Dr. Scott Testa – Television  interview on Fox Business about Retailers going Green.

(Yes. . . I know there is a lag. . the feed was slightly delayed)

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo caused quite a stir this week with his antitrust suit against Intel, accusing the chip giant of conducting “an illegal campaign to deprive AMD of distribution channels.”

More than a few writers and bloggers chalked it up to politics. Cuomo’s ambitions are no secret: he wishes to be governor of the state just like his father Mario once was. With current governor David Patterson performing abysmally in opinion polls and up for reelection next year, this could be the time for the son of one of New York’s most famous governors to strike.

Scott Testa, professor of Business Administration at Cabrini College in Philadelphia, adds “My gut is Intel is a very aggressive company and [Cuomo] felt there was an opportunity there, and felt that New York consumers were being wronged, and thought he’d make his move. Intel is very dominant in their market.”

Right now, the testimony is from executives and e-mails dating back as far as 2002. A trial could mean a parade of past and present PC OEM CEOs like Michael Dell, Mark Hurd, Carly Fiorina and Sam Palmisano testifying under oath, which could be either devastating or exculpatory to Intel.

Testa doesn’t believe it was on that level. “I truly believe that this was a mid-level, low-level management issue where you had an aggressive sales person or sales managers. That’s my gut. These rebates are public knowledge. This is between two public companies,” he said.

The latter part of Cuomo’s claim that “Intel launched an illegal campaign to deprive AMD of distribution channels and consumers of product choice and lower prices” could be a tough sell, since no one would argue that CPU prices haven’t come down over the course of the decade even as they advanced and became more powerful.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3847451/Digging+Into+NYs+Antitrust+Suit+Against+Intel.htm

Facebook and Twitter quickly became a way to communicate during and after the attack

The Army’s public affairs staff at Fort Hood used Facebook today to publish a note saying the media relations office is inundated with requests and is answering queries as quickly as possible.

The post, which appeared on the Army’s official Facebook page, is just one way social media is being used in the wake of the mass shooting that left 13 people dead and at least 30 others wounded, according to the Army.

It is not surprising that so many people turned to social media first to communicate about the shootings, said Scott Testa, a Cabrini College business professor with expertise in social media.

“You have a lot of people in the military that were raised on texting and now social media,” Testa said. “They’re not watching the network news; they’re getting all their news electronically.”

Testa said he saw social media help clarify conflicting reports in the hours after the shootings. Individuals on the base were able to confirm or deny reports of lockdowns and other incidents via Twitter, he said.

While social media can help clear up conflicting reports, it also has the power to perpetuate false information, he said.

“That’s why the government has to put out info via these channels,” he said. “You can’t let it fester if the information is wrong; you have to respond to that.”

A review of the benefits and risks of using social media within the Defense

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/11/06/fort-hood-social-media.aspx

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In three weeks, a record number of runners are expected to take to Philadelphia’s streets and compete in the city’s 16th annual marathon.

With 10,000 entrants, the event with a budget of $1.7 million can count on a fourth consecutive year of growth while pumping $10 million into the regional economy and aiding seven local charities.

Those seem impressive numbers, until one looks elsewhere.

Take Chicago, for instance, where the marathon has 45,000 entrants and contributes $140 million to the economy, according to a University of Illinois study. The similarly sized New York marathon, being run today, means $220 million to that city. Both races generate tens of millions of dollars for scores of charities.

Overall last year, Philadelphia’s marathon ranked 12th in size in the United States, trailing the monsters like New York, Chicago, and Boston, but also races in Orlando and Portland, Ore.

“No other running race, in general, gets more people from out-of-town than a marathon,” said Dr. Scott Testa, a runner and a Cabrini College business professor who has studied the economic impact of sporting events. “Marathon runners are more willing to travel from out of state. Hotels and restaurants love them.”

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/68146787.html

http://www.smartmoney.com/Spending/Deals/Cheap-Reads-Six-Tips-to-Save-on-Books/

Microsoft has jumped into the retail arena and opened its first store in Scottsdale, Ariz., featuring interactive technology and a sleek modern design. This is the first of several planned stores for the software giant, the next opening on Oct. 29 in Mission Viejo, Calif., and is being celebrated by the company as an opportunity to connect with customers and elevate the Microsoft brand. But some analysts see this move into retail, and even the design of the stores, as derivative of archrival Apple.

Microsoft is emphasizing the personalization that the new stores will offer, with consumers able to customize their hardware with external “skins” and create an original ring tone for their Windows mobile phone. When a customer purchases a computer, they will have a 15-minute session with one of the employees to get set up their applications, passwords and personal preferences. The store includes a Microsoft Answers Suite, where technical advisors offer assistance to patrons with tech issues.

“The idea of customizing a product on a mass scale, there’s a branding experience about that and there’s a connection with the customer—all that stuff is usually good,” said Scott Testa, professor of business at Cabrini College. But Testa supports Frankel’s outlook on Microsoft’s originality as a brand: “Microsoft copies everything from Apple, so why wouldn’t they copy their stores?”

