Establishing Retention Guidelines

Writen by Barbara Hemphill

After you've completed the inventory of existing files, the next step is to establish user-friendly retention guidelines. Often, offices are glutted with paper and computer files because people using them aren't given guidelines about what to keep and what to eliminate. Ironically, some organizations do have such guidelines, but they're not communicated to the people who really need them, or not provided in a user-friendly form. One company I worked with had a guidebook that was nearly a hundred pages long, but poorly organized, and contained information most people didn't need.

As a general rule, retention guidelines are most useful when organized by department, but it's helpful to know what other departments keep. For example, in one company I discovered three departments (on the same floor) keeping information about potential meeting sites. This is unnecessary duplication and takes far too much space. In addition to keeping it in three places, they kept the information for several years when in fact, it wouldn't be wise to make a decision about a meeting space based on old information.

Talk with staff members People who use files regularly are the best source of information when you're developing retention guidelines. Use the records inventory form discussed previously as a starting point for discussion, and determine how long people actually use the information that is kept. In many cases, employees may not know—which is exactly the reason for going through this process.

Talk with your advisors To further develop your retention guidelines, collect all the information you can from your accountant and general counsel about what information is legally necessary in your company (and see the accompanying box for suggestions). In some cases, your organization may belong to an industry-related association, which might be able to provide additional guidelines. The "Originator's Rule:" The Universal Retention Guideline It's essential to keep some information, but unnecessary and undesirable to keep duplicate information. One way to avoid this is to be sure everyone in your office understands and implements, wherever applicable, the "Originator's Rule: Whoever originates a piece of paper is responsible for its retention!"

Document your record-keeping plan. Once you've collected all the available information about records retention from internal and external sources, it's time to put the information in some sort of user-friendly form for each department by adding the information to your File Index. If your company becomes involved in litigation or an audit, you'll be in a much better position to protect yourself if you produce evidence of your records-retention program. Having a formal records retention program creates consistency and indicates an honest attempt to retain important information. For example, if you're audited and you have only some records, you look sloppy at best. At worst, you give the impression that you're trying to hide something. It's a good idea to set up and maintain a computer database of the company's records, including the location of all records and how long they must be kept. This will give you the flexibility to sort the information into various types of lists as needed.

Simplify Paper Management The best way to simplify paper management is (naturally) to not create excess paperwork in the first place. A good resource to assist you in looking at these issues is Cutting Paperwork in the Corporate Culture by Dianna Booher ($16.95 Facts on File; 800-–342–6621).

Here are some guidelines:

• Annual financial statements: Retain indefinitely.

• Monthly financial statements used for internal purposes: Retain for three years.

• Bank reconciliation's, voided checks, check stubs and check register tapes: Retain for six years.

• Books of account, such as the general ledger and general journal: Retain indefinitely, unless posted regularly to the general ledger. ("Ledgers" refer to the actual books or the magnetic tapes, disks, or other media upon which the ledgers and journals are stored.)

• Subsidiary ledgers: Retain for three years.

• Canceled, payroll and dividend checks: Retain for six years.

• Corporate documents, including certificate of incorporation, corporate charter, constitution and bylaws, deeds and easements, stock, stock transfer and stockholder records, minutes of board of directors' meeting, retirement and pension records, labor contracts, licenses, patents, trademarks and registration applications: Retain indefinitely.

• Documents substantiating fixed-asset additions, such as the amounts and dates of additions or improvements, detail related to retirements, depreciation policies, and salvage values assigned to assets: Retain indefinitely.

• Income tax, revenue agents' report, protests, court briefs and appeals: Retain indefinitely.

• Income tax payment checks: Retain indefinitely.

• Personnel and payroll records, such as payments and reports to taxing authorities, including federal income tax withholding, FICA contributions, unemployment taxes and workers' compensation insurance: Retain for four years.

• Purchase records, including purchase orders, payment vouchers authorizing payment to vendors and vendor invoices: Retain for six years.

• Sales records such as invoices, monthly statements, remittance advisories, shipping papers, bills of lading and customers' purchase orders: Retain for six years.

• Travel and entertainment records, including account books, diaries and expense statements: Retain for six years.

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

High Definition Update Paul Wheeler Interview

Writen by Cal Barton

High Definition Update - Paul Wheeler Interview

In July 2005, I wrote an E-Zine with the headline "High Definition – When?" At the time we saw little demand for HDCAM equipment aside from some clients in the U.S. Seven months later, the situation has changed dramatically. We added two Sony HDW-F900 HDCAM camcorders (Sony's top of the line HDCAM camera for television and/or cinema) to our stock in January 2006 because of growing demand and see this as the beginning of a trend. And we have just taken a booking for a multi-camera shoot in March with six HDW-F900s.

Interview With Paul Wheeler – Soon Available on DVD

With this increase in demand, we recently hired Paul Wheeler BSC, a highly experienced film and digital cinematographer who wrote the book, "High Definition & 24P Cinematography", to run some workshops for us. While he was here, I interviewed him. We are going to make available DVDs with an edit of the interview. If you'd like one, contact me at cal@procamtv.com.

