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Big Business Can't Swallow These Little Fish
The March 27, 2002 cover story in USA Today had the catchy title noted above. It was a well-researched piece about the ongoing dynamic in various industries between consolidation and remaining independent "mom-n-pop" operations. According to USA Today, sometime in 2000 [for the first time in history] more than half of all US workers were employed by big companies rather than small ones. But, the assumption that this trend means the death knell for small businesses is not entirely accurate.
According to analysis of government data by USA Today, approximately one third of the 290 industries reviewed have a preponderance of very small companies with less than 20 employees. The table below summarizes the least and most consolidated of the industries studied:
Those businesses that were dominated by small mom and pop operations shared to following characteristics:
- They largely sell services, not things
- Many rely on consumer trust and proximity
- Overhead is low
In contrast, those industries dominated by big corporations generally required huge capital investments in machinery and other assets.
One of the more intriguing aspects of the article was the recent history of the funeral home business, as depicted on the quirky HBO series "Six Feet Under". Apparently this field was a hotbed of consolidation in the 1990s, including a Houston-based conglomerate called Consumer Services, Inc. CSI, like the other mega-players, aggressively purchased small facilities in geographic locations, cut costs by creating rotating staff to serve all the individual offices and by bulk purchasing caskets and supplies at a deep discount. But, they ran up too much debt load and their stock tanked. The biggest competitor to SCI declared bankruptcy and re-emerged as a much smaller operation.
Then entire article is posted online at www.usatoday.com/money/covers/2002-03-27-staying-independent.htm
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Biomecanica de la Marcha Humana Normal.
Ciudad de Mexico 30 de Octubre, 2002.
Estimado John Michael, CPO, FAAOP: recibimos un correo de una estudiante de fisioterapia en España, solicitando información sobre la Biomecanica de la Marcha Humana Normal, para presentar una ponencia ... read more
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Re: Biomecanica de la Marcha Humana Normal.
By far the best reference on normal human locomotion is the book by Inman titled Human Walking. This classic text was updated slightly in 2000 and edited by Rose and Gamble. Unfortunately, it is now out of print, but Amazon.com generally... read more
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Syme's Amputation Case Study
Hello,
I'm a Physiotherapy student doing my final semister. I need a case study (with pictures) for my project on Syme's Amputation. Where can I get help on this? I searched on internet but without any luck. Can some one help please?
... read more
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Re: Syme
I have a brief article coming out shortly in the O&P Business News on Syme's amputation and prostheses that will offer an overview and some photos. I'm not certain which illustrations will be published, but hopefully they might serve your ... read more
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AAOS Atlas on Prosthetics & Amputation Surgery Techniques and Prosthetic Re
John,
It was good to hear that the AAOS has taken the responsibility for publishing the Atlas. As you know, I've been interested in and studied the area of amputation surgery for some 30 yrs now. Seeing people from all over the US and many... read more
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Re: AAOS Atlas on Prosthetics & Amputation Surgery Techniques and Prosthetic Re
Thanks for your comments, Jan. Dr. Ertl has been invited to contribute a segment to the new edition of the Atlas on his grandfather's procedure, and in particular to document whatever objective data is now available to support the techniqu... read more
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Re: Re: AAOS Atlas on Prosthetics & Amputation Surgery Techniques and Prostheti
John, Thank you for your response. You are a thorough reviewer of topics, so I offer the following with respect for your thoroughness. You are correct, there is little known literature. There is, actually, considerable scientific support ... read more
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toes were amputated
I am a 33 year old female who recently had some amputation done, my question is where can
I find some regular shoes for let's say church I have a prosthetic for my tennis shoes but I don't
want to wear tennis all the time where can I get... read more
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Re: toes were amputated
Hi Norita. You need a Elation Foot. With this foot you can change heel from 1 to 5 cms.
I imagine that you know right now about it.
But if you need more information about it, you can ask to Jairo Blumenthal.
He is a very good prosthetis... read more
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Re: toes were amputated
Hi Norita. I realize this is a rather late reply, but I did not know John had a forum corner. But I will reply anyway. I am a male amputeee, above knee, and I wear a prosthesis regularly. I also wear different types of shoes, for business a... read more
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Re: toes were amputated
Please talk with your prosthetist to see how much you can vary your heel heights. This depends on the type of amputation, length of residual limb, components prescribed, balance, and many other individual factors so there's no way to advis... read more
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Re: Re: toes were amputated
I have read your articles and find them very intereting.I am a below the knee amputee and fill that I will have problems trying to learn how to walk.I don't wear tennis shoes.The majority of my shoes has a 2 3/8 inch heel,I have some highe... read more
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Re: Re: Re: toes were amputated
Glad you find the articles interesting. As a generaly rule, the higher the heel of the shoe, the harder it is to balance so we prosthetists usually encourage beginners to start out with a fairly low heel, such as in walking shoes or sports... read more
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copy of old publication
I work for Union O and P and am searching for your article about the comparison of temporary vs definitive prosthetics. Can you help? My boss would be grateful.
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Re: copy of old publication
I'd be happy to oblige but I'm not sure which article you're seeking. My CV and a list of publications is posted at http://www.stancecontrol.com/curriculum_vitae1.htm. Hopefully that list will let you indentify which one you want. The li... read more
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