Testa believes that in opening stores when it has, Microsoft followed the company pattern of waiting until something was “tried and true” before jumping in. Nonetheless, he believes that entering the retail arena will be a good thing for Microsoft, and that it is better late than never.

“I don’t think they see it as a big profit driver. I think they see it as a brand-building experience and marketing experience more than anything. This will be a grain of sand on the whole beach of Microsoft’s revenues and operations,” said Testa. “But from a branding perspective it makes a lot of sense. The timing’s good, they get some press for the stores, Windows 7 is coming out and the holiday season is coming up. It makes sense.”

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/shopper-marketing/e3i834106c352ea8687e4f54f2a9dc07fc1

Fresh & Easy presses on with plans for Valley

A British company that dreams of changing the way Americans shop for groceries says its plans for the Valley are back on track after a recession-driven delay.

Tesco, a giant grocery and retail chain often compared to Walmart, says it will open six of its small-scale Fresh & Easy grocery stores in the region by the end of February. They are among 12 stores the company expects to eventually open in Fresno, Reedley and Lemoore.

Some analysts have watched Fresh & Easy’s expansion plans with skepticism. The delayed openings and doubts over whether the stores are meeting their sales goals have left them waiting to see how the newcomer performs.

“That market is pretty finicky,” said Scott Testa, a professor who follows the retail business at Cabrini College in Philadelphia. “They have to bring their A game.”

Established U.S. competitors are not likely to sit still as Tesco expands, Testa said.

“You’re going to have companies like [Vons owner] Safeway that really know the market come out with a similar format,” he said.

Safeway is testing a small-scale store in Long Beach and San Jose called The Market, and Walmart is testing its small “community grocery” Marketside stores in Arizona.

Selling its Fresh & Easy brand and other products created specifically for the chain helps to keep costs down, Wonnacott said. The company also designed its stores and supply system from scratch, allowing it to build in efficiencies that other chains don’t have.

The emphasis on prepared foods also will help the company’s bottom line, Testa said.

“The profit margins are … really good compared to traditional foods,” he said.

Fresh & Easy’s everyday prices aren’t as low as other supermarkets or Walmart Supercenter food prices, said Prevor, who is based in Boca Raton, Fla., but has visited and studied Fresh & Easy stores.

But the chain has made up for that by offering steep discounts on sale items that often beat other retailers, he said.

How the stores perform in California will be a test for the future of the company, Testa said. Many retailers like to see how they do in the state before expanding east, he said.

“I think they have dreams of bigger and better things,” he said.

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1684477.html

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Retailers Paying Customers to Bring Their Own Bags

Retailers are finding that the best way to get consumers to ditch plastic bags and go green is to give them money back.

Although smaller retailers have offered incentives in the past, CVS/pharmacy (with about 7,000 stores) and Target (about 1,700 stores) are the largest to do so.

“The general public wouldn’t think of them as green companies,” said Dr. Scott Testa, a business professor at Cabrini College in Philadelphia. “If CVS can differentiate itself and be looked at as the ‘green’ drug store then conceivably they’ll gain more customers.”

http://www.cnbc.com/id/33430303

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Grudgingly, young people finally flock to Twitter – Associated Press

They think it’s pointless, narcissistic. Some don’t even know what it is.

Even so, more young adults and teens — normally at the cutting edge of technology — are finally coming around to Twitter, using it for class or work, monitoring the minutiae of celebrities’ lives.

Scott Testa, a business administration professor who teaches marketing at Cabrini College in suburban Philadelphia, encourages his students to use Twitter to follow companies they would like to work for.

He also uses it to extend a conversation outside the classroom, in part because tweeting often draws comments “from those who might be a little more shy.”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jN8nohwnjEFrJLJhKB1JT09cNB9gD9BFN9FG6

http://www.pottstownmercury.com/articles/2009/10/26/life/srv0000006669106.txt

http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/65929447.html

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The power tweens

These savvy 8-to-12-year-old girls are such a mighty market force they merit their own D.C. convention.

The grand ballroom at the Capital Hilton glowed neon purple, and Idol-er David Archuleta’s “Crush” pulsed from giant speakers.

Less than a mile from the White House, the First National Tween Girl Summit – yes, summit – was under way. The event was part serious confab, part sparkly hearts and butterflies – just like its audience.

That would be those conflicted wannabe teens (but not quite there yet) – the 8- to 12-year-olds known as tweens.

Companies are cashing in on this tween influence, eager to seal brand loyalty at ever younger ages, said Scott Testa, a professor of business at Cabrini College who specializes in the demographic. More than ever, the marketplace is pushing a tween lifestyle heavy on teen aspiration, despite concerns from developmental experts – and even marketers themselves – over the loss of childhood.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20091021_The_power_tweens.html

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