Casual Articles - Business

What Does Your Executive Committee Do
At some point in the development of most Non-Profit organizations, the question of whether they need an Executive Committee arises. Usually this is the result of one of the following situations:1) Board members have seen Executive Committees on other boards so they form one because "that's the way it's done". 2) The founding or dominant members of the board get frustrated with having the whole board in on every discussion and form the Executive Committee so they can make decisions faster – and “get things done”. 3) The Board finds themselves lacking direction and order and wants their work to be better coordinated.What is Typical?In many organizations, the Executive Committee is composed of the Board Officers, often joined by the chairs of most or all board committees.Typically, the defined role of the Executive Committee is to:1) Establish the agendas for Board meetings, in coordination with the Executive Director/CEO 2) Evaluate the Exec Director 3) Identify and groom future leaders 4) Make decisions for the Board if a situation arises where it is not practical to pull the entire board together. Specific authority is granted through the by-laws of the organization.Where Can It Go Wrong? What is the Downside of Having an Executive Committee?One of the most common problems arises when real issues are discussed and decisions

er the heading of ‘Business Critical’ but they do give further background as to why paper records can be so important.

The first rule of thumb for any organisation should be to asses their records according to the following criteria: business value, legal value, administrative value, historical value. The records can then be classed as vital, important, useful or non-essential. For those records deemed vital, the next step is to ensure that the storage of those records is an integral part of your business continuity plan and this means considering how and where they are stored. In exactly the same way as you would safeguard your IT systems and electronic records, consideration should be given to the possible disaster scenarios and how you can guard against loss or damage of those records.

Gondola Shelving Demystified: Part 2 - The Units
In the first article of this series, we covered the basics of a gondola shelving layout. This time around, we’ll discuss how to select the units themselves, and after reading this article you should have no trouble figuring out which gondola units you need to make your final layout a reality. We’ll also take a brief look at how to customize your units through the use of various accessories, backing materials and colors which will give your gondolas a look that is tailored to your retail space.For the purpose of this article, let’s assume we are following a layout that calls for a 7’ span of gondola units along one wall, and a 12’ run of gondola units right down the middle of the store. Right off the bat, we know that we’re going to be ordering both wall units and aisle units. “Wall units” are gondolas with one base shelf and a flat back. As the name implies they are almost always placed flush against a wall and are typically taller than their counterpart, the aisle unit. An “aisle unit” is basically two wall units built back to back which allows for the creation of aisles. A mixture of wall and aisle units is fairly commonplace, especially in high volume retail situations such as convenience and grocery stores.Next, we need to decide how many units to buy in order to complete the 7’ and 12’ runs of gondolas required by our layout. Gondola units, be they wall or aisle, are commonly constructed in 3’

The UK’s Records Management Society defines records management as, “the process by which a company manages all the elements of records whether externally or internally generated and in any format or media type, from their inception/receipt, all the way through to their disposal”. In this digital age many organisations have set up comprehensive systems to ensure that electronic records are safely stored and backed up, with a plan in place should an unexpected crisis occur. This makes a great deal of sense since some estimates suggest that over 90% of businesses that have had a major data processing disaster will go out of business within 5 years.

These days most employees rely on electronic systems to do their job and lost or damaged files can spell disaster. However while IT systems are often carefully considered and any perceived emergencies planned for, paper records can frequently be neglected. It’s difficult to pinpoint why this is except to say that perhaps manual records are considered unimportant when compared to expensive IT systems. Perhaps it is also the case that the sheer physicality of a paper record makes people (wrongly) believe it is not as important to safeguard as a computer file that could more easily be destroyed or corrupted. But to take this viewpoint is ill advised and short sighted.

