RAN June 06 Newsletter.indd - Retail Association of Nevada

Transcription

JUNE 2006
RAN Opposes Culinary Initiative Petition
T
he Culinary Workers Union has filed a
go back to the public. If Reno goes down the
petition with the City of Reno proposing a
tubes and the sales tax revenues go down, the
tax initiative for casinos outside of specitaxpayers are not going to pick up the tab.” He
fied regional centers. The petition seeks
also noted, “Downtown redevelopment, the other
a ballot measure that, if it were to be adopted,
issue of the petition, is financed by property tax
would amend the City of Reno Master Plan to:
increments in the redevelopment area. There
Provide that “new nonrestricted gaming
is no general obligation pledge from the City
licenses may be issued only to casinos located
of Reno. There is nothing there that says if tax
within the following regional centers: Downtown
increment goes down, that the taxpayers of the
Regional Center, the Convention/Meadowood
City of Reno would foot that bill.”
Regional Center and the
The Retail Association of
Reno-Tahoe International
Nevada
opposes this initiative
“If Reno goes down the tubes
Airport Regional Center.”
petition
and we ask that our
and the sales tax revenues
Require casinos wanting to
Reno
members
refuse to sign
go down, the taxpayers are not
develop outside of a regional
it.
We
are
joined
in opposition
going to pick up the tab.”
center to pay an undeterwith numerous labor organiMIKE ALONSO
mined amount negotiated
zations and trade associations,
with the City of Reno in a
the local chamber of combound written contract, enforceable under state
merce, and several hotel/casinos. We believe
law, and approved by the voters.
that this petition would prevent well-respected
This newly negotiated tax would be
hotel/casinos from building in Reno. Halting
used to pay off the debt incurred from financing
the progress of future, tourism-related investthe Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor
ments would significantly reduce sales, property,
(ReTRAC) Project and the Downtown Redeand room taxes that would pay for public safety,
velopment Project. In addition to this tax, the
transportation, and education costs in Reno.
casino would be charged a fee to offset the costs
Errors in this ill-conceived proposal could even
associated with putting the question, explanacause unnecessary, taxpayer-funded litigation or
tion and arguments on the ballot with a map of
correction.
the site drawn to scale.
We recommend that you read the fine
The Culinary Workers Union, along
print and consider the consequences of this
with Progressive Leadership Alliance in Nevada
petition for the community. If you would like to
(PLAN), is currently circulating this petition
review this initiative in full, please contact RAN
in Reno in an attempt to gather the 11,661 sigand we will be happy to provide you with a copy. ■
natures needed to place their proposal on the
November ballot. They are marketing their
petition as the “Reno Taxpayer’s Revolt”. They
are claiming that taxpayers may have to fund the
Follow the Money........................................ 2
ReTRAC and Redevelopment projects because,
RAN Member Alert ..................................... 2
without this ordinance in place, the regional
Body Language .......................................... 3
centers will no longer be able to do so. HowMedicare Part D ......................................... 6
ever, this is not true. On the May 31 episode of
Candidate Filings ........................................ 8
Nevada Newsmakers, Mike Alonso, an attorney
After-Event Reviews by Jim Larsen ............ 9
with Jones-Vargas, responded to that allegation
Retail: Five Years From Now ..................... 11
by stating, “If you look at the ReTRAC financing,
they are revenue bonds. Revenue bonds do not
INSIDE
Page 2
Retail Association of Nevada
Follow The Money:
The Institute on Money
in State Politics
INDICTED LAW FIRM GIVES $35,000 TO
NEVADA DEMOCRATS. “FOLLOW THE
MONEY” UNCOVERS CONTRIBUTIONS
A
nonprofit, non-partisan
organization that tracks
campaign contributions
recently uncovered a
prominent class-action law firm’s
indictment for paying kickbacks to
plaintiffs in lawsuits in order to be
named the lead law firm in those
suits, thereby being paid a larger
sum of money.
Milberg Weiss Bershad &
Schulman is a 40 year-old New
York-based firm, and formerly had
another partner, William Lerach.
Lerach split from the firm in May
2004, and started another firm in
San Diego, California. Even after
the split, the firms continued a pattern of contributions especially to
Democrats. Over three election
cycles, Milberg Weiss and its partners gave more than $1.6 million
in 27 states. In 2004, the attorneys
contributed more than $212,000 to
candidates and party committees.
In Nevada, the State Democratic Party received $35,000 from
the indicted law firm and its attorneys in 2004. No contributions
to individual candidates appear to
have been made.
According to the Institute on
Money in State Politics, candidates
who received funds from the law
firm and its attorneys are trying
to distance themselves by either
returning the funds or saying there
was no influence exerted.
For more information visit
www.followthemoney.org ■
Safeway Keeps Focus on Shoppers
S
afeway stores are moving to
a new “look”. In the future,
stores will feature softer lighting, hardwood floors, coffee
kiosks and more organic foods.
