Big winners
Nine Baldwin-Wallace College students topped their league in the regional Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) competition held in April. The competition included 32 schools. The B-W team is coached by Sandy Maltby, former vice chairman of Small Business Services at Key Bank.
The theme was “Building Big Ideas, One Individual at a Time” and the students’ winning paper was titled “Opening the Gates to China,” focusing on the meaning of free enterprise in the United States. Students from Jiangxi University in China responded with a paper focusing on the same topic as it relates to China. Maltby says despite the recent tension, “education and students can bridge the cultural gap that exists between two countries.”
What women want online
The key issues of shipping, delivery and price are what really motivate online women shoppers to spend more. That according to a study by Columbus-based BIGresearch, which asked more than 11,000 active Internet users what would motivate them to spend more money shopping on the Internet. The study asked online shoppers what, where and why they bought online during the recent holiday shopping season. The top four issues which consumers said would motivate them to buy more online were shipping and delivery; pricing and promotions; payment options; and privacy.
When asked why they shop online, convenience, pricing and product selection are reasons usually cited. “What the non-online shoppers are saying is that pricing is certainly a factor but if you want me to shop online you need to address the shipping costs which are not a part of the normal retail shopping experience,” says Joe Pilotta, vice president of BIGresearch.
Unfortunately for e-tailers, shipping costs are an inherent cost of doing business for direct merchants.
Check ’em out
Cleveland’s Corporate Screening updated its Electronic Applicant Search Engine (CSS EASE) in March so clients can now order and review complete background investigations online. Companies in need of background investigation services have traditionally had two options — raw information brokers and private investigators.
Raw information brokers provide quick access to a large amount of data, but that data may or may not apply to a specific person. Private investigators typically provide detailed, specific reports, but they may return information that cannot legally be used in the hiring process, and their fees are usually too steep for companies in need of a large number of background checks.
“CSS EASE gives clients the ability to experience the power and speed of the Internet with the thoroughness and quality of a professional investigator at a fraction of the cost,” said Dennis Drellishak, president of Corporate Screening. “And our reports are in compliance with all legal aspects of the pre-employment screening industry.”
Check out Corporate Screening at www.corporatescreening.com.
New e-courses
The American Management Association (AMA) announced its first three online self-study courses in its performance support library. Based on the most popular and basic AMA programs, the new e-learning courses provide the essential information for first level supervisory skills, the fundamentals of leadership and safe hiring, managing and firing practices. The self-study courses allow users to set their own pace. Find out more at www.amanet.org.
Tools for success
The Entreprenuer Institute will hold its fourth annual President’s Forum of Cleveland June 5, 2001, at Executive Caterers of Landerhaven. The forum is designed to provide the presidents and owners of business with the tools they need to compete in the new economy. Among the featured speakers are Jack Kahl, former CEO of Manco Inc., Ed Crawford, CEO of Park-Ohio, and Richard Pogue, senior advisor, Dix & Eaton.
The President’s Forum is an invitation-only event. Those interested should contact the Entrepreneur Institute at (614) 895-1153 to see if they qualify for attendance.
EOY judges named
Six local business leaders have been tapped as judges for the 2001 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards to help pore over nearly 100 nominations and pick a handful of elite entrepreneurs for recognition. The judges are Art Holmes, CEO of Chart Industries and a former EOY honoree; Loyal Wilson, managing director of Primus Venture Partners; Gil Van Bokkelen, president and CEO of Athersys Inc. and a former winner; Sandy Maltby, associate professor of business administration at Baldwin-Wallace College; Kevin Mcmullen, president of Omnova Solutions; and Sandra Pianalto, first vice president and COO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Judges will begin interviewing EOY candidates in late May. Winners will be announced at a special banquet on June 14, 2001. For more information, contact EOY at (216) 583-8301.
