Best Buy Continues to Struggle after Lon...

It’s been a rough year already for electronics giant retailer, Best Buy. Earlier this week, Best Buy Co CEO, Brian Dunn announced that he will be stepping down from his position, according to Reuters. Dunn’s resignation follows accusations by the company of personal unethical actions on his part.  The news came as a blow as Best Buy struggles to keep its head above financial water. Additionally, Best Buy announced plans two weeks ago to lay-off at least 400 employees and close 50 of its 1,100 big stores. Industry experts speculate that companies such as Best Buy and...

Facebook Announces Plan to Buy Instagram...

It should come as no surprise to those wild about sharing their photos on the site, Instagram that Facebook has decided to purchase the smaller social media fish for $1 billion. The acquisition is the biggest for the social media giant. Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg shared the importance of keeping Instagram separate from Facebook on his timeline. “We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience,” wrote Zuckerberg. For social media marketing companies, it supports the fact that photo...

Paperboard and Corrugated Packaging to G...

The U.S. demand for packaging in the form of paperboard and corrugated boxes is expected to rise 2.3 percent on an annucal basis in 2016, according to mhlnews.com. The news signals a good sign of turnaround in the U.S. economy, and a boost for the third party logistics industry which incorporates custom packaging into its services. One reason for the rise in demand for packaging is the spike in the durable goods market, food, and beverage industries. Third party logistics companies such as IntegraCore spend thousands each year in equipment to make corrugated boxes and...

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Still...

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport still reigns as the busiest airport in the world with China’s Beijing following at a close second. Hartsfield-Jackson has dominated the air since 1998 with over 92 million passengers in 2011-a jump of 3.4 percent. Beijing’s Capital International airport may have only handled 77.4 million passengers last year, but experienced a larger increase in 2011 with a reported 4.7 percent increase, according to the Airports Council International. Coming in at number 3 was London Heathrow Airport just shy of 70 million...

Survey Finds that Price Wins over Brand ...

A survey conducted by Ernst & Young asked some 25,000 people across the globe their take on brands and brand loyalty. Surprisingly, American consumers (only 25%) consider their brand when making a buying decision. That not-so-loyal number was much lower than the other combined 34 markets. The survey findings pointed to five customer behavior trends that do not appear to be going anywhere in the future. One obvious and determining factor for consumers sticking to a brand was the uncertainty about the economy. For instance, is it o.k to splurge and buy a more expensive...

Top 10 Fastest Growing Ports...

Supplychaindigitial.com released its list of the top 10 fastest growing ports in the world. Here is how these international ports stack up and how they manage inventory movement across the globe. 1. Port of Savannah- Often called, The ‘Gateway to the South,’ Georgia’s Port of Savannah takes on the lions share of shipping containers. The Georgia Port Authority has worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the curve and drive inventory through the Port of Savannah from China. 2. Port of Tianjin- It’s not surprising that one of China’s ports topped the list. Tianjin is...

Top 5 Terms that your Customer Service T...

I stumbled on an article in INC. Magazine, and could not resist sharing it on IntegraCore’s blog. It was the top five phrases that will tick off your customers faster than you can say, “Hold on, I’ll have to transfer you.” These sayings should be omitted from the vocabulary of a company’s staff, at least the ones that talk to your customers. 1. “That’s our policy.” Translation: we don’t care and our not going to lift another finger. 2.” I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do to help you at this point.”  Translation: Yeah, you’re a sorry...

Some Companies Charting a new Course to ...

For the past couple of years, Google Maps has enjoyed its domination of the street mapping market, even dethroning AOL’s once-popular MapQuest as the “go-to” for directions. However, Google Map’s fees could push some web companies in a different direction for its mapping solutions, according to an article in the New York Times. Larger corporations have deeper pockets and can afford the six figures a year to offer access to Google Maps inside its websites, says industry experts. But after Google announced that they would start charging fees to any website that...

Could China’s Rapidly Rising Labor...

The scales seem to be tipping in the favor of other countries other than China, that can manufacture household and apparel products at a much lower cost. In the past, China has been able to undercut its competition by offering a large pool of cheap laborers. The cost of labor is going up soo fast, that many economists are still trying to play catch up. In 2011 alone, China’s minimum wage jumped 22 percent. Even more startling is a 10 percent spike in the manufacturing sector in January of 2012. Economists predict that China’s wages could even triple by the year...

Second Company Sets up Shop in Georgia B...

Georgia got some more good news last week on the employment, business, and manufacturing and distribution front. For the second time within one month, another manufacturing plant will be calling the Peach State home. Douglasville, Georgia-based company, Medline Industries, Inc.,cut the ribbon last week on a new 600,000 square-foot manufacturing plant. Medline touts itself as the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of health-care supplies nationwide. Medline’s products include: disposable long-term care items, nursing home medical and hospital...