eBay # 2 most innovative company in mobile

great read…

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Shakira- Inspiration Bravo!

Wrestling with Demons – Jeff Hardy

The news article below updates us on a current arrest involving superstar Jeff Hardy. 

First, I encourage everyone to offer support for Jeff and the other superstars of WWE who will no doubt get scarred with the negative media attention this arrest will bring.  We should also not forget the reality of being innocent until proven guilty that still exists here in the US.

The issue of drugs in wrestling and the tragedies  that they have led to is far too common for my comfort.  I count over 40 deaths in the last decade attributable to drugs in wrestling.

I don’t blame the WWE, but I wish they would implement a comprehensive benefits package for those superstars past and present that work for them over an extended period of time.  I believe this as a fan and a shareholder of WWE.

To take drugs to perform, deal with pain,  or feel better is a personal decision that is made by the individual superstar.  You cannot legislate good decisions or common sense, it is up to us as individuals to be accountable for those decisions.  It should also not be missed that many superstars make bad choices in an effort to provide themselves an advantage in earning potential.

Our colleagues in professional wrestling wrestle 275+ days a year which is in and of itself a unbelievable toll on their bodies.  The concept of the show must go on is true and real in todays television cycle.  A superstar that sits out for a few weeks with injuries needs to contemplate the effect it will have on their longevity with the company and current storyline.  It is their decision and we should not forget that.

The WWE, TNA and others should ensure that they are reasonable with their demands and have incentives in place for medical illness and addictions issues.  I have heard from many that the WWE does indeed help present and past superstars with addiction issues.  I am unclear if there are medical benefit plans in place, but there should be.

One solution to the benefits issue could be to have our WWE entertainers be covered under the SAG, (Screen Actors Guild) and receive benefits through them.

I also believe we fans or marks have a responsibility as well.  I am not sure how we can participate in helping these entertainers who work very hard to entertain us, but I think we need to give it some real thought.

These thoughts are from Paul Jones a fan/mark, wrestling historian and collector.  Paul is a business executive outside of the wrestling circle.

_______________________________________________________________

WWE’s Jeff Hardy Arrested, Jailed on Drug Charges

Posted Sep 11, 2009 5:30PM By Ryan Wilson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: PEDs, Pro Wrestling, Twitter

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WWE’s Jeff Hardy was arrested and jailed in North Carolina on Friday after authorities searched his home and found enough drugs to start a small pharmacy. Via ProWrestling.net, police “discovered 262 Vicodin pills, 180 Soma pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, and a residual amount of powder cocaine and items of drug paraphernalia.”

Apparently, you just can’t just stockpile this stuff in your industrial-sized medicine cabinet with the intent to start your own business. Even if you own one of those white lab coats.

The WWE star is facing “two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a schedule three controlled substance, felony maintaining a dwelling to keep a controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.”

Hardy’s brother posted his bail — allegedly $125,000 — which, as PWTorch.com’s James Caldwell writes, “… doesn’t seem like a very smart investment” for “an estimated $2,500 worth of drugs.” No, no it doesn’t.

For his part, Hardy tweets that the news of his arrest has been blown out of proportion. “A lot of exaggerations are out there today, don’t believe everything you read 4 it is not true, I am at home and fine-thanks for your concern.”

Rila & NRF merger

Retail Marriage Ends At The Altar

National Retail Federation and Retail Industry Leaders Association unexpectedly cancel merger.

by Bara Vaida

Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009

 

In April, many executives from the nation’s retail sector were excited by the news that a longtime dream was about to come true. The boards of the industry’s two largest trade and lobbying groups — the National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association, both based in Washington — had agreed to merge.

“With the changes in the political environment in Washington, the value of a unified voice goes up, and we thought we’d give [the merger] a try,” said Philip Francis, executive chairman of PetSmart, whose company is a member of both the NRF and RILA. Francis is also vice chairman of the retail federation’s board.

The timing was good, because long-serving federation President and CEO Tracy Mullin had announced she was retiring at the end of 2009. Mergers between big trade groups are often spurred by the departure of a chief executive. But two months after both organizations conducted due diligence, RILA’s board voted against the merger. The NRF’s vote, which had been scheduled for July, never occurred because the two groups announced on June 24 that they had abandoned their marriage plans.

Six weeks later, Mullin still isn’t sure what went wrong. “I don’t think we know exactly what happened,” she said in an interview. “It was fairly unusual. I don’t know specifically what prompted the collapse, but it’s done.”

RILA President Sandy Kennedy said: “Both organizations are bound by a nondisclosure agreement and can’t talk about the specifics of the merger. But I can say that we led a deliberative process, and based on the facts [from] the due diligence, we voted not to go forward.”

It is rare for organizations’ boards to agree to pursue a merger and then abandon the effort so far along in the process, said CEO Update Managing Director Mark Graham, whose publication covers the trade association industry. “Many association mergers do fail,” he said, “just not this late in the game, because it’s bad press and it leaves unanswered questions.”

Indeed, the reasons for the collapse of the marriage between the NRF, which represents 2,500 retailers and vendors, and RILA, which represents 200, have caused plenty of buzz and puzzlement on K Street.

Some sources speculated that RILA wasn’t happy with what it learned about the NRF’s finances during the due-diligence process. Kennedy wouldn’t comment on that point. She did say that the inquiry involved looking at the federation’s membership governance, bylaws, and the entire organization’s structure.

“It goes both ways, by the way; they looked at ours as well,” she said.

RILA’s 2008 revenue totaled $12.1 million, based on its May 2009 audit report. The NRF reported revenue of $31.4 million for 2007, according to its Form 990 filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

“I do know that there was a vote [by RILA] against moving forward after some due diligence,” said Nate Garvis, vice president of government affairs and senior public affairs officer at Target, which is a member of RILA but not the NRF. The board must “have run into something that didn’t look pretty, right?” he said, stressing, however, that he had not seen the due-diligence report.

Over the past 15 years, the retail sector has experienced tremendous economic upheaval and consolidation, leading to a decline in the number of large department stores and retailers in the U.S. One of the NRF’s big members, Home Depot, recently dropped out but kept its membership with RILA. Target left the federation about four years ago, Garvis said.

Mullin and PetSmart’s Francis vehemently dismissed talk of possible financial problems at the federation. Francis said that the NRF added 200 members this year and that in most years the federation posts an operating profit of about $1 million. Mullin said that her group has “$20 million in cash and assets.” Member dues account for 19 percent of the trade group’s total revenue, so losing Home Depot was a small “blip,” she said. (Home Depot’s dues were about $100,000 annually, according to a source.)

When asked if the NRF was facing financial difficulties, Francis told National Journal: “There are quite a few folks on the [NRF] board who read P&L [profit and loss] sheets, and I can’t even think of any scenario where that is true.”

Another theory is that the cultures of the two organizations were too different to meld. The NRF (originally called the National Retail Dry Goods Association) was launched in New York City in 1911 by department store executives. (It is now based in downtown Washington.) Macy’s and Sears were among its founding members. Today it represents a mix of retailers from department stores to catalogue companies to e-commerce firms.

In the late 1960s, Sam Walton, Wal-Mart’s founder, tried to join the NRF but was rebuffed because “the department store owners didn’t want to mix with a discounter,” one retail source said. So in 1969, Wal-Mart and 20 other companies co-founded the Mass Retailing Institute, which later became RILA. The group, based in Arlington, Va., represents some of the country’s largest retailers, among them Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Lowe’s. Wal-Mart never did become an NRF member.

RILA, with a staff of 33, devotes about a third of its budget to public policy issues and the rest to conferences and other programs to support retail businesses. In 2008, annual membership dues, education programs, and a special dues assessment each accounted for one-third of RILA’s revenue.

Both groups spend about the same on lobbying. In the first half of 2009, RILA doled out $910,000 on lobbying, while the federation ponied up $940,000, according to lobbying disclosure forms.

The NRF, which employs 99 people, plays aggressively in the public policy arena, but its annual convention in New York City is its biggest cash cow. It also has several divisions: the Association for Retail Technology Standards; the National Council of Chain Restaurants; the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association; and Shop.org. It has a research group and a foundation.

“We are very different from RILA,” Mullin said. “We have very different cultures.” She said that her group’s members “started raising questions about all the services that NRF offers” and expressed concerns that those services might be lost.

Wal-Mart’s public policy approaches may have played a role in the failed marriage by underscoring the irreconcilable differences between the groups. On June 30, just a few days after the merger talks collapsed, Wal-Mart stunned the business community by joining with the powerful Service Employees International Union and the left-leaning Center for American Progress to endorse a mandate requiring employers to provide health care coverage to their workers.

Mullin publicly condemned Wal-Mart’s decision. In a July 13 open letter to the NRF’s members, she called the company’s move “troubling” and urged her members to fight the employer mandate. RILA did not join with the NRF in condemning Wal-Mart.

“We’d rather take a more balanced approach,” said Kennedy, who denied that Wal-Mart had blocked RILA from publicly opposing the company’s employer-mandate position. “When the [congressional] proposals come out, we will react appropriately. We’d prefer to take a more measured approach so we can participate in shaping the policy.”

Kennedy also disputes the notion that public policy differences between the two groups killed the merger, insisting that the topic “wasn’t even discussed” by her board when it was deciding to vote. She also emphasized that Wal-Mart’s dues are no greater than any other members’ and that the company doesn’t “dominate” the organization. She said she “didn’t believe” that there had been any plans to reduce the number of services that NRF members receive had the merger gone through.

“The thing that made this [merger] such an interesting proposition is that we had little overlap, and we saw this as an opportunity to build on the strength of both organizations,” Kennedy said.

Whatever happens between the two groups in the future will not take place on Mullin’s watch, even though she has postponed her departure from the NRF until June 2010. In the next several weeks, she said, her group will hire a search firm to find a new leader, and she’ll be engaged in the process.

“At the 60,000-foot level, I think the two [groups] being together makes sense today. But at the detail level, it became much harder,” PetSmart’s Francis said. “I think [talks about a merger] will sit dormant for a while.”