Many organisations are under a legal obligation to keep certain records for a specified period of time. For example, financial institutions are now required to keep mortgage loan files for up to ten years after the loan has been repaid. Some medical records must be stored throughout the life of the patient and government institutions are now required to keep certain records for up to 50 years. Companies pay a high price for inadequate record keeping. In January 2003 The Bank of Scotland was fined ?1.25m for breaching anti-money laundering rules on the identification of customers because it had failed to retain a copy of customer ID or a record of where it was kept. Often there is a legal requirement to keep the original paper document even when it exists electronically and in any action, the legal weight of records will be greater if the original version is produced. The Business Archives Council, which promotes the preservation of business records of historical importance, gives some other reasons why it can be prudent to save original documents.

Among their points are:

* Transparent corporate governance

Good record-keeping is an integral part of transparent corporate governance. The implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the US has brought heightened scrutiny of an organisation's internal controls and practices. Trustworthy and accurate records serve as a bedrock for a company's reporting systems and ensure that they comply with best practice

* A key part of Corporate Social Responsibility

Caring for your heritage can be a key part of a Corporate Social Responsibility policy. Businesses have impacted on the lives of their staff, customers, shareholders and on the communities in which they operate. Business archives record how lives have been affected and changed. Some companies have publicly acknowledged that their own histories are an important piece in the jigsaw of the past and that they have a duty of care to their own archives. Making business archives accessible to the public is a real contribution to the community.

* Brand Building

The past can be used to support present performance. Archives add detail and depth to the public image of a company, differentiating it from the competition. Celebrating significant anniversaries or birthdays brings the long-standing nature and the achievements of the company to the fore. Historic information and images can also be used to support particular brands emphasising their position in the market place.

* A market for nostalgia

Exploiting your heritage can bring in revenue. Companies with well known advertising and packaging logos and images can licence their reproductions in all kinds of ways: the Guinness Toucan, Colman's mustard and Pears soap are just a few examples of well known images that bring in money for their owners.

* Education

Archives can be used within a business to inform and educate new recruits about a company's history and successes and pass on company values and principles. Archives can also be used as an educational resource by learners of all ages - some companies have produced very popular and highly regarded educational resources aimed at schoolchildren.

Clearly some of these points would not be put under the heading of ‘Business Critical’ but they do give further background as to why paper records can be so important.

Simple Guide to Setting up an Offshore Company
An offshore company can be used for everything from taxation reduction to asset protection, real estate holding to ‘e’ and internet business ease of operation. If you decide that there are definite benefits for you in the establishment of an offshore company the next step is to go ahead and get one set up…It’s usually a very simple affair, it can take as little as 24 hours to get a basic structure in place and in this article I will guide you through the basic set-up procedures and considerations.The very first thing you need to do is ensure an offshore company structure is what you need and that it can achieve what you want. Many companies provide information on the internet about how an offshore company works and how one can potentially benefit you….consider reviewing some of this information just to ensure that you do need an offshore company or international business company to assist you in achieving your aims.Assuming you have taken advice or done sufficient due diligence to be sure you want to proceed, you next need to think about the jurisdiction you want to open a company in. You have such a wealth to choose from in locations from Andorra to Vanuatu and from Anguilla to Wyoming! Look at the protection you will be afforded in a given jurisdiction, the level of fees you will encounter at set-up and ongoing, consider the taxation environment in the location and whether it is considered ‘re

believe it is not as important to safeguard as a computer file that could more easily be destroyed or corrupted. But to take this viewpoint is ill advised and short sighted.

Among their points are:

* Transparent corporate governance

* A key part of Corporate Social Responsibility

* Brand Building

* A market for nostalgia

* Education

Clearly some of these points would not be put under the heading of ‘Business Critical’ but they do give further background as to why paper records can be so important.

