Word: fasts
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...aren't happy with what they have." And who better to create such a site than McNealy, whose company has led the way in designing open-source computer software? He quickly raised some money, created a nonprofit and--voilą!--Curriki.org made its debut January 2006, and has been growing fast. Some 450 courses are in the works, and about 3,000 people have joined as members. McNealy reports that a teenager in Kuwait has already completed the introductory physics and calculus classes in 18 days...
...machine was at odds with the Starbuckian notion of a "handcrafted" beverage. An ice dispenser that would have eliminated time spent scooping was rejected as a step too far. "It was big and QSR-like," says Peterson--QSR being an abbreviation for quick-serve restaurant, as in fast food, anathema to Starbucks. "It was a lot of stainless steel...
Mark Gottfredson, a partner at consultancy Bain & Co., studied that subject at 75 companies in 12 industries and found that as firms became more complicated, growth slowed. Companies lowest in complexity grew 1.7 times as fast as their average competitor, even when taking firm size into account. "Complexity creep is the most natural thing in the world, especially in retail," says Gottfredson. "The challenge is that while every one of those decisions seems to make sense, underneath you start building up enormous amounts of systemic cost...
...when Starbucks introduces drive-throughs, which are at 58% of the stores it builds today? It took a decade for the company to put in its first drive-through because, says Schultz, "we wanted to ensure that once we did, we didn't take Starbucks down this road of fast-food mentality." Again the dreaded FF words. Next year Starbucks will open some 600 drive-throughs, many on busy highways--a huge departure from the store's original Main Street philosophy. Here's why: drive-throughs significantly boost a store's total sales...
...Those lessons were learned by Wendy's, the fast-food chain, in 2005 after a customer in San Jose, Calif., claimed to have found a human finger in her chili. The incident temporarily drove away Wendy's customers and sales plummeted by 50%, according to Fink, who blames much of the drop on Wendy's ineffectual communciation with the public...