• Planet Earth's annual report is 'not good,' according to Robert Costanza (p. 48). Get your group to do what they can to help the cause by organizing a beach or park clean-up on the weekend. While out there cleaning up the environment, see if you can extend the metaphor of Earth as a corporation. What parts of it would you choose to market and advertise; what 'departments' need the most help?
• Mike Prince of Burlington Coat Factory mentions that cost structure is key to offering deep discounts (p. 55). How exactly does an outlet retailer manage to keep prices so low? Take a group field trip for a shopping spree at a local outlet mall. Have people record how prices compare at their favorite stores. Invite a member of the outlet mall management team to come along on your spree and ask him or her about business strategy in outlet malls -- ie how can stores keep prices so low and still remain profitable, or are outlets focused on something besides profit? See if the outlet mall manager offers any tactics to decrease prices in your industry
• For specially-trained military personnel, the fight to survive can be more challenging than most of us can imagine (p. 92). While your group may not be up for a bare bones retreat, see if there's any interest in a group camping trip. Read through the article and contact local camping stores to see what supplies serious campers or even military troops take with them on weekend retreat, and try and take the same gear. Compare life-survival tactics to business-survival tactics -- what are the compass, sleeping bag and canteen equivalents (ie the most basic goods) of keeping your business afloat?
• If combat has parallels to business, discuss what your company does during crisis times and how it may be able to pitch in during the current military conflict. Call the nearest army base and see if your group is able to offer any support or expertise to help the military during its current armed conflict.

Daniel Richards contributed this month's Next Steps.

April 2003 Connexus | Flash Points | Next Steps

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