box office and in music.

While games are fast becoming the number one driver of entertainment spending, the Xbox 360 is dominating its position as the best-selling video game console as having sold more than 2.7 billion in the last year. That’s significantly more than the 1.1 billion Wiis sold or the 0.9 billion Playstation 3s sold.

This year Microsoft gives consumers even more reasons to buy their system.

“Finding the games you want and the entertainment you want when you want it means movies, TV shows and music from [our] partners,” said Mattrick.

The Xbox 360 now has the world’s largest amount of on demand movies and television shows; more than any cable or satellite provider.

Microsoft’s partnership with Netflix only intensifies that fact. Now Netflix subscribers who own 360s can access Netflix’s library of films through their gaming system and watch movies instantly at their homes. Even when they don’t have their friends over, Xbox owners can share the movie they rented with their friends using the new Live Party mode available through the 360’s new interface. This partnership more than doubles Microsoft’s current selection of movies and TV shows.

With the Xbox’s new functionalities, it seems that the only reason to actually visit a video rental store is to rent a videogame. Maybe there will come a point in time where videogames can be rented via their console as well.

The six-liter, 620 horsepower V12 599 GTB Fiorano debuted at the motor show in Geneva in 2006, spawning awes and gasps from onlookers much to the delight of designer Frank Stephenson.

The Fiorano speeds to 60 miles per hour in the time it takes other cars to warm-up; a mere 3.7 seconds.

The 3,722-pound GTB can run a quarter mile in the time it takes you to read this sentence twice. That’s 11.2 seconds by the way. The car boasts a lowly 5.7-pound per power-to-weight ratio and a powerful 448 pounds of torque at 5600 rpm, one of the lightest and most powerful in Ferrari’s history.

The Fiorano uses an aluminum build for its aerodynamic and light weight build and carries Magneto-Rheological suspension, one unmatched in handling and performance.

The main feature of the powerful Fiorano is the F1-Trac traction system, designed with the aid of the legendary Michael Schumacher, it allows an able driver to run the Fiorano’s test track in just one second less than Schumacher himself. On medium corners the superb handling shows its prowess, on sharper, faster corners, the F1 system takes over to maintain a smooth, comfortable ride.

The traction system is one of the most advanced on the market, with a dynamic stability system and one of the fastest shifting auto-clutch manuals yet, it has been dubbed the F1-SuperFast.

The car is much more advanced in every way than its predecessor, the 575M Maranello. It can race to 60 miles per hour in 0.5 seconds less and carries 80 more horsepower.

With a top speed of over 205 miles per hour and the handling of a sedan, the car is the new pride of Enzo Ferrari.

After seeing the car first-hand, its shine and smooth overtones are its first eye-catchers. It has a sportier and more luxurious outer design than any other Ferrari to date, with an interior that keeps the theme. Simply put: no Ferrari has ever looked better in red.

There isn’t another GT in the world that comes anywhere close to the Fiorano. It’s combination of handling, style and sheer, raw power make it one of the greatest cars to date. Don’t be surprised if it’s a car of the year candidate.

Priced at: $273,845 to start.

The lawsuit, filed by New York State Attorney General, Andrew M. Cuomo, accuses Dell and its money arm, Dell Financial Services, of “luring consumers to purchase its products with advertisements that offered attractive ‘no interest’ and/or ‘no payment’ financing promotions,” according to a statement from Cuomo’s office.

In reality, even customers with good credit were paying interest rates as high as 20% without ever being told that they had not qualified for the promotional rates, Cuomo said.

In the petition, Dell’s rebate practices are also brought into question. “Further, although Dell induces consumers to purchase equipment by offering rebates, many consumers who timely submit their rebate paperwork do not receive their promised rebate and get a ‘runaround’ when they subsequently contact Dell to inquire about it.”

The lawsuit also alleges that Dell Financial Services billed customers incorrectly on returns, as well as canceled orders.

“Although many consumers repeatedly contacted Dell and/or DFS to advise them of the errors, DFS did not suspend its collection activity and Dell failed to expeditiously credit consumers’ accounts, even after assuring consumers it would do so … as a result, many consumers have been subjected to harassing collection calls for months on end and have had their credit ratings harmed.”

Financial shenanigans not withstanding, Dell’s customer service and support has rightfully also come under attack. “At Dell, customer service means no service at all. Dell’s consumers were intentionally misled, and they had to pay for that privilege.” Cuomo said.