According to an article in the
“Contra Costa Times” the stores
are transitioning to a “lifestyle”
theme featuring an “ingredients for
life” campaign.
Executive Vice President Brian
Cornell explained that the goal is
to fill the needs of the consumer.
“Consumers tell us the biggest
challenge they have in their lives
is time. We’re trying to meet that
need by offering a better quality in
our produce, the floral we sell in
the stores, a major focus on quality
meat, seafood and enhancing the
quality of the bakery items,” he
explained.
“Our goal is to provide more
completeness and really try to
make sure that in one location, we
can provide more of the elements
that consumers are looking for,”
Cornell concluded. “We’ve really
made a dedicated commitment to
becoming much more aware of
consumer trends and looking at
consumer research.” ■
June 2006
RAN
MEMBER
ALERT!
N
evada’s Labor
Commissioner and
the Department of
Taxation appear ready
to reactivate old statutes on the
books for decades, but rarely, if
ever, enforced.
According to a story in the
Las Vegas Sun, newly appointed
Tax Director Dino DiCianno is
considering whether to begin
enforcing a 1979 law which
allows fines up to $500 for those
refusing or failing to file sales
and use tax returns.
A new computer system in
the Department is allowing a
closer examination of filings.
However, DiCianno notes
that the filing performance of
retailers has been good.
Other laws on the books
which are enforced allow
greater penalties to be levied
including closing down the
business.
According to some
Nevada businesses, the Labor
Commissioner is getting ready
to enforce NRS 608.115.
Passed in 1975, the law
requires time records to be kept
for ALL employees, including
executives and “exempt”. It
has rarely been enforced, but
carries a fine of up to $5,000 for
failure to comply.
The RAN staff is quietly
looking into both issues and will
keep you informed. ■
www.RANNV.org
June 2006
Page 3
N
BODY LANGUAGE
Body Language: The “Underanalyzed”
Language in Business
ASHVILLE, Tenn. – Quick:
What percentage of communications, according to
research, is nonverbal: 55
percent, 38 percent or 7 percent?
Amazingly, only 7 percent of
communications is done through
actual words, according to body
language expert Jan Hargrove, who
spoke at the NACStech 2006 Early
Riser Session.
“Actions truly speak louder
than words,” said Hargrove, noting
that 38 percent of communications
remembered by listeners is a result
of voice inflection and that the
majority (55 percent) is nonverbal,
or body language.
So what does this mean
to attendees at a technology
conference? Hargrove explained
how understanding body language
is critical in any business setting,
whether gauging interest from
potential customers on the trade
show floor or hiring or interacting
with coworkers. But the big draw to
the session, Hargrove slyly noted,
was teaching attendees to not only
identify lies, but showing them how
to become better liars by avoiding
certain “traps” that are obvious
to those who understand body
language.
Hargrove makes a career out
of studying body language, and is
particularly keen at her job when
it comes to a critical environment
such as jury selection. From the
initial oath prospective jurors take,
conclusions can be drawn. She said
that holding one’s hand upright
when taking an oath, fingers apart,
indicate that the person is likely
to tell the truth. Fingers together
indicate that person may be more
challenging to pull the truth from.
But cupped hands indicate a
warning: This person is ready to lie.
Even more troubling is an oath taken
with fingers tilting backwards, which
means a person is ready to “bend
over backwards” to lie.
While most business settings
don’t require oath taking, the point
is that the “body doesn’t know how
to lie,” said Hargrove. And each side
of the body works differently. The
right hand works with the left side of
the brain, known as the analytical or
truth-telling side, while the left hand
works with the right brain, known
as the creative side and also where
lies originate. Therefore, she warned
attendees to beware of someone who
overuses the left hand when talking,
even if the person is a lefty. And
really watch out for those who use
their left hand and touch their faces.
Other key “lie” indicators are people
who swallow before answering a
question or cross body parts, such as
arms or legs, said Hargrove.
And then there is the matter
of handshakes, which Hargrove
said can help dictate the tone of a
meeting. When someone tries to
literally hold the upper hand when
shaking, beware: That person
intends to control the meeting.
Gently twist the handshake to one
that is level if you want to send a
message that you will not be cowed,
suggested Hargrove. Palms facing
up means acceptance, while those
facing down, whether in a handshake
or a person resting their hands on
a table while speaking, is an early
warning indicator that negotiations
could be challenging.
Of course, understanding
the underlying motivations and
messages is more complex than just
understanding a person’s current
body language. “Gestures come
in clusters,” said Hargrove, telling
attendees to examine the overall
pattern of body language to draw
conclusions.
While many businesses
emphasize the understanding of a
foreign language, Hargrove stressed
that understanding body language
should not be foreign in the business
world.
