Jazz great Herbie Hancock, at the link in this piece, talks about his work with Miles Davis, and how Davis was able to take Hancock's wrong note and make it right by listening and responding. "He turned poison into medicine," writes Edward Boches. "What a lesson for all of us. But especially those of us who strive to make something new and creative and so often have it potentially derailed by changes in strategy, crazy creative directors, clients who throw a wrench in the works."

The foodservice industry hasn't totally recovered from the recession, but fast casual is the exception, according to new research released by The NPD Group. In fact, fast-casual was the only restaurant segment to see traffic growth in 2013. Spending at fast-casual restaurants increased by 10% last year compared to 2% growth at all restaurants.

The origins of Dumb Starbucks, the seemingly rogue coffee shop that opened in the Los Feliz neighborhood in Los Angeles over the weekend, have been revealed: Nathan Fielder of the Comedy Central show "Nathan For You" said Monday that he's the owner of the faux cafe.

McDonald's Corp. is shifting its marketing and menu strategies. It promised to do so in January when CEO Don Thompson discussed the chain's disappointing Q4 and full-year 2013 results. He said McDonald's will "adjust the sequencing of product introductions"-i.e., slow down the new-product pipeline-and ensure that "these adjustments are complemented by a consistent focus on core equities like breakfast."

Dunkin' Brands has a very low capital requirement relative to the rest of the coffee retail industry because of its global franchise organization, which shifts operating costs and overhead to franchise owners. Domestic operators pay advertising fees to brand-specific funds administered by the company - 5% of gross sales.

Toyota is close to a deal to pay $1 billion to settle a U.S. criminal investigation into how it disclosed customers' complaints about unintended acceleration four years back. Sources say Toyota could reach a deal with U.S. authorities soon. Reportedly, prosecutors are studying whether Toyota made false or incomplete disclosures to U.S. regulators about possible car defects.

Major credit card companies are going European with plans to go with a chip-and-PIN system instead of the traditional swipe-and-sign method. Both MasterCard and Visa have outlined a planned shift to the new EMV system next year. Under the system consumers will use a smartcard embedded with microchip and provide their PIN to complete a transaction.

Anheuser-Busch's Goose Island Beer Co. is sallying forth with its first national advertising campaign. The Chicago-based brewery, formerly an independent, is available in all 50 states. The effort includes a video ad and a double-page advertisements in upcoming consumer-focused magazines. The video ad takes you into the brewery and Chicago plays a major part.

Sales of hoops star Kevin Durant's signature sneakers are approaching those of LeBron James. Sales for Durant's Nike signature sneakers jumped 400% last year from $35 million to $175 million in the U.S., according to research firm SportsOneSource. Durant signed a seven-year, $60 million deal with Nike in 2007. It was the last mega-contract handed out to an NBA rookie by the big shoe companies.

At the Chicago Auto Show on Thursday, a pair of Ford and Toyota industry leaders squared off over the proposed Trans-Pacific Pact. The senior Ford executive warned that thousands of American jobs could be at risk. The agreement would unite a number of nations on both sides of the Pacific Ocean in an effort to reduce trade barriers and expand trade.