Methods for establishing an advertising budget are reviewed. They include methods based on percentage of sales or profits, unit of sales, and objective and task. Also discussed are ways to allocate a promotional budget. The most common breakdowns are: departmental budgets, total budget, calendar periods, media, and sales area. (JMD)

Describes five parts of a sales training program and offers six basic teaching techniques for presenting sales training materials.

A survey examining social group participation of 584 whitewater kayakers found that friends and fellow paddlers of similar skill were the most popular choices as kayaking companions. Social group choice was predicted by psychological outcomes, personal involvement in kayaking, and group size. Discusses implications for development and marketing of…

A ruling in a dispute over whether the State University of New York System was justified in barring from its Cortland campus a group selling kitchen products is discussed. The case involved the legality of a regulation that bars most commercial activity from SUNY campuses. (MLW)

Vendors often use product demonstrations as a means of enticing students to purchase their merchandise. Officials at the State University of New York at Cortland objected when a student hosted in her dormitory room a demonstration conducted by a salesperson representing American Future Systems, Inc. The resulting litigation is discussed.…

Briefly traces the history of video pricing, emphasizing the pricing disparity for home and public performance use of videos. Provides advice in dealing with vendors and in shopping for reasonably priced videos: when to wait for prices to lower on public performance video or to wait for home video versions. (JKP)

This article presents five basic guidelines for initiating a successful alumni merchandising program: (1) shop around for the best vendor; (2) decide what to sell; (3) manage merchandise properly; (4) watch out for risky business; and (5) get what you pay for. (MDM)

This article reviews the tax implications of alumni association merchandising programs, focusing on unrelated business income tax (UBIT) that nonprofit organizations, such as alumni associations, must pay on income derived from a trade or business not substantially related to their tax-exempt status. It also discusses postal regulations that…

This article describes a contrastive study on rhetorical differences between Italian and English sales promotion letters. It is assumed that cultural differences affect discourse genres traditionally considered as standardized, ritual or even formulaic, written business communication being a case in point. It was our goal to investigate how…

The purpose of this project was to develop a science-based course, "Environmental Sustainability Issues for Designers and Merchandisers". The course emphasis was on scientific concepts underlying textile-related environmental problems; the focus was on the "cradle to cradle" design model as an approach for eliminating environmental problems during…

As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate…

Building and developing the trade paperback department of the college bookstore is discussed by a sales representative from a major book seller. (PG)

The reorganization of the Boise State University Campus Store is described, with special emphasis placed on student workers. (PG)

This teacher's guide presents material for a unit on introduction to fashion buying. Content focuses on information sources, retail store types, the responsibilities of a buyer, and the qualifications of a buyer. The guide contains 4 objectives, 4 group learning activities keyed to the objectives, 17 transparency masters with dialogue for each,…