“You cannot negotiate without
knowing at least some body
language,” Hargrove stressed. ■
NACS, May 24, Daily News
www.RANNV.org
Wal-Mart Fills
Need in West
Las Vegas
S
ince 2004, Nevada’s
newspapers have
bemoaned the fact that
those living in the blighted
West Las Vegas area, had no
nearby supermarket. Now,
according to a story in the “Las
Vegas Review-Journal”, WalMart is building a supercenter
on Lake Mead Boulevard. Plans
call for a 204,000-square-foot
store that will open next spring.
In addition to food, clothing,
toys and electronics, the store
will offer a garden center and a
drive-through pharmacy. They
will be hiring 350 to 450 people
-- another plus for the area.
Wal-Mart has 36 stores
in Nevada, including 17
Supercenters.
At it’s annual meeting,
Wal-Mart Stores Inc announced
a 9.9% increase by it’s American
operations, versus a 24% surge
from its international operations.
Wal-Mart is Mexico’s #1 retailer
based on sales. It’s operation
is known as Wal-Mart de
Mexico SA. ■
Page 4
June 2006
Nevada News Briefs
RETAIL TRENDS:
THE INTERNET
Technology is driving change,
at least according to panelists at the
International Council of Shopping
Centers seminar meeting in Las
Vegas. Internet sales are a small part
of most retail sales (6% in 2005) but
those sales grew 27% from 2004 to
2005. And because of the Internet,
retailers are giving catalogues a new
place in their plans.
JC Penny Co. Inc. is reducing
catalogue distribution as more people buy online, and they are posting
fashion trends on their web site.
Some stores are using innovation. Best Buy enables customers to
use gift cards online.
Panelists said the winners are
those stores combining “clicks ‘n
bricks”.
E-PRESCRIBING COMING
Electronic prescribing, or
E-Prescribing, is a method used by
doctors to send prescriptions by
computer or handheld devices to
pharmacies.
Experts say it reduces the risk
of medical errors by eliminating the
physicians’ often hard to read handwriting, and by automatically searching for drug interactions, allergies
and duplications.
One big advantage in using the
system is the record-keeping.
Doctors can be in a patient’s room
and send the prescription.
One disadvantage is if the
computer goes down. But with
wireless connection becoming more
common and costs going down, the
E-Prescriptions could soon be at a
doctor’s office near you.
MILLENNIUM CUTS
APPLICANTS FOR OTHER
SCHOLARSHIPS
Between 1999 and 2004, annual
state financial aid to Nevada students
increased 150 percent to $60 million,
largely because of the Millennium
Scholarship. And, according to a
story in the Las Vegas ReviewJournal, private financial aid
increased by only 38 percent, to
$21 million during the same period.
Many private organizations are
having a hard time finding applicants
for their scholarship programs which
can range from $500 to $2,000.
Because the requirements are
different, some young people who
didn’t qualify for the Millennium
Scholarship, won private-sector
scholarships.
Higher ed officials said the
private scholarships are not wellknown and the groups should work
with the college or university’s
financial aid offices.
IF THERE’S A SURPLUS, DO
YOU WANT IT BACK?
According to a poll sponsored
by the Reno Gazette-Journal and
KRNV-TV, over half of the 600 respondents want a refund or tax cut
if the state ends up with a projected
$521 million budget surplus.
36% - Want a refund
15% - Want a tax cut
21% - Want to invest it in education
14% - Want it to go to transportation needs
14% - Were unsure
The poll was conducted May
12-15 by Maryland-based Research
2000.
COPAC RELEASES 2005
“RATING OF THE NEVADA
LEGISLATURE”
The Citizen Outreach Political
Action Committee (COPAC) today
released its 2005 ‘Rating of the
Nevada Legislature.’ This is the first
definitive conservative/libertarian
assessment of the voting records
of state legislators. While only the
Assembly was rated for this initial
effort, COPAC intends to rate the
state Senate in the 2007 session. The
full 2005 ratings can be found on
COPAC’s web site at:
www.copacnevada.com
INTERIM COMMITTEES
Although the Legislature is not
in “official” session, there are a
number of committees meeting and
taking action during this interim
period. RAN staff has been
monitoring the committee hearings
and providing testimony when
necessary. Following is some
information on two of them:
Committee on Public
Employee Benefits:
During the last session, Governor
Guinn warned of a future $4.5 billion
shortfall for public employee benefits over the next 30 years. A bill to
correct the problem passed the Senate but failed in the Assembly.
This Committee studied the
problem over the interim but decided not to recommend a “fix” but
instead to present all the options
to the full Legislature when it goes
back into session next Feb. 7.
Committee to Study School
Financing Adequacy
This Committee’s study has been
fraught with controversy. First they
chose a consultant who’s reputation is to produce very high figures
Continued on page 7
www.RANNV.org
June 2006
Page 5
National News Briefs
U.S. KIDS’ BUYING POWER
TOPS $18 BILLION
According to a new study from
market research publisher Packaged
Facts, kids aged 3 to 5, 6 to 8 and 9
to 11 in the U.S. -- an estimated 36
million children -- had a combined
purchasing power of $18 billion last
year.