Loss Prevention Foundation- News

   8037 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 400 ▪ Charlotte, North Carolina 28226 ▪ WWW.losspreventionfoundation.org

PRESS RELEASE

The Loss Prevention Foundation’s mission is to develop certification and on-line educational resources.  In addition, a major objective is to increase the awareness for our profession with the academic community, thus increasing the candidate flow with more college graduates.  We are proud to announce tremendous progress with this mission.

The Loss Prevention Foundation recently attended the Academy of Criminal Justice Academy’s annual conference which convened simultaneously with the national conference for the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, Alpha Phi Sigma.  In a joint sponsorship with The LossPrevention Magazine, the foundation awarded 15 scholarships valued at $500 each, to students who expressed an interest in loss prevention. In recognizing academic excellence, students had at least a 3.2 grade point average to qualify.  Recipients represented 9 different universities.

Auburn University at Montgomery

Boise State University

Colorado Technical University

Florida International University

Minnesota State University

Prairie View A&M University

University of Houston Downtown

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

University of Nevada, Reno

The foundation spent several days networking with over 2000 university professors & students from hundreds of academic programs. The foundation’s national initiative of “educating the academic community on loss prevention being an excellent career alternative to the traditional criminal justice careers” clearly has tremendous momentum. Of special note is that the ACJS has a separate subsection for Security Management/Loss Prevention due to the increased demand of the private sector. The LossPrevention Magazine also participated by distributing hundreds of magazines and signing up dozens of professors to receive free subscriptions as well as giving them access to the on-line archives. Special recognition also goes to the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) for providing us with additional information to help promote our profession.  This was the second year that the foundation has exhibited at this conference.  Full page advertisement attracting graduates were also placed in both conference programs along with sponsorship of an Alpha Phi Sigma-LPF Scholarship and Reception event.

For more information on The Loss Prevention Foundation visit our website: www.losspreventionfoundation.org

For more information on Alpha Phi Sigma, visit: www.alphaphisigma.org/docket/DOCKETSpring2009.pdf

If you are formerly a member of Alpha Phi Sigma please contact: membership@alphaphisigma.org

The Loss Prevention Foundation is organized as a 501(c) (6) not-for-profit organization. For more information about The Loss Prevention Foundation, please contact Kelly Durham at Kelly.Durham@LossPreventionFoundation.org (704-405-4404) or Gene Smith at Gene.Smith@LossPreventionFoundation.org (704-837-2521).

February 2009 Report

Volume 3 – Issue 1                                                                                         February 24, 2009
Letter from Paul Our New Reality The last six months seem like an episode from The Twilight Zone.  So much has happened in such a quick period of time and it adds complexities to our personal lives, our profession, our country and the entire retail sector. I have had far too many conversations with good LP people who are now unemployed through no fault of their own. It is clear to me that the increased complexity that has been thrust upon us is here to stay for the foreseeable future. I have not heard any news of a retail bailout or, more specifically, a loss prevention bailout on the horizon, so we must take responsibility for this complexity ourselves. Part of our new reality seems to involve doing the “best with less.”  It is clear that our risks are rising as a result of this economy, and our staff and budgets are reducing. We need to review our game plan and formulate a plan to do the “best with less.” This plan will include distorting the focus, expenses and energy we give to key areas and maximizing our current investments. I would recommend reviewing your energy and expenses to ensure that every person on the payroll is engaged at a higher level than ever before in supporting the loss prevention program. The requirement for such a high level of engagement suggests to me that we need to enhance our training and awareness programs and ensure they are driving action and helping us to fill the gaps created through downsizing and expense reductions. If you do not have an awareness program that is exciting and educational with rigor built into the process then it is time to distort your dollars and upgrade your current program. The same old program will not cut it in our new reality. I also recommend that we conduct a full analysis of the technology that we currently deploy and ensure that we are absolutely maximizing it and gaining our full benefits. I am a fan of inviting our solution providers to participate in a review like this and be part of the driving force, ensuring we gain every benefit from the technology they provide us. Three technologies that come to mind and are often underutilized are electronic article surveillance, exception reporting and refund management. Now is also a time to review our operating practices to determine if a new procedure could drive improved controls. Finally, during this time, we need to remember our responsibilities to communicate the complexities and risk that are real and growing so our senior leaders are not surprised when the risks manifest themselves in financial results. In a few conversations with LP leaders, I have suggested a monthly report card to roll up the aggregated data and potential risks in a format that ensures our senior leaders understand the current risks and our strategies to mitigate them. In our recent crime trend survey, it was clear that crimes of all types are increasing and appear to be a result of our distressed economy. If we do not study and adjust our approach to these new sets of challenges, then we will not successfully support our companies by delivering positive results. If leadership were easy, anyone could do it. It takes a special person to be able to lead during these tough times. The loss prevention leaders today have proven over the last decade that they are ready, willing and able to step up to the challenges presented and design their programs in a way that ensures continued results. I have no doubt that we will embrace our new reality of doing the “best with less” and lead our companies through these turbulent times. Paul Jones Vice President, Asset Protection  Executive Profile Claude Verville is vice president of loss prevention & safety at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Discover more about Claude’s thoughts on the loss prevention field in the interview below. 1. What is the biggest challenge your department faces right now? History has demonstrated that retail company savings realized as a result of reductions in loss prevention budgeting during difficult economic periods can/will be more than offset by increased losses in future shrinkage rates. Our challenges as an LP industry going into 2009 are unprecedented: deepest, longest recession in the history of our country; projected peak 10 percent unemployment rates; 40 percent to 50 percent decline in wealth for most people to go along with record foreclosures and historic levels of retail closings and retailer’s going out of business. We have to remain committed and focused more than ever on validating our value as LP professionals to our respective organizations and retain the most proven, time-tested, talented members of our workforce. Read more.      Featured Articles Focusing on Deterrence By Read Hayes, Ph.D. Director, Loss Prevention Research Council Co-director, Loss Prevention Research Team, University of Florida Getting older is not all bad. This is my 32nd year in LP, and I still love it. I have learned a lot, but the more I learn, the more I realize how little we really know. One thing is certain: LP is a critical part of retail success. I also believe the key to LP success is deterrence. Obviously, loss prevention exists to support the organization’s operating goals and structure. Intimate understanding of how and why the organization works is critical. It is hard to protect something we do not completely comprehend or support. We need to really understand what our leaders are trying to accomplish, as well as our current processes and infrastructure. Read more. Loss Prevention: Managing through the “Perfect Storm” By Rohit Agarwal Founder, Chief Technology Officer & Chairman of the Board, Digital Harbor (Norkom Technologies) Retail loss prevention is potentially facing a “perfect storm.” After years of steady shrink, the industry is expecting to report the biggest growth in shrink losses in more than a decade for 2008. With deteriorating economic conditions, 2009 is expected to be even worse. The increases are coming when, after years of cost cutting, retail LP departments have their lowest headcount in two decades. How can LP executives manage to this impending crisis? Read more.   Loss Prevention Impact on Shareholder Value By King Rogers Principal, King Rogers Group, LLC We all know intuitively that when loss prevention is successful in preventing and recovering losses for our employers, we can impact our company’s bottom line. Of course, the expense incurred from our costs (our payroll, our benefits and our non-payroll expenses) also impacts the bottom line, but in a different way. So we strive everyday to add value through measurable contributions to profit. If we fail to deliver, then chances are good we will not be around to explain why we failed. But, what a thrill it is when our actions have a direct measurable impact on shareholder value, and we can explain it to our management teams. Read more. Coach’s Corner: “Plan C” By Steve Lundeen Executive Consultant & Coach, Dream Engineering Growing up and to this day, my mother and now my mother-in-law have continually and regularly told me “save for a rainy day.” Well, my friends, we seem to be in a torrential downpour.   I hope Plan A is solidly in place for all of you and that your Plan B is dusted off and ready. But given all that is going on, working on Plan C now makes some sense. I would like to suggest that this is the time to be both conservative with our careers as well as opportunistic. Read more.  Alignment: Is it Time to Visit the Chiropractor? By Walter E. Palmer CEO/President, PCG Solutions, Inc. In last year’s columns, we started a dialogue on how to be more effective in getting the support of senior management for your programs, budgets and proposals.  We addressed: Demonstrating a “Cause and Effect” Relationship Speaking the Language of Senior Management Knowing Their “Hot Buttons” Establishing Expertise Credibility Playing Nice in the Sandbox: Relationship Credibility If you missed any of these columns, you can find them at www.PCGsolutions.com/articles.htm.  In this month’s column we are going to look at the issue of alignment.  Frederick W. Smith, chairman of FedEx Corp., has said, “Alignment is the essence of management.”  Alignment occurs in two dimensions.  In horizontal alignment, we talk about how processes are aligned with customer needs.  In vertical alignment, we talk about how people are aligned to an organization’s strategy.  In this column,  we will focus on vertical alignment. Read more. Investigator’s Corner: Does Prosecution Make Good Cents? By David E. Zulawski, CFI, CFE and Shane G. Sturman, CFI, CPP When an employee takes company property, he should be punished. After all, he was given a job for which he received fair compensation in exchange for a fair day’s work. However, this thief has not only stolen from his employer, he also has affected the future of the company and his coworkers. Many organizations feel that a dishonest employee should be prosecuted to deter other employees from theft, but is prosecution really a deterrent? Read more.     A Year for Innovation By David Johnston Director of Business Development, LP Innovations With the new year more than a month old, we continue to see changes take place in our industry. Many of these changes have not been good. More retailers have announced company closures since the holidays. Others have announced large scale personnel and budget reductions in an attempt to reduce costs and maintain profitability. Yet many are still determining the results of their holiday season and how it will affect this year’s operations. Change is inevitable, whether it be good or bad. Rather than become victims of change, we as loss prevention professionals must not only accept change, but look forward to how we can work beyond the challenges, limitations and uncertainties of tomorrow. Read more. Will Consumer Shoplifting Slow as the Economy Improves? By Caroline Kochman Executive Director, National Association for Shoplifting Prevention There are three kinds of consumers: those who will never shoplift; those who will always shoplift; and those who, given the right opportunity, environment and justification will try their hand at shoplifting. Although the opportunity is technically always there, the store environment is changing because of retail budget cuts and, more important, the ability of today’s consumer to make excuses and justify shoplifting because of the poor economy. In all likelihood, it is the third group (the fence-sitters) that accounts for the increases in amateur shoplifting identified by 84 percent of retailers in RILA’s recent Current Crime Trends Survey. Read more. Importance of Partnerships Today By Gene Smith President, Loss Prevention Foundation It is much easier to do business when the economy is great – we all have sales. We have budgets and feel much less pressure to squeeze every nickel out of our budget. But, we all know that we are now in challenging times. Cutting budgets and re-evaluating our expenditures occupies more of our time than ever before. One of the things that many of us have to do is reduce expenses that directly impact solution providers. These providers are our partners. Partners that helped make us successful when things were good and partners that can help us in bad times as well. Be open and honest with your limitations, maybe these partners can help add value to the decision-making process. Try not to surprise them by cutting everything immediately with no notice. Try gradual reductions as an option. Read more.    RILA Update 3 ORC Bills Filed Tomorrow; RILA Grassroots Website Launched On Wednesday, three pieces of legislation are expected to be filed to combat organized retail crime (ORC). Together these bills would clarify existing law, require on-line and off-line market places to investigate suspicious sales, amend federal criminal code to make it illegal to engage in activities that further organized retail crime and require on-line market places to collect information that law enforcement can use to prosecute those that fence online.  Getting effective legislation passed will take a multifaceted approach that will include media, traditional lobbying and a coordinated grassroots effort. To bolster our grassroots effort, RILA has created a website where consumers can get more information on the risks of ORC and contact their congressmen requesting that they support the legislation. Please take a moment to visit www.orcawareness.com to contact your congressmen.  Also, please ask your colleagues and other LP contacts to do the same.     Inaugural Horizons Subcommittee Meeting On February 17 and 18, leading retail loss prevention leaders, global think tanks, and solution providers met at RILA headquarters to begin a complex process of discovery and innovation. This assembled subcommittee will be working on developing a set of future technology needs for the loss prevention space.They will be working with renowned partners to begin to communicate the projected needs of our industry on the horizons of the next 5-10 years. While this is a process and not an event, we are incredibly enthused to be able to work with others to focus on future strategies. If you are a RILA member and are interested in joining this committee please email paul.jones@rila.org for consideration. Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) We have included in this newsletter an article of the Loss Prevention Research Council. Read Hayes, Ph.D., and many of leading retailers continue to work at tackling some of the most difficult issues of the day by applying science and industry testing to the problems and identifying solutions and results. If you are not a member of the LPRC, please take a moment to visit its site. Hayes will also be presenting “Research in Action: Using Science to Protect” at RILA Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety 2009. In this session, he will discuss how rigorous, scientific R&D can increase asset protection impact and cost-effectiveness as it has for medicine, engineering and most other disciplines. This workshop illustrates recent experimental, offender interviewing and predictive modeling LP research- along with how participants can set their own R&D agenda. The session will use participant feedback to discuss the R&D process with current examples from drug, supermarket, mass merchant and specialty stores.	Inside this issue: - Letter from Paul - Executive Profile: Claude Verville - Focusing on Deterrence - Loss Prevention: Managing Through the ’Perfect Storm’ - Loss Prevention Impact on Shareholder Value - Coach’s Corner: “Plan C” - Alignment: Is it time to visit the Chiropractor? - Investigator’s Corner: Does Prosecution Make Good Cents? - A Year for Innovation - Will Consumer Shoplifting Slow as the Economy Improves? - Importance of Partnerships Today -RILA Update  RILA Calendar of Events February 24, 2009 Environmental Sustainability & Compliance Steering Committee Meeting Arlington, VirginiaFebruary 25, 2009 RILA Sustainability Initiative (RSI) Meeting Arlington, Virginia       May 3 – 6, 2009 Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference Orlando, Florida July 14, 2009 Financial Leaders Council Annual Meeting Arlington, Virginia October 5 – 7, 2009 Environmental Sustainability & Compliance Conference Dallas, Texas RILA Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference Exhibitors and Sponsors Company                   Booth 3VR Security, Inc.           209 ADT Security Services, Inc.                   317 AFA Protective Systems, Inc.                   218 Agilence, Inc.                  517 Alpha Security Products   511 American Dynamics, Tyco International           424 American Security  Products                         602 Aspect Loss Prevention    409 Axis Communications      422 Babaco Alarm Systems     220 Bass Security Services, Inc.                                410 bluedot                           330 Cam Connections, Inc.     524   Cambridge Security Services Coporation         506   CAP Index, Inc.              216   CDC/NIOSH                   207  Certicom Security             331 Checkpoint Systems, Inc.  510   Civil Demand Associates, Inc.                401 ClickIt, Inc.                     316 Clinton Electronics Corporate Safe Specialists Inc.                 323 CyberQuest Systems, LLC                                328   Datascan, LP                    210   Diebold Security               223   Digilock                           617  DMP                                407   Dunbar Armored              231   Enabl-u Technologies Corporation                     411   FireKing Security Group                             425   G4S Compliance & Investigations                   501 GE Security General Information Services, Inc. (GIS)           308   Hart Systems                    507   i3DVR International          621   ImpactWeather, Inc.          505   InfoMart, Inc.                   504   InstaKey Security Systems                             601  Jamison Door                    201 KABA MAS                      329   Kenstan Lock Company                          303 LexisNexis                        528   LockNet                             228 Loss Prevention Foundation                       211 LossPrevention Magazine                           213   LP Software, Inc.               304   Medeco High Security Locks                                 232 Metro One Loss Prevention Services Group   429   MICROS-Retail                  600   Mitsubishi Electric - Security Products                205   Nashua Corporation            523   The Network, Inc.               235   Nutech National                  307   Orion Systems                    301   Pacific Handy Cutter, Inc.                        222   Prepare Training Program for Crisis Prevention Institute            616 Protex International Corp.                                310 Protos Security                   623   Punch Integrated Communications, Inc.        219  RealTime Intelligence                        428   The Retail Equation           212   Rolland Safe Company                          236   RuMe Corp.                      311   Sargent and Greenleaf, Inc.                  305   Scarsdale Security             613 Se-Kure Controls, Inc.                                  300    Security Source                 322 Send Word Now               325 SenTech EAS Corporation                     405   SIRAS®                          430   Stanley Convergent Security Solutions            400 Sterling Testing Systems, Inc.                   503   StopLift Checkout Vision Systems                306   Tellermate, Inc.               525   Tidel Engineering L.P.                               333   Unisen/All-Tag Security                          531 Universal Surveillance Systems        622 U.S. Security Associates, Inc.                529  Vector Security, Inc.         200   Verint Video Solutions                        508 WG Security Products                         500 Wilson Safe Company                        226   WIS International           423  WREN                           404   The Zellman Group, LLC                   522