BBC – Drama and High Definition

One of my first questions to Paul was about the apparently sudden leap in demand for HDCAM. Paul's response: "Five years ago the BBC was saying within two years everything they record will be on high definition. Three months ago they said everything we record in two years time will be on high definition so trying to predict what happens is very difficult. The BBC who wanted to move in that direction haven't moved as fast as they wanted to. But that's not a technical problem. That's a problem with persuading producers that using a new technology is safe. And I think this year (2005), we've just begun to see the confidence in the system and I'm very hopeful that we're now going to see a cascade effect. Where a couple of very expensive period dramas have been done on HD, they look exactly like very expensive period dramas. And that to me is a huge starting point that I was hopeful would have happened a couple of years ago."

Sky TV and High Definition

Sky TV has also said they are on track with plans to launch HDTV in 2006. BSkyB's Chief Operating Officer, Richard Freudenstein, said recently that the dramatic improvement in picture quality would help BSkyB achieve its target of ten million customers in 2010. "Innovation and technology leadership are at the core of the Sky brand," he said. "By introducing HDTV, our ambition is to raise the bar again." BSkyB expects that sales of "HD Ready" TV sets will accelerate as equipment prices continue to fall and the availability of HDTV programming grows.

Nonfiction and High Definition

Paul says the increased use of HD in documentary and factual programming has been stronger than in drama. "We have had more factual programmes made in HD than we have had fiction and I think the main drive there is this fact that you can sell it round the world. You can only really sell drama if you've made it in England to an English speaking nation but you can change the commentary of factual to any language very easily and I think there is more potential for international sales of documentary work or factual therefore those advantages of the transparency of moving from whatever you've shot it in to whatever you want to sell it in are an even bigger advantage."

Sony HVR-Z1 (HDV) vs Digital Betacam

The most popular high definition camcorder is the Sony HVR-Z1. This is meant for low budget shoots and the camera has replaced the Sony DSR-PD170P. The main advantage is the Z1 has a wide screen chip so shoots true wide screen. The PD170P does have a wide screen setting but because it has a 4:3 chip this setting produces inferior images to the Z1. Most of our clients record in the DVCAM rather than the HDV setting when they use the Z1 and get excellent results.

In some articles I have seen the Z1 compared to the Sony DVW-790WSP camcorder with the conclusion the quality of the image is similar. According to Paul: "If you take the output straight out of the Z-1 and stick it in a decent monitor and do the same on the B-channel with a Digi-Beta and you flick between the two you'll be fairly impressed. But there are other issues in why you choose a camera. One is the recording format and the Digi-Beta format is much more stable and robust than the M-Peg 2 compression used in the HDV process." This, Paul says, is particularly a concern in post production, especially if you're doing a "fair bit of post production."

The other issues to consider are the lens and the actual robustness of the camera. The lens on a Digi-Beta is far more versatile and quicker to respond than the lens on a Z1 and if you are shooting in even slightly adverse conditions the 790 is made of far sterner stuff.

Paul's view is to "think of (the Z1) as a replacement for your PD170 but don't think of it as a replacement for the highly professional, very robust, very strong recording process of the Digi-Beta. It's not."

More on the Paul Wheeler Interview DVD

The DVD with an edit of the interview with Paul will include a discussion of the following:

• Growing use of High Definition camcorders
• Z1 vs Digital Betacam
• Brief summary of the different camcorders: 730, 750 and F900
• Progressive scan and interlaced recording
• 720 vs 1080
• Setting the camera correctly for post production

Summary

High definition is definitely here. I have never seen a format take off so quickly. We experienced a marked increase in demand in January and interest and inquiries are growing. I recommend you learn as much as you can about the High Definition cameras available, the range of settings you can shoot in and what accessories are commonly needed. The July E-Zine covered much of this, the Paul Wheeler DVD covers more and the next E-Zine will cover commonly needed accessories.

Until then, happy shooting!

Cal Barton, Procam Television

www.procamtv.com

10 Profitable Ways To Recycle Your Content

Writen by Rojo Sunsen

1. Repackage your web site content in to different products to sell. You could create speeches, audio books, classes, and video tapes with your content.

2. Divide your content up and use it for promotional articles. You could submit them to other web sites or ezines for publicity. Just add your resource box.

3. Allow people to link to your web site's content. This is a fast way to get hundreds of people linking to your web site.

4. Add to your content and create an ebook to sell. You don't want to sell your free content, but if you add to it you can. It's an extra profit stream.

5. Compile it into a free ebook. You could submit it to free ebook directories. Use it as a bonus for when people subscribe to your e-zine.

6. Use your free content as a lead in product for your fee based content or private site. Just allow them the option of up grading to the paid version.

7. Place it on follow-up autoresponders from your web site. This is a great way to remind people to come back and revisit your web site.

