Casual Articles - Business

Push Into the White Space
The world is changing quickly with big rewards for innovators and creators of new value.When your system says ‘no’, ‘cannot’ or ‘won’t do it’, that’s a clue to open up for new possibilities and new approaches that add new value.Change ‘cannot’ into ‘How can we?’ Transform ‘no’ into ‘Let’s find a yes.’ Convert ‘won’t do it’ into ‘How should we make this happen?’It took days to communicate by mail, so fax machines crossed the divide. But fax machines were bound to a physical location. Now e-mail bridges the gap.Mothers can’t work and be close to their children? Day care in the workplace solved the problem.Computers were too bulky to carry? Laptops became notebooks then personal digital assistants.The United States has been upfront as a land of perpetual innovation. ‘Do your own thing!’ ‘If it isn’t broken, break it!’ ‘Build a better mousetrap!’ ‘Find a better way!’ These are keynotes of a culture pushing forward. Think Disneyland, Microsoft, Hollywood, Apple, Wal-Mart, Amazon, Amway, Dell... Key Learning Point -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You don't need to be American or Asian or European to make this work. You just need to be awake, alert and keen to make improvements. Action Steps -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next time your structure

satisfy everyone’s concerns by attempting to restructure the team in such a way that promotes functionality above personality differences. If push comes to shove, someone may need to be terminated as a last resort to permit the business to move forward.

Not Understanding the Business

Ram Charan, a popular business author and former CEO of Honeywell, mentions in his book What the CEO Wants You to Know, “when you come right down to it, business is very simple. There are universal laws of business that apply whether you sell fruit from a stand or are running a Fortune 500 company.”

If you’re an employee, take the time to truly understand how your employer makes money. If you’re a business executive, invest some of your time to explain how your c

Marketing Your Small Business: Radio Is The Advertising Solution You Are Searching For!
Small business owners are amazing. They have the courage to do what so many others only dream about. Small business owners also are challenged. They often are specialists. This makes them great at one or two aspects of their business but often lack the knowledge and skill in other areas. One area many business owners have little to no knowledge is how to effectively market their enterprise. For those businesses that rely on the customer coming into the store or rely on the customer calling to request a service, radio should be their weapon of choice.When you want to have others know something about you, do you write it down and hope they stop by the location it's written, your desk, you table, the bulletin board, and hope they read it or would it be more effective to go to each and every one of them and with passion and enthusiasm, tell them exactly what you want them to know.This is what you can do with radio. Most any radio station in the country has enough regular listeners that if even a percentage of them did business with you, you would do very well financially. That is another power factor of radio, you can be very specific about the type of person you want to talk to . Radio is intrusive. It can be with the customer almost any place they go. We are often influenced by advertising and don't even realize it. Have you ever said "I heard that..." but you don't know where you heard it?The repetition of

It’s that time of year, when employee evaluations are due, where we evaluate the behaviors in employees that annoy us the most and try to figure out what to do about them. Below are ten behaviors that experts all over the world have identified as irritating, problematic, or counterproductive along with a proposed solution to the problem. The ten are in no particular order, but each one has its own set of circumstances which impact a company’s productivity or morale in some way.

Promotion and/or Pay Raise Seekers Who Haven't Earned Their Stripes

“If you want something different or better than the position you're currently in, then do the work, serve the role, earn the job and make it evident to everyone around you that you deserve it (without blowing your own horn every five minutes). The easiest promotions come when it's blatantly obvious that someone is already doing the job and capable of carrying it. The worst situations come when someone gets promoted to a job for which they aren't qualified. Everyone suffers in that scenario,” says Dick Hoffman, Owner of Hoffman Management Consultancy based in the Netherlands. “When someone pursues a title, promotion or raise so relentlessly that they make everyone around them miserable, then it's usually time to recommend that they exit the current situation and pursue another job.”

Falling Asleep on the Job

Sometimes employees simply don’t get the proper rest, but it’s unacceptable to nod off during the work day or meetings. Companies aren’t paying their employees to take a siesta on their dime. This is not only a hindrance to the company itself, but it genuinely upsets other employees. A Research Associate in the San Francisco area recounts a recent sleeping on the job incident where the outcome will always have two behavior altering options: “If sleeping on the job became a frequent problem with the employee, I would cite safety issues (which are applicable, as we work in an engineering/laboratory environment) and give the employee the option of a) getting immediate help (and I would have to see documented proof that he/she was actually getting some help) or b) face termination.”

Pardon the pun, but it’s hard to sleep on this one—quick and decisive action is required to save face and improve productivity. A general consensus seems to suggest that the best solution for your company is an immediate termination if you catch someone frequently sleeping on the job or during meetings. It’s not the company’s responsibility to cater to employees which don’t get the proper rest.

