American Steel, by Richard Preston (Avon Books, 800-223-0690, 1991, $19.95), answers the question, How does an upstart minimill outcompete nearly every steelmaker in the world? An award-winning journalist takes you inside Nucor and shows, through page-turning examples and anecdotes, what a difference a truly distinctive culture can make.
Nuts: Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg (Bard Books, 800-945-3132, 1996, $24.95), has a predictably rah-rah tone (the authors are longtime consultants to the airline), but the company's 25-year history still makes interesting reading.
Culture Day at Southwest Airlines is open to the public. The quarterly event is free and covers employee training and benefits, marketing, and human resources. The company also solicits ideas for topics from attendees. The most recent Culture Day was expected to draw an estimated 200 people. For more information, call Linda Jones at 214-792-4645.
The Deadbeat Diaries, page 55
Our search for resources for this story gave us a taste of what Allen Shatto experienced trying to collect his money from Uncle Sam. After being shuttled from one government office to the next, we located more than a few starting points that could save you from collection hell, should you take on government contracts.
A summary of "Status Report on Federal Agency Prompt Payment" is available from the Treasury Department's office of Financial Management Service (202-874-6749). The four-page summary reveals that the Department of Defense has one of the worst payment records, but nearly half the 25 reporting agencies contributed to an increase in late payments in 1995.
Procurement Opportunities: A Small Business Guide to Procurement Reform, available free from the Small Business Administration (800-827-5722, or call your local SBA office), contains a wealth of information, in particular on resource organizations that can help small businesses working with the government. It can also be downloaded from the SBA's Web site; look under "Special Interests."
The Prompt Payment Act of 1982 was designed to encourage speedier payments to certified small businesses and nonprofits. It enables them to collect penalties from state agencies if their claim is not paid in 30 days. To get paid, though, your invoice must follow all the rules. Download a summary of the act from the Office of Small and Minority Business's Web site.
The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 mandates the use of electronic fund transfer for federal payments. You can get a copy of the act on-line at the Financial Management Service's Web site.
Prompt Pay Laws in the 50 States (The Foundation of the American Subcontractors Associations, 301-645-3574, $42 plus $9.25 shipping for nonmembers) summarizes for the construction industry the rights and obligations concerning payment of contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers on public and private projects in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The National Institute of Federal Procurement offers a variety of resources for dealing with the federal government, plus a 500-page guide that is updated monthly. A subscription costs $219 a year; call 800-929-4824, ext. 347, for information.
General Services Administration (GSA) Business Service Centers around the country counsel small companies on how to obtain government contracts. For Atlanta, call 404-331-5103; Boston, 617-565-8100; Los Angeles, 213-894-3210; Washington, D.C., 202-708-5961; Chicago, 312-353-5383; and Denver, 303-236-7408.
Procurement Technical Assistance Centers help local businesses market and sell products and services to federal, state, and local governments. For the centers' locations and contacts, call 409-886-0125 or 703-767-1650.
If all else fails, Judy McCauley, a federal-contracts specialist for the SBA in Clarksburg, W. Va., can help you pin down local resources. Call her at 304-623-5631.
Anatomy of a Start-up: Errand Boy, page 60
"Virtual Shopping: Breakthrough in Marketing Research" (Harvard Business Review, March-April, 1996) explains how three-dimensional computer modeling is currently helping companies roll out new products, test brand equity, and try out new packaging. Author Raymond R. Burke, a professor at Indiana University and a consumer-behavior expert, says manufacturers and retailers can create computerized stores with virtual shelves and then watch as test shoppers "pick up" packages using a mouse or a trackball. Burke contends that 3-D computer simulations offer an inexpensive and effective way to collect market research. And it's practically impossible for the competition to get a whiff of what you're up to. Contact Harvard Business School Publishing at 800-545-7685, and ask for reprint number 96204; it's $5.
Peapod's Web site allows you to download and try out the software.
The Web site for Shopping Alternatives offers little more than public-relations propaganda, but it has links to sites of major consumer-goods companies such as Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay.
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) can provide you with just about any statistic on the food industry. Each year, FMI publishes reports on consumer trends and habits. Go to FMI's home page or call 202-452-8444.