The study “The Kids Market in
the U.S.” also points out that by 2010
the amount of disposable income will
rise to $21.4.
Currently, families spend more
than $115 billion on kids in key areas
such as food, clothing, personal-care
items, entertainment and reading
materials. Almost half is devoted to
food costs.
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR
“SLOW FAST-FOOD”
According to a study by
ConAgra, consumers are looking for
signs of quality in their food. Those
“trust marks” include ‘heart-healthy,’
‘organic & kosher,’ ‘0 grams trans
fats’ as well as ‘low-sodium,’ ‘natural,’
and ‘dietary guidelines’.
Communications Director Garth
Neuffer says, “What a lot of people
are looking for now is an ingredient
you can’t put on a package: more
time. Things are moving so fast and
people are having a hard time finding time.”
FoodNavigator, USA
AMERICANS WANT
IT ALL NOW
America is an impatient nation
-- it gets antsy after five minutes on
hold on the phone and 15 minutes
max in a line. So says an Associated
Press poll.
The Dept. of Motor Vehicles
ranks near the top as a time waster,
and almost one in four picked the
grocery checkout line as the place
they lose their cool. Nearly one in
five admitted to speaking rudely to
someone where they were kept waiting.
The typical shopper spends 25
to 30 minutes in the store, but many
think they’ve been there an hour
according to Envirosell, a company
that monitors shoppers and sellers.
The survey found that older people are more impatient than younger
people, and those in the country or
suburbs are only slightly less impatient than those in the city. Women
will wait about three minutes longer
than men before becoming impatient, and lower income people will
wait about four minutes longer than
those making $75,000+. Average
time in line before losing it? 17 Minutes. And on the phone, Americans
are even more impatient — nine
minutes is it.
CNN.com
FIVE COMPONENTS OF AN
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
1. Tailor communications -- each
audience must realize you understand their unique challenges and
can address their specific problems.
2. Get personal early -- establish a
personal relationship as early as
possible in the sales process.
3. Implement a multi-step and multimedia program — response rates
increase threefold when multiple
messages over multiple touch points
are sent.
4. Use speed and best practices -distinguish your pitch from the competition with timely communication.
5. Impress contacts with your knowledge -- send personalized responses
indicating your knowledge of their
interests, needs, organization.
MarketingProfs.com
(From “Quick Bites” by Sam Geist)
FOOD FIRMS MUST KEEP UP
WITH CHANGING RETAIL
A new study by AC Nielsen
claims that convenience, health and
quality continue to influence where
and how people shop, as well as what
they buy.
Retailers today are looking for
ways to keep customers, and one
way of achieving this is to “keep
them happy by selling them unique
products, getting them in and out
of stores quickly, smothering them
with good service, and/or saving
them money,” says Todd Hale, senior VP of AC Nielsen’s Consumer
Insights.
Hale said that because of higher
gas prices, retailers need to focus
on personalization, value and convenience. He suggested the industry
should leverage manufacturer expertise to stay ahead of consumer trends,
and be quick to take on new products,
but also be quick to discontinue them
if they do not perform well.
According to AC Nielsen,
retailers should develop private
labels, which will reach a 20 percent
dollar share by 2010, and grocers
will “go big, go value, go niche... or
go away.”
FoodNavigator.com
RETAILERS WELCOME
TRADE AGREEMENT WITH
VIETNAM
The National Retail Federation
welcomed the recent trade agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam
saying the pact would make it easier
for U.S. retailers to source merchandise from Vietnam and to open
stores there.
Vietnam is a small but growing
supplier of footwear, furniture, apparel and coffee. Provisions in the
agreement will allow U.S. retailers
to open and wholly own stores and
other retail operations in Vietnam.
NRF Press Release
www.RANNV.org
Page 6
June 2006
Medicare Part D
L
ast month, members of the Retail Assn. of Nevada worked with the State Health Insurance Assistance Program
(SHIP) to sign up seniors for the prescription drug plan under Medicare.
Assemblyman Joe Hardy (R-Clark) helps seniors
access the Social Security site.
Jon Porter (R-CD3) shows up to assist seniors.
Senator Sandra Tiffany (R-Clark) gets her
questions answered by a SHIP worker.
Senator Maurice Washington (R-Washoe) helps
senior citizens at the event in Washoe County.
Assemblywoman Heidi Gansard (R-Washoe) assists
a senior citizen at the event in Washoe County.
Assemblywoman Valerie Weber (R-Clark) and
Assemblyman Joe Hardy (R-Clark) get directions
on how to help seniors.
www.RANNV.org
June 2006
Page 7
More than 300,000 Nevadans were eligible for the program, and nearly 224,000 already have drug coverage.
The state’s goal was 213,136 and 74 percent enrolled, exceeding the national average of 71 percent.
Along with Mary Lau, Liz MacMenamin and Lea Lipscomb, numerous candidates and lawmakers showed up
and helped the seniors and state workers.
