News & Numbers Statewide: Feb/Mar 2011

Site Staff,

Business Arena: News & Numbers Statewide (Feb/Mar 2011) Compiled by Janeen Talbott and Linda Kleindienst Originally published in the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of 850 Business Magazine

 

‘There’s an App for That!’

Considering that mobile application technology was only introduced to the public in 2008, it’s growing prevalence in today’s society has earned it a place in everyday language. That isn’t all apps have earned.

Small and large businesses alike have been taking advantage of the innovative medium to capitalize on the marketing and exposure that apps have to offer. The app craze has taken over smart phones, hand-held devices and are now available on tablets. Whether a business is using one to get feedback on a new product, spill the beans about an exclusive sale or merely give patrons a map to their store, apps have made their way to the forefront of modern technology.

Those who see the benefits of hopping on the mobile-business bandwagon may be in luck. Do-it-yourself application tools include Google’s App Inventor (free), AppMakr ($199) and Build-AnApp ($49–$149). These are cheaper than hiring a tech guru and those who aren’t among the more technologically inclined should be able to take a successful stab at it.

  • 82% of the adults in America use cell phones.
  • 43% of adult cell phone users have mobile apps on their phones.
  • 14% of cell phone users have downloaded at least one app within the past 30 days.
  • An estimated $2.42 billion in mobile-commerce sales was made last year.
  • 62% of retailers are either in the planning stage or haven’t taken advantage of mobile-commerce at all.

 

High Marks for Hancock

BauerFinancial, Inc., the country’s leading independent bank rating and research firm, has recognized 112-year-old Hancock Bank as one of the most financially sound banks in America for the 85th consecutive quarter, putting Hancock in the top 20 percent of more than 8,000 U.S. financial institutions. Forbes’ recently listed Hancock as one of the nation’s Top 100 Most Trustworthy Companies for the second year in row. In December, Hancock Holding Company, parent company of Hancock Bank, and Whitney Holding Corporation, founded in 1883, announced an agreement for Whitney to merge into Hancock in a stock-for-stock transaction. Hancock has 24 branch offices in Northwest Florida.

 

Friendly Neighbors

Working to increase trade between Canada and Florida, Enterprise Florida has opened offices in Ontario and Quebec. Canada sends more tourists to Florida than any other country — and it’s Florida’s third largest export partner. As of September 2010, Florida exports to our northern neighbor totaled more than $2.9 billion — 32.1 percent higher than September 2009.

 

Anger and Gluttony in the Workplace

In recent years, the American workplace has been infused with unprecedented levels of hostility — and that’s largely due to the deterioration of supervisor-subordinate trust, according to Florida State University researchers.

To better understand this deteriorating relationship, Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Business Administration in Florida State’s College of Business, and research associate Christian Ponder asked more than 750 mid-level employees to report how often they personally experienced their direct supervisor’s “Seven Deadly Sins” — wrath/anger, greed, laziness/sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony — at work.

Results indicate malevolent supervisor behaviors in excess of what many might expect:

  • 26 percent said their boss frequently has trouble managing his or her anger (wrath);
  • 27 percent said their boss vigorously pursues undeserved rewards (greed);
  • 41 percent said their boss habitually pushes work on to others rather than doing it himself or herself (laziness);
  • 31 percent said their boss regularly seeks undeserved admiration from others at work (pride);
  • 33 percent said their boss makes sure that others stroke his or her ego on a daily basis (lust);
  • 19 percent said their boss can be counted on to act enviously toward others who experience good things (jealous);
  • 23 percent said that their boss purposefully hoards resources that could be useful to others at work (gluttony).

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