Target's Niche

Target's worldwide bulls-eye branding creates international consumer demand for its fashion products at lower prices. Its business strategy is to create demand for innovative products for the more astute consumer who would otherwise buy at Wal-Mart or Kmart. Gregg Steinhafel is due to become CEO in May, 2008, while Robert Ulrich steps into the Chairman role before his retirement in 2009.

Industry Stars for 2008

Auto: BMW, Toyota Motor, Daimler, Honda Motor, Volkswagen
Apparel: Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, VF, Phillips-Van Heusen, Quiksilver
Home Builders: KB Home, Centex, Toll Brothers, D.R. Horton, NVR
Telecommunications: AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Virgin Media, DirecTV
Specialty Retailers: Costco, Lowe's, Best Buy, Staples, Home Depot
Aerospace: Textron, United Technologies, Raytheon, Boeing, Honeywell

Audit Red Flags for Small Business

The IRS will most likely audit your small business if: no profit annually after a big gain; very low revenues, a sloppy return, a neat return, unlikely deductions, outsized deductions, too much fun (entertainment), filing a big schedule C with more than 100k income, nice round numbers (from Fortune Small Business, Mar 2008)