The company has seen how tenuous it can be to be a hundred percent invested in one person,

The damage was done a long time ago. The competitive landscape is so dramatically changed from two years ago.

If Martha goes to jail, this company will be hit but it won't fall apart, ... It could still compete in all the categories because it has a life of its own now and it's not as reliant upon Stewart to sustain financial viability. Sure, it will become a different company, with a different brand strategy, in need of a new leader.

I liken what Wal-Mart's trying to do in terms of fashion to turning around the Queen Mary at full steam, ... It's not impossible to do. But it's not easy either, and it's going to take quite a long time.

In May 2002, if you asked me anything about Martha Stewart, all of my responses would have been positive.

In May of 2002, when the brand competed with others, they were doing so from the castle on the hill. Now they're in the moat with everyone else.

It's difficult, but in these times, when the customer is willing to look around for fashion, it's certainly not impossible for Wal-Mart's new brand to succeed.

Target means style at accessible pricing. Wal-Mart hasn't reached that point.

It wasn't just that she was found guilty. She was also found to be mean-spirited.

A brand needs to be rated a 107 or better by customers for it to see real profitability, ... If they were expecting the TV show to substantively shore up the weakened brand, we'd have to borrow from Martha and say it wasn't such 'a good thing'.