The Sign of a Great Leader - Consideration of Others
As much as we’d like everyone to be our clone: same work ethic, owner mentality, intelligence level, capable of seeing the big picture and multi-tasking, that’s just not reality. Let’s face it – you and I are the only truly superior business people and everyone else is striving to be us. But seriously, everyone brings their own special talents to the table.If all our associates were great sales people, who would handle finance, marketing, technology or human resources? As considerate leaders we have to look to the innate value of each associate or else our turn over rate will be greater than a fast food restaurant.In the Bible, Jesus describes the church as a human body – lots of different parts all working together for greater success.As an associate – there’s nothing worse than going to work everyday, dreading the experience. Certainly you’ve had jobs where you just didn’t feel successful and the hours would drag, right?Think back to that experience. Could it have been a miserable situation because your job involved tasks for which you weren’t comfortable or felt well suited?I once worked for the phone company in one of their phone stores and I loved it. I enjoyed helping people select their phone equipment and I felt successful. Circumstances in my life required I move to another city and I attempted to transfer to a sister company. I applied for what I thought was a customer

mportance, gives some other reasons why it can be prudent to save original documents.

Among their points are:

* Transparent corporate governance

* A key part of Corporate Social Responsibility

* Brand Building

* A market for nostalgia

* Education

Clearly some of these points would not be put under the heading of ‘Business Critical’ but they do give further background as to why paper records can be so important.

Golf Course Designers - How to Choose an Architect to Design Your Golf Course
This article is an excerpt from an interview with golf course architect Kevin Norby.What are the most important considerations for a developer when choosing a golf course designer? Knowledge and experience. As an owner, you want to make sure you're working with someone who can guide you through the project approval process and provide some assurance that, when complete, the project will be successful. In particular, it is important that the client determine who they are building the golf course for: Whether the course is designed for private, public or resort play will have a considerable bearing into the design elements. These are important factors as an owner considers what their maintenance budget will be, as well as the caliber of golfer that will play the course.A golf course architect is also valuable to the owner in terms of providing guidance regarding maintenance facilities, maintenance equipment, sighting of the clubhouse, the amount of parking required, finding good contractors, where to look for when hiring a manager or golf professional. In many ways, we become a sounding board for the owner because we have a wide variety of experience in getting these golf course projects up and running smoothly. That is where having an experienced golf course designer is particularly helpful for a golf course owner; simply in having worked through

d to support present performance. Archives add detail and depth to the public image of a company, differentiating it from the competition. Celebrating significant anniversaries or birthdays brings the long-standing nature and the achievements of the company to the fore. Historic information and images can also be used to support particular brands emphasising their position in the market place.

* A market for nostalgia

* Education

Clearly some of these points would not be put under the heading of ‘Business Critical’ but they do give further background as to why paper records can be so important.

How to Think Outside the Box by Looking AT the Box
Nobody notices normal. I learned that early in life when I discovered my secret calling to be a class clown. I quickly learned that the key to being funny is in saying what people don’t expect you to say - taking assumptions and shattering them. It’s not about fitting in. It’s about getting noticed. When you are different people remember you. It’s something that has been proven true throughout my years as a writer, storyteller, comedian, and professional speaker. Look around you at the different industries to examples of what I’m talking about. Musicians who succeed are those who have a different sound. Comedians who have a unique perspective on life. Speakers with a different concept. Reality TV. Commercials with talking lizards. I rest my case.While I like to think that I am talented and full of wit, I’m afraid it’s not the talent or the humor that gets me hired. It’s the fact that I bring something different to the table. I have found ways (some intentionally, some not) of being different on many levels – from my promotional materials, to my website presence, to the way I treat my clients. And that’s why I buy into the principle that the key to success is to study what everybody else is doing and do the opposite. Create yourself as a category of one. Be the only one in your business who…My particular industry is the speaking business where we as speakers have become a commodity – an endless buffet of ch

er the heading of ‘Business Critical’ but they do give further background as to why paper records can be so important.

