Don Peppers and Martha Rogers Ph.D. invented one-to-one business strategy over 15 years ago. Today, they are recognized gurus, acclaimed authors and globally sought-after speakers.
I've been following some of the debates in the airline industry about the new ways to engender loyalty: social media as the new loyalty vehicle versus costly frequent flyer program (FFP) miles. While social media has already become an essential ingredient to airline's customer programs, the FFP will continue to be a foundation for one-to-one customer engagement.
My first job out of the Air Force was as an economist for an independent oil company. We were based in New York City at 50 Rockefeller Plaza, which is the building that backs up onto Radio City Music Hall. I spent a little over a year in a shared office on the fourteenth floor at 50 Rock, before being promoted and transferred to Houston. Our office had a great view over the roof of Radio City, and we became a prime destination for lunchtime meetings and get-togethers during spring and summer, because on clear days we could usually spot several of the Rockettes out on the roof, tanning their legs. 
For the last two days I've been sitting inside Radio City, observing and recording my impressions of HSM's World Business Forum as a member of the IBM-sponsored "Bloggers Hub." Radio City's atmosphere is electric, its setting majestic, and its historical pedigree authenticated by rows of now pointless public phone booths in the washrooms. But no sunning Rockettes were spotted. Instead, for the last two days we have been shining the light on business ethics, strategies, corporate culture, innovation, and employment practices.
It seemed to me that the message brought to us by the several international business leaders during HSM's "International Insights" segment of the World Business Forum provided an interesting counter-position to the heavily pessimistic views of both Jeffrey Sachs and David Rubenstein, yesterday afternoon. The other bloggers and people I talked with all agreed, that it seemed these business people, when they were talking about the future as it looks now, were fairly optimistic about their own prospects for growth. They each acknowledged the challenging environment, and the fact that margins are still under pressure, and the economy is still sluggish, but they each also felt that the worst was now behind us, and prospects are decent. Not super, but decent.
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