8. Create a free bonus out of your content for your main product. When you add new content, remove the old content and create a bonus product with it.

9. Use the content to create a press release. This works well if you need extra information for your press release announcement.

10. Trade content with other web sites. It will give you the chance to get new content and promote your web site at the same time.

About the author: Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

Conflicts Of Interest At The Ftc

Writen by Lance Winslow

The Federal Trade Commission has set forth an agenda to revamp the Franchise Rule. Actually not revamp and get rid of the unnecessary over regulation and over disclosure, but to re-define it and pile on more minutia. The Federal Trade Commission ought to re-consider all these potential rule changes and advise from attorneys in the industry because such comments and advise are self serving and do not help consumers. Attorney firms might hire Federal Trade Commission staff in the future and therefore many see vast amounts of abuse of power and conflict of interest. Basically you cannot trust them anymore; the regulators today who will be attorneys in private practice tomorrow in a constant revolving door, serving no free American.

It should be noted all those Law Firms who commented in the rule making period and got their wishes; then correlate where Federal Trade Commission staff go to work in the future. Any Federal Trade Commission staff, attorney going to such law firms ought to be fined, imprisoned and have their pensions immediately revoked, or in a more perfect world simply shot for treason against the country.

We seem to have a complete double standard here, which is quite obvious from anyone on the outside looking in. Government must be held completely accountable for their actions, abuses of power and should be jailed, made example of in the media or shot for treason, if we are to have a fair system. Any referee who purposely calls foul of a team, which has not broken the rules should be discharged with out monetary consideration from the current game and barred from ever playing in any game, related industry or admission to the hall of fame.

Conflict of interest, abuse of power and prostitution of truth and justice are common at the Federal Trade Commission and no one will fix the problem. We should demand absolute integrity from this agency. Think about it.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Paper Shredder Prices

Writen by Peter Emerson

Today, a number of manufacturers offer high quality paper shredders to suit everyone?s budget. Depending on features and functions, the price of paper shredders varies. Paper shredders are available starting form $10. Strip cut machines are relatively less expensive than crosscut models.

A countless number of dealers are there in the paper shredder business scenario to provide paper shredders of all price ranges. Destroyit, GBC, Fellowes, Dahle, MBM, and Kobra are a few among the leading brands. The price of Destroyit shredder models for low volumes starts from $180. Their D.O.D/ NSA-CSS approved shredders and industrial shredders cost more than $5,000 and $28,000 respectively. Fellowes provides paper shredders from $10 to above $2,000. GBC also offers paper shredders of the same price range.

Industrial paper shredders with self-sharpening A2 tool steel cutters are capable of shredding tons of materials, such as wooden planks and metal sheets. They cost more than $90,000. High security paper shredders with security levels crosscut 1/32" x 1/2" and crosscut 1/26" x 1/5" (designed to shed top secret documents) are also quite expensive. As a rule, the higher the security level, the higher the price.

Before making an investment, it is better to make a comparison of prices. Also, read product reviews published on the web. Paper shredder prices can be obtained from websites of many popular paper shredder manufacturing companies. There are a number of websites providing recent updates of paper shredder prices. Pricegrabber.com is one among them. It carries information on all types of paper shredders, their prices, and stores where they can be purchased. Most suppliers of paper shredders offer discounts and guarantees.

Shredder provides detailed information on Shredder, Paper Shredder, File Shredder, Chip Shredder and more. Shredder is affiliated with Shrink Wrap Systems .

Comparison Of Polyester Industries In China And India

Writen by Gaurav Doshi

Introduction

Everyone wants to see a comparison between China and India but why? They do not share eating habits, common sports, lifestyle or culture. They do not even have the same land mass. The economic policies and political systems are also different. Yes, both have a long rooted history and similar population base and both produce polyester and textiles. But that's where the similarities between the two countries end.

The polyester industry in China has grown remarkably to 14 million tons per year and will soon reach 18 million tons. India has close to 2 million tons of capacity today and will soon increase to 3 million tons. Indian companies often worry about what the Chinese will do, but the Chinese producers are rarely curious of Indian companies.

The success of China's polyester weaving industry is the result of recent investments and the substantial rise in China's capacities is also the result of recent relocation of Taiwan's polyester industry to the PRC.

Chinese Scenario

China's economy developed rapidly after the implementation of reformation and the open-up policy implemented twenty years back. The average increase of GDP keeps growing at a healthy 9.8% annually. This high rate continues and the stable increase of China's economy provides a good foundation for development of the country's chemical fiber industry.

Over the last three years, polyester growth in China has been driven by government policies of "preferred product," availability of funding through local banks and subsidised power. Moreover, China got ready to meet the global challenges of free trade through WTO.

