Subject: Potential Paid Communications Internship – National Music Org

Hi Scott,

Hope your day is off to a great start!

Wanted to let you know I met with a VERY reputable and nationally recognized company today based in South Jersey, that is looking for an intern who can commute to their location right outside of Philly, about 3 days a week, for 3 hours each of the days.  This will be a paid position with a stipend of $500 per month.  I don’t believe there is academic credit for this, just great experience, new business connections and pay.

- Responsibilities will include assisting their Communications Department Head with various office and phone tasks.

-  Working knowledge of Photoshop and Excel is required

-  Understanding of WordPress functionality is preferred, but not required

-  Internship will officially start March 01, 2010 and go thru May 2010.

-  There is a potential the intern may be needed at the group’s annual gala event in Chicago (May 14-17), but that’s TBD given company budget and needs.  (Note – Event draws some interesting celebrities!)

Since this internship is coming down the pipe fast, I just wanted to give you a heads up.  If you know of anyone who may be interested in learning more about the opportunity as details are confirmed, they can email me directly at sperilli@foliofly.com.

If you have any questions of things I may have overlooked, please just LMK.

Consumer credit contracts at slower pace

December’s consumer credit figure, released by the Federal Reserve Board Friday, declined by $1.8 billion to $2.46 trillion from about $2.47 trillion in November, a drop of 0.07 percent. This follows a 0.5 percent drop of $13.8 billion in October. The drop in December was well under the $10 billion contraction estimated by economists in a survey by Bloomberg LP.

“I think things are starting to loosen,” said business professor Scott Testa about the nation’s overall credit market. But Testa, of Pennsylvania’s Cabrini College, cautioned that an improvement of credit would be slow.

“It’s not stuff that happens overnight,” he said.

Revolving credit, which includes credit card financing, continued to slide, falling another $8.5 billion to $866 billion from $875 billion in November, a drop of almost 1 percent. This follows a 1.6 percent drop of $13.8 billion from October.

“It’s all about the jobs,” Testa said of the drop, emphasizing that the figure reflects the weak job market, consumer spending and the remaining but decreased fear banks have about lending.

“It’s an indication that banks are nervous about extending credit,” he said.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=155826

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In Lodi, the community has virtually rolled out the red carpet in anticipation of the Costco that could soon be built in the Reynolds Ranch center.

Meanwhile, attempts to construct a Super Walmart on Lower Sacramento Road and Kettleman Lane have been met with bitter resistance for the better part of a decade.

What is the difference?

However, one professor understands that this is a situation where perception and reality are the same thing.

Scott Testa, a marketing professor at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, said the public’s beliefs about the two companies are shaped by how they treat both employees and customers.

“Costco has an image portrayed as not anti-union because it pays its workers better and their health benefits are better,” he said.

He said he isn’t attacking Walmart or hyping Costco, but merely stating the public perception.

“It is what it is,” he said.

http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2010/01/30/news/2_costco-walmart_100130.txt

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AOL Back in Black

AOL posted a slim profit during its first quarter on its own again, even though its revenue was down from a year ago, and subscriptions continued their sharp decline. Cost-cutting — particularly by reducing its workforce — is credited for the improvement.

AOL’s profit could also be attributed to some savvy financial management — at least from the perspective of shareholders.

It significantly reduced its headcount as it launched.

“Employees are usually the biggest expense for these companies, so that was a smart move,” noted Scott Testa, a business professor at Cabrini College.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/AOL-Back-in-Black-69263.html

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When A Homeowner’s Best Move Is Turning Over The Keys

http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/01/homeowner-foreclosure-keys-personal-finance-real-estate-advisor.html?boxes=Homepagelighttop

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Quoted – Valentine’s Day War of the Roses – How to buy flowers for Valentine’s Day  - SmartMoney

Getting a good deal on flowers this Valentine’s Day requires that you not linger too long when you stop to smell the roses.

