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Only a few co-branded credit cards, or those offered by a bank and another type of company, may survive the competitive marketplace. However, banks can offer innovative credit cards by teaming up their credit card division with another retail division. For example, a bank could offer a card that includes rebates on card usage or discounts on checking, savings or loan fees. Banks have a marketing advantage over outside, co-branded credit cards because the bank's customers will probably read its mail solicitations., Right now, all of us are in love with cobranding. But when the honeymoon is over, the bills for the wedding will dampen many card issuers' enthusiasm. As the cost [...]

A set of principles to aid credit card issuers keep customers has been developed by Porges/Hudson Marketing. These principles are issuer mission establishment, information management, proactivity, the establishment of financial and social bonds, along with building structural bonds, and learning from industry leaders. The mission of keeping customers with a profitable relationship is the major idea of these principles., There are several reasons cardholders transfer their loyalty. In part one, we discussed these factors; now, we will focus on ways to boost cardholder loyalty. Porges/Hudson Marketing has developed a [...]

Banks must evaluate three major areas when attempting to improve credit card portfolio retention. Marketing strategies, key portfolio characteristics and the competitive arena. Marketing strategies include low credit card prices and low interest rates, cobranding and product development. Key portfolio characteristics include statistics on the performance of the portfolio. High activation rates and the more money spent on the portfolio decreased the attrition rate., The best way to predict the future, to quote a wise businessman, is to invent it. While none of us totally controls the business environment in which we operate - [...]

Pulsed Neutron Activation (PNA) is a means of noninvasive flow velocity measurement based on tagging the flowing medium with a short-lived radioactivity. Previous work with salt or dye-tagging showed poor accuracy in turbulent and failed in laminar flow when conventional data processing was used. However, use of a data acquisition and processing scheme that is based on tag dispersion modelling can produce absolute values over a wide range of flow speeds and regimes with high accuracy. For non-Newtonian/laminar flow, rheological information can also be obtained. The inherently non-intrusive nature of PNA tagging makes this scheme available for slurry measurements. The performance of PNA in slurry flow at up to 60 percent solid content was compared to full-flow diversion and weighing. Errors ranged from less than 0.2 percent at high Reynolds’ numbers to about 2 percent for paste flow. Rheological parameters (yield shear stress or flow behavior index) could be determined with an accuracy that compared to that of a spindle viscometer with grab-samples. The PNA scheme thus offers a unique means of studying slurry flow in a dedicated laboratory facility, or of providing calibration for other flowmeters in an industrial plant through temporary installation by a team of expert consultants.