Customers often faced “a nightmarish array of obstacles in their quest for service.” Allegations include:

• Repeatedly failing to provide timely onsite repair to consumers who purchased service contracts promising “onsite” and expedited service
• Pressuring consumers, including those who purchased service contracts promising “onsite” repair, to remove the external cover of their computer and remove, reinstall, and manipulate hardware components
• Discouraging consumers from seeking technical support. Those who called Dell’s toll-free number were subjected to long wait times, repeated transfers and frequent disconnections.
• Using defective “refurbished” components to repair or replace consumer equipment.

The lawsuit aims to make Dell and Dell Financial Services pay restitution to consumers who have been affected by these service shortcomings on the part of Dell. The suit also seeks to make certain that Dell and DFS do not “engage in deceptive, illegal, and fraudulent practices in the future.”

Dell is the No. 2 computer distributor in the US. If true, the New York allegations are a startling turnaround for a company that once prided itself on customer support and satisfaction.

Yearly tuition at many private universities has topped $40,000 per year. At that price, college administrators realize that they must offer much more than an education.  They must offer an experience. 

That experience includes anything and everything from activities to real-life work experience to a vibrant social life. A key ingredient to a memorable social life is a good mix of men and women. 

The New York Times article found that women make up 58 percent of those enrolled  part-time or full-time in college. In the late 60s, there were more men, and in the mid 70s, the genders were equally represented. But since the mid 80s, there have been more women than men.  That gap continues to widen. 

Admission offices at universities across the country are reacting with new strategies to attract more men to their colleges with the primary purpose of creating a more gender-balanced social and learning environment. 

Admissions materials 

Recruiting starts with admissions brochures sent to students at their homes. Dickinson College, a Carlisle, Penn. liberal arts school,  is actively recruiting more men than women, Time Magazine reports.  Since Vice President of Admissions Robert Massa started working at Dickinson College, the percentage of men on campus has jumped from 36 percent to 44 percent. 

Dickinson College’s website features proportionally more pictures of men and athletics.  They highlight their new physics, computer science and math buildings, and they started an international business program with the intent of appealing to potential male recruits. 

Several private colleges, including Dickinson and Chicago’s DePaul University send more admissions brochures to men than women, hoping to generate more interest from prospective male students.   

Athletic Presence 

Seattle University switched athletic conferences, moving up to a more competitive conference where other colleges have stronger athletic programs, reports PBS’ News Hour. The University has seen a drop in their winning percentages, but hopes to see an increase in the percentage of male students on campus.   

Women comprise 61 percent of the student body at Seattle University. Mike McKeon, the director of admissions, believes that “more prominent athletic programs — clearly male athletic programs — are going to help us to attract more men.”  

Other colleges are also using athletics to attract male students.  Shenandoah University in Virginia started a football program to not only lure football players but men who are looking for a college with a football team. 

Inequality in the response?

Susan Seckor, associate provost at Seattle University, fought for women’s equality in education for many years and wonders why there was no concern when more men attend college than women.   

“There’s a part of me that finds it outrageous and ridiculous that anybody would have the gall to suggest that when we’re now finally willing to recognize and applaud the gifts of over half of humanity, that there is this reaction that somehow sees it as alarming instead of exciting,” Seckor said in a PBS interview.  “I think it’s a sad day, frankly, and I think it’s a disgusting day.” 

A survey by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education said men still hold more of the upper management and decision-making positions at universities.  The survey also found that men also earn higher salaries. 

While women have made great strides, serving as college presidents of some of the nations top universities, including Harvard, UPenn, Princeton and Brown, women still account for only 20 percent of college presidents.   

The debate will continue, for now, as to how to best serve the students, effectively manage the university and properly represent both sexes, in both the student body and in upper administration.

Spring is in the air and with each spring, many new things emerge. In this brand-new section, it is only appropriate to feature news about baseball. The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry this spring starts out hotter than ever.

As the Yankees prepare to move into a new stadium in 2009, I hope you’ll enjoy reading about why the Bronx Bombers are tearing down their storied ballpark and why the Red Sox are annually investing in their legendary home on the Fenway.

Also, take the opportunity to read about a new beer on the market. Feeling cluttered from long winter nights in the office? Read some advice about how to do some spring-cleaning in your inbox to prepare for a more productive season. And finally, take the opportunity to ride with your car windows down after reading Car Sense.

The goal of the business section is to use analytical business tools to conduct a simplified, but still rigorous examination of the dynamic world in which we live. I want the content to be user-driven.

Your comments on articles and suggestions for future reports are welcome and encouraged. As is true in business, market feedback is invaluable to the advancement of any operation.