In times of high demand, not all flower sellers are created equal, says Scott Testa, an assistant professor of business administration at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa. Before you order, read both recent consumer reviews and ones from Valentine’s Day last year. If you’re buying online, be sure to check the fine print to see if the bouquet will come pre-arranged by a local florist or shipped in a box from the grower, he says. The latter can be cheaper, but it usually entails do-it-yourself arranging and may not include a vase.

Read more: Valentine’s Day War of the Roses (Page 2 of 2) at SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/Spending/Deals/Valentines-Day-War-of-the-Roses/?page=2#ixzz0eHuMMy1F

Can Apple’s tablet spark a textbook revolution?

Can the release of Apple’s eReader tablet do for textbooks what the iPod did for music: combine an online store for purchasing books with sleek hardware that holds every text a student needs?

That’s the question many educators are asking as anticipation of Apple’s new tablet mounts.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is widely expected to unveil his company’s eReader Jan. 27 in San Francisco, and industry insiders expect the product to have a large touch screen that is smaller than a laptop screen but larger than an iPhone.

Education technology advocates say students’ allegiance to Apple and the familiarity of buying music or applications from the company’s online store and downloading those purchases on an iPod or an iPhone could make the new Apple tablet an instant hit on campus.

“This is huge for electronic print,” said Scott Testa, a business professor at Cabrini College near Philadelphia who tracks campus technology trends. “Ten years from now, the idea of having a physical textbook is going to be very limited. … I really think just having the ecosystem in place for content delivery will be a very appealing aspect for consumers.”

In what technology analysts say is a response to the buzz about Apple’s tablet, Amazon recently announced that developers outside the company could begin making programs for the Kindle—the same way Apple officials encourage outside development of iPhone apps.

Testa said even if the Apple tablet is similar to the Kindle DX, college students could flock to the product simply because it sports the largely beloved Apple logo.

“I think from a marketing perspective, Apple is a spiritual brand,” he said. “Students will buy it based upon their prior experience with Apple. … That can’t be overstated.”

If Apple’s tablet propels the popularity of eBooks the way iPod did for online music, Testa expects illegal web sites for downloading textbooks to proliferate.

This would follow a pattern established with the rise of illegal music downloading sites on campuses to avoid the costs of the iTunes store, and it could create more headaches for university IT officials who have struggled to stop illegal downloading on campus.

“The Limewire of books is coming,” Testa said, referring to the popular illegal music site. “You can count on that.”

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/01/26/can-apples-tablet-spark-a-textbook-revolution/

Wal-Mart’s Event Planner

The company that Wal-Mart chose to take over promotions at its Sam’s Club stores, at a cost of about 10,000 jobs, is already almost exclusively devoted to serving the Bentonville, Arkansas retail giant.

Shopper Events LLC already manages events like product demonstrations and tastings at Wal-Mart’s flagship retail stores. According to its website and Linked-In profile, its mission is: “to apply a standard of excellence to the in-store event in order to increase customer demand, align with key branding initiatives and enhance the shopping experience at Wal-Mart.”

Wal-Mart has been looking to cut costs at Sam’s Club, which is the second-largest warehouse club store chain in the nation, to Costco.Scott Testa, a retail expert with Cabrini University, pointed out that Costco already outsources its event planning as well.

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2010/01/26/wal-mart-event-planner/

UAW officials believe a third shift — and about 750 new jobs — are coming to General Motors‘ Flint Truck Assembly Plant by the close of this year, a potentially huge shot in the arm for Genesee County’s economy.

http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2010/01/general_motors_is_mum_but_uaw.html

Motorola breakup expected, but when?

Analysts agree Motorola Inc. still needs to shed its iconic but unprofitable handset phone division, but whether the company will become leaner this year is uncertain.

“When you have such a small market share you need to have something unbelievably hot,” said Scott Testa, a professor at Cabrini College in Philadelphia and an expert on the wireless industry. “A lot of other manufacturers are coming out with Android phones. That’s not going to take them to the Promised Land.”

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=154119

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