Barriers have fallen: empowered by social media, consumers are becoming the new “bosses” of corporations and a powerful source of feedback. Thus companies must learn to effectively engage them, to reward them and to positively respond to online criticism, says customer relationship management guru Paul Greenberg. He is the author of 'CRM at the Speed of Light – Essential Customer Strategies for the 21st Century', the first major customer relationship management manual of the 2.0 age, when the relationship between...

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October 4, 2016 | More than 3,300 toymakers, buyers, licensors and trade guests hailing from 36 countries were in Dallas, TX last week to attend the Toy Industry Association’s (TIA) 10th annual Fall Toy Preview.  Held September 27-29 at the Dallas Market Center, the long-lead marketplace drew 758 buyers from 359 retail outlets – from mass merchants and supermarkets to discount chains and specialty shops – to preview tens of thousands of brand-new toys and games slated for release in...

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Littler's Workplace Policy Institute Insider Report details key labor, employment, and benefits news and events at the federal, state, local, and global levels. The October edition of the Insider Report examines what Congress accomplished before taking another brief recess in preparation for the November elections. The Report also details federal agency rules finalized in September, as well as state and local laws that advanced during this period. The Insider Report includes the following sections: Insider Briefing.  With little more than a...

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However there remains a long trail ahead as the $18 billion of issuance during the latest period compares with $22.1 billion of deal volume during the same period a year ago. So even though some 15 deals are in the forward pipeline, issuance for the full year will fall well below last year's $95.1 billion of volume. Issuance during the latest quarter perked up when spreads began a retreat that followed an extremely volatile first half. That period's volatility made...

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JRT is proud to announce that Kristen Morgan has just been named to Commerical Observer’s 30 Under 30 list of Top Leasing Brokers Kristen Morgan, 25 Director at JRT Realty Group Kristen Morgan is a director at JRT Realty Group only three years into her time in the industry. She spent most of her college years cold calling alumni, seeking donations for the Rutgers Foundation, and met JRT’s owner, Jodi Pulice, through Pulice’s son, a college friend. “I told her a little bit...

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New entrant The Breakfast Club poaches top spot in the Growth Company Index 2016 AlixPartners is pleased to release the fifth edition of the Growth Company Index – our annual study which celebrates the fastest growing companies in the UK eating and drinking-out sector. The Breakfast Club - the all-day dining chain – is this year’s winner after achieving compound Profit growth of 147% over its last three sets of annual accounts. This year’s Index shows that trends such as all-day...

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At a time when European solidarity is facing challenges both internal (e.g., Brexit) and external (e.g. the refugee crisis), the future of the European Union has never appeared so uncertain. While there is no shortage of European leaders who are committed to a strong EU and want to see it succeed, too often this message has failed to connect with Euroskeptic citizens. This October marks the 80th anniversary of the birth of former Czech president Vaclav Havel, a visionary European...

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William Rhodes, a former senior vice chairman of Citigroup, is president and chief executive officer of William R. Rhodes Global Advisors and author of “Banker to the World: Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Global Finance”. He is a guest columnist for Reuters Breakingviews. The opinions expressed are his own.  A new installment of the seemingly endless Greek tragedy in the European Union may erupt soon. Greece’s government was due to be far advanced on a package of 15 distinct...

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Each year, I see October as a month of change – fall foliage appears, and families settle into school year routines. October also brings World Sight Day, a day of awareness which serves as a continual reminder to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. But this year, October also signals a change for the Vision Impact Institute (VII) as we recently launched a new U.S. initiative, Kids See: Success. Studies repeatedly emphasize the importance of diagnosing refractive errors...

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INSIGHT: Automotive In the next 15 years, electric and hybrid cars will capture more than half of the market. Connected and autonomous driving will open up new earnings potential. Digitization will enable double-digit cost reductions. Is the automotive industry facing its biggest challenge of the past hundred years? The global car market continues to grow, with new sales expected to rise at an annual average of 2.8% from 2015 to 2023. Taking advantage of...

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