China's textile industry has a long history and maintains a high level of processing technology. With its low labour and textile processing costs, China has a competitive advantage over many other countries, and is able to compete all around the world.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of synthetic fibre, with production and consumption of these products accounting for one-quarter and one-third of the global total. China currently ranks first in terms of polyester production; with its 2004 polyester output reaching 7.25 million tons, up 74.6 per cent year-on-year. The polyester industry will expect an annual increase of 8.3 per cent in domestic consumption, to reach 15.3 million tons this year and 18.3 million tons by 2008.

The big player obviously is China. Polyester production in China grew from a 12-percent share of a 19 billion-pound market in 1990 to 37 percent of a 46 billion-pound market in 2002. This rate (20+ percent compounded annually from 1995 through 2002) cannot be sustained, and it is projected that China will produce approximately 36 billion pounds of polyester in 2010, a 10-percent annually compounded rate of increase from 2002. This effectively will force the rest of the world to limit polyester production.

It is amazing how private entrepreneurs made investment choices quickly and came on stream faster than anyone could think off. A typical polyester plant built in 24 months was a record back in the mid-1990s. China set the new record by cutting this to 14-15 months. Many of the existing producers consume their own fiber or yarn for in-house processing and value addition. Most POY producers have in-house texturing, some even have knitting, weaving and dyeing facilities. Most are large companies, expanding exponentially over a short period of time. Land, power and infrastructure were available and abundant. Funding was provided based on what the Chinese call fazhi (regulations) and guanxi (relationships). Import duties were waived for imported technology and equipment. Western capacity, which faced much higher production costs, began shutting down and the world watched as China expanded polyester capacity at an amazing rate. For a few companies, this became a great opportunity to sell PTA and MEG, the raw materials for polyester.

But something happened in the last 12 months. China started facing power shortages, raw material shortages and a tightened monetary policy. China today faces widespread power outages in all the industrial areas and a tightening of working capital. On top of this, the domestic PTA shortage is 4.50 million tons and the MEG shortage is 2.60 million tons. Soon these numbers will grow to 5.70 million tons for PTA and 2.80 million tons for MEG.

The Indian Scenario

The Indian polyester industry of the early 1980s was built under the "License Raj" (the Government of license). The licensed plant capacity was set at 15,000 tons per year, the so-called "minimum economic size." Several plants were built in that time frame, some even in rural areas to earn tax benefits. In the early 1990s another growth spurt took place, with two major players, Reliance Industries Ltd. and Indorama adding significant capacities. Chemtex - DuPont (now Invista) built most of these plants and it is still a leading supplier of polyester plants to India.

Reliance integrated backwards to raw materials, Paraxylene and then to basic chemicals. This made Reliance the only company (in the world) to start with oil and go all the way down the value chain to the sale of fabrics. Indorama, already in the textile business, integrated back to polymerisation. This resulted in two major polyester producers and one major Purified Terephthalic Acid producer. Subsequently, Reliance acquired several smaller producers and converted those assets to specialty fibers. At the same time, several smaller producers invested in batch lines and chip-fed POY machines. The chip consumption in Surat (the major textile area in Northwest India) is close to 300,000 tons.

Earlier this year, India predicted that capacity would double to 4 million tons with large investments by several companies.

Investment has happened to some extent, but is controlled by two major players. It was also predicted that several of the chip-to-POY producers would install CP capacity and not rely on chip supply from external sources. Plans to get to 4 million tons have been drawn up, and the textile industry is reshaping itself from a fragmented system to large modern facilities. Several companies are upgrading their facilities in capacity and quality to meet the free trade system under WTO.

Even with such a small polyester capacity, India is still a net exporter of textured yarn and spun yarn. With higher quality materials and lower than Western costs, this still remains a small but viable source for Western companies. The environment is highly suitable to build new capacity due to reduced import duties, lower interest rates and more than $100 billion worth of foreign reserves. Banks were prepared to lend money based on project feasibility, market demand and not based on fazhi.

But something happened in October this year. Increased raw material prices and reduced POY prices hit the small chip-based producers. Making POY from chip is not a viable option under such circumstances. Capacity started shutting down and most small companies are operating at 50% utilization rates. If the situation continues, they will be forced to drop below the 30% level or even shut down. Short term, ideas of integrating back to polymerization are not viable, and Reliance and Indorama plan to bring more than 780,000 tons of new polymer capacity on stream in 2005 and 2006. Recent polyester expansion moves by India's big players. will dramatically change the supply posture to the Indian subcontinent. It is unlikely that India seriously will threaten China's dominance in the market.

India has adopted the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) model of industry and government cooperation in fibers, textiles and apparel. According to reports, the program is just reaching the commercial phase. It appears there will be a competition between India and China in polyester fiber manufacturing. Countries with smaller commitments to polyester will be squeezed as these two goliaths meet each other in the marketplace of commodity staple polyester.

An assured supply of raw materials, a competitive supply chain, quality-conscious production processes and respect for intellectual property rights are the core strengths of the Indian textile industry. These factors will serve India well as it seeks to take advantage over the competitors.