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Record High Shrink Predicted 2009- 2010

Paul Jones a retail Loss Prevention expert recommends reading this article.  Jones has 20+ years experience and is currently the VP of Asset Protection for The Retail Industry Leaders Association. 

Jones believes after reviewing recent crime trends that retailers without the vision to continue funding of Loss Prevention initiatives may experience a significant increase in shrink…

If crime is increasing and you choose to reduce store payroll and Loss Prevention intiatives you stand a good chance of  increased shrinkage.

Down economy see rise in shoplifting across state NJ.com – NJ,USA “We’re gearing up for some of the worst retail theft numbers we’ve seen,” said Paul Jones, vice president of asset protection for the Retail Industry …

Loss Prevention-2012

S PREVENTION

Loss Prevention 2012:

Cutting-Edge

 Technology

 

And Highly Qualified

 Talent

Technology is evolving quickly, and these advancements will be essential for

success in the future.

The Retail Solutions Update www.retailsolutionsonline.com 8

BY PAUL JONES

As you read this article, you have been struggling with several

months of stress trying to match your business plans with volatile

and uncontrollable world conditions. These conditions are

challenging retailers, who are trying to lower shrink and meet

profit goals.

Retailers and great merchants are described as having the

ability to see around corners and anticipate the future, like

modern day soothsayers. I am the first to admit that you would

not want to hire me to predict the next fashion trends. However,

I would like to take a moment and provide you with my vision for

technology and loss prevention as I feel it should look for loss

prevention teams in 2012.

After reviewing the landmark report, “Effective Retail Loss

Prevention,” by Adrian Beck from the University of Leicester, it

is apparent to me the degree to which technology is being

embraced by retailers. These retailers are incorporating the

cutting-edge technology in their loss prevention efforts at a

much higher rate than the laggards. The use of data sharing and

technology as a method to assist retailers in combating organized

retail crime is highlighted in the October 2008 national report on

organized retail crime conducted by Dr. Read Hayes, director for

the Loss Prevention Research Council and the Retail Industry

Leaders Association (RILA).

In my experience leading loss prevention teams, this

technology, which is featured in the report, is critical for success

in combating the new frontier of loss prevention efforts. The

functionality and advancements of the technology are evolving

quickly and will become essential for success in the future. In

the ensuing comments, I will be painting a picture of the

technology that may be used by loss prevention teams in 2012.

Pre-Employment Screening

The new-hire screening and orientation process will become a

more scrupulous and in-depth procedure. We will start by having

all applicants fill out an electronic application, which is hosted on

the career Internet sites. This form of application would

incorporate the pre-employment test, which was formerly a

written process. The second phase of testing would include a

screen of the quality of the applicant’s past retail experience.

This would use compiled information regarding an associate’s

former productivity with their last company. The result is a pool

of qualified candidates that would continue to partake in the

application process. The ensuing candidates then would be

screened for criminal backgrounds and negative employment

issues. The screening process likely would incorporate reviews of

social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo,

LinkedIn, and YouTube. Any online personal existence now will

be subject to scrutiny during the employment application.

On-Boarding — Training

The hired candidate will immediately be on-boarded with a new

interactive scenario-based training program. He/she will learn

skills to reduce shrink and loss, as well as effective selling skills.