Randi Thompson (right), Republican candidate
for the Assembly, shows a senior how to use the
Social Security web site.
Assemblywoman Francis Allen (R-Clark)
prepares to greet seniors.
Jonathon Ozark, Republican candidate for the
Assembly, arrives to help.
Kris Munn, Republican candidate for the
Assembly, is thanked for his help.
Nevada News Briefs (Continued from page 4)
needed to fund education. In other
states, the study has resulted in lawsuits wherein the state courts have
ordered a legalized “plundering” of
state budgets. Then the Consultant
decided to hold their meetings in
secret, an alleged violation of
Nevada’s Open Meeting Law.
In it’s most recent meeting, the
consultant gave an update and Republicans on the Committee noted
that the consultant is not following
the dictates of the contract they
signed with him.
One observer, Ray Bacon,
executive director of the Nevada
Manufacturers Assn., said there is
no promise of better educational
results in exchange for more money
spent. He also estimated an additional cost to education of more than
half a billlion dollars per year.
The next Committee hearing is
July 13th. ■
DOES YOUR
COMPANY HAVE A
STORY TO TELL?
If your company is a member
of RAN, we’d like to include your
news in our newsletter.
Please e-mail press releases to
Ande Engleman at ande@rannv.
org, or fax them to 775-882-1713.
If you have any questions, call
Ande at 775-882-1700. ■
www.RANNV.org
Page 8
June 2006
Candidate Filings
F
ollowing are the Assembly Candidate’s running the next election. Where an incumbent was not
challenged, the race was omitted. Also minor party candidates are not listed. Key: (R) – Republicans,
(D) – Democrats, (I) – Incumbents.
RURAL ASSEMBLY SEATS
SOUTHERN NEVADA
STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 32
MARVEL, JOHN (I) (R)
SPRINKLE, MIKE (D)
WEBER, MIKE (R)
STATE ASSEMBLY, DISTRICT 1
HOWARD, BRENT (D)
KIRKPATRICK, MARILYN (D) (I)
WEST MYERS, LINDA (R)
BROWN, JOHN (R)
COCHRAN, ANGIE, G (D)
GOEDHART, ED (R)
HIGBEE, ED JR (R)
KULKIN, HARLEY (D)
MURRAY, LAURAYNE (D)
BLUMBERG, CARLOS (D)
MABEY, GARN (I) (R)
KALAGIAN, MEL (D)
PIERCE, PEGGY (D) (I)
ROBERTS, WILLIAM “BILL”(D)
GRADY, TOM (I) (R)
JAMES, CATHYLEE (D)
BROWN, JOETTA (D)
DICKS, JOHN E. (R)
GARDNER, RICHARD RICK (R)
SETTLEMEYER, JAMES, ARNOLD (R)
SMALLWOOD, BARBARA (R)
PARNELL, BONNIE (D) (I)
WAGNER, JOHN (R)
WARD, SHEILA M. (R)
ALLEN, FRANCIS (R) (I)
BUTCHER, C. (D)
FIELDS, CLIFF (R)
DUDAS, DAWN (D)
WEBER, VALERIE (R) (I)
2-YEAR TERM
ARBERRY JR., MORSE (D) (I)
VAUGHAN, STAN (D)
NORTHERN NEVADA
BUCKLEY, BARBARA (D) (I)
PEACOCK, PATRICIA M. (R)
BOBZIEN, DAVID (D)
LOVE, DAVID C (D)
HOLCOMB, BROOKS (I) (R)
CONTINE, BEN (D)
SEGERBLOM, “TICK” (D)
WHITTEN, LEWIS (D)
COBB, TY (R)
DILLON, MIKE (R)
DISNEY, RICHARD (R)
HARDENBROOK, RICHARD J (D)
MOZEN, PAUL (R)
SHERRIFF, “MIKEY” (R)
HOGAN, JOSEPH M. (D) (I)
OZARK, JONATHAN (R)
FRUEHEN, GLENN G (D)
LESLIE, SHEILA (D) (I)
ANDERSON, JR, BERNARND J.