Conclusion

Can anyone guess what will happen with polyester growth in China and Indian. China will continue to have raw material shortage through 2006 and India will have surplus raw materials. Nevertheless, although the industry in both countries seems to be stalled temporarily, it is certain that it will pick up in both countries in 2005 and 2006 as polyester demand growth worldwide is simply too strong. And more than likely, over 75% of new capacity will be built in either India or China.

Even though the per hour labour cost in China is said to be higher than that in India, the Indian exporters widely claim that the Chinese labour productivity is 50 per cent higher than that of India, which, in the final analysis, renders the cost per piece of any finished textile product in China lower by 25 per cent.

Also, land in China is 100 per cent owned by the Government and enterprises can only lease it for 39, 49,59, 69 or 99 years depending on the location. For industrial sites, land can be leased from as low as US$ 2 to US$ 16 per sq. metre - one-off payment for the entire period. The enterprises would just need to spend on superstructure and they would have to pay only nominal tax and other utility fees. This makes the rental cost negligible compared to India.

The power cost in China is rated at least 40 per cent cheaper than that in India. While these are the general benefits enjoyed by Chinese-owned companies.

With a total world market approaching 65 billion pounds by 2010, competition for market share will be intense, with oil prices pushing up the bottom and a world fiber market squeezing down the top.

Conclusion

Can anyone guess what will happen with polyester growth in China and Indian. China will continue to have raw material shortage through 2006 and India will have surplus raw materials. Nevertheless, although the industry in both countries seems to be stalled temporarily, it is certain that it will pick up in both countries in 2005 and 2006 as polyester demand growth worldwide is simply too strong. And more than likely, over 75% of new capacity will be built in either India or China.

Even though the per hour labour cost in China is said to be higher than that in India, the Indian exporters widely claim that the Chinese labour productivity is 50 per cent higher than that of India, which, in the final analysis, renders the cost per piece of any finished textile product in China lower by 25 per cent.

Also, land in China is 100 per cent owned by the Government and enterprises can only lease it for 39, 49,59, 69 or 99 years depending on the location. For industrial sites, land can be leased from as low as US$ 2 to US$ 16 per sq. metre - one-off payment for the entire period. The enterprises would just need to spend on superstructure and they would have to pay only nominal tax and other utility fees. This makes the rental cost negligible compared to India.

The power cost in China is rated at least 40 per cent cheaper than that in India. While these are the general benefits enjoyed by Chinese-owned companies.

With a total world market approaching 65 billion pounds by 2010, competition for market share will be intense, with oil prices pushing up the bottom and a world fiber market squeezing down the top.

Visit us at http://www.fibre2fashion.com/ for more fashion, garment and textile articles. If you wish to download/republish the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source". Also, you have to make it hyperlinked to our site.

Copyright © 2006

Fibre2fashion has emerged as a distinctive B2B platform for global Textile, Apparel, Fashion and Retail and allied industries. Fibre2fashion.com offers business solutions, news, articles and information that help to survive and sustain in the most hostile and competitive business environment.

Howto Transform Your Unorganized Office Into An Efficient Productive Office

Writen by Grainne Foley

There are some necessary procedures that should be in place to ensure that your office is working like clockwork.

Did you know that you can gain a lot more hours in your day if you have an organized office. Organized and efficient = more productive = increased profit.

Let's take it one at a time and look at all of the different systems in your office.

Let's start by looking at your phone system:

• Do you have someone who answers the phone for you
• Do you need someone on a full-time basis to answer the phone or would a part-time person or a virtual assistant work better
• If you are the person answering the phone – Are you wasting valuable time answering calls all day
• How many hours a day are you spending on the phone
• Would this time be more effective if it was spent with clients?
• If you are spending a lot of time on the phone, maybe you should look at posting specific hours on your website as to when you are available to speak with clients and allow your voicemail to pick up when you are not

Next we will take a look at your email system. As business owners we receive hundreds of emails on a daily basis, some are from clients, potential clients, junk mail etc, we can spend hours per day going through our email which is unproductive time.

So how do we change that?

• You can set up filters in your email so that junk mail goes directly into a junk folder
• You can also do this for other emails that you receive – newsletters, billing, resumes, marketing, blogs, articles etc
• When you receive an email, take a moment and decide what you want to do with it – delete it, put it into a folder, reply to it.
• Check your email at certain times during the day otherwise you will find yourself stopping and starting tasks –again this is unproductive time

Now we will take a look at how much paper you have in your office. This is where a lot of the chaos occurs

• Switch your bills to e-bills where possible
• Send invoices electronically
• Keep detailed information on your pc in individual folders and always keep a back up somewhere safe, preferably away from your office
• File your paperwork on a weekly basis – look at each piece of paper and decide what to do with it – Throw it out or file it. Once you keep up with your filing, it becomes less of a horrendous task.
Set up files for yourself so that all of the paperwork that you do have is filed correctly – color coded files work very well and are very easy to use
• Set up templates for your office so that you don't have to create a new invoice/fax page every time

It is imperative that all business owners have some kind of a calendar management system. It's impossible to remember everything – yes, even Virtual Assistants forget things.