Happy Spring!

MJ Paradiso

One of the greatest rivalries in all of sports is between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. And two of the most legendary parks in baseball belong to these teams in Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium.

This year, the Bronx Bombers play their final season in Yankee Stadium. The building served as home to players like Ruth, Mantle and DiMaggio and decisive championship moments forever etched in our memories. Like them or hate them, the Yankees’ home is one of the most storied ballparks in America.

So why is Yankee Stadium being torn down to be replaced by a new park? What pressures did the owners succumb to? Or what financial benefit do they see in the move? And, in that case, why are the Red Sox not following with their own new stadium?

There are six main ways baseball teams generate revenue: corporate sponsorships, luxury box sales, general ticket sales, concessions, local television contracts and merchandise.

Let’s compare Fenway Park to the new Yankee Stadium and see which team is mostly likely to have the strongest financial performance in each category.

Corporate Sponsorships: Even

The Red Sox and the Yankees are the most popular teams in baseball and both national and local companies are looking to sponsor with these clubs. Companies will line up to partner with these two teams, regardless of where they play. Revenues are strong for both clubs in this category.

Luxury Box Sales: Yankees

The new Yankee Stadium will contain three times as many luxury boxes as the current venue, far surpassing comparable boxes in Fenway Park. The Yankees are building more boxes at the expense of regular seats because the revenue from each box is larger and more consistent. The boxes will sell out and the Yankees will collect revenue whether or not the ticket-holders show up.

General Ticket Sales: Red Sox

The Red Sox have one of the smallest seating capacities of any MLB stadium, while the Yankees have and will have one of baseball’s larger venues. At first glance, it would appear that this is a win for the Yankees, but it may not be. Seats do not generate revenue; people in those seats account for ticket volume and the amount they pay for those seats drives ticket revenue.

Entering the 2008 season, the Red Sox sold out 388 consecutive games-a trend that does not appear to be ending any time soon. The Bombers do not always sell out. They do fill all the seats during big games and weekends, but typically leave thousands of seats empty during weekday contests.

The Red Sox also have the highest ticket prices in baseball and will be raising tickets an additional 9 percent for the 2008 season, according to the Boston Globe. How can the Red Sox charge so much? It is a matter of supply and demand, or scarcity as CNN Money refers to baseball ticket sales.

A team like the Yankees knows it will not sell out every game and therefore must keep prices lower to encourage those price-sensitive fans to come to a mid-week game. The Yankees are controlled by the supply, meaning that in order to optimize revenue, they can only charge as much as the last person is willing to pay.

The Red Sox, on the contrary, have a surplus demand. With more people willing to pay for every game than seats are available, the Red Sox can continue to raise prices until exactly the same amount of people are willing to pay the premium price as there are seats in the stadium. (This is not entirely true because tickets for sporting events and concerts are kept artificially low to allow more people the opportunity to afford the tickets).

Therefore, what revenues the Yankees generate from high ticket sales, the Red Sox match and will arguably surpass with revenues from higher ticket prices.

Concessions: Yankees

The Red Sox charge more for ticket prices, but a team can only charge so much for a beer and a hot dog before fans say “enough” and do not to eat at the game. Since prices are even, concession sales are then dependant primarily on attendance volume. This benefits the Yankees who have a larger stadium and will have more people to potentially purchase concessions.

Local Media Revenue: Yankees

The Yankees received more than $91 million in local media contracts, including $67 million from the YES Network to broadcast games on television, Forbes.com reports. While the organization will not keep all of that money due to the league’s revenue sharing agreements, they still retain a significant share.

The Bronx Bombers benefit from a larger market, as the New York metropolitan region is by far, the most populous in the country. The Yankees also have a higher net worth than the Red Sox and can demand larger contracts. While the Yankees and Red Sox have roughly equal numbers of national fans, the fact that more people live in the New York area benefits the Yankees.

Merchandise Sales: Red Sox

Unfortunately, no census is taken of all Yankees fans and Red Sox fans. ESPN reports that since winning the first of two World Series championships in the past four years, Red Sox merchandise sales have skyrocketed. Sales from Sox and Yankees gear account for more than half of all MLB merchandise revenue. USA Today reports, that when on the road, attendance at the opposing ballparks is about 1,300 fans more when the Red Sox are in town than the Yankees.

There are several other reasons why I give the edge to the Red Sox. First, international sales should be up for the Sox. The New York squad has better name recognition, but the Sox have won the Series more recently and played a pair of games in Japan to begin the season. Second, the Red Sox are not involved in the steroid controversy. Roger Clemens’ jerseys are not flying off the shelves this spring.

