The E-Commerce Diet to Make Sick Stocks Fit for Business Again - New Series on Tuesday Treadmills
Productivity and customer engagement are like eating right and exercising to stay fit. It is never too late to start such movements of change. It is never appropriate to shed such habits, or to lapse into ways of lesser business health. No corporation can afford to ignore optimal deployment of resources, and its customers.
We are happy to start a new weekly series on financial health tips. How can organizations stay fit in business terms? How can investors spot such stocks, so that they too enjoy the fruits of good health? Drop in at this web page every Tuesday, and work-out in our mental gym.
The focus for this first of a new series is on e-commerce. Why should stock investors bother with such an operational detail? The answer lies in the preponderance of the Internet, and its growing importance as well. There is scarcely time to learn the ways of new hardware and systems before the Internet makes the next giant leap.
The benefits of e-commerce are clear, so what is the big deal for stock investors? The analogy is of a person who breaks diets and exercise routines for the flimsiest of reasons. Stocks will not benefit from e-commerce unless traditional expenses are brought to nearly zero. Does a company with web conferencing still spend large amounts of extravagant executive travel? Are savings from Internet Marketing lost in mass media spending as of the past?
It is no longer a matter of generating profits alone, but of using less capital in the bargain as well. Securing market share is old hat: how much does a company spend in the process? Pick stocks which use e-commerce for better business results and not just for fashionable window dressing.
Exotic Baby Stocks in the Bathwater of the Money Center Banks Industry
Unremitting disgrace of the Financial Sector sullies U.S. economic history as eight years of a Presidency draws to a close. It is for the very first time in living memory that so many people suffered such acute distress and uncertainty. How many people do you know who are unaffected by sub-prime?
Our reviews of industries and sectors until now have tried to uncover individual stocks that present values lacking in entire groupings. The fundamental motivation of such posts is to protect small investors who may reject disgraced industries and sectors at the costs of their own portfolios. Let us consider the Money Center Banks Industry today.
The Money Center Banks Industry is a faithful child of its parent, the Financial Sector. It has also wiped off more than a third of its combined value in the 12 months ended June 2008. However, it is self-destructive to write off this important part of the world economy.
Buddhist philosophy celebrates the nurturing of rich lotus plants and their enchanting flowers from the depths of moist and stagnant organic waste. This approach to stock investing is appropriate for the summer of 2008. The best-known brands of the U.S. Financial Sector may wallow in opprobrium, but there are excellent star stocks of the future in these murky waters.
ADRs of Money Center Banks from emerging economies present sterling investment opportunities. These stocks derive values from professional and diligent management teams. They run banks so that deserving customers and clients get judicious and controlled credit lines to achieve valid business plans.
Knoll Inc. (KNL) Knows Modern Furniture
With headquarters in East Greenville, Pennsylvania, Knoll Inc. is a leading designer and manufacturer of branded office furniture products and textiles recognized for innovation and modern design. Founded in 1938, they trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as part of the Business Equipment industry and have a market capitalization of $750.39M. The company’s focus is design integrity and their commitment is to modern design.
Knoll Inc. creates workplace furnishings that have evolved with the changing needs of today’s modern offices and other environments. Their commitment to innovative design has helped them develop a portfolio of office furniture systems, seating, and files and storage. It has also helped them develop an inventory of tables, desks, wood casegoods, textiles, and accessories.
The company has received recognition as a design leader with their products exhibited in major art museums. In fact, they have more than forty pieces in the permanent Design Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The company operates globally and has plants in Foligno and Graffignana, Italy. In Europe as a whole, the company has showrooms, and has dealer representation in most of the major cities there.
In North America, Knoll distributes their products through a network of over 300 dealerships. They also have approximately 100 showrooms and regional offices. They operate four manufacturing sites in North America as well. These are in East Greenville, Pennsylvania; Grand Rapids and Muskegon, Michigan; and Toronto, Ontario. In Asia and Latin America, independently owned dealers and licensees serve Knoll clients.
With modern offices changing, the company continues to adapt and stay at the forefront of new designs. They engage in research activities, which include independent field studies and collaborations with customers, universities, and industry associations. They also engage in continuing dialogue with experts from the fields of technology, architecture, design, organizational behavior, and psychology and business management. This is so they can produce products that meet the needs of a diverse modern global market.
On July 10, Knoll Miami celebrated the opening of its new showroom with a reception and open house for members of the design community and corporate clients. In late June, Knoll Chicago celebrated with the introduction of their newly expanded Chicago showroom. Knoll Inc. continues to offer sleek modern designs to their discerning customers. They are moving forward with their commitment to designs that inspire, evolve, and endure.
Taking Care of People is AdCare Health Systems Inc.’s (ADC) Business
With headquarters in Springfield, Ohio, AdCare Health Systems Inc. acquires, develops, owns, and manages assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and retirement communities in Ohio. They also provide home health care services, dementia/Alzheimer’s units, and sub-acute units. Founded in 1988, the company trades on the American Stock Exchange as part of the Long-Term Care Facilities industry.
AdCare Health Systems Inc. became a publicly traded company in November 2006. They have a current market capitalization of $8.18M. Along with owning facilities, the company also manages facilities owned by third parties. They have approximately 850 employees and the AdCare professional team has more than two hundred years of combined senior living management, development, and consulting experience.
The company manages fifteen facilities. Seven are assisted-living enterprises under the name Hearth and Home. Six facilities are skilled nursing centers. Their two other facilities are independent senior living communities. AdCare Health Systems manages both not-for-profit and for profit organizations.
The company provides operations management and strategies, development and acquisition, and financial management and reporting services. In addition, they provide market feasibility and financial feasibility services for proposed or existing facilities. AdCare Health Systems also provides development, consulting, and accounting services to hospitals, churches, universities, and other organizations.
AdCare Health Systems Inc. is continuing to absorb the necessary costs of being a public company but they are energized about being listed on the American Stock Exchange. David A. Tenwick, Chairman of AdCare, said, “Our plan is to utilize the advantages of being a public company by expanding operations through acquisitions in like or complimentary business areas such as rehabilitation services, institutional pharmacy and hospice, as well as raising additional capital. To assist us in carrying out our plans, we have engaged Prospect Financial Advisors.”
AdCare Health Systems Inc. continues to set the standard for senior living in Ohio. Their mission is to provide their internal and external customers with innovative products and services that exceed their expectations, while ensuring growth for the company, their employees, and their shareholders. AdCare Health Systems Inc.’s commitment is to people every step of the way.
Osage Exploration Inc. (OEDV.OB) Continues South American Drilling Program in Columbia
There is an old baseball adage about “hitting it where they ain’t.” If every company is herding in one direction, perhaps moving in another to find new sources of revenue is a wise idea. Often the overlooked opportunity can be found with this thought in mind. If an investor can find a company that is willing to commit to going its own way, perhaps profit is at hand.
Osage Exploration Inc., an independent oil and gas exploration and development company, works to find and develop oil and gas properties primarily in Oklahoma, Texas and Columbia, South America. The company has obtained rights for testing and drilling at its primary Columbian site through the end of 2008, and expects to continue to work in tandem with the Colombian oil authority for the longer term.
With offices in Oklahoma and San Diego California, the company has struck out into the international oil and gas exploration market with high hopes in Columbia. Since the country’s oil opening in 2003, it has seen an easy transition to a more independent market.
