Content about Information

April 4, 2012
Communication skills are key for young workers

To be successful, young workers need to develop a lot more than job-specific knowledge, experts say. Of the so-called soft skills needed for success in the workplace, communication skills are particularly critical.

Communication skills are the most important and the hardest to find, according to China Gorman, CEO of CMG Group, a talent management consultancy. “Being comfortable one on one with customers, colleagues and bosses means being comfortable with yourself and confident in your abilities,” she said.

January 23, 2012
Industry Dashboard for Jan. 23, 2012

The housing starts dials show mixed results as total starts for December slipped backward while single-family starts surged ahead.

 

October 26, 2011
NRF concerned over plans to expand Internet domain names

The National Retail Federation announced that it has asked the Commerce Department to delay implementation of a controversial plan to vastly expand Internet domain names, saying retailers and other businesses need more information before moving forward.

October 17, 2011
Readers Respond: Tempest in a two-by-four

A story on homechannelnews.com about potential design value changes for Southern Pine lumber products generated comments, including one from the Southern Forest Products Association, explaining its role. 

August 31, 2011
Closet and laundry storage

Channel analysis Sales of closet storage and laundry storage declined 1.3% and 1.5%, respectively, in the 12 months ended July 31, according to consumer research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group. Dollar volume, according to NPD, was about $2.94 billion for storage in the closet, and about $180 million in the laundry room. Unit volume declined more than dollar volume, indicating an increase in average ticket.

August 8, 2011
Westlake Ace Hardware signs deal with Ink-O-Dem

With a nod toward sustainability, Lenexa, Kan.-based Westlake Ace Hardware will offer an inkjet cartridge refilling service at six stores.

August 3, 2011
Quikrete reaches out to smartphone users

Quikrete has announced the launch of new smartphone-friendly features, including a mobile website and Quick Response codes, which will be printed on advertisements and retailer bin tags wherever Quikrete products are sold. 

The QR codes are paper-based bar codes, and may be scanned with smartphone cameras, using a previously downloaded application that's increasingly common.

July 19, 2011
Readers Respond: Online taxation and a level playing field

Brick-and-mortar retailers pay taxes. Online retailers often don't. That scenario along with a recent story about the online taxation debate raging in California led to the following reader comments about the relative fairness of sales tax rules in our increasingly digital world. 

June 30, 2011
“Can you repeat the questions?”

The question-and-answer session is often the most entertaining segment of a shareholders meeting. Case in point, Home Depot’s June 2 meeting brought a half hour of free-wheeling comments from the floor. Below are just some of the questions (abbreviated and paraphrased) and actual excerpts from chairman and CEO Frank Blake’s always-polite responses. 


Question: Why do you continue to sell glue traps?


Frank Blake: “One of the things we try to do is provide our customers with a number of different alternatives.” 


May 17, 2011
True Value hires former Timberland CIO

Chicago-based True Value Co. hired a new chief information officer responsible for leading the co-op's information technology team and managing the co-op's retail and enterprise systems.

Prior to joining True Value, Rosalee Hermens was CIO for The Timberland Co.

April 25, 2011
Readers Respond: To FSC, or not to FSC?

After ProBuild advanced its FSC-certified lumberyard count to 59, HCN solicited comments on the FSC certification in general. Here's what we heard.

March 31, 2011
“Green” claims confuse consumers

A survey conducted by Cone, a brand strategy and marketing firm, indicates that most consumers continue to misunderstand phrases commonly used in environmental marketing and advertising, giving products more credit than they deserve. At the same time, most Americans are willing to punish a company if they think they were deliberately misled by “greenwashing” claims.

March 4, 2011
Survey points to surprises among home buyers

Consumers still want bigger houses. Plus, design is more important than price.

Those were two of the somewhat surprising results of a consumer survey shared by the keynote speaker during the 2011 Building and Infrastructure Conference last week.

John Burns, the keynote speaker and president and CEO of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, said 44% of consumers said they would want to buy a bigger house in the future, compared with only 22% who said they want a smaller house.

January 12, 2011
Johnson Level adds mobile codes to packaging

Mequon, Wis.-based Johnson Level & Tool announced the addition of QR or quick response codes to its packaging and marketing materials.

According to the company, the codes can be found on Johnson Level’s packaging, advertising, promotions and even corporate business cards.

July 10, 2007
Industry honored with data synch awards

Lowe’s, Georgia-Pacific and other home-channel companies have received awards for their data synchronization initiatives....

© 2013 Home Channel News. All Rights Reserved.