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January 26, 2007 News for the wholesale distribution industry     News and Trends    W-Ds expected to produce more private-label goods The number of private-label products produced and sold by wholesaler-distributors is expected to significantly grow in the next five years, according to a recent study by a leading consulting firm. W-Ds "who understand the big picture trends behind private labels will have the opportunity to lead the way in their lines of trade," said Pembroke Consulting President Adam J. Fein. Modern Distribution Management (1/22) For more: Order Facing the Forces of Change: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain to read the entire study. Shareholders urge pinning executive pay to performance Shareholders have already sent pay-for-performance requests related to the coming proxy season to 44 companies, more than double the number of requests in 2006, including Colgate-Palmolive and Apple. Pension operators and unions have increasingly asked that bonuses only be given to executives when the median performance of their peers is surpassed. The Wall Street Journal (1/24) Home Depot's new compensation package, with no severance, "sends the right message": Frank Blake, who stepped into the role of president and CEO of Home Depot this month after Bob Nardelli departed, will receive a fraction of the salary Nardelli saw, and is promised no severance. The company's board was heavily criticized for Nardelli's lavish compensation and $210 million severance package. Bloomberg/ClipSyndicate (1/25) , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration) (1/25) , The Boston Globe/Associated Press (1/25) , Financial Times (free content) (1/25) Don't blame all ills on Sarbanes-Oxley While U.S. corporations celebrate the SEC's vote to ease Sarbanes-Oxley by reducing audit and sign-off requirements on firms' financial controls, some are pointing out that other issues also are affecting the growth of U.S. financial markets. Larry Tabb of Wall Street & Technology writes that technology and connectivity, the balance of trade and low interest rates are at the foundation of the U.S.' capital-raising troubles, and in an editorial, The New York Times asks financial firms to look in the mirror at their underwriting fees and large bonuses. The New York Times (1/24) , Wall Street & Technology (1/23) Other News CEOs push Congress for action on global warming CNNMoney.com (1/22) WHITE PAPER: Optimizing Business Processes To Increase Profitability. Are you trying to reduce the capital investment in stock across the supply chain and decrease overhead costs? Learn more about how you can optimize your logistics processes. Download this case study today.   Best Practices  Take inventory of your psychological capital Psychological capital is a relatively new concept that takes human capital a step further. Take a person's personality into account when determining his or her fit for the company, as opposed to just filling the opening with a warm body. The Gallup Organization (1/11) Five technologies that could take business by storm RFID for tracking shipments, Web services such as blogs, wikis and RSS feeds for customer service and better servers for improved inter-office communication are technologies companies should investigate if they don't want to risk being left behind. InformationWeek (1/13)   Sales  Get everyone involved in incentive programs For one reason or another there are always salespeople that miss out on incentives programs, which may cost you money in lost sales. There are software programs available that find these reps and bring them up to speed, and get them involved with a little extra effort from managers. Manage Smarter/Incentive (1/24)   Small Business Manager  Even small businesses need objective opinions If you want an unbiased opinion on possible moves or directions for your small business but don't have the resources for a full-time board of directors, there are pay-services, such as The Alternative Board, that offer objective advice to companies ranging from just a few employees to more than 50. BusinessWeek (1/12)   Executive Life  Walk-up device brings PC to the kitchen Hewlett-Packard's TouchSmart PC intends to lure consumers into the kitchen to organize their lives digitally, but The Wall Street Journal highlights several obstacles for the futuristic machine to overcome before finding success. The Wall Street Journal (1/24) The end of the waiter as we know it? Entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and the children's restaurant chain Chuck E. Cheese's, has come up with something new that could eventually revolutionize the way diners order restaurant food. uWink, Bushnell's latest restaurant business, allows diners to order through a table-top touch-screen that doubles as a video-game console. BusinessWeek (1/23)   NAW Insider  Driver hiring tips you won't want to miss! As a wholesaler-distributor, you know that even a single vehicular accident can cause substantial losses. So choosing the best-qualified drivers for your business is a must. Learn more about effective hiring practices for drivers. Improve your branch profitability with powerful new tool Do you need help understanding your financial statement? Could you use a tool to build a powerful business plan? My Business Analysis [MBA] will do both and show you how to use financial analysis to find the path toward improving your branch profitability. Every branch manager should use the MBA to focus time and effort to improve their operating income. Learn more about NAW -> Join NAW  |  Business Products  |  Publications  |  Meetings  |  Govt. Relations   Weekly Poll  Would you adopt a dual-monitor system on your work computer? After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like. I use dual monitors now and love it I'd think about it Seems too complicated I used two monitors in the past but didn't like it National Sales Manager W&O Supply, Inc. Jacksonville, FL   SmartQuote  You may not win them over, but if you hang around long enough, you'll wear them out." --Phil Simms, TV sports analyst and retired NFL quarterback     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Associate:  Henry Murphey 202-737-5500 ext. 245 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Lee Vanderwerff 202-737-5500 ext. 248   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Competitor News Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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