The Verdict?

Both teams have a distinct business strategy and both are positioned to perform very well.

The Red Sox, by not building a new stadium and leveraging Fenway’s small seating capacity to produce more ticket revenue, are positioned to yield higher profits and retain more of their earnings.

The Yankees are growing their revenues, but also are incurring costs of higher player salaries and financing a new stadium. They have positioned themselves to generate higher overall revenue to supplement their costs. Each strategy compliments the team’s business model.

Regardless of where they play, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry will continue, escalating with the advent of October. Yankees fans will learn to love their new stadium and Red Sox fans will continue to fill every seat of every game at Fenway Park. A baseball stadium is, after all, is more than a home-it is the soul of a team and its fans.

Right now, it’s lime.

The Miller Brewing Company introduced Miller Chill in June 2007. The beer has done incredibly well — sales are about to surpass first-year expectations. According to Bloomberg Media, more than 325,000 barrels were sold in the first three months, allowing it to capture one percent of the US beer market-tremendous growth for an introductory product.

Anheuser-Busch just released Bud Light Lime. They intend to drive purchases amidst a struggling economy and stagnant beer sales. Just in time for summer barbecues, Anheuser-Busch is backing Bud Light Lime with a $35 million advertising campaign, MSNBC reports.

So how should beer companies react? Here are my recommendations for several well-known brands.

Bud Light Lime: You hopefully did the research and found that people like lime. Use your leverage as a mass-distributor to get your product to where people buy beer. Then advertise your lime beverage like crazy to get people to try it. A $35 million budget is a nice start. Drive sales up to make the investment worth it and then get out before sales tank.

Miller Chill: With another mass-market competitor entering, your brand will feel the pressure. So you have to make a decision. Do you pull out of the market, take your profit, and let Bud take the share? Or do you increase advertising and take on this new summer refreshment head to head? Not an easy call. I feel that you cannot just let Bud Light have the percent share of the market you worked hard to earn. You have done well this past year and with a little creative advertising, you should go challenge your largest competitor.

Coors Light: Stay out of the “lime craze.” You cannot win. First, you are too late to enter. You cannot compete after both Miller Lite and Bud Light have entered the arena. Second, you pride yourselves on “Rocky Mountain ice cold refreshment.” When people think about limes and beer, the most common association is Corona, which is a Mexican beer. The Rocky Mountain cold does not equate well with warm, Gulf coast beaches. A Coors Lime dilutes your unique positioning proposition.

Corona: Keep doing what you are doing, maybe step up advertising a little bit, but you are the import that owns limes. Lime plus beer equals Corona. What started as a seasonal beer is now the largest import beer in the United States. These other beers will fade and you will remain on top. Keep up the good work.

Guinness: Have no fear Guinness drinkers-your beer will not be changed. If there is one thing that will unite the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland, it is a mutual agreement that fruit does not belong in thick, Irish beer. Your brew will remain unchanged.

By buying up all outstanding shares of Atari stock, Infogrames has completely absorbed a company they already controlled as their American distribution arm. The move comes in the middle of disastrous financial times for Atari, which recently stopped developing its own titles in favor of full-time distribution.

Under the terms of the agreement, Infogrames will acquire the remaining outstanding equity interests of Atari (other than shares of common stock held by Infogrames or its affiliates, which would be canceled) for $1.68 per share, equaling $11 million. Infogrames is already the majority shareholder in Atari holding over 51 percent of its shares. Atari will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infogrames.

From Infogrames:

This agreement is an essential and positive development for Infogrames and its shareholders. It brings Atari fully under the control of Infogrames, delivering a platform for future growth in the US. This step closely follows a series of recent major restructuring actions implemented in an effort to reposition Atari, streamline its corporate structure and reduce its annualized costs, including costs related to being a US public company.

“Bringing Atari US and Infogrames businesses together will enable us to create a simplified global structure for our business as we seek to re-build a well-managed, cohesive and financially disciplined company,” said David Gardner, CEO of Infogrames. “This is a key strategic event for Infogrames that will benefit all of our shareholders. I believe that this transaction will generate significant benefits for the Group.”

Jim Wilson, Atari’s CEO will transition over to Infogrames.

“By joining Infogrames, we will have the opportunity to further transform Atari. As part of this newly integrated company, we will be better able to streamline operations and have a stronger platform for growth in North America,” he said.

Under the terms of the deal, Infogrames is also lending Atari $20 million to fund operations.