Play Meter

OPERATING
Cost, financial strategies-- seminar topics
The AMOA is again sponsoring a
two-day Notre Dame University
business semi nar for operators, and
again Dr . John Malone will be one of
the principal speakers .
At last year's seminar, Dr. Malone
gave a thorough analysis of profit
strategy and cash planning for
operators by using a mythical
operation called Shamrock Music
Company . His seminar presentation
became the basis for PLAY METER's
subsequent three-part series of arti-
cles dealing with return on invest-
ment , cash flow , and location cost
analysis .
This year Dr. Malone , who is a
professor of Marketing at Notre
Dame , will be joined by Dr. Kenneth
Milani , a professor in the Department
of Accountancy , and a panel of three
successful operators who will discuss
business strategies they have done .
The seventh annual AMOA-Notre
Dame seminar, which is scheduled
for March 9 and 10 at the O'Hare
Hilton Hotel in Chicago , will con-
centrate exclusively on cost and
financial strategies designed to boost
operators' profits .
The seminar is designed for
top-level managers who have re-
sponsibility for decisions on costs,
capital expenditures, and other
factors which affect profits . The
seminar annually draws some of the
leading operators in the country.
Registration is limited to seventy, and
the enrollment fee of $100 includes
all materials and lunch on Friday anti
Dr. John Malone . a ueteran of
seueral industry -related business
seminars . will be on hand again for
this year's AMOA -Notre Dame semi-
nar. His subject this time around will
be on establishing a more disciplined
control of expenses,
Saturday .
Dr . Milani , who will give the first
presentation on "Cost Behavior:
Implications for Decision Making for
a Typical Operator ," will analyze the
different ways cost can be broken
down and , with that information , try
to show how to form the foundation
for effective decisions focusing in on
cost and volume aspects of the
overall operation . This session will
zero in on cost behavior in a typical
AMOA member operation .
Dr . Malone is then scheduled to
make a presentation on " Profitability
Through Expense Control and Vol-
um e Strategies ." The focal point of
this presentation will be on establish-
ing a more disciplined control of
expenses through the development
of standards of performance for all
major cost categories and a range of
volume levels .
On the second day of the seminar,
several leading operators will take
part in a panel discussion which will
concern cost reduction , profit boost-
ing techniques . Afterwards , the
co nference participants will be bro-
ken up into three groups, each
chaired by, one of the panel
members, for a discussion of the
questions raised by the lectures and
by the panelists .
Following that , Drs . Malon e and
Milani will review and comment on
the panel discussion and the small
group sessions . Then Dr. Malone will
deliver the concluding address : "The
Economy , Past , Present , and Future ,
with Emphasis on Implications for
Operators. "
Dr. Gerry Sequin , who has been
on Notre Dame's faculty of Business
Administration since 1959 and has
been the director of the graduate
program there and the chairman of
the Department of Management , is
again the seminar coordinator.
Operators planning to attend the
two-day seminar should make their
reservations for rooms directly with
the O'Hare Hilton Hotel by February
26.
Douty defends title in match play
Jesse Douty
8
In a remarkable example of
stamina , Jesse Douty successfully
defended his national Air Hockey
title in match play competition
against the second- and fifth -seeded
players in the country on successive
days .
In a match that had been brewing
ever since a showdown in the finals
of the national Air Hockey cham-
pionships this past summer in
Houston (PM , August , page 26) ,
Douty once again turned back Phil
Arnold of Houston . Playing this time
at Doc Watson's Pub in Philadelphia
January 2 , Douty proved once again
to be too much for the Houston
player .
Then the following day , Douty
met Mark Robbins of Boulder,
Colorado at a showdown at Banner
Specialty Company's Philadelphia
showroom January 3, an d won that
match too . Th e back-to-back title
defenses lay to rest for the time being
the challenges Douty had to over-
come to retain his national title .
Arnold who is the second-seeded
player in the United States is also
president of the national players'
association . Robbins. the fifth -ranked
player , also cond ucts Air Hockey
promotions in his area from tim e to
time .
PLAY METER , February, 1979