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The dizzying rate of business changes and challenges means marketers must have the best tools and skills at their disposal so they may use them to beat their competition. »

Have you ever considered how much you would help your staff if you developed classes geared towards teaching them more about the products you sell? Have your customers expressed an interest in learning more about cheese, olive oil, or some other product category? If so, and you're not sure where to start, the following is a basic to-do list that should aid you in developing classes. »

The sun is shining a little brighter and a little longer these days, and most folks are planning their first outdoor barbecues. Still others are planning weddings as June brides rush to the altar. Television shows, consumer magazines, and cookbook publishers are ready to support all of their desires and help inspire customers to seek your advice. »

Consider the pig -- Sus scrofa. Over the centuries, these curious creatures have been the butt of jokes and religious taboos, eschewed by the upper classes, and held analogous to bad eating manners and less than scrupulous personal hygiene. Far more importantly, however, this hearty animal has provided sustenance for poor, working people for thousands of years, mostly due to their ability to thrive -- like the goat -- in meager conditions. »

What should we call Wal-Mart? The Colossus of Bentonville? The Tsunami of Arkansas? The Black Plague of retailing? Well, Mr. Sam's creation is hardly a gigantic, in-place statue and certainly is not an underground earthquake. »

Travelers to Spain seldom mark Extremadura on their itineraries, and that's a shame. The reasons for its relative anonymity are many. It is an austere land without the many indelible Spanish images of neighboring Andalusia, and its cities lack Madrid's grandeur and the sexiness of Barcelona. »

New York will blossom with new patterns and materials this month as the first tabletop market for 2004 opens its doors April 17-22 at 225 Fifth and 41 Madison Avenue market buildings. After a sneak peak at the European markets, buyers can expect to see a host of new trends from tapas-inspired settings to textural designs that will appeal to all your customers' senses. »