Business Solutions Magazine
July 2008

  Maximize DSD Sales Revenue
  By Mike Monocello

  This integrator's marketing and sales strategy is expected to lead to   a 60% increase in DSD (direct store delivery) sales revenue.(more)

Tackling the Energy Monster
By RAYMUND FLANDEZ and KELLY K. SPORS
As energy costs soar, small businesses are heading back to the drawing board.
With oil well over $100 a barrel and gas hurtling past $4 a gallon, small-business owners are firing up their entrepreneurial spirit and finding low-cost, creative solutions to save energy. Some are using software that maps out shorter delivery routes to save on gas. (more)

Wireless Technology Enables a New Kind of Road Warrior
Jim Hilton, Route Accounting Solutions Executive for Symbol Technologies
The key to route accounting system ROI is speed and effectiveness, without increasing costs. It is about how fast a driver can complete tye basics of their delivery process so that they can either make an extra stop or two each day, or take more time expanding the line of merchandise carried by their existing accounts. The newest breed of wireless technologies, handheld devices and application software makes it all possible. (more)

The Tao of ROI
It's definitely a journey. Not an end in itself.
ROI ANALYSIS IS AN important part of your due diligence for new IT investment. How could you even think of participating in a new business venture or investing in another company without it? While ROI analysis is a must-do for any self-respecting management team, ROI is often misused and little understood. (more)

By Sandra Winters
Sandra Winters is founding partner of The International Business Strategy Group, a research and consulting firm dedicated to the betterment of people's lives through the use of technology. Specializing in market opportunity and business analysis, her work spans technology, telecommunications and economic development. Contact her at sandra@ibstrategygroup.com

Bar Codes: Alive And Well
Despite the RFID hype, bar codes still are widely used in manufacturing operations.
Yes, bar codes still exist.
With all the hype surrounding RFID these days, few people are talking about advancements in bar code technology. But uses for bar codes and their capabilities are increasing, and most manufacturers prefer them over RFID because of their lower cost. (more)

By Jonathan Katz
Jonathan Katz returned to Penton Media in 2005 as an associate editor with IndustryWeek. Katz worked as an intern for IW in 2000 and then served as a reporter for The Morning Journal in Lorain, Ohio, where he covered education, public affairs and general assignment topics for nearly two years. He then worked as associate editor for Penton publication Supply Chain Technology News and contributed to Transportation & Distribution magazine before joining Lawn & Landscape magazine as its associate editor in 2004. Katz graduated from Kent State University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.