Teaming Up in an Attempt at Getting a Co-Worker Fired

This makes our list for the simple reason that executives and managers should be entrusted to ensure that the right people are “on the bus.” No amount of employee revolt against one employee will benefit anyone therefore it is best to keep the lines of communication open between all parties. If a riff is sensed among the constituency, hash it out to the best of the team’s abilities as a team. If a mutiny is inevitable, attempt to satisfy everyone’s concerns by attempting to restructure the team in such a way that promotes functionality above personality differences. If push comes to shove, someone may need to be terminated as a last resort to permit the business to move forward.

Not Understanding the Business

If you’re an employee, take the time to truly understand how your employer makes money. If you’re a business executive, invest some of your time to explain how your c

Myths About Women and International Business
Researcher, Nancy Adler conducted a monumental study in the mid 1980’s to address myths about women and international business. Her study investigated if commonly held myths about women in international business were true including: women are not interested in International business, women were not willing to travel overseas for a variety of reasons namely family responsibilities and women would not be viewed as credible in overseas business due to the local perception of women. Her study results revealed that many of these false perceptions were indeed myths often held by male managers and HR personnel, and that women were interested and willing to conduct business overseas.Today many of these same myths still exist despite the dramatic increase of women in business and women owned businesses and women traveling overseas.Here are some facts published by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) (www.dol.gov), The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) (www.nawbo.org), and the Small Business Administration (SBA) (www.sba.gov), on women in the work force:• Women account for over 46% of the work force in America and this is expected to increase to 48% by the year 2005.• Women comprised 43% of employees in American executive, administrative, and managerial occupations in 1995 and this number is growing.• Businesses owned by women number 8 million in the U.S., and they employ one out of

your own horn every five minutes). The easiest promotions come when it's blatantly obvious that someone is already doing the job and capable of carrying it. The worst situations come when someone gets promoted to a job for which they aren't qualified. Everyone suffers in that scenario,” says Dick Hoffman, Owner of Hoffman Management Consultancy based in the Netherlands. “When someone pursues a title, promotion or raise so relentlessly that they make everyone around them miserable, then it's usually time to recommend that they exit the current situation and pursue another job.”

Falling Asleep on the Job

Teaming Up in an Attempt at Getting a Co-Worker Fired

Not Understanding the Business

If you’re an employee, take the time to truly understand how your employer makes money. If you’re a business executive, invest some of your time to explain how your c

Joint Vision In A Partnership Company
When two businesses form a partnership, it is essential that both partner companies have a joint vision regarding the new company or the partnership will face numerous hurdles. It is essential that all issues are agreed and signed when the contract to form the partnership company is signed. It is essential that an unbiased and experienced attorney help both parties negotiate a deal to minimize the risks of incompatibility helping create a mutually beneficial relationship for all parties concerned.How to Create a Joint Vision in a Partnership Company:It is essential that the terms of the business relationship are clearly defined and explained to all the partners and outlined. The structural considerations, the capital infusion, the scope of the partnership, how to resolve disputes, how to exit from the partnership, and how to terminate the partnership have to be clearly discussed and agreed upon by all partners to help them proceed unhindered allowing them to develop an atmosphere conducive to creating a joint vision. It is necessary to agree upon common goals and give details on how each partner will do his duty to ensure that the firm shares a joint vision, motivating partners to do their best for the firm’s vision to realize.When things are clearly defined and established when the partnership is formed, it will help all partners understand their role in the partnership, realize that they will all benef

r employees to take a siesta on their dime. This is not only a hindrance to the company itself, but it genuinely upsets other employees. A Research Associate in the San Francisco area recounts a recent sleeping on the job incident where the outcome will always have two behavior altering options: “If sleeping on the job became a frequent problem with the employee, I would cite safety issues (which are applicable, as we work in an engineering/laboratory environment) and give the employee the option of a) getting immediate help (and I would have to see documented proof that he/she was actually getting some help) or b) face termination.”

Teaming Up in an Attempt at Getting a Co-Worker Fired

Not Understanding the Business

If you’re an employee, take the time to truly understand how your employer makes money. If you’re a business executive, invest some of your time to explain how your c

Outsourcing Your Customer Support? Points to Consider
Okay, so you’ve made the controversial and often contentious decision to outsource your customer support operations to an external call center. Before closing this all-important deal, there are a few steps you should take to ensure that your business is getting the quality and flexibility it deserves.First of all, it’s important to ask where your support calls will be handled. Just because a call center has offices in your area doesn’t necessarily mean that calls will be sent there; in fact, many customer support firms outsource their business to other countries or even continents. Before signing a contract, its best to be clear on this issue, and ask yourself whether you (and more importantly your customers) are happy with support calls being dealt with from half a world away.Secondly, you should ask exactly how much of the vendor’s business your company will account for. Ideally, its best that your business account for at least 5% of the call volume at your call center of choice, so as to allow agents to become familiar with your products and services. This isn’t always possible for very small businesses, but it’s still a good thing to look in to.Another thing to remember is that most call centers will try to set up their own in-house phone number(s) specifically for your business. This is an offer your should flatly refused, as the vendor can later use it to their unfair advantage in keeping your busine

general consensus seems to suggest that the best solution for your company is an immediate termination if you catch someone frequently sleeping on the job or during meetings. It’s not the company’s responsibility to cater to employees which don’t get the proper rest.

Teaming Up in an Attempt at Getting a Co-Worker Fired

Not Understanding the Business

If you’re an employee, take the time to truly understand how your employer makes money. If you’re a business executive, invest some of your time to explain how your c

Are You Engaged? 7 Steps to Creating Renewed Job Commitment
Have you had it up to “here” in your present job? Are you thinking that another job would provide a better fit and mean a true commitment to the job? Well, welcome to the club…and it’s a large one. Employment experts believe that over 50 percent of the working population, at any given time, is ready to move on and find another job that is a better fit.Of course, now might not be the right time to make that move for any number of reasons, not the least of which might be finances, family or fear. But here are 7 things you can do to create a better work situation for yourself in your present job. If you practice these actions, you will have more energy and challenge, create new connections with your environment and be seen as someone who is working to help your organization succeed. And that’s all good—for you and your career!1. Identify - and get to know - your strengths. When you know them, you can be conscious of how to best apply them to your work. When we use our strengths, or our natural talents, we are doing our best work…and that provides satisfaction. In their book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton identify 34 core strengths or talents that people possess, and we each excel in five or six of them. Discover your top strengths, and you will forever look at the work you do and the contributions you make differently. When you are aware of your strengths you c

Not Understanding the Business

If you’re an employee, take the time to truly understand how your employer makes money. If you’re a business executive, invest some of your time to explain how your company makes money so that everyone has the basic fundamentals down. This is the least you can do to improve your likelihood of long term success.

Being a Know-it-All

No one enjoys being subjected to criticism or one-upsmanship from co-workers especially if that person isn’t the boss. There are no employees at any company, including the CEO, that know every answer to every conceivable problem. That’s why there are people in various roles within the company. If there is a “know-it-all” among the group, the best solution is to confront that person and hash out the differences as a group. Be careful not to make it appear as if you’re ganging up on the guilty party though. If the person provides a valuable set of skills to the organization, your goal isn’t to eliminate the employee—it is to discourage the behavior while continuing to capitalize on their unique strengths. Conversely, if the person is no longer providing tangible benefits to the organization, perhaps it’s time to encourage the problem child to seek employment elsewhere.

Eating at Your Desk

Nothing short of instituting a “please eat in designated areas only” policy will correct this problem. Businesses should consider implementing this policy if for no other reason than to protect company assets such as the computer, keyboard, monitor, desk, chair, and phone at each person’s work area. Grease can penetrate those objects and wear them down over time not to mention the unsightly grime and residue build up. If you have carpet in your office, it’s doubtful you desire to replace it frequently because of repeated mishaps. While most people are careful not to spill things, accidents are bound to happen so why not take the steps to limit them to areas better equipped to sustain them?

Dave Gullo, Owner of Snowboards-for-sale.com based in California, puts a humorous spin on this, stating “the sounds of mastication are annoying. Worst case is an employee who is eating KFC and working at the same time touching your monitor leaving rainbow marks.” Indeed!

Always Playing the Victim

If bad things are supposedly always happening to someone around you or even to you, it’s time to confront the guilty party. Complaining all the time without presenting viable solutions aggravates everyone in little time. Life isn’t always a picnic for anyone, but a consistent negative outlook is demoralizing to say the least. “Victim behavior is disruptive because victims create drama, they are constitutionally incapable of taking responsibility for the choices they make which means they are intractable and incurable. Prevention is highly recommended through careful screening,” says Jane Plank, Sr. Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Equity Consultants in Richfield, Ohio.

Plank suggests quick corrective action, “when an employee’s choices become more problematic than the benefit added to the company, it is time to coach them up or out.” Preeti Kalra, an HR Manager at Dilithium Networks in India, encourages one-on-one sessions, “Have several one-on-

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What can flip-flops (the shoes, not the political posturing) possibly have to do with government procurement contracting practices? And how do they relate to failure at procurement contracting? Everyday, businesses large and small, well-established and brand new, try to open the door to doing business with the government. When government procurement personnel and decision-makers see how the company presents itself, they make a snap decision to open or shut the door, literally and figuratively.

Transport operators who provide a public service are often faced with criticism from all sides. Online surveys are the ideal tool for transport operators to gain valuable feedback from their customers but also promote the improvements they have made and help maintain staff moral by being able to measure customers comments.

Why is it we can let our emotions take right over our home business? What should we do about others who are negative?

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