Blogs
Advice MattersMonday, February 8th, 2010
Darrell Parker – None of the management cycles is more consistent than the swing into favor and out on the use of consultants. On the positive side third party experts often have track records of operations improvement, effective cost cutting, and a clear ability to focus strategic thinking. On the negative, most information is gleaned from your own [...]
How to Increase EfficiencyMonday, February 1st, 2010
Darrell Parker – How easily can your customers find what they need from your business? One of the most basic operational mistakes that businesses, regulators, and bureaucracies make is to ignore transactions costs. Transactions costs are the way economists describe the costs associated with either monetary or nonmonetary barriers to getting things done. A customer service focus toward [...]
Defensive ManagementWednesday, January 27th, 2010
Darrell Parker – Unfortunately, one of the significant cost pressures in modern business is the importance of reducing exposure to lawsuits or litigation. The actions that companies take to minimize this exposure is defensive management and it is becoming a major cost we all share.
Let’s make it clear that I am not talking about basic consumer protection, but [...]
What Inflation Means to UsTuesday, January 19th, 2010
Darrell Parker – One of the emerging concerns associated with our economic recovery is the threat of inflation building within the economy. Inflation is always a consequence of the management of monetary policy. As the Federal Reserve has expanded their balance sheet to absorb toxic assets they have succeeded in injecting liquidity into the economy, but with an [...]
For Optimism – Focus on ControlMonday, January 11th, 2010
Darrell Parker – The recent economic environment has been challenging with negative news prevalent. I have received several observations and comments recently pointing out that my commentary and most of my outlook talks still come across as optimistic. This is a little surprising given that pessimism would seem to be called for in these times. That raises some [...]
A Look Back on ‘09Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Darrell Parker – One of my traditions is to take the last week of the ear and look back What were some of the significant changes during the year. Some parts of 2009 will be memorable, others deserve some reflection because they are easier to forget.
For most 2009 will be celebrated for finally coming to a close. It [...]