In most retailers, these programs already are in place but often

are not leveraged to work in conjunction with each other. Loss

prevention associates will need to have their loss prevention

qualified (LPQ) certification and loss prevention certified

(LPC) status to accompany their other technical training, such

as Wicklander & Zulawski’s CFI or ASIS’s CPP-CFE.

Loss Prevention Technology

Cameras will be used more frequently by 2012. Utilizing cameras

for managing operations as well as loss prevention will finally

come to fruition with the advent of IP (Internet protocol) video

joined with video analytic programs. These will be tied into

associate phones and wireless devices. The video analytic

programs will ensure we are executing this technology with the

most effective techniques.

Exception-based reporting has done a sufficient job for

retailers over the last decade; nonetheless, this technology is

being retooled to be more effective. By 2012, the leaders in loss

prevention will integrate exception reporting into the POS

systems and begin triggering exceptions in real time. Exception

reporting will be completely merged with IP video and will be

LOSS PREVENTION

used frequently to mine exceptions with known loss tracking,

cycle counting, refund management, accident frequency, and

inventory control issues as opposed to just supporting POS data.

I would recommend exception reporting systems be merged

with your wireless audit devices. This will allow you to compile

your store audit data and case management system, thus creating

one complete enterprise loss prevention solution (ELPS).

ELPS will allow us to have all loss prevention technology

housed in one data warehouse with each working in sync with

the other areas of loss prevention solutions. This will result in us

being able to manage and deploy loss prevention resources in a

more effective and efficient manner. We will have access to an

actionable dashboard that encompasses all loss prevention issues

from investigations to risk. Loss prevention professionals will

have admission into a community with leading and easy-to-use

technological solutions. Top talent truly engages at a high level

when supported with technology.

Of all the solutions and applications available to retailers today,

I believe that refund management is the most underutilized. I

feel there is more money to save by effectively implementing a

data-centric integrated refund management program than many

of the other technology projects on the drawing board. I only

know of one solution provider today, The Retail Equation, that

has a solution for this problem. Many retailers have implemented

in-house systems that add value, but the increased data analytics

provided by The Retail Equation’s solution can save you millions

of dollars in shrink and refund expenses, and drive profitable

sales. Because it is so data-centric, it only touches those

customers who you absolutely cannot afford to keep. It is now

offering a sales bounce-back piece that is performing at a higher

rate than many direct marketing models. Talk about a win-win

situation.

By 2012, I foresee that we will begin to share refund data and

have refund processes to monitor this function. It will begin to

take place seamlessly at every retailer today and will be similar to

the processes we use to authorize credit cards and checks. It will

act as a central repository of information that will make our

decisions more intelligent.

EAS systems will continue to refine their offerings and will

begin experimenting in a broader sense, conjoining the use of

EAS with RFID tags. This will assist in theft detection at the

shelf or rack level, conjointly applying the benefits of a more

accurate in-stock position. The EAS systems of 2012 will contain

a standard feature at the entrances and in key locations

throughout the stores. The systems will be able to detect the

“booster bags,” which are lined with aluminum foil and currently

defeat most EAS and RFID tags. Providers of this technology

will need to produce a solution that allows tags to be read

through aluminum-lined bags to remain viable.

The use of cycle counting will evolve and replace full

inventories. In some cases, it will become a key tool in managing

shrink for retailers, entirely replacing the process we know today

for physical inventories. Cycle count data also will be used to

deploy resources, coordinate interventions, and trigger a physical

inventory. This will give it a vital and necessary place in the loss

prevention dashboard that is part of our new ELPS. Many

retailers will begin to inventory higher selling merchandise at

more frequent intervals to drive sales and reduce losses. The

POS systems will have wireless scanners that will be used for ad

hoc cycle counting. Inventory will transform from an event to a

consistent everyday operation. This will allow retailers to shift

from third-party management of inventories on a semi-annual

basis. Retailers will be able to utilize this savings and apply it to

the technological advancement and implementation that will be

required of them in the future.

Loss Prevention Talent

Loss prevention will continue to make progress in talent and the

ability to share loss prevention talent across an enterprise. One

concern that still troubles me is our industry’s record on

diversity. Unless readers of this article begin taking immediate

and needed action with an aggressive diversity strategy, we in the

loss prevention space will continue to be stragglers. It is

imperative that we have leaders who are diverse and represent

the broader population. My challenge to loss prevention leaders

is not to look for a silver bullet or a solution to come to you on

diversity. Instead, look inside your company for leaders who can

learn valuable loss prevention tactics, and recruit them. Then,

design your organization in a manner that will provide a learning

path for these leaders to apply their current proficiency, learn

new loss prevention skills, and grow within your pyramids.

Loss Prevention Leaders

Loss prevention leaders will continue to become integrated

members of the C-suite and be responsible for loss prevention,

enterprise risk management, crisis management, and safety. In

some cases, they will lead the inventory control efforts.

Moreover, I predict loss prevention leaders will continue to

migrate out of loss prevention into other areas within the

enterprise with increased responsibility. As always, loss

prevention leaders know how to work across functions and get

the job done.

Loss prevention has a great future, and I am excited to be a

component of this industry. As your RILA partner, I am available

to support you and your organization as you move forward to the

year 2012.

www.retailsolutionsonline.com The Retail Solutions Update 9

Paul Jones

 

 

 

is the vice president, asset protection for the Retail

Industry Leaders Association (RILA). He has more than 25 years of

retail loss prevention experience. In March 2008, he joined the RILA

and works with retailers, suppliers, and government agencies to

develop programs and support for the loss prevention industry. Prior to

joining the RILA, Paul was the senior vice president and chief security

officer for Limited Brands, a $10 billion, 4,000-store international

retailer. Paul led their loss prevention, security, brand protection, and crisis management

functions. He is the co-founder of LPjobs.com, vice chairman of the Loss Prevention

Foundation, and past president of the editorial board of

 

 

 

Loss Prevention Magazine

.

NYT- Shoplifting soars in the down economy

As Economy Dips, Arrests for Shoplifting Soar
By IAN URBINA and SEAN D. HAMILL
Published: December 22, 2008

Richard R. Johnson is the first to admit it was a bad idea.
Recently laid off from a job building trailers in Elkhart, Ind., Mr. Johnson came up a dollar short at Martin’s Supermarket last month when he went to buy a $4.99 bottle of sleep medication. So, “for some stupid reason,” he tried to shoplift it and was immediately arrested.
“I was desperate, I guess,” said Mr. Johnson, 25, who said he had never been arrested before. As the economy has weakened, shoplifting has increased, and retail security experts say the problem has grown worse this holiday season. Shoplifters are taking everything from compact discs and baby formula to gift cards and designer clothing.
Police departments across the country say that shoplifting arrests are 10 percent to 20 percent higher this year than last. The problem is probably even greater than arrest records indicate since shoplifters are often banned from stores rather than arrested.
Much of the increase has come from first-time offenders like Mr. Johnson making rash decisions in a pinch, the authorities say. But the ease with which stolen goods can be sold on the Internet has meant a bigger role for organized crime rings, which also engage in receipt fraud, fake price tagging and gift card schemes, the police and security experts say.
And as temptation has grown for potential thieves, so too has stores’ vulnerability.
“More people are desperate economically, retailers are operating with leaner staffs and police forces are cutting back or being told to deprioritize shoplifting calls,” said Paul Jones, the vice president of asset protection for the Retail Industry Leaders Association.
The problem, he said, could be particularly acute this December, “the month of the year when shoplifting always goes way up.”
Two of the largest retail associations say that more than 80 percent of their members are reporting sharp increases in shoplifting, according to surveys conducted in the last two months.
Compounding the problem, stores are more reluctant to stop suspicious customers because they fear scaring away much-needed business. And retailers are increasingly trying to save money by hiring seasonal workers who, security experts say, are themselves more likely to commit fraud or theft and are less practiced at catching shoplifters than full-time employees are.
More than $35 million in merchandise is stolen each day nationwide, and about one in 11 people in America have shoplifted, according to the nonprofit National Association for Shoplifting Prevention.
“We used to see more repeat offenders doing it because of drug addiction,” said Samyah Jubran, an assistant district attorney in Knoxville who for 13 years has handled the bulk of the shoplifting cases there. “But many of these new offenders may be doing it because of the economic situation. Maybe they’re hurting at home, and they’re taking a risk they may not take otherwise.”
Much of the stolen merchandise is sold online.
Dave Finley, the president of Leadsonline.com, which offers software that helps store owners track stolen goods being sold online and at pawn shops, said his company had seen a 50 percent increase over the last year in the number of shoplifting investigations handled by the company.
Security experts say retail theft is also being facilitated by Web sites that sell fake receipts that thieves can use to obtain cash refunds for stolen merchandise.
Andreas Carthy, the creator of one such site, denied that he was assisting with fraud.
“We provide a no-questions-asked service,” he said in an e-mail message, adding that his site was intended for people looking for prank gifts or students seeking to inflate spending to get more generous allowances from their parents.
At about $40 each, the Web site — which insists they are “for novelty use only” — sells about 80 fake receipts a month, Mr. Carthy said.
Local law enforcement and retailers have been trying new tactics to battle shoplifting and other forms of retail crime.
In Savannah, Ga., a local convenience store chain has linked its video surveillance to a police station so officers can help monitor the store for shoplifting and other crimes. In Louisiana, the police have been requiring shoplifters, even first-time offenders, to post $1,000 bail or stay in jail until their court date. On Staten Island, malls have started posting the mug shots of repeat shoplifters on video screens.
“There are more of them, and they seem more desperate,” said a store manager about shoplifters at the nation’s largest shopping center, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., which has seen a 19 percent increase in shoplifting this year over last.
The manager, who asked not to be identified because she was not permitted to speak to reporters, said stealing gift cards was especially popular during the holidays.
Shoplifters also seem to be getting bolder, according to industry surveys.
Thieves often put stolen items in bags lined with aluminum foil to avoid detection by the storefront alarms. Others work in teams, with a decoy who tries to look suspicious to draw out undercover security agents and attract the attention of security cameras, the police said.
“We’re definitely seeing more sprinters,” said an undercover security guard at Macy’s in Oakland, Calif., referring to shoplifters who make a run for the door.
The guard said that most large department stores instructed guards not to chase shoplifters more than 100 feet outside the store, because research showed that confrontations tended to become more serious beyond that point.
The holidays are a particularly popular time for pilfering.
About 20 percent of annual retail sales occur in November and December, and even with precautions, the increased customer traffic makes it tougher to track thieves. Moreover, cashiers are rushed by long lines, making them less vigilant about checking for stolen credit cards.
Mr. Johnson, who was arrested last month, said that after being laid off from his $20-an-hour job at a trailer factory a year ago, he took a job for $6.55 an hour at McDonald’s. Six months later, he was laid off and has not been able to find a job since.
He and his two small children rely on his wife’s minimum-wage job at Wal-Mart, groceries from a food bank and help from his mother, he said.
“I just know things are going to get a lot rougher,” said Mr. Johnson, who is awaiting trial. He added that no matter how tough it became, he had no intention of shoplifting again.
Mr. Martin said he was shocked that the store had decided to prosecute him for stealing such a small amount. A manager at Martin’s Supermarket said the store had a policy of prosecuting all shoplifting.
Retail security experts, however, say that people like Mr. Johnson do not pose the biggest threat to stores. People like Tommy Joe Tidwell do.
Mr. Tidwell, 35, pleaded guilty last month to running a shoplifting ring out of Dayton, Ohio, that netted more than $1 million, according to court papers.
After Mr. Tidwell would print fraudulent UPC bar code labels on his home computer, he and several conspirators would place them on items at Wal-Mart and other stores, then buy the merchandise for a fraction of the real price. They would resell the goods on the Internet, according to court papers.
Joe LaRocca, vice president of loss prevention for the National Retail Federation, said that as the holidays approached, retail security workers were keeping a close eye on receipt fraud.
But to entice shoppers, three times as many stores as last year have loosened their return policies, extending the return period and being more lenient with shoppers who lack receipts, according to the federation.
“Retailers are trying to find a balance,” Mr. LaRocca said. “They want to provide good customer service at a time when it’s crucial for customers to be able to shop comfortably or to return unwanted or duplicate gifts.
“But they also want to prevent criminals from taking advantage of them.”

