News Analysis: It's the Culture (p. 34)
FC Article

• Warren Bennis writes that Howell Raines fostered a poor culture at the New York Times, thus contributing to the Jayson Blair crisis. Once the Blair scandal broke, journalists and media critics were saying the goof showed the NYT lacked credibility. How would you evaluate the credibility of your business right now? Does it have its employees' trust, the public's? Discuss examples when business credibility was low and how you managed to rebound. Do you have any failsafes in place to prevent a credibility of Blair-esque proportions?
• Compare company cultures to the values of family. Does a 'family-last' policy have a noticable effect on worker morale?

FastTalk (p. 51)
FC Article

Discuss books that have impacted your group's philosophy on business, life, and family. Select one of the titles from the 'Fast Talk' forum and have your group read it in preparation for your next meeting. Compare what your group members found were the benefits of the book versus what the Fast Talk participant said. Did it inspire any members or change their outlooks?

The Dirty Little Secret About Spam (p. 84)
FC Article

Invite a direct marketing executive to your meeting to address the impact spam has had on legitimate marketers. Does he or she sympathize with spammers or think they are 'cheats?' Has excessive junk mail turned your group against any form of marketing? Is the anti-spam crusade, along with the new 'do-not-call' lists, a sign that the days of direct marketing are over? What, if any, concerns does your group have about the anti-spam's movement effect on First Amendment rights?

Daniel Richards contributed this month's Flash Points.

August 2003 Connexus | Flash Points | Next Steps

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