“Bernie” (I) (D)
THOMPSON, RANDI (R)
ADAMS, DAVID N. (D)
KIHUEN, RUBEN (D)
MCCLEARY, BOB (D) (I)
CASUTT, BRANDON J. (D)
HAYNES, LEE WAYNE (R)
OHRENSCHALL, JAMES (D)
CHRISTENSEN, CHAD (R) (I)
TAYLOR, ADAM (D)
KOIVISTO, ELLEN M. (D) (I)
STONE, RAYMOND (D)
ATKINSON, KELVIN (D) (I)
CARVALHO, ANGELO (R)
ENWRIGHT, LON WEST (D)
MANENDO, MARK (D) (I)
JARVIS, KEN (R)
CLABORN, JERRY D. (D) (I)
SMITH, BRADLEY “JOSEPH” (D)
LYNCH, ART (D)
HARDY, JOE (R) (I)
BEERS, BOB (R)
CLARK, CORNELL(R)
KEENE, RICHARD “BRIAN” (D)
MUNN, KRIS (R)
SANDERS, MICHELE (R)
VILLANI, DREW (D)
CHAPPELL, SCOTT (R)
NEWBERRY, CORY (R)
STEWART, LYNN D. (R)
URIAS, RUBEN (D)
YERGENSEN, CHRIS (R)
GRIERSON, STEVEN (R)
JEPPESEN, LARRY M. (D)
WOMACK, ROSEMARY (D)
GERHARDT, SUSAN (I) (D)
HIGH, M. (D)
SMITH, MICHAEL R. (R)
PARKS, DAVID (I) (D)
WONG, BOB (R)
www.RANNV.org
June 2006
Page 9
After-Event Reviews
RESEARCHER MODIFIES A REVIEW TECHNIQUE AND EXPLORES ITS VALUE
By James Larsen, Ph.D.
thoroughly ingrained feature of the
culture of the Israeli Defense Force.
Everyone connected with this force
is accustomed to using them to
review their own performance and
that of others, and they use them to
their fullest advantage. And they are
proud of it. No, they are not afraid to
confront their own errors, and yes,
it does contribute to future success.
It would undoubtedly help our retail
businesses.
Shmuel Ellis, from Tel Aviv
University, is familiar with the AER
technique, but he noticed a curious
feature of it that perplexed him. He
noticed that the Israeli Defense Force
uses it almost exclusively on events
that were considered failures. Successful events do not prompt an AER.
But learning to avoid failure is different from learning how to succeed.
He reasoned that expanding AERs
to include successful events would
improve this technique and ultimately
improve performance, and he carried
out a study to find out if he was right.
Ellis created a new AER procedure that included the review of successes as well as failures, and then
he tested the new technique with two
navigation training classes. He found
a significant advantage for the new
AER procedure. He also found an
enthusiastic reception among the Israeli commanding officers who used
it and embraced the new technique
as a clear improvement over their old
procedures. It is rare for a research
finding to find its way into practical
application as quickly as Ellis’ innovation. He was very pleased.
But Ellis wasn’t satisfied merely
to introduce an improvement. He
wanted to better understand the
technique. How do AERs improve
performance? Why does considering success improve it? Ellis chose
10 recruits from each of the train-
ing classes and interviewed them at
length, and he found the answers he
sought.
An AER begins with a soldier
explaining in great detail the steps
he/she carried out that led to an outcome. This explanation is given to
a commanding officer who prompts
the recruit with “why” questions designed to elaborate – to expand the
detail of these explanations and include thinking and feelings at crucial
moments. These explanations usually provide their own guidance for
improvement, and they force recruits
to think about what they are doing.
This allows them to notice crucial
points they had missed, and it encourages them to form “if-then” rules
to guide future behavior, and when
AERs included successes, there was
a greater desire to find root causes.
An AER is a guided investigation of
past experience.
In retail business settings, the
most important decisions we make
involve personnel, who we hire, promote, or let go. We usually follow
careful procedures when we make
such decisions to minimize mistakes,
but every step of these procedures is
carried out by a thinking and feeling
person. An AER that examines personnel decisions can expose thinking
and feeling that spoils our careful procedures and leads to mistakes. When
there is success, it can do precisely
the same thing and find patterns that
lead to improvement. Either way, a
retailer who exposes himself/herself
to the AER process is likely to learn
more about himself/herself that will
improve performance. Professor Ellis
recommends it. ■
REVIEWS
W
ar is a grim business that
doesn’t give you many
choices. When you’re
fighting at home and protecting your families from an enemy
who won’t give up, you’d better be
good at what you do. The Israeli Defense Force is good at what they do.
Imagine, for example, an Israeli
night patrol in the no-man’s land that
lies along a disputed border looking for enemy forces attempting to
infiltrate and carry out terrorist attacks. These terrorists could defend
against such a patrol by killing the
commanding officer. Without the
head, they might reason, the Israeli
troops would be lost and easy to pick
off, and the terrorist mission could
go forward. But that would not work
with an Israeli patrol. Each member
is trained to carry out the patrol’s
mission, and each member is capable
of taking command should the need
arise.
Do you suppose this capability is because Israeli soldiers are
smarter or bigger or more numerous
than their enemies? A more likely
explanation lies in the training they
receive.
For over a half century, the Israeli Defense Force has perfected
their training approaches, and one
technique of which they are very
proud is called an After-Event Review
(AER). An AER is a systematic examination of the thinking and actions
that contributed to an outcome - an
event. Decision by decision, thought
by thought, the AER reconstructs
the steps that led to an outcome, and
by doing so, exposes the errors that
caused the most problems. In future,
similar situations, different thinking
and different decisions can be used
and, hopefully, lead to more successful outcomes.