Asset Protection Insider- December

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Volume 2 -Issue 10   Dec. 12, 2008
Letter from Paul Dear Colleagues, With the holidays quickly approaching, executing strategies and managing the day-to-day issues can become overwhelming. The holiday season is the most important time of the year for retailers, and this importance is only emphasized by the current economic state. Therefore, now is an imperative time to be properly executing loss prevention strategies. Over the next few weeks, you will close out what will be one of the most complex shopping seasons in history. In speaking with many of you, I have learned that you and your teams are focused, engaged and working to be complete business partners. You have been assisting your companies with balancing the collection of risks that face them. These risks and uncertain times require us to review, plan and respond to shrinkage, fraud, burglaries, safeness, robberies, non-traditional selling or store closings. It is reasonable to consider changing methods of operation to adapt quickly to this new, tumultuous environment. Changes might prove to be essential for loss prevention departments to stay relevant. Loss prevention professionals and our solution provider partners have always shown a dedication, commitment, resolve and ability to deliver results. Adapting and correcting courses as needed to meet the needs of our business is what we have always been able to accomplish. Our success will be directly linked to our teams’ abilities to manage through uncertain times, challenge the status quo and deliver results. Talk is cheap. Many people can talk about concepts, theories and what they did in the past, but loss prevention leaders need to be able to talk specifically. We must respond to the programs and strategies that will reduce the collection of risks that retailers are currently facing. More important, we will need to build solutions and programs that deliver those results. In an effort to understand the connection between retail crime and the downturn of our economy, the RILA Crimes Against Business subcommittee completed an in-depth survey. This survey produces some concerns relative to an increase in crime. To see highlights of this survey, visit http://www.retail-leaders.org/latest/resources/RILA Current Crime Trends Survey.pdf. It has become clear to me that we are entering into a new frontier for loss prevention which will require us to be faster, better and more effective than ever before. As many of you realize, RILA has a comprehensive list of committees to compliment and address the ever-changing portfolio of risks that you face. Will we address ORC? Yes. Not only will we address it, but we co-lead the Coalition against Organized Retail Crime. We will also work with you to address the hosts of crimes against businesses, safeness, workplace safety, disaster and recovery planning, merchandise protection and audit processes. We will continue to work with you to monitor and lead the future of retail loss prevention through our Horizons subcommittee. These committees provide an opportunity for members of the retail industry – loss prevention practitioners, manufacturers and solution providers – all working together for better solutions. Have a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to serving you in 2009. Paul Jones Vice President, Asset Protection     Executive Profile Jason M. Jones is director of loss prevention with Vans, the apparel and shoe company. Gain insight into Jason’s thoughts on the loss prevention field by reading the nine question interview with him below. 1. What is the biggest challenge your department faces right now? For the members on my team who work predominately with the stores, the greatest challenge they are facing is how to stay motivated and focused when trying to achieve our inventory goals. Vans has experienced rapid growth in the previous 36 months. The organization has grown by more than 30 percent in volume and opened more than 60 new stores along with 45 remodels in the same time period. Although profitable, these expansions have opened the door for huge opportunities in logistics and distribution center (supply chain) departments. These two major opportunities have dramatically affected our overall shrink goals. We estimate that these “back of house” opportunities could be costing the organization more than 50 percent of our overall inventory shrink. It is an extremely tough task to know that more than 50 percent of our inventory issues are not related to controllable variables at the store level. 2. What new technology has the potential to change the way retailers view loss prevention? I believe that technology will always be a substantial asset to loss prevention teams. What I do not believe is that technology will ever take the place of one-on-one personal relationships in the stores or the office. I believe in this day and age of growing 3G networks, that face-to-face contact with a loss prevention professional is worth more than any piece of technology on the market today. I understand the preventive piece that technology provides, but most of those tools have been designed to identify/apprehend, not prevent inventory reduction. Now do not misunderstand me, I have placed EAS, alarms and camera systems in a portion of the Vans stores, but I would trade all of that equipment (excluding exception-based reporting) for a few more qualified LP managers any day of the week. 3. Who do you feel is the most influential person in the loss prevention field and why? I know that my opinion is biased, but the most influential person in the loss prevention field was my previous supervisor at Hot Topic, RJ Levin. I worked under RJ for approximately six years. During those years with the organization and working for RJ, I was privileged to be a part of the creation and evolution of loss prevention within that unique culture. RJ was an absolute master at discovering ways of aligning the strategic loss prevention goals and initiatives with the company’s philosophy of anti-establishment. It was both interesting and educational to witness the transformation that RJ managed to invoke within that brand. A large percentage of the LP programs and initiatives that have been successful at Vans have been largely based on the programs that were created by RJ at Hot Topic more than 11 years ago. The idea of loss prevention professionals being viewed as business managers and NOT A SECURITY TEAM was coined by RJ and demonstrates that she was an exceptional innovator who was ahead of her time. 4. What was your first job in retail? My first position in retail was a part-time loss prevention agent at Kmart in St.Louis, Missouri. My knowledge about loss prevention was limited, and my ability to identify and apprehend a shoplifter was even less. Like many of us in the industry, I was one of the fortunate ones who had a talent for identifying dishonest behavior. That part-time position has now turned into a 14-year career. 5. What books are you reading now? My team just finished Failing Forward. Although I didn’t fully agree with all of the concepts taught in the book, I do respect the thought process of learning from your mistakes. The book also had mixed reviews amongst the team. I believe it is healthy to explore material that challenges and forces you to re-evaluate your own management style. 6. What is your favorite quote? "Seize the day! Be a courageous leader. Men and women make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better." ~Harry Truman 7. What is your favorite non-job-related pastime? I enjoy spending time at the beach with my beautiful wife. Growing up in the Midwest never gave me the opportunity to spend my free time near the ocean. It’s a very peaceful experience. My nature and that of many other LP executives is dealing with issues and problems on a daily basis. It is comforting to place some distance between that piece of my position and my personal life. 8. What is the one thing your co-workers do not know about you? Many of my co-workers have no idea that I am not a fan of college or professional sports. Unless the sport is UFC or boxing related, I have no interest in watching or attending any of these events. Everyone thinks that because I played sports, I would naturally love to watch others play those same sports. This is in fact not the case. 9. If you could invite any four people (dead or alive) to a dinner, who would you invite and why? • Jesus Christ – The most known and influential figure in recorded history. His ability to not only change the majority of mankind’s views, but to continue to change them more than 2000 years later is pretty remarkable. • Jeanette Jones – My grandmother who was both instrumental and influential in my life. I would leap at the opportunity to spend one more day with this amazing woman. • Barack Obama – To have dinner with an individual that has broken through so many barriers and obstacles even before entering office would be an opportunity of a lifetime. I believe he has the potential to impact and change living history in a positive way.  • Jesse James (Monster Garage Host, not 1800′s Outlaw) – I have a huge interest in building custom cars and motorcycles. Although most of the excitement around this builder has greatly diminished, I believe it would be an amazing opportunity to get some insight into this creative blue collar worker turned millionaire.       Feature Articles The “Trust” in Prevention By King Rogers, Principal, King Rogers Group, LLC.,   When I think of all of the assets with which we are entrusted and which we are expected to protect for our companies, I find myself thrilled by the challenge. And, maybe just a bit intimidated by the responsibility. Not only do we have the challenge of reducing the negative line items in the profit and loss statements of our employer, but we also have the assignment of protecting our company’s human capital and the image or brand of the company. These responsibilities can be daunting and, if we try to accomplish these all by ourselves, we will probably fail. It takes a whole team to succeed.   This does not mean we need a cast of thousands in the loss prevention department. It means we need to recruit and enlist the efforts of partners throughout the company. Retailers consist of some primary vertical functional areas such as buying and merchandising and store operations. Loss prevention, like IT and human resources are horizontal functional areas that cross through all of the company’s vertical functional responsibilities. We need to have partners in our efforts to protect and reduce loss from every other functional area within the company. Generally, we strive to cultivate those partners as champions for our cause.   How do we identify those champions and begin to educate them on our mission and win them over as partners? It begins with trust. Trust is something that does not just happen. It is earned. And it is so important to the success of not only the loss prevention department, but also the company the department serves. When you have earned trust in your company, you are rewarded with “trust dividends” and if you do not earn that trust then “trust taxes” are imposed upon you, sapping your energy and your effectiveness. And, earning trust is not always easy for us because there are some employees in our companies who believe we are engaged in a mission of catching people doing something wrong. That is the worse stereotype that can happen to loss prevention and, unfortunately, during all of the years I have been in this business, I have seen some fellow practitioners capitalize on this image. I urge you not to fall into that trap. If you do, not only will you not gain the partnership you need, but frankly, you will utterly fail in your mission within your company.   In his book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey tells the reader to thoroughly embrace and believe in Four Cores of Credibility and then begin to “walk the talk” to earn the trust necessary to create alignment in the functional areas of the organization. Those Four Cores of Credibility are:   Integrity: This is what most people think about when they think of trust. To many, integrity basically means honesty but it is really much more. It is integratedness, walking the talk. It is being congruent, inside and out. It is having the courage to act in accordance with your values and beliefs. Most massive violations of trust are violations of integrity. Intent: This is about our motives, our agendas and our resulting behavior. Trust grows when our motives are straightforward and based on mutual benefit. When we suspect a hidden agenda from someone or do not believe they are acting in our mutual best interest, we are suspicious about everything they say or do. Capabilities: These are the abilities we have that inspire confidence: our talents, skills, attitudes, knowledge and style. They are the means we use to produce results. Capabilities also include our ability to reach out, establish, grow and extend trust. Results: This is our track record, our performance, our getting the right things done. If we do not accomplish what we are expected to do, it diminishes our credibility. Yet, when our deliverables meet or exceed those expectations we establish a positive performance record and our reputations precede us.   