For many companies the first obvious factor to think about is physical location. A Morgan Stanley Brokers note in June 2003 estimated that 70% of businesses are storing records on their own premises. Clearly this has huge implications should that office be subject to any kind of negative event. The horrific and devastating events of 9/11 showed all too clearly the potential risks of storing vital business records on site with many thousands of important documents destroyed. But if not on site then where is the best place? Some companies discount off site storage for those records that are deemed ‘active’ since they can be concerned that, should they need them, it will be a difficult process to retrieve them but any professional records management company should be able to deliver a document back to you within 24 hours and/or a scanned electronic version within a few hours.

If that is not acceptable then consideration should be given to copying the record and placing the original off site. The same factors apply to long term or ‘inactive’ storage. When deciding on an off site storage provider another important point to consider includes the environmental conditions of the site. Paper needs to be stored in cool consistent temperatures with a tight humidity band. It is worth reading through BS5454 since this sets the environmental standard for the storage of archival documents. Other points to assess include the risk of flood, fire or terrorist attack and, should any of these occur, how does the records management company in question plan ahead to handle it.

The National Archives previously known as the Public Records Office, has some of the country’s most important records. Acting as the UK government’s official archive, The National Archives looks after many thousands of documents containing 900 years of history from the Domesday Book to the present. The National Archives keep the majority of their material at their headquarters in Kew but they also keep a portion of their archive off site at DeepStore. They suggest that, in order to minimise damage to paper records, organisations should consider the following when planning for disaster.

* The best way to deal with potential disasters is to stop them happening. A first step is to identify and assess sources of potential risk in terms of the probability of an incident occurring, and likely impact if it does, including the costs of recovery.

* The process should include a detailed inspection of the premises and operational activities on site, and consultation with staff in each work area, particularly those such as caretakers or cleaners who have day to day responsibility for the building. It may also be necessary to consult specialist external sources of advice from individuals such as fire prevention offices, security advisers, insurance providers and a qualified conservator.

* Risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually to take account of changed circumstances and a systematic logging of any previous incidents will help to refine those assessments.

* In addition, it is important to be aware of temporary increases in risk, e.g. due to the presence of contractors on-site, extreme weather conditions, unusual activity in adjacent premises. Common sources of risk to paper records (of varying degrees of seriousness) include extreme weather, leaking roofs, plumbing problems, smoking, poor storage of inflammable materials, malfunctioning electrical wiring, lighting, arson or vandalism (up to half of UK fire are started deliberately), gas leaks, industrial accidents in nearby premises and terrorism.

Anna Buelow, Head of Preservation, at The National Archives gives some advice as to how a company should tackle a problem if, despite planning to avoid it, the worst occurs and paper records are damaged by water. She explains, “The prime concern in a disaster situation is to take what measures are necessary to salvage or limit the damage to as many of the records as possible. Ideally, the recovery process should start with a preliminary assessment of those documents in the affected area, designated as being the most valuable or important, identified by the first senior member of staff to come on site. “For slightly damaged material it may be possible to air dry the items. This should be done in a large, well ventilated area and supervised by an experienced professional if possible. Anything that is saturated should be removed from boxes, packed in polythene bags and labeled. They should then be frozen and dealt with by a specialist agency.”

And what about fire damage? Specialist company Harwell Restoration Services offer the following advice, “Depending on the design of a given building during a fire the smoke residues can travel great distances from the source of the actual fire, potentially creating widespread damage, even if the fire itself only affected one room. Within an office or library, th

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A couple of weeks ago I attended an event planners Christmas function. The turnout was decent, there was no shortage of skewered prawns or celebratory cocktails and a good amount of effort had gone into the costumes worn by circulating serving staff.

According to the book Successful Marketing Strategies for Nonprofit Organization by Barry McLeish, nonprofit groups compete with each other in roughly four areas - quality of programs or technology, positioning of programs or products, quality of support services and price. Let's take a look at each of these areas and compare them with regard to how a for-profit company competes.

The Kanchipuram silk industry has managed to survive many highs and lows and has made its presence felt internationally. However, the biggest challenges faced by it today are undertaking modifications to suit changing customer preferences, use of modern technology and product diversification.

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