News and Trends

• Manufacturing sector grows pessimistic as profits fall
  Industrial manufacturers have become less optimistic about the domestic economy as worries have grown amid declining demand, low currency exchange rates and decreasing profits, according to the latest report from PricewaterhouseCoopers' Manufacturing Barometer. Among those surveyed, 75% said the U.S. economy is in decline while only 5% thought it was growing. Industrial Distribution (5/1)

• Report: April job losses less severe than expected
  The U.S. Labor Department's latest employment report indicates 20,000 jobs were cut in April versus the 80,000 that had been predicted by some economists. Still, the cuts marked the fourth consecutive month of job losses, the longest stretch since a five-month span of losses in 2003. The New York Times/Reuters (5/2)

• Paulson optimistic despite "significant headwinds" facing U.S. economy
  U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson last week said he believes the country's economic crisis is more than half over, and he emphasized that the economy is still growing, although slowly. "We are closer to the end of this problem than we are to the beginning," he said. Bloomberg (5/1)

• Other News

• Cardinal Health seeks to streamline Alabama operations with DC consolidation
  American City Business Journals/Columbus, Ohio (4/30)

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Best Practices

• Clarify details to avoid ethical misunderstandings
  What constitutes appropriate workplace ethics can vary between cultures. Therefore, precisely laying out all details and making sure expectations are understood is essential when dealing with foreign firms. Entrepreneur (5/2008)

• Unspoken rules of workplace not always understood
  New or younger employees might not fully grasp the unspoken rules of their workplaces. A co-worker of one such worker is advised to discuss the rules and make the employee aware of appropriate behaviors. American City Business Journals (4/28)

Sales

• Five questions to ask lead-generation vendors
  Companies increasingly are investing in online lead generation to boost revenues. A list of five important questions to ask when researching vendors includes whether the vendor is flexible to your needs; whether it offers the right audience; and whether it offers a lead guarantee. Manage Smarter (4/30)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NAW SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Customers loyal to companies that go "extra mile" (The Sun (Baltimore))

• Ten tips for holding things together during reorganization (Manage Smarter)

• Citrus vodkas go under the microscope (The New York Times)

• Luther King Capital to buy IDG for about $136M (Modern Distribution Management)

• Preparation can help to think on your feet (Selling Power)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Small Business Manager

• Colleges guide prospective SBs with entrepreneurial classes
  Colleges across the U.S. increasingly are offering courses on how to start and run small businesses. More than 2,000 colleges and universities now offer at least one class in entrepreneurship, up from just 253 colleges offering similar courses in 1985, according to the Kaufmann Foundation. The New York Times (5/1)

Executive Life

• Column: Take steps to safeguard retirement
  Cutting back on expenses, considering refinancing and making yourself indispensable at work can all help safeguard your retirement, Ellen Hoffman writes in a BusinessWeek financial column. "Even if you don't feel personally threatened by the current scary economic news, consider some preventive measures," writes Hoffman, author of "The Retirement Catch-Up Guide." BusinessWeek (5/2)

• Beer drinkers tune in to quality
  As shown in South Texas, more drinkers are turning to premium beers even as prices go up. Large manufacturers such as Anheuser-Busch are getting in on the game, introducing new labels such as Landshark Lager. Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Texas) (5/1)

NAW Insider

• Order best-selling Facing the Forces of Change report
  Facing the Forces of Change®: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain by the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence is a best-seller! This all-new study provides practical insights into key trends impacting the wholesale distribution supply chain and is packed with specific action ideas and planning tools that executives can use today to lead the way in their supply chains.

• Learn the Essentials of Profitable Wholesale Distribution
  Essentials of Profitable Wholesale Distribution will benefit your entire team. End-of-chapter self-tests, a glossary and a concluding "final exam" speed learning and retention.

Weekly Poll

• Does your company use lead-generation vendors?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Yes, and we find their services valuable.
	We have not yet but are considering it.
	We have not in the past and do not plan to.
	We used them in the past but do not anymore.

Product Marketing Manager Johnstone Supply, Inc. Portland, OR Procurement & Customer Service Manager J.J. Haines & Company, Inc. Baltimore, MD Territory Manager Behler-Young Traverse City, Michigan General Manager - Great Lakes Region Gustave A. Larson Company West Allis, Wisconsin Director of Branch Operations Gustave A. Larson Company Pewaukee, Wisconsin COUNTER SALES US SUPPLY COMPANY SPRING CITY PA Distribution Center - Process Manager (Inbound) GRAINGER Chicago (Niles, IL)

SmartQuote

Life begets life. Energy becomes energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich." --Sarah Bernhardt, French actress