Covey goes on to list 13 behaviors necessary for cultivating trust. The following five behaviors flow initially from character: Talk straight Demonstrate respect Create transparency Right wrongs Show loyalty The next five flow from competence: Deliver results Get better Confront reality Clarify expectations Practice accountability And, the last three from an almost equal mix of character and competence: Listen first Keep commitments Extend trust   I believe that a key sub-tactic under the first major tactic of successful loss prevention is to earn, gain and establish trust. For the most part, human nature tells us we do not want to violate trust and let someone down. And the major tactic of loss prevention is where all of us should be spending most of our time and effort.   King Rogers can be reached at (612) 840-2201 or king@kingrogers.com.   Coach’s Corner By Steve Lundeen, CPCC, Executive Coach And Consultant, Dream Engineering   I have been feeling anxious lately.   It has been creeping up on me, but I really noticed it when the economic crisis came into full bloom. I am sure it has been exacerbated by the incredible amount of negative political advertising that we have all been bombarded with over the last couple of months. What does this anxiousness mean for business? The pressures of the holidays are upon us. Family expectations. Job expectations. Et cetera, et cetera.   You face extraordinary demands that require endurance, discipline and focus. You want to bring your ‘A’ game everyday and be able to sustain your high performance. High performance depends as much on how you react to anxiety, and how you renew and recover energy as it does on how you expend it. When you feel strong and resilient, you will perform better – with more passion, for longer.   If you are ever hit with what feels like a tsunami of issues, worries, anxiety, read on. Here are some of the things I try to notice and then address.   Pay attention to where and how this anxiety hits you physically.   Where For me, anxiety shows up as tension in my neck and shoulders. Occasionally I get the knot in the stomach too. As I have said in earlier columns, the first step is to consciously notice something is going on. When you become aware – stop and breathe, deeply breathe, into the tense parts of your body. Take some quiet time for yourself and meditate. A real key to calming the anxiety is to learn to take quick personal breaks in your hectic day. I know: I sound like I have no idea what your day is like. Trust me, I do. Having spent 30+ years in corporate America, I get the rat race. It will serve you well to slow down, do a one-minute, self focused quiet time. Build into your day quiet time that’s free from appointments, emails and phone calls.   Next, at the risk of sounding contradictory, move your body! Exercise. Just move around. Go up and down a flight of stairs or walk briskly. This exercise will help get the oxygen back in your system and get you reinvigorated. You should also build into your routine a 30 minute workout every other day. This workout will help both your endurance and your mental acuity.   How “How” shows up for me as perpetual eating. When I get uptight I really start grazing. What happens with you? Do you become a bear to work with? Do you “hide” and become unavailable? How do your behaviors change? Once again, I am coming back to the importance of noticing – being conscious. For me, when I find myself in the grazing mode I become more focused on being disciplined about my diet. Get the junk food out of my reach; drink more water; cut out the simple sugars and just get more balanced in the proper foods.   Pay attention to how you are reacting. Break bad habits. When anxiety hits you, what is your usual reaction? What is your strategy for avoiding anxiety? Personally, I either pretend it is not there or I become busy but without focus (working harder not necessarily smarter). Or, I wait for something to react to (rather than being pro-active). Take a risk, break the old routine and establish a new reaction. What is positive about what is going on? How can you take this feeling of being overwhelmed and make it work for you?   You can choose from myriad exercises and behaviors to combat anxiety. Find the ones that work for you and be conscious about building them into your routine.   As always, if you would like to talk more contact me at 763-521-003 or steve@dreamengineering.com.   Playing Nice in the Sandbox: Relationship Credibility By Walter E. Palmer, CEO/President, PCG Solutions, Inc. In last month’s column, we discussed the first of two prerequisites for persuasion and influence as identified by Jay Conger in his 1998 article, ”The Necessary Art of Persuasion,” which was published in the Harvard Business Review. The first prerequisite that we covered was expertise credibility – the necessity that others view you as having the knowledge, skills and experience to know about your subject matter. However, Conger argues that expertise credibility is wasted if it is not coupled with relationship credibility. But, why are relationships important? Don’t we sometimes think that as long as we “do the job we are paid to do” that nothing else matters? Have you ever said, “They don’t pay me to be popular”? It seems that we often equate “building relationships” with smoozing, kissing up or being manipulative. This could not be further from the truth. Having relationship credibility does not necessarily mean that you are popular or have lots of friends at work. The first aspect of relationship credibility is that others in the organization trust you to listen and to work in the best interest of others. Instead of simply foisting your plans or priorities on others, you meet with them one-on-one, get their views on initiatives you are pursuing, listen to their concerns and priorities and find a way to help them with their top issues and projects. The second aspect of relationship credibility is that others view you as having “consistently shown strong emotional character and integrity.” This aspect means that you are consistent and not prone to emotional outbursts and mood swings. In the past, when I have asked groups whether they would prefer to work for someone who is a jerk everyday without fail versus a boss where you can never tell “which side of the bed they woke up on,” the group has chosen the consistent jerk every time. Inconsistency in a relationship is a sure predictor of failure. When you can establish yourself as trustworthy, consistent and working in the best interest of the group, you have an edge in any negotiation, meeting or persuasion situation. Others in the group will want to help you achieve your goals and will give you the benefit of the doubt. However, if people do not trust you on a relationship level, your expertise is wasted and you will lose the ability to bring influence to your organization. Remember, relationship credibility must go hand-in-hand with expertise credibility. Have you ever worked with someone about whom the common comment was, “He’s a nice guy, but he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing?” That is not a recipe for success. Like so many things in life and work, you cannot depend on one “magic bullet” to make you successful. Do you and your department have “relationship credibility” in your organization? Do you have it with certain functions or people but not others? For instance, do you have a strong relationship with the chief financial officer, but not your head merchant or human resource executive? Do you have some examples of successes you have had in establishing solid relationship credibility within your organization? If so, please share them and we can generate further dialogue. In next month’s column, we will start to look at the issue of alignment and how misalignment derails the ability to build the case for the value loss prevention brings to the retail enterprise. As always, I welcome your views, thoughts, and insights into these issues. You can email me at wpalmer@PCGsolutions.com. Investigator’s Corner: Set Yourself Apart in Difficult Economic Times By David E. Zulawski, CFI, CFE and Shane G. Sturman, CFI, CPP First of all, we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and wonderful holiday season.   That being said, difficult times are ahead for all of us, both professionally and personally. Many of you are already facing the difficult challenges of budget cuts and reductions in force. Financial analysts are offering inconsistent and contradictory predictions about the near and long-term health of the economy, which only bolsters our uncertainty of what the future may hold.   A number of years ago, we attended a CEO presentation at a loss prevention convention. It was a speech that touched a nerve, although the presenter’s identity has been lost to us over time. Some old notes reflected the presentation’s main points, but not necessarily the exact words.   Three lousy employees = 1 average employee Three average employees = 1 good employee Three good employees = 1 great employee Thus, one great employee = 9 employees   Reflect on employees with whom you have worked, and we suspect it confirms the truth of the equation.   Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, strove to push his managers to become more productive, eliminate inefficiencies and avoid bureaucracy to have GE become a leader of its industry. He selected great employees by eliminating the lousy and average associates. His successful management style was copied by other CEOs attempting to perform the same kind of turnaround for their organizations. One controversial method he employed was to cull the bottom 10 percent of managers within his organization.   This brutal method of attrition left only the best, most dedicated performers. The coin had another side however, and that was the manner with which he rewarded top performers. He rewarded them with bonuses and stock options, which were ultimately extended to almost a third of the employees at GE.   Part of managing in difficult economic times is to clearly assess the strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s personnel. Putting aside friendship and bias, managers must go into survival mode selecting those people most likely to help the organization succeed.   Identifying the top performers in an organization and creating a hierarchy begins easily, but becomes more difficult as the differences between individuals become smaller or nonexistent. Then it becomes time to consider the location or blend of skills necessary to keep the ship afloat during the roughest of seas.   Sometimes an organization makes this decision simply as a function of tenure. The individual has been loyal to the organization for X years so he should stay. Certainly this is an easiest way for management to make the decision: last in, first out, but it is not always the right one to make. A reward for loyalty, but is it the correct decision for the company and remaining employees?   To succeed in business one should always be educating oneself for the next job or internal promotion. Now is also a time when an employee has to separate himself from the herd; stand out and be noticed. Get those flags ready to wave and fine tune the old resume. What special skills, personality attributes, drive to succeed and dedication does the individual possess that sets him apart from those he works beside? He should be asking, “What about my background sets me apart from the rest of the people applying for that position? Is it a special skill, certification, education or technical expertise that gives me an edge to either maintain my position or be hired?”   In our grandparent’s day, it was the high school education; for the boomers, it was a college degree; today, it is a master’s degree or certification employers look for in an applicant. With all the online education available, attending classes is available to everyone; no one has the excuse for not having access to higher education. Those employees with a goal of becoming a senior executive within the next 20 years should pursue a college degree if he/she does not already have one. Ask any recruiter. Times are changing, and the great employee plans for change.   Colleges are beginning to develop loss prevention programs to groom tomorrow’s professionals to enter the work force. Companies are supporting certification to further continuing education and reduce liability. Employees should consider certification programs, such as Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ), Loss Prevention Certified (LPC), Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI). Managers should encourage them to do so. Each establishes knowledge, by examination, and is a credential setting employees apart. The great employee plans for the future, both for his own and the needs of the industry.   