How to Address Consumer Fear
from Entrepreneur
You might be wondering whether your marketing efforts should adapt to the economic downturn. Should they address or ignore consumer fear? Entrepreneur asked George Belch, professor of marketing at San Diego State University, for the best approach. More

6 Ways to Cut Your Business Travel Costs
from SM Small Biz
While the easiest way to avoid paying higher prices is to scrap business travel altogether, some businesses can't afford to lose valuable face-to-face time with their clients, says Brendan J. O'Keefe, an accountant and financial advisor in Orleans, Mass. Here are six tips to keep your employees on the road without breaking the bank. More

4 Keys to Warding Off Challengers
from BusinessWeek
Competition is a fact of life in business. But that doesn't mean you have to make it easy for other companies to take what's yours. In fact, you should make it as difficult as possible for them to do so. More

Pricing: How Low Can You Really Go?
from Inc.
Tempted to cut prices? You're not alone. With slumping sales, many businesses have been quick to offer discounts. "Cutting prices is by far the easiest marketing technique you can use," says Frank Luby, a partner in Simon-Kucher & Partners, a pricing and marketing consultancy. But price cuts raise some tough questions. Here are three companies that made big pricing changes and the results of those decisions. More

How to Buy Computer Hardware for Your Business
from Forbes
Many small and mid-size businesses are struggling, but they still need to invest in hardware. The challenge is knowing what you need and getting good bang for the buck. BMighty talked to some experts about when to upgrade your equipment and what to consider during the purchasing process. More

7 Ways Forward
from strategy+business
How can a leader ensure that his or her company ends up among the winners? That’s the question answered in the essays linked from this page. Adapted from Booz & Company reports on the downturn, each assesses long-term growth prospects from the perspective of an industry, function, or region. Together, they add up to a comprehensive view of the emerging post-meltdown economic landscape. More

Strategic Planning in Family Businesses
from Family Business
In today’s increasingly competitive and global corporate marketplace, strategic planning has become a valuable tool for companies as they strive to balance the varied interests of key stakeholders - shareholders, employees, customers and community members. In family-owned businesses, managing these potentially competing interests becomes even more complex owing to emotional attachments and individual financial interests. More

Fed to Buy $1 Trillion in Securities to Aid Economy
from The New York Times
Saying that the recession continues to deepen, the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would pump an extra $1 trillion into the mortgage market and longer-term Treasury securities in order to revive the economy. “Job losses, declining equity and housing wealth, and tight credit conditions have weighed on consumer sentiment and spending,” the Fed said, adding that it would “employ all available tools to promote economic recovery and to preserve price stability.” More