After-event reviews are a
Reference: Ellis, Shmuel and Inbar Davidi
(2005) After-Event Reviews: Drawing Lessons
From Successful and Failed Experience. Journal
of Applied Psychology, 90 (5), 857-871.
C 2006 Management Resources
www.RANNV.org
Page 10
June 2006
Important Information for
SIG Members
The NRS governing self insured groups requires notifying
members of all new members to the Nevada Retail Network
Self Insured Group. New members for NRNSIG from
May 15, 2006 to June 20, 2006 are listed below.
Action Signs LLC
Arturo Camberio Senior Center
Construction Foam Design LLC
Diamond Coatings
Everyday Miracles LLC
Family Tree Lawn Detailing LLC
Harbor House LLC
John Robert Powers
Judy’s Dance Shoppe
Matt Smith Physical Therapy
Orthopedic Resource Group LLC
Owens Engineering
Patterson Custom Fabrication LLC
Real Wood
NRNSIG members who wish to register a negative vote on a new
group member, please write NRNSIG at 810 E. Fifth Street, Suite A,
Carson City, NV 89701, indicating which member and the reason(s)
for the negative vote. ■
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR WORKERS’ COMP COST
Be Part of…
The Nevada Retail Network
Certificate #5004
● Greater management control that cuts overhead costs
● Pre-employment screening at a small co-pay for NRN members only
● Team Safety/Loss Control Program for all members
● Investigation and defense of claims
● Direct savings that give members greater incentive to control losses
Take Control Today…
Call Willeta Kerschner
775-720-8125 or 775-882-1700
• Self Insured Group •
• Membership in RAN Required •
Sponsored by:
The Retail Association of Nevada
410 South Minnesota Street
Carson City, NV 89703-4272
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: Find out more about RAN’s self insured group.
Call Willie Kerschner, 775-720-8125,
or the RAN office at 775-882-1700 (toll free in Nevada 800-690-5959).
Don’t forget to check out our website, www.RANNV.org.
www.RANNV.org
June 2006
Retail: Where Will You Be
Five Years From Now?
N
younger generation has no patience
for low-tech stores,” he said.
Hopping commented that consumers are changing faster than retailers,
suggesting that retailers should be
thinking about what their role will be
and who their consumers will be 10
years from now. A store, he said, “is
only one of the touch points” to reaching consumers.
“Look at what customers experience” across all channels of retail—not
just convenience stores, said Hopping.
“Understand what everyone else is doing.”
“Predicting” the future of retail,
Hopping noted a few technology
trends retailers should start thinking
about:
• Intuitive selling: self checkout,
touch screens, point of service, intelligent shopping carts
• New payment methods: RFID
availability, windshield transmitters,
key fobs, cell phones, iButton
• Digital merchandising: centralized
in-store advertising through digital
displays
• Kiosks: it’s all about customers
who are more comfortable interacting
with a computer screen than a person
Biometrics: eye scanners, fingerprint
readers, face, voice and signature recognition
• Software advancements: instead
of keying in what you want a computer
to do, new technologies will allow programmers to tell a computer how to
operate
“Technology adoption is
accelerating,” said Hopping, noting
that every time consumers accept a
new technology, they are more likely
to accept the next technology coming
down the pipe.
“We’ve got to teach computers to
read people,” Hopping said, “because
we’ve failed at teaching people to understand computers.” ■
TECHNOLOGY
ASHVILLE, Tenn. – Twenty
years ago, consumers frequented a lot of stores to find
one product at the best price.
But what do they do today? For starters, they don’t have time to go into
more than a few stores to compare
prices. Instead, more shoppers are
hitting the Internet and going online.
Consumers are less concerned with
price as they are speed of service, ease
of use and convenience.
How much consumers shopping
patterns have changed compared to
20 years ago is a good indicator of how
the face of retail will evolve in just five
years from now, suggested NACStech
2006 Closing General Session speaker
Dan Hopping, president and CEO of
Next Retail Group.
Looking at how the Internet is
changing retail operations, Hopping
said that it doesn’t take owning a PC
to be online; cell phones and other devices also are Internet delivery tools.
And thanks to broadband, consumers spend more time on the Internet
browsing, which is also driving online
shopping.
Cell phones, noted Hopping, are
not a new concept by any stretch,
but the technologies cell phones are
capable of apply to our every day
lives are impressive and evolving. He
commented that a total of 120 million
households in the United States own
250 million cell phones (roughly two
phones per household) and that 40
percent of 7 to 14 year olds have a cell
phone.
“This is a different world,” said
Hopping, noting that in the last five
to six years, college graduates have
entered the job world more technically
savvy than the company that hired
them. And, because of their computer
reliance and usage, the younger generation is more comfortable dealing
with a computer screen than an actual
human in the retail environment. “The
Page 11
NRF/RAN
Partner for a
“Friendraiser”
T
he National Retail Federation
(NRF) and the Retail
Association of Nevada (RAN)
recently partnered an unusual
gathering -- a “Friendraiser” for Rep.
