Business & Personal Finance

The Pampered Chef

 

In 1980 Doris Christopher, former home economics teacher and stay-at-home mom, decided to supplement the family income by selling quality kitchenware by doing in-home presentations to small groups of women. The key to her success was in demonstrating the ease and versatility of the products by preparing food during her presentations and selling products that she felt passionate about. In her first year she did $50,000 in business and soon after The Pampered Chef was born.

With $3000 in start up money Doris built a business and made it an international success by creating a mission that resonates with most people: To bring families together at the table for shared mealtimes. The company continued to grow even through the 1990's as other party plan merchandisers began to lose business due to changing lifestyles. It spread to the UK in 1999 and Germany in 2000. In 2002 Doris Christopher sold The Pampered Chef to Warren Buffett. Today, The Pampered Chef is a multi-level marketing company with an international workforce of 60,000 that still continues to offer high quality kitchen products.

To read more about The Pampered Chef and other direct selling companies, take a look at these books:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great business documentaries

Trying to find a good movie to watch can be difficult.  So, to save you some time here are a few movies, in no particular order, that I found to be informative, exciting and, at times, as thrilling as a crime novel:

   This DVD pulls back the curtain on the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry to expose the ways that illness is used, manipulated, and in some instances created, for capital gain.  Focusing on the industry's marketing practices, media scholars and health professionals help viewers understand the ways in which direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising glamorizes and normalizes the use of prescription medication, and how it works in tandem with promotion to doctors.

 

In the devastating aftermath of the economic meltdown, The Warning sifts through the ashes for clues about why it happened and examines critical moments when it might have gone much differently.  Looking back into the 1990's, Frontline discovers early warnings of the crash and uncovers an intense battle between high-ranking members of the Clinton administration vs. one woman trying to sound the alarm about the need to regulate the emerging, highly complex, and lucrative derivatives markets, which would become the ticking time-bomb within the American economy.

 

 Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? This timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes  look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water.  From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table.

 

 

       This documentary dives into the bustling world of late nights, long hours and hard partying to chronicle the rise of a new force in Indian society--the telemarketers. Fast-paced, gritty and fun, this film is a compelling insider's look at youth culture in India. "Here you'll learn accent coaching to sound less ethnic, enjoy culture lessons that feature a viewing of "Crocodile Dundee" and discover that if you can keep the customer on the phone to say no six times, you've almost got your sale.  Watching the highs and lows of the business is compelling, as is the look at Western consumer  values corrupting Indian youth." (NOW magazine)

 

 Our civilization's addiction to oil puts it on a collision course with disaster.  Compelling, intelligent, and highly disturbing, this film visits with the world's top experts and comes to a startling but logical conclusion--our industrial society, built on cheap and readily available oil , must be completely re-imagined and overhauled.  The world's oil supplies are peaking and the crisis of global shortage looms; we are running out of oil and we don't have a plan.

 

 Available in nearly 200 countries, Coca-Cola sells an average of one billion bottles, cans and glasses of their product daily, with archrival Pepsi close on its heels. This documentary looks at the development of these two industry giants and the story of their legendary rivalry. Discover the changes the Coca-Cola formula has undergone over the years--including the controversy over its once high cocaine content--and find out how a massive business blunder by Coca-Cola allowed Pepsi to step into the spotlight.

 

This documentary brings to life the story of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrant anarchists who were accused of a murder in 1920 and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial.  Their ordeal came to symbolixe the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America.  Millions of people around the world protested on their behalf, and now 80 years later, their story continues to have great resonance, as civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack.

 

One of the greatest scandals in American corporate history, this DVD draws upon the wealth of insider interviews and archival material to show how Enron, once the nation's seventh largest corporate entity, essentially faked its bookkeeping to report profits that never existed. Using various techniques Enron executives tried to hide massive losses that eventually toppled the company and left 20,000 employees jobless.

 

 

 

Finding Company Histories at UWO's Web Site

Johnston Library's staff at the University of Western Ontario have developed a very useful and impressive web page on Books About Companies.  It includes links to:

1.
Business and History at Western:  A Guide to Selected Resources in the UWO Library System (1992).
This bibliography is designed to direct the reader to the considerable resources in the University of Western Ontario Library System that are related to Business History generally and the histories of companies specifically.  If there is a title of interest, check the Toronto Public Library catalogue to determine if it is available in the TPL system.  If not, go to a local library branch and request an Interlibary Loan for the desired item.

2.
Alphabetical List of Related Companies
After 1992, more company-related books were discovered at UWO and many more were published.   A lengthy list of company histories is available by scrolling to the bottom of the Books About Companies web page.  Company histories that are often found in reference works or in books about industries are included.

In addition to printed company histories, annotations in the lists may include reviews of the books and short bibliographies, links to articles that have been scanned by staff in UWO's Business Library, and obituaries of individuals who were important in relation to a company.  Most of the obituaries are for Canadian business persons.

For example, under the heading Alphabetical List of Related Companies, click on:

A and go to the entry for Arnold Brothers, a Toronto company.  There is a link to a full-text article about this company.

H and go to the entry for Harris Steel Group.  There is a notice for Milton Harris, the company's founder with a reference to a thorough obituary.

3.
Basic Indexes

Johnston Library's staff have also created some basic indexes.  They are:

3a.
Index by Industry
Choose an industry and see what related company historical information has been found.

3b.
Company and Industry
See what industry a company is associated with.

3c.
Canadian Company Index
Companies which are seen to have, or have had, a significant Canadian connection.

There are also links to:

4.
Company Historical Profiles from the Canadian Register of Commerce and Industry (1959)
This title included profiles of several hundred Canadian commercial and industrial companies.  Some of the profiles were scanned and were added to the alphabethical lists of company histories produced by UWO's Business Library.  A print copy of the Canadian Register of Commerce and Industry is available at the Toronto Reference Library. 

5.
Company Historical Profiles from Industrial Canada (1967)
In May 1967, the Canadian Manufacturers' Association published a special centennial issue of the periodical Industrial Canada.  The issue included 100+ profiles of Canadian companies that were over 100 years old.  These profiles were scanned and can be found in the alphabetical lists of company histories produced by UWO's Business Library.  A print copy of the special issue is also available at the Toronto Reference Library.

It is noted "none of these lists or indexes are exhaustive and we are sure we have missed some companies". But, this web page does provide excellent tools and references for those interested in finding company histories; especially Canadian company histories.

 

Finding Business Biographies

Are you are going to a job interview or investing in a company? 

If so, you may want to find a biography on a specific company director or executive.  The Toronto Public Library has a number of business databases that may help you in your seach.  They are:

Financial Post (FP) Advisor

• To start a search, click on Directory of Directors on the left side of the home page.
• There is information on over 29,000+ directors and executives of Canadian companies.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

• On the left side of the home page, click on the heading Business.
• Click on the title International Directory of Business Biographies. 4v. 2005. 
• This title examines the career paths, business achievements, leadership styles, business strategies and industry impact of Fortune 500 and Global 500 corporate leaders, as well as entrepreneurs and other notable businesspeople through in-depth biographical narratives.

Mergent Online

• Company Profiles include an Executive tab. 
• Individual executive profiles are available for download or printer friendly format.  Photos are included.

These TPL databases are available via remote access.  An active Toronto Public Library card is required in order to access.