Plenty of consumers sip Maxwell House coffee because it's "good to the last drop," and would proudly answer "yes" if asked, "Doesn't your dog deserve Alpo?" The brand-building punch of such slogans helps companies turn shoppers into customers.

"In real estate, if you keep yourself in front of long-term demographic trends, you will prosper," observes Christopher Cole, founder and chief executive of the Cole Companies, who received the Distinguished Achievement Award at the W. P. Carey undergraduate convocation recently.

As companies shift from product to services focus, they face the challenge of a larger, more dynamic and more diverse customer base. Some are turning to universities for assistance from academics to find ways to improve operations or customer relations.

Everyone needs garbage bags. Women need maxi-pads. Cat people need cat litter. And parents with babies buy diapers.

When people make predictions about certain events, their enjoyment in watching those events decreases, according to a recent study by W. P. Carey School marketing professors Naomi Mandel and Stephen Nowlis.

Soon, innovation in China will take the form of a move from a primarily manufacturing economy to a more service-oriented one, according to experts gathered at the Fourth Annual Executive Forum in Shanghai.

The Internet has revolutionized ticket scalping, turning it into an electronic extension of the box office, driven by sleek advances in computer hardware and software and by a spate of clever, aggressive online ticketing companies.

As power costs increase and consumers and government put more pressure on business to reduce environmental harm, sustainability is becoming important to all kinds of companies.

When it comes to examples of crises in business, we have "an embarrassment of riches," according to the author of "Crisis Communication: Practical PR Strategies for Management and Company Survival." The debacle of Enron's collapse and the Tylenol package-tampering scare are examples of crises tha

People who know Mike Figliuolo likely were unsurprised when he founded a training and development firm called "thoughtLEADERS, LLC" in 2004. Up to that point, every stage of his career led seamlessly to the next, as he groomed himself in teamwork, delegating, structure, strategy and leadership.