The rubber band of the industry contracts and expands over and over in a person’s career. Good times are when everyone is fat and happy, and then come the lean times of change. All employees should prepare themselves to stand out, either within your organization or when it comes time to search for a new job.   In the next column, we will consider how to select those great employees.   The Spirit of Partnership By David Johnston, Director of Business Development, LP Innovations   This month, I am deviating from the topics of technology and analytics to touch upon a topic that relates to the obstacles we face for the foreseeable future.   The turbulent retail market continues to be a challenge for consumers, retailers and solution providers alike. Together, we have watched companies close their doors while others are liquidating, and we can expect to lose even more before the economy turns around. Unfortunately, with these closures we have also seen our peers, partners and friends displaced in the workforce.   The expectations are that budgets for both retailers and solution providers will be scrutinized more than ever before facing the same challenges in 2009: cut costs and expenses and reduce resources deep enough to potentially affect programs and solutions development and support.   So how will we, as retailers and solution providers, get through this difficult economy? I believe it will be through the development of stronger partnerships and working together to come up with new ideas.   Partnership can be defined as a relationship between individuals or groups that is characterized by mutual cooperation and responsibility toward the achievement of a common goal. Signing a contract does not make a partnership; rather, it is the commitment by both parties to communicate, brainstorm, and create joint solutions that lays the foundation for a strong partnership.   Our industry has many great partnerships between retailer and solution provider. We also have some that could not be considered a loose definition of a partnership. With what lies ahead, it would best serve us all to take a look at our relationships and see how we can bring a stronger partnership during these difficult times.   New Challenges…New Opportunities Recently, I have been hearing several people use the phrase “the playbook is out the window” as they speak about how they are handling the economy and working through their strategies. We are seeing more daily obstacles than ever before as we all try to build a solid strategy on remaining stable yet profitable.   Challenge brings opportunity. Opportunities breed new ideas. As partners, we need to first understand that both retailer and solution provider are in similar positions with the economy and are looking for the same goal – a successful program. • Understand both positions. Talk with each other to learn and understand the issues facing both retailer and solution provider. Retailers may need to take the lead and be open in discussing the challenges they have with their decision makers. Solution providers should understand that the retailer may be faced with deeper financial cuts, more strict resource reductions and is trying not to see the loss of a specific program, technology or resource but has no alternative in its current state. With open communication, both parties set the foundation to discuss new ideas. • Plan frequent communication. Communicate regularly to keep all parties in touch with recent changes and events. Nobody wants to be surprised with the turmoil of today, and without communication, there can be no partnership. The more communication that occurs between parties, the more discussion and the greater chance for new solutions. It is as simple as being able to talk through the concerns, discuss new ideas and not leave the other party out of touch. • Utilize each other’s strengths. Solution providers can bring great value in support of a retailer’s needs. Providing case studies, statistics and other client’s success or use of their solution can assist a retailer in need of showing value. As a solution provider, I can tell you that I have been more than willing to assist a retail partner in developing a presentation, ROI analysis and even co-presenting with a retail partner to support their efforts in front of their company’s decision makers.   Retail partners provide good sounding boards, new ideas and an understanding of the “now” to solution providers. Using their experience and expertise helps a solution provider understand what they need to do to support the industry and where they may need to alter their focus or solution to support the current needs. First hand knowledge will be vital to support today’s retail industry. • Search for New Ideas. Henry Ford once stated, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” It is times like these that as partners we need to take what we have come together to build, keep together to make progress and work together to continue our success. What has worked previously in an environment may not be possible today. Programs may require alterations and deviations from existing solutions may need to occur. We all need to keep in mind that both parties want success and to accomplish our goal it may take new ideas and fresh approaches.   A Holiday Wish To everyone out there, I wish you and yours an enjoyable holiday season. May we all be thankful for our families and friends, and remember those who are serving our country and those who have left us but remain in our hearts. Until next year, Best Wishes.   David can be reached at djohnston@lpinnovations.com. Improve Your Current Job Security – Increase your Marketability – Invest In Your Career By Gene Smith, President, LP Foundation   During these times of uncertainty, how can you increase the likelihood that you will not be the person downsized, should your company decide to do so? What can you do to find employment during difficult economic times? How will you stay at the top of your peer class? These are topics that we will discuss below.   Why Should You Get Certified Now? • Increase your marketability in difficult economic times. • Put yourself above your competition. • Add LPQ designation to your name and resume. • Improve your potential for promotion. • Put yourself above your competition. • Demonstrate your desire to learn. • Enhance your performance by gaining knowledge. • Invest in your education. During tough economic times, there is always the potential for downsizings within many retail departments, including loss prevention departments. As the candidate pool grows larger, employers can afford to be very selective in their decision making. The market will become more competitive than ever for the few job openings that do occur. It is during times like these that the best recognize the importance of investing in their careers! It is the time to show your current employer that you have the right attitude for learning and personal development, so you will be the one they choose to keep. Or, it may be the time to show a potential new employer that you are the candidate who has the greatest drive and initiative by demonstrating some or all of the suggestions discussed below. In previous articles, I have stressed the importance of education and certification; however, now more than ever, it is the time to seek industry certifications. In a struggling economy, retailers are forced to make tough decisions every day. The number of positions will be downsized, and this trend will continue during these challenging times. With few exceptions, it is true that most companies will typically try to eliminate what they perceive as their weakest links first when eliminating positions. If you are among the fortunate individuals who are retained, what steps will you take to maintain your status and your position? If you are among the unfortunate who are caught up in a downsizing, what steps will you take to improve your chances of regaining employment?   Retailers who are hiring can afford to be very selective. Look at your resume. How long has it been since you took a certification course, college class or industry seminar? Have you shown a willingness to invest in your own career? If you have not shown this initiative, what does that say to both your current and prospective employers? When companies have to make tough choices between employees, what do you think they use to make their decisions? Sometimes it is purely based upon performance. Sometimes it is geography or demographics. Sometimes it is attitude and who shows long-term potential. Given the employers’ ability to be selective, we have to ask ourselves, “What am I doing to make myself better than my competition?”   Seeking certification or enrolling in a college class sends so many positive messages to current and perspective employers. Here are just a few: •  It demonstrates to both current and prospective employers your desire to learn and further develop industry knowledge. You are not set in your ways and think you know it all simply because of your industry tenure. • It designates a level of knowledge and understanding of the core competencies that our industry leaders have identified and acknowledged as critical to excel as a loss prevention professional. • Certification is designed as a means to validate the knowledge level of LP professionals. It helps to promote industry professionalism by demonstrating your level of competency. • It serves as a valuable resume builder, endorsing your knowledge base and promoting your commitment as a retail professional as well as a qualified loss prevention professional. • Most important, certification is a means to enhance performance. It expands our knowledge and expertise, confirms our understanding, challenges our perspective and reinforces industry goals and objectives. It can help you survive in your current position! • Companies have been adding certification as a preferred requirement to their job descriptions.   Strong companies are always trying to upgrade their teams. While there may be plenty of opportunities, the competition will remain fierce. Anything you can do to get a leg up on your competition, DO IT! Get creative! Don’t just “throw” together a resume – build one and revise, revise, revise! A resume should not just highlight your experience, it should show your capabilities! Make it the best it can be. Read books, network and practice interviewing. If you are still employed at the time you read this article, then make sure you adjust your attitude. This is not the time to complain. Be grateful that you are employed and think of how you can make yourself more valuable to your employer. Consider using certification as a refresher course. Sharpen up your knowledge and become an LPQualified professional now!   Promotions & Career Moves- Please continue to send your promotions and career moves for anyone you hear of to the foundation, so we can display them on our website. We also automatically forward them to the LossPrevention magazine for printing in their “On the Move” section. Since the foundation started this service, the magazine listings are much larger than ever before. That increase is due to the fantastic support that the foundation has received from our career advisors (Loss Prevention Recruiters, Jennings Executive Recruiting, Beckwith & Associates and Retail Placement Solutions), who help by submitting information. Our site has become “the” most current and comprehensive listing of industry moves. Please check out the latest industry moves: http://www.losspreventionfoundation.org/promotions_career_moves.asp   Also, check out our list of career advisors who have demonstrated their support for the foundation: http://www.losspreventionfoundation.org/recruiters.html   LPF Website- Check out the updated listing of all of the companies that have been represented in developing loss prevention certification. It is more than you might think. If you want your company involved, please contact us. http://www.losspreventionfoundation.org/Companies_developing.html   Running a Successful “Target” Store Program By Vince Briguglio, Regional Manager, Loss Prevention Department, J. Crew   Ah, inventory day at last! Our final exam is here to show how well we have performed as a department! Are we worried? No, of course not. All of those late nights studying trends, vendor issues, charge-backs, transfers, turnover, payroll, etc. and etc… Everything looks good and we are ready! Inventory comes in, and we are pleased with the numbers. However, as always a couple of problem stores have been flagged. Addressing these stores is crucial if we are to continue our great inventory trend in the future.   These stores now have the honor of being named a “target” shrink store! As exciting as that sounds, no one is really honored to receive this title. Many companies have ideas about how to approach shrink reduction in the high loss stores. J. Crew has seen some great success in the reduction of inventory shrink in these locations. The key to our success has been looking at ourselves first as the leaders in shrink reduction and then educating the store with a very basic program.   