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Ethonomics

4 Reasons Not To Rely On Market Research Alone

I was freezing my tush off a couple of weeks ago at Wrigley Field and inquired to my good friend why he had made the unlikely (in my mind, at least) switch from marketing to insurance. It seemed to me that he was turned off by the manipulative and predictive nature of old-school marketing - as though statistics and market research would tell exactly how someone would behave.

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A Level Playing Field

Everyone hates their taxes being spent on subsidies - - unless it’s to subsidize their own industry. It’s time for an honest debate about the role of subsidies in a 21st Century economy and, at least, a restructuring to a more level playing field.

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Arizona Real Estate Entrepreneur Talks History

t's lunch in a Scottsdale restaurant. The attendees are mainly retired scions of industry, professionals, and business. I came because the group is having a presentation by one of the largest real estate developers in Arizona, and I've come to hear the story of a "typical" Arizona entrepreneur.

Mark Sklar, one of the three original (and still intact) partners at DMB was originally from Wisconsin and studied history. He has the midwesterners' value system and sense of engagement.

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Group networking events?

Hello Everyone -

I just joined the Dallas - Company of Friends and was wondering if there were any networking events that we do as a group?  If not, let me propose the following:

What:  Dallas - Group of Friends Happy Hour When: Monthly Why: To make our city a little smaller by connecting with like-minded business folks from around the Dallas area to share business ideas and opportunities.

Let me know if this is of any interest to anyone that is a member of this group.

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Brand America: Europe Hearts Obama

A friend of mine who happens to be a political journalist just returned from a 10 day holiday jaunt through Europe last week. His most startling discovering, he told me: Europeans are gaga over Obama.

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Project Parse It Up: Bravo vs. Lifetime

Tim Gunn, our favorite sartorial critic, is in the eye of the storm--again. As I chronicled in Fast Company's April issue profile "Project Rehab," the former head of Parsons' Fashion program has had a dizzying career trajectory since turning 50 (take note AARP!): landing his own TV show on Bravo, recruited to rewire Liz Claiborne Inc's $5 billion design culture, and of course, breakout stardom on Bravo's Project Runway.

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Grand Theft Auto IV Rage

It's been a historic week for gamers: Marvel Comics' "Iron Man" had stellar box office performance, clocking in an estimated $100.8 million in tickets in North America, while Take-Two Interactive's Grand Theft Auto IV sold six million copies during its first week of sales, raking in an astounding $500 million.

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Customer Service Vigilantes

A swell of distrust toward corporate America, exacerbated by off-shoring of U.S. jobs - followed by lay-offs of thousands of employees, incredibly high executive salaries and higher than ever profits by certain industries. In the annals of customer service, we may be experiencing more consumer vigilantism than ever before. Frustrated by the usual Asian-accented call center customer service rep, customers are sending "email bombs" to corporate executives or going straight to the top after uncovering direct numbers to executive teams not easily found by mere mortals. Read more