• If you have an assistant, have them set up a calendar for your appointments, important dates, bills to be paid etc and have them email reminders to you
• Or you can have them set up a shared calendar so that you are able to view it whenever you choose. Outlook is great for this or yahoo has a shared calendar system also.

Making a list helps us to focus on the task at hand

• At the beginning of every day, take the time to make a list of what you would like to accomplish that day.
• If you prefer you can make the list at the end of your day for the next day
• You can also incorporate this with your PDA or your outlook so that you follow-up on certain tasks

Finally we will take a look at the office layout which can sometimes hinder your productivity also:

• Make sure that everything is close by so that you don't have to spend time finding things– filing cabinet, supplies, printer, client's information, your phone etc
• If you are home based, you don't necessarily have to have your supplies in the same area as your office, but it helps if you don't have to wander through the entire house all the way up to the 3rd floor to get some ink!
• Invest in a good light or lighting system so that you have plenty of light flowing in
• Try and have a closed room so that when you leave at the end of the day, you close the door and your workday is over
• A door also keep distractions and noises out – there is nothing worse than being on the phone with a client and your dog starts barking in the background, it doesn't provide your potential client with a professional image of your business!

If you put all of the above systems in place, your office will become a lot more productive and a lot less stressful!

Gráinne Foley is the owner of A Job Well Done, a virtual assistant business specializing in providing human resources and administrative support to businesses and entrepreneurs. Complete information on services offered can be found on her web site. Don't forget to subscribe to her FREE newsletter, "A Virtual Revolution" and visit her blog at http://www.virtualstaffing.blogspot.com. For more information, please visit http://www.ajwd.com.

Its The Dealers Stupid

Writen by C Judge

An Open Letter to Mr. Ford. pt 1

As I sat watching Autoline Detroit a few weeks back, I listened to the usual parade of marketing ad execs, industry analysts, and division managers talk endlessly about branding, shifting market segments, and well, at that point my brain went numb and I don't recall anything else that was said. I do remember saying out loud as I had done a thousand times before, "None Of You Get It!"

You see, while domestic car companies try to out design, out tech, out brand, and out source market share from each other, they are all completely disconnected from the one problem the industry has never fixed: The dealership.

The next time you find yourself driving alone in your car, I want you to do something you've never done before. Turn off the music and scan the stations in search for car dealership ads. I know that's like asking Streisand for one more encore but do it anyway. Do you hear your dealers saying how well they treat their customers? Are they stressing high customer satisfaction ratings, reliability, honesty, integrity, or building relationships? I doubt it. You're probably being yelled at about interest rates, the highest trade in values, the number one volume such and such, and guaranteed financing even if your on parole. Ahhh, there's that brain numbing sensation again.

All the millions you spent on r&d, technology, marketing, union contract negotiations, state of the art plants, and so on, was all blown out the door by your dealers "No Money Down" mentality. If you want to know why the domestic auto industry is in the toilet, look no further than your local dealer point.

Let's be honest. Almost anyone can get a job selling cars. The ability to fog a mirror is about the only qualification necessary to be hired at most dealerships these days. Communications skills, math skills, product knowledge, education, a desire to help customers make informed decisions? Rarely if ever are these qualities sought after or screened for. How many units can you push over the curb this month? That's what General Managers and General Sales Managers want to know from their applicants. There's nary a word about character, integrity, professionalism or even a simple criminal background inquiry. Twice I worked side by side with salesmen wearing ankle bracelets.

Is it the fault of the salesman? Perhaps partly, but the blame really lies with the manufacturers and dealers themselves. To find the root cause we need to follow the money or lack of it in this case. The attitude of most dealer principles, and sales managers is "if we can sell 100 cars a month with 10 salespeople, we should be able to sell 200 cars with 20 ". That thought process doesn't work at McDonalds, Home Depot, or anywhere else. Yet most dealers will hire salespeople until they literally run out of desks and telephones.

Why not? Since most salespeople make a paltry $100 to $300 per week base salary it costs the dealers next to nothing to add bodies. If each sale person was salaried at $80k per year I guarantee you'd see empty desks. $300 a week may seem appropriate for the type of service you get but that's the point. The system breeds poor service. Why is this mentality so harmful? Salespeople have very little power to bring in new business to a dealership. Each dealership is only going to bring in so many potential customers each month. Those customers are going to generate the same profits to the dealership if there are 15 or 50 salespeople. The difference is the commissions will be spread over a larger workforce, meaning each sales person earns less. That's why customers feel so pressured by salespeople. The salespeople are desperate to make the sale. And every dollar the customer negotiates off the car takes money right out of the salesman's pocket.

