1. Reputation Damage Word spreads quickly. News of a norovirus outbreak can lead to lost business and require significant marketing investments in order to regain lost consumer trust. 2. Store Closings Organizations are unable to generate revenues in the immediate aftermath of a norovirus outbreak. Delays associated with decontamination services and, in some cases, clearance from the health department can impact the bottom line in a meaningful way.  3. Health Department Scrutiny Norovirus outbreaks can result in more frequent oversight by local and state health departments charged with public safety. Additional compliance burdens can represent lower productivity and additional costs. 4. Decontamination Services Decontamination services performed by professional service firms can be expensive and disruptive. Because norovirus spreads easily and survives on most hard surfaces, comprehensive decontamination efforts can be intrusive. 5. Foodborne Illness Litigation A no...

The first thing someone might tell you if they hear you complain about paper prices is to go paperless. Un fortunately, that isn’t the answer for everyone, especially in the business world.  So, why is paper so expensive and what can you do to mitigate the costs? What is causing pricing issues? Corrugate With the rise of ecommerce, corrugate is more in demand (aka those boxes your online order comes in). Companies are switching their paper making focus to corrugate, which means less supply of regular old paper. Fewer Paper Mills ​Previous reduction in demand = elimination of many papers AND mill consolidations. Fewer mills = rising paper pulp costs. According to Strategic Sourceror, the price of wood pulp is forecasted to increase at an annualized rate of 5.1% through 2019. Another source, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the Producer Price Index for pulp, paper and allied products has risen from 177.2 to 216.9 in the past year and is NOT expec...