Jon Porter (R-CD3).
Unlike events usually held to raise
funds for a candidate, the Friendraiser
is designed to bring members of
Congress together with the retail
community to discuss issues that
affect the industry.
The event was held at the Galleria
at Sunset Mall in Henderson and was
well attended by representatives from
Best Buy, Target, J.C. Penny as well
as smaller stores. Topics of discussion
ranged from health care to immigration reform.
Rob Green, vice president of
government and political affairs for
NRF, said that health expenses are
a top priority for retailers. “Because
the workforce is younger, it’s easier
to insure them, but sometimes young
people aren’t interested in health
insurance,” he said.
Porter is promoting a plan to allow
small businesses to buy into a pool in
order to qualify for discounts in health
care. He’s also pushing for health-care
savings accounts.
Immigration was also a point of
discussion. Porter said that he’s in
favor of a guest-worker program, but
didn’t think the estimated 12 million
“undocumented workers” should be
moved ahead of the 3 million already
waiting for citizenship. ■
L to R: Lea Lipscomb; Rob Green, NRF;
Rep. Jon Porter; Mary Lau; Liz MacMenamin
www.RANNV.org
C A P I T O L WAT C H
W
Retailers Disappointed by
Senate Vote on Estate Tax Repeal
ASHINGTON, D.C., June 8, 2006
– The National Retail Federation
today expressed disappointment
over the Senate’s vote against
further consideration of legislation that
would make repeal of the federal estate tax
permanent. NRF counted this morning’s
procedural vote as a key vote in NRF’s
annual ranking of lawmakers on issues
important to the retail industry.
“While we respect senators’
differences of opinion, it is extremely
frustrating that the Senate has voted to not
even debate an issue as important as the
estate tax,” NRF Senior Vice President for
Government Relations Steve Pfister said.
“The Senate is in a state of gridlock where
partisanship is repeatedly being placed
ahead of public policy. This is the second
time in less than a month where an issue
vitally important to small business has
been set aside because the Senate could
not even agree to debate the merits of the
issue. If estate tax repeal or Small Business
Health Plans are voted down on their merits, then that is the will of the Senate. But
votes against even considering these proposals are not votes in the public interest.”
The Senate this morning voted 57-41
to cut off debate and move forward on
Nevada News
Serving the Retail Community Since 1969
Nevada News is published by the
Retail Association of Nevada,
a nonpartisan, nonprofit corporation
founded in 1969 representing the
Retail Community, the
Chain Drug Council and the
Grocery Industry Council.
Mary F. Lau
President/CEO
Elizabeth MacMenamin
Director of Government Affairs
Willeta Kerschner
Account Executive/Workers’ Comp
Lea Lipscomb
Government Affairs Lobbyist/
Legislative Analyst
Ande Engleman
Newsletter Editor
Sue Arzillo
Newsletter Design & Layout
consideration of H.R. 8, the Death Tax
Repeal Permanency Act of 2005. But the
procedural “cloture” vote needed 60 votes
to pass, meaning that no further action to
actually pass the bill was able to take place.
The action was similar to a May 11
vote when the Senate voted 55-43 to move
forward on Small Business Health Plan
legislation. As with the estate tax, the vote
was on a cloture motion and needed 60
votes to pass.
Had today’s motion received the 60
votes required, the Senate would have
taken up H.R. 8, a bill passed by the House
in 2005 that would allow the estate tax to
continue to be phased out until repeal is
complete in 2010, and then make the repeal permanent.
“The estate tax is a punitive measure
that is devastating to family-owned businesses,” Pfister said. “Families are often
forced to liquidate a business upon the
death of a family member in order to pay
this extraordinarily high tax. Congress
took a great step forward when it voted in
2001 to phase out this counterproductive
tax. But the progress made in this area
would be lost if this tax is allowed to return
to its original onerous level just one year
after the phase-out is complete.”
410 South Minnesota Street
Carson City, Nevada 89703-4272
The estate tax is being phased out as
part of a $1.35 trillion tax relief package
signed into law by President Bush in 2001.
The full elimination of the tax becomes
complete in 2010 but would last only one
year, with the tax returning to the 2001 rate
in 2011. The estate tax phase-out was one
of several provisions of the 2001 law passed
on a temporary basis. Lawmakers indicated at the time, however, that they hoped
to make the cuts permanent in the future,
and Bush has repeatedly called for the cuts
to be made permanent.
The National Retail Federation is the
world’s largest retail trade association, with
membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including
department, specialty, discount, catalog,
Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as
well as the industry’s key trading partners
of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, more than
23 million employees - about one in five
American workers - and 2005 sales of $4.4
trillion. As the industry umbrella group,
NRF also represents more than 100 state,
national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com. ■
PRESORTED
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RAN June 06 Newsletter.indd - Retail Association of Nevada

Transcription

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