“…with its Portable Document Format (PDF) now widely used for distributing documents electronically, Adobe now wants to expand the PDF format into a multiplatform foundation for viewing and sharing corporate data. It’s an ambitious plan that will likely bring Adobe into more direct competition with Microsoftóthough this would not be the first time the two companies have clashed.”

“You’ve probably come across one of its stores in a mall. It’s the one filled with kids and parents scurrying around to find just the right accessories for their freshly stuffed and stiched teddy bears. Build-A-Bear, a St. Louis-based company, has hit it big with its ‘build-your-own-bear’ concept. So big, in fact, that it operates 152 stores, including a recent opening in Denmark, and is one of the largest privately held companies in St Louis. But what can you learn from this niche toy business? Doug Fleener outlines a five lessons the bear store can teach any small-business owner in Stuff every small-business owner can learn from a bear, from the Boston Business Journal.”

“Writing in the May issue of Atlantic Monthly, Howell Raines, the former editor of The New York Times, coins the phrase ‘Management by Mendacity.’ It’s a condition many cubicle dwellers can identify with.”

“The latest issue of Design Link (from Herman Miller) is out and among its snippets is this blurb for some interesting research from the Design Council in the UK: The Impact of Design on Stock Market Performance: ‘A recent study in Great Britain has shown a direct relation between design and business success. The Design Council, an organization funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry, released research findings this month.’”