First, we look at our field loss prevention staff. Do we have the right person to get the job done? As an LP professional you cannot be an individual who is a “teller.” Successful shrink reduction starts with being an “educator.” LP not only has to review the store’s opportunities but also educate the store team on the “why’s” and “what ifs” behind the policy or best practice. Knowing we have the right educator to get the job done, we then conduct an LP audit to identify any operational opportunities. The LP audit we have created focuses on everything from face saving statements and company policy knowledge to front- and back-end operations. Always remember: normally the store team wants to do the right thing, but just may not know how. Getting the buy in and support from the store team as well as other business partners will ensure a strong foundation is laid.   Second, look at the store from an outsider perspective. We have found many times that high shrink stores have a very low morale. Morale can be quickly assessed by making an unannounced visit, stepping back and seeing the interaction with our customers as well as each other. Take a walk to the associates’ break area and quickly look at how we treat our associates’ space. As they come to take a break/lunch, is the microwave clean? Is the table clean and open to sit down and have lunch? These areas may sound like simple things to look at, but having these areas well maintained shows our associate that we care about them, thus increasing morale.   Third, do a complete investigational look into the store. High shrink stores normally indicate internal theft. We always have conversations with at least 20 percent of the staff. The conversations are kept very general. These conversations many times have led to an admission of a theft, which plays a huge impact in shrink reduction. These conversations also have identified the answers we are looking for simply because we asked the right questions. We have found that store associates for the most part have a pretty good idea about what is wrong in their location. These conversations have led us to delivery theft cases where a driver delivering our merchandise was taking items, as well as to instances where the store team completely lacked understanding of our company’s policy and procedures. We also use this time to get to know the staff, developing relationships with them, so they will feel comfortable picking up the phone and letting us know if something is not right.   Follow up and testing for understanding Once we have completed this three-prong approach, all that is left is to ensure we continue educating our store management team and testing for understanding. We do this through target store conference calls (one a quarter) and store visits. We audit our stores once a quarter as well. By auditing the store this frequently we are testing to ensure their understanding – thus ensuring success!   Consumer Shoplifters and the Holiday Shoplifting Season By the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention   Considering the increasing popularity and convenience of online shopping and the continuing downturn in the economy, retailers will likely see fewer customers in their stores this holiday season. But for loss prevention it is important to remember that, of the customers who do enter your stores, a much larger percentage will be shoplifters. The reason is simple: people who shoplift must come in contact with the merchandise – they cannot do that online. They can only do that inside a store. So beware – while you will have fewer customers overall, a greater percentage of them are likely to be consumer shoplifters.   If you have an upside to fewer customers in your stores, it is that you will have a better opportunity to observe and provide customer service, which is exactly what the shoplifters say gives retailers the best chance for reducing the number of consumer shoplifting incidents during the holiday season. You have numerous opportunities to intervene while a consumer is making the decision to steal from your store.   We asked consumer shoplifters who attended a self-help group held in our New York offices, “What tips would you give a store owner to help reduce shoplifting especially during the holiday season?” Here is what they had to say: • ”Be more of a presence, so I don’t feel safe to steal in your store.” • ”Pay attention to the alarms at the door, so we think you care.” • ”Don’t let the stores get all messy. It gives me the impression you don’t care about your merchandise.” • ”Just because I hide the item doesn’t mean I’m definitely going through with it.” • ”Don’t crowd the aisles with so much stuff because then I can hide easily.” • ”Look at me, talk to me, show me you know I’m there.” • ”Even after I have hidden an item, chances are I am still debating whether or not to actually take it.” • ”Part of me hopes someone will say say something to make me decide to put it back. I know what I am doing is wrong.” Attentive employees and security can go a long way towards reducing the number of consumers who shoplift in your stores. The group’s statements are echoed in a 2008 survey conducted by NASP (Identifying the Impact of Customer Service on Consumer Shoplifter Behavior) and sponsored by Punch Integrated Communications.   Question posed: What would you have done if you were still in a store after hiding something that you wanted to steal (in your coat or in a bag for example) but then you noticed that an employee might have seen you?   Response: Nearly 94 percent of adults and more than 90 percent of juveniles indicated that if they had noticed that an employee might have seen them conceal merchandise they would not have stolen that item. Just 2 percent of adults and 3 percent of juveniles indicated that being seen would not have reversed or even interrupted their decision to steal. Therefore, paying attention to consumers is the key – greet customers and offer assistance. For more than 90 percent of consumer shoplifters, all you have to do is make them believe that someone is aware of their presence and might have seen them act.   Cybersecurity on the Go By the U.S. Department of Homeland Security   Are you and your employees always working on laptops and sending e-mails on personal digital assistants (PDAs)? Have you ever thought of what would happen if you lost those mobile devices?   Many of us rely on laptops and PDAs to help keep up with our busy schedules. These devices hold our calendars, customer information, employee personnel information, and even sensitive corporate documents. If this vital business information was lost, think of the repercussions to your bottom line. Even worse, if someone with malicious intent obtained the information, how could they use the information against you, your customers and even your employees?   The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) celebrates National Cyber Security Awareness Month. In honor of this celebration, the Commercial Facilities Sector would like to remind you to keep your information secure on the go. The DHS U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) provides the following tips for protecting portable devices:   Password protect your computer: Make sure that you have to enter a password to log in to your computer.   Keep your laptop or PDA with you at all times: When traveling, keep your laptop with you. Meal times are optimum times for thieves to check hotel rooms for unattended laptops. If you are attending a conference or trade show, be especially wary — these venues offer thieves a wider selection of devices that are likely to contain sensitive information, and the conference sessions offer more opportunities for thieves to access guest rooms.   Downplay your laptop or PDA: There is no need to advertise to thieves that you have a laptop or PDA. Avoid using your portable device in public areas and consider non-traditional bags for carrying your laptop.   Consider an alarm or lock: Many companies sell alarms or locks that you can use to protect or secure your laptop. If you travel often or will be in a heavily populated area, you may want to consider investing in an alarm for your laptop bag or a lock to secure your laptop to a piece of furniture.   Back up your files: If your portable device is stolen, it is bad enough that someone else may be able to access your information. To avoid losing all of the information, make backups of important information and store the backups in a separate location. Not only will you still be able to access the information, but you will be able to identify and report exactly what information is at risk.   What can you do if your laptop or PDA is lost or stolen? Report the loss or theft to the appropriate authorities. These parties may include representatives from law enforcement agencies, as well as hotel or conference staff. If your device contained sensitive corporate or customer account information, immediately report the loss or theft to your organization so that they can act quickly.   For more information on cyber security please visit the following Web site: http://www.us-cert.gov/   For additional cyber security resources, the Commercial Facilities Sector also suggests the following free educational opportunities through ACT Online:   Information Security for Everyone: This course is designed to teach the principles and practices that all computer users need to keep themselves safe, both at work and at home. By presenting best practices along with a small amount of theory, trainees are taught both what to do and why to do it. Topics covered include how to secure both clean and corrupted systems, protecting your personal data, securing simple computer networks and safe Internet usage. The course can be accessed at the following Web site: https://www.act’online.net/index.php?option=com_matrix   Information Security Basics: This course is a specialized 8-hour, online training program designed to provide state and local law enforcement officers with a working knowledge of the intelligence process and their important role in the collection, recording and reporting of terrorist activities. A prerequisite for the course is some previous experience in information technology (IT) administration. The course can be accessed at the following Web site: https://www.act’online.net/index.php?option=com_matrix RILA Update Loss Prevention Magazine Article – “Leadership in a Bad Economy” Our friends from Loss Prevention Magazine have authorized us to include this article for your review. “Leadership in a Bad Economy” was in December’s edition and focuses on how to tackle the challenges that face retailes in the down economy. We hope that it provides you with some insight and actions to take. http://www.retail-leaders.org/latest/resources/LPMagazine12.08.pdf Notes from the RILA Workplace Safety Subcommittee Best Buy’s Doug Sitzman, chairman of the Workplace Safety Subcommittee, and Autozone’s Doug Gage, vice chairman of the subcommitee, hosted a very productive conference call on December 2, 2008. There were three guest speakers on the call: John Leyenberger of Wal-Mart, Ron Taylor of Venable, and Marc Freedman of the US Chamber of Commerce, all of whom provided valuable information and education regarding OSHA personal protection equipment compliances and government actions. If you are a RILA member and would like to participate with this group, please contact Liz Benson at liz.benson@rila.org or (703) 600-2030. This group is also planning an in-person meeting in Charlotte, N.C., for the first quarter of 2009. This educational event will provide opportunities for the group to network and discuss key issues facing retailers. New Solution Provider Session Slated At the 2009 Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference, RILA will release a national survey on what loss prevention leaders are looking for from their service suppliers and insight on what makes them buy. This survey will be distributed at a NEW, pre-conference session exclusively for solution providers. During this session, participants will also have the ability to ask candid questions to a panel of leading loss prevention leaders, led by Dennis Klein of Abercrombie & Fitch and Libby Rabun of Autozone. If you would like more information on attending the conference as a solution provider, please contact Kim Sackett at ksackett@strategicconventions.com.	Inside this issue: - Letter from Paul - Executive Profile    with Jason Jones - The “Trust” in    Prevention - Coach’s Corner - Playing Nice in the    Sandbox: Relationship     Credibility - Investigator’s Corner - The Spirit of Partnership - Improve Your Job    Security - Running a Successful   “Target” Store Program - Consumer Shoplifters and    the Holiday Shoplifting    Season - Cybersecurity on the Go - RILA Update  RILA Calendar January 25-29 Leadership Forum Naples, Florida Invitation-only event for CEOs February 8-11 Logistics Conference Dallas, Texas May 3-6 Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference Orlando, Florida

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