Archive for October, 2009

Winter 2009 – New Watch Season – Same Old Time

October 30th, 2009

The hands keep going round and round

The makers of analog watches have a tough time producing a design that no one else has already thought of. Unfortunately a watch has one basic movement; the hands go round and round as they count off the hours. So the watchmakers resort to other means of making their product unique. Other time measuring dials, a calendar, a count-down, a moon-phase, anything, in fact, as long as it is time related. They get into the fashion aspect of watches in a big way and they get into the wealth aspect of watches in an even bigger way. This year, in one big splurge, they’re into color, fashion and wealth at the same time. Here, to stun and surprise you are some examples of what’s happening. One of these days I have to buy myself a watch!

Breguet La Tradition 7027

Cost: $24,850. An 18-karat white-gold case and a black electroplated 18-karat gold dial with intricate hand engraving.

Black watches are back in fashion

Cartier Santos 100 Black. Cost: $7,000. Titanium, steel, and ADLC (amorphous diamond-like coating) case. Daniel Roth Endurer Chrono Sprint. Cost: $14,300. Roth’s signature double-ellipse case with a black titanium-carbide coating. Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde SW Noir. Cost: $16,000. A striking sporty and sophisticated matte-black case and rubber strap.

White watches are back in fashion

TX Watch Co. Cost: $495. Perpetual Weekly Calendar. TX scores with proprietary movements in this elegantly simple collectible. Longines Master Collection Moon Phase. Cost: $5,700. A clean-lined diamond-accented case with mother-of-pearl dial. Hermès Cape Cod Tonneau PM. Cost: $2,250. Hermès’s signature toupe double tour strap adds up to twice the style.

The newest hue is blue

From royal and cobalt to sapphire, the most modern and fresh statement to make is a flash of color. Rolex Submariner. Cost: $29,850. An icon transformed: The 2009 blue-dial, white-gold Submariner is a rare investment item and you can expect it to retain, if not gain, value over time. Breitling Chronomat B01. Cost: $7,690. The Riviera blue dial and subdials on a steel pilot’s bracelet make a powerful impression. Tag Heuer Aquaracer 500 M Limited Edition. Cost: $2,600. A professional-grade option, it’s water-resistant to 500 meters and features an automatic helium valve that releases any gases that infiltrate during a deep dive.

Brown is the new basic

For a polished, classic look, a model in brown is sure to put you at the top of this year’s horological best-dressed list. Swiss Army Alliance Chrono Classic. Cost: $550. With an expensive-looking faux croc-skin strap and handsome chrono dials, this watch is a keeper. David Yurman Moon Phase. Cost: $5,800. The water-resistant stainless-steel dial encases day, month, and moon-phase windows. Patek Philippe Ref. 5960. Cost: $59,500. Patek’s legendarily high resale values make this 18-karat rose-gold chrono a worthy investment. Bulgari Sotirio Date Retrograde. Cost: $17,400. The 18-karat pink-gold dial is accented by an alligator strap, a new twist on a perennial boardroom winner.

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I’m not fighting in the credit card wars

October 29th, 2009

Give me one good reason why I should carry two cards

There was great excitement at the breakfast table this morning when I turned a page of the Sunday paper and was confronted by a double page advert of ‘special offers’ from our very own supermarket. “I’ll be there first thing in the morning, waiting for them to open up,” said my wife. I was busy reading the small print at the bottom of the ad and then I read “available to holders of ‘U’ cards only”.

We have a Visa card

“We have Visa card,” I said gently. “What do you see in there that we really need?” After complaining about the fact that we should have a ‘U’ card because they always have great offers, it turned out that we don’t really need any of the goods displayed. But it made me start thinking about getting the ‘U’ card.

Another credit card

For years, ever since private companies got into the credit card market, I firmly resisted getting a second credit card. It would be third one actually. I have a Visa, Diane has a Mastercard and we live happily between these two sources of extra credit and convenience.

Sources of credit

Financial ability in these stressed times is a balancing act between the bank account, which is mostly in the red and the Visa account which is paid on the 10th of every month. I selected that date very carefully for some reason that I can no longer remember. At the time it made good sense, much to the amusement of the clerk who was signing me up. Finally there is Diane’s Mastercard which comes around the on the 15th of the month and gobbles up any money left behind by Visa.

Credit cards

An extra credit card means more decision making, more account checking at home – which we both hate – and an extra complication. I am quite sure that the answer to surviving the recession is the old tried and tested KISS system. ‘Keep it simple, stupid’. I remember how I laughed when I first heard this expression years ago as a joke in the office, but it works. Whatever great deal one credit card is offering, will be offered soon by the others. There is another expression that one hears all the time that applies equally here: ‘What goes around, comes around.’ If Visa has it today, Mastercard will have it tomorrow.

Playing the recession game

Because times are tough and income is down, a feeling of deprivation seems to invade one’s mind. You pass a shop window that you would normally never look at and you think, ‘I wish I could have that’, or, ‘it’s not fair that I can’t stop and buy that’. Advice: Keep looking straight ahead. There’s an end to this recession and it’s going to get better. You can see signs in the far distance. Stop looking in store windows! And keep the minimum number of credit cards!

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Tips to help companies gain and maintain an edge

October 28th, 2009

Things are just not what they used to be

There is reputedly an old Chinese curse that says: May you live in interesting times. We are in the middle of it! These are not only interesting times, they are riveting times. The economy is almost unrecognizable and things don’t stop changing. In order to survive in this uncharted jungle, every business owner or manager needs to prepare for the drastic changes taking place. Here are some ideas that may help:

Manage cash flow

Cash flow and financing should be addressed at every management meeting. Monitor management accounts and key ratios regularly to identify trends early, regularly update cash-flow forecasts, build in sensitivity analysis, adjust for changes to exchange rates, increases in raw material prices and shipping costs, and perform key performance indicator (KPI) analyses.

Focus on your margins

Focusing on your margins and cut costs, not prices. A price increase can be the most powerful strategy to improve the bottom line, but in such tough times as we are experiencing, you are not likely to get the benefits of a price increase easily. Instead, you are faced with having to reduce costs to improve the bottom line. Be ruthless in assessing cost structures and key cost drivers. You need to stay focused on customers and not suppliers as your margin source.

Working capital management

Wherever possible, negotiate better payment terms with suppliers. Review your debtors list and follow up on overdue accounts. Don’t be afraid to put customers who don’t pay on hold or consider entering into extended payment terms with them. Control stock levels and review inventory insurance – theft often increases in a downturn.

Don’t forget the customer

Maintain your personal touch with your most valuable asset, your customers. When pressure to stay competitive is at an all-time high, you must be absolutely certain customers get what they want and need. Don’t assume they’re happy just because they’re not complaining.

Reward performers

Look for creative ways to retain top performers on your staff. You may not be able to offer attractive salary increases, but consider offering perks that don’t cost the company a lot of money. Consider things like flexi-time and working from home. If you need to cut staff costs, get rid of poor performers, they take up a disproportionate amount of management time, aggravate customers, squash company morale and drive away high-quality performers.

PR

This is the time to go out and capture the hearts and minds of consumers – new and existing. If you cut advertising costs, you may lose customers to competition.

Watch the competition

Investigate your competition and determine whether you can take advantage. While most businesses are more concerned with focusing inward, a few brave companies will see this as an opportunity to put one over the competition.

Take a critical look at operations

Review and evaluate internal operations, strategic plans, procedures, structure and policies to see how to cut costs, increase productivity and improve fiscal oversight.

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