For their $15k yearly base pay what do salesmen get? They get the privilege of working 60 hr weeks including Saturdays and Sundays, most holidays, late nights, get very little formal training, have little chance for advancement, and earn ever decreasing commissions based on shrinking profit margins. Demo vehicles are pretty much a thing of the past and benefits are dwindling yearly. And above all they get the distinction of being labeled the lowest form of life in the eyes of most consumers. So, it's pretty easy to see why there aren't many dealerships with a professional sales force. So, blame the dealer, right? Not so fast.

Remember the theory that states twice the salespeople should sell twice as many cars? The manufacturers started that type of demented math. Twice the dealerships-twice the cars sold. Ask any domestic dealer principal who his number one competitor is and I bet the most common response would be another dealer of the same manufacturer. Why? The simple answer is there are too many dealerships. The core failure lies within the dealer network itself, which is the responsibility of the manufacturers. Manufacturers should set up a distribution network where their dealers compete for market share with competing manufacturers, not with each other. Yet, in the car business that's seldom the case. Most often the Chevrolet representatives (the dealer and salesperson) are competing for the sale against another Chevy or GMC Dealership in the next town or the same town and not the Ford, Dodge or Toyota store across the street. The customer has already decided which product suits him best. So now the sale is no longer about product virtues, resale value, or features and benefits. It's about price and price alone.

All the effort and expense put into the aforementioned R&D, marketing, and labor contracts, worked. The customer, your customer, wants your product. Now, it's about to be tainted by your dealers lust for customer blood. He's about to sick his underqualified, underpaid, overmotivated, somewhat sketchy, sales vulture on your prized customer. The end result? That's been well documented. The buying public considers the car buying experience similar to root canals and prostate exams. When it's all over their left feeling numb and somewhat violated.

I'm sure I've already lost most auto execs but those of you with your heads not completely surrounded by sand think of this example. A buyer is looking for a high-end performance sedan. He's done his research both over the Internet and by test-drives at respective dealerships. After careful consideration he's eliminated the Audi S4 and decided on the new M3. He's made his decision based on product features, status, fun factor, whatever. Do you think this buyer is likely to drive to 4 BMW dealerships and start a bidding war? Not likely. First of all, his time is too valuable, second, the dealers probably wont play ball, and most of all it's not practical. Is saving $200 worth driving 2 hours to hit the nearest 4 dealerships? Not likely. Now, substitute BMW and Audi with Chevy and GMC. Chances are, this same buyer has 10 dealers within an hours drive. He knows it and so do the dealer, manager, and salesman at each dealership. What ensues is a form of capitalist cannibalism too graphic for the discovery channel.

Manufacturers can blame customers, dealers, the Internet, or even President Bush for the current situation, but the blame is squarely with them. It's a simple case of supply and demand. You've simply got too much (dealer) supply for the current demand. As a result, prices and profit margins must fall. And along with them so does the quality of the experience millions of American car buyers must endure every year. Where does service fit into the equation? Lots of dealers have started to push service after the sale as a benefit. Great! Does that mean buyers get poor service if they buy elsewhere? As a manufacturer you better hope not. Customer service standards, sales department standards, and customer experience standards should be set and enforced at the manufacturer level. In theory that should be happening now. In reality, I worked for a domestic brand dealership that went over a year without a manufacturers sales rep. That meant there was no direct connection between the manufacturer and the dealer. None.

Sales people should be treated as employees of both the dealership and the manufacturer deriving income based on the profits generated for the dealership and the customer satisfaction generated for the manufacturer. If either of these standards is not met, pay suffers. If manufacturers want to maximize their returns they should look no further than their dealer points and their sales departments. Once there's some standards established and enforced, the experience may change. Until then, we'll all suffer.

C Judge is an expert in commercial trucks and equipment and a 15 year veteran of the car business. Cuurently owner of the Work Truck Warehouse.

Romance At Workplace Debate Part 2

Writen by Sanjeev Himachali

Romance at Workplace : Debate (Part - 2)

Recently, we had one very interesting debate on "workplace Romance". What if one of your male employees likes to spend his "Free time" with one of his female Colleague. We tried to find following things:

1. Is it wrong or right?

2. If the management have any right to intervene?

3. Should there be any policy to have a check on such "interactions"?

4. It is his or her personal life and no one should interfere.

5. If this is a right of an individual and the organization let them continue?

I am sure you will find this debate…an interesting one.

The list of participants: Veena Dhamankar, Arun Kottolli, Vivek Raghuvanshi, Gopika Rani, Madhukar Kaushik, Usha Gowri, Meera, Deepak Miglani, Puja Jhunjhunwala, S. Madhavan, Rajendran Mani, Jyotsna Cheruvu, Saumitra Yadav and Sanjeev Sharma (Himachali)

Veena Dhamankar: I recently had an experience. One of my office (female) colleagues is closely involved with one male colleague. They go for lunch together; they sit in bus together and wherever they go they are together. Because of that lot many discussions, chit chatting etc is going in the company. Ours is a male dominated organization and only few female employees are working.

