John McCormick

Since the bursting of the Internet bubble, online brokerages have been buying and selling each other like over-caffeinated day traders. Ameritrade, the largest Internet broker, has been one of the most aggressive. It has picked up National Discount Brokers, mydiscountbroker, and the online accounts of Brokerage America. But its biggest, and riskiest deal, was its […]

When Chief Information Officer David Boatman arrived at Sonic Automotive four years ago, the company was motoring ahead like it was on the acquisition Autobahn. Purring like a Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, the auto dealer had begun picking up dozens of independent dealerships in a buying spree thats barely slowed since, making it the nations third-largest […]

A thin plastic security strip is sometimes all that protects a ship against the introduction of illicit materials. Every day, 1,500 containers arrive at the port of Oakland, California, ready to be moved swiftly onto the rails and highways that will take their contents into the heartland of america. While they are being unloaded, a […]

Here are links to key reports, white papers and other research on homeland security and how marine terminals play a key role. Brookings Institution: “Protecting The American Homeland.“ Rand: “Seacurity: Improving the Security of the Global Sea-Container Shipping System.“ Unisys White Paper: “A Safe Commerce Blueprint: Securing Your Inbound Supply Chain.” Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-SC) […]

When youre selling a $500 scarf, the scarf is the last thing you sell. First, you persuade the customer your products are worth that kind of price. After that, you never let the customer go. But apparently Prada forgot to convince its floor sales force to use the technology that would do that. A handful […]

THE OBSTACLE: Salespeople are not using the tools theyre given. Prada spent millions of dollars creating a new type of handheld terminal, implementing new technologies to control video monitors, and attaching antennae in tags to thousands of shoes, garments and other products. The idea was to help salespeople interact with customers better, to meet their […]

There was a story in a big daily newspaper the other day that stated that only 65 percent of the people on the Web shop while theyre online. Notice the word “only.” Whats the thinking here? (Is there any thinking here?) If only 65 percent of the people who visited any other community stopped to […]

The Interactive 500 is more than a list of which companies generated the most hard dollars from their web operations in the past year. Its also Interactive Weeks annual checkup on the state of e-commerce. And this year, surprisingly, the health of the online economy appears to be a lot better than most people think. […]

Microsoft introduces XP. Microsoft and Sun Microsystems detail their Web services plans. AT&T makes a series of strategic announcements about its future. Communications companies offer up new, robust IP services. And Amazon.com inches closer to profitability. Yes, those big news stories, and others, broke last week. Id classify them as the Pushes, the Pulls and […]