One day my President called me and asked me to talk to that girl and prompt them that such things are not good at working place. So I called her and talked to her very politely that I've received a feedback like this and.... etc. You will not believe what answer she gave:

"I sit with that person in bus because I don't find myself comfortable with others. I like that person and it is my personal matter what others have to do with this. And I'll not stop all this because people are discussing".

Madhukar Kaushik: These are behavioral issues and counseling by HR in such matters might boomerang if pursued further. If at all, another counseling is being thought by your management as "worth a try". A very senior person in the organization, who has acceptability and respect among the employees at large, should do it.

My advice to you is that you should report the attitude and response of the lady to your President. This reporting should be done very truthfully, almost verbatim (without adding your perceptions in it). Let the President decide further course of action.

Meera: Guess if the so-called close involvement is not affecting the productivity of both parties and they are not being indecent in their behavior and interaction, I am sure the organization should not have any objection.

The behavior needs to be professional in the professional environment and what they do in their private lives should not concern the organization -- unless it something that affects the organization and others in it in the long run ... like drinking habits, drug addiction, etc.

Usha Gowri: Workplace affairs all over the world are a huge problem-esp. if one is Senior and teh other stands to gain by this intimacy My take-does it affect work? --Not necessarily how others are affected by it. Are they performing at work? -I mean the work they are expected to do and as long as what they are being paid for is being done well.... If they are, then, I think it's nobody's business if there is chemistry, they are having a sexual relationship or if they are whatever. As long as moral codes of physical intimacy is not happening in the premises of the organization-we cannot penalize people for falling in love or being attracted to anybody and as Vive says there is no sexual harassment (both for men and women) then leave it alone. As they say when and if the relationship breaks get ready to replace-do a succesion planning!!

S. Madhavan: If it affects the work and distract the working atmosphere, u should worry about it. If they move as friends I do not thing the organization should bother about it. If their behavior is decent, u can advise your chief you cannot offend them just because somebody does not like this.

Deepak Miglani: I want to ask that is the sexual harassment world relate only with woman? There are lot of sections in our law which, discriminate men and violates the fundamental right of ours i.e. Right to equality.

Rajendran Mani: Almost all one of us facing this issue, Sanjeev's view on this subject is correct.

Jyotsna Cheruvu: What Sanjeev says is true to the extent that one needs to follow the rules of the game as long as you're playing. But the question I would like to put in is, in a male dominant office, where in the president interferes and directs the HR, why is it that the girl is called first (or it sound like she is only called)? Let it be for both separately and check the opinions of both of them equal. Probably the counseling should go on seniority basis. Ladies first may not be the right way here.

And it is necessary that the girl and the boy made known that anything disturbing the environment needs serious consideration from HR.

Karunakaran.J: Sanjeev, You are 100 % right, employee should follow the company policy when they are in the office premises this is punching point.

Saumitra Yadav: First of all i must pay my respect to the lady for her upright stand on her basic & fundamental right to live the way she wants to. Please understand one thing it is no crime when two people from opposite sex are staying together in the office premises unless they are not showing any indecent behavior, which is publically not permitted, & not hampering the job, which they have been assigned. Suppose they are in love, so what let them may be, it is the case of two consenting adults finding emotional solace in each other. They are responsible for there behavior & they perfectly understand the outcome of their relationship.

From company point of view you must see are they in senior & junior position, is the senior providing extra benefits to the junior which he or she does not deserve, are there relationship is hampering the career of other co-worker. As a HR person your concern should be limited to the above-mentioned two things, that's all. We must understand that in today's competitive world every body is stressed to limit & in constant search of true friend who can share his or her stress & these relationship are the outcome of these situations so we must handle it with maturity & understanding.

Marguerite: Arun, Your message I felt is very correct. Am surprised how people claim that interfering into someone s personal issue is their birthright. I do not understand how a management can become a judge about people having affairs (be it extra marital or whatever). As far as there is no disturbance in the output and they do not get involved publicly into anything that is obscene, it is not the headache or the duty of the management to counsel them. The management must be busy with things that are important about attaining its objectives for the year. In a company where there are thousands of employees working can all such affairs be taken for an issue?

I think reacting to this extend about such issues is not going to be of any use. We need more focus on improving the bottom lines of the originations that we work for. That is the principle purpose why all of us (even HR) are recruited for in a company.

Madhukar Kaushik: Saumitra, With due regards to yours and others' similar opinions, it is quite easy for each one of us to advise Veena, but, it is a difficult situation for her - she simply can not sermonize her President, upholding whatever is going on.

While advocating the validity of such openly practiced relationship, let us not forget the context in which we live. I have seen even many husbands and wife pairs working in same office, same department, but even they don't do any exhibition of their relationship. Wise are those who know where their LAKSHMAN REKHA gets drawn.

Indian Society will need many years still to become Americanized (I am not talking of Metro Cities)

Arun Kottolli: Stringiest policies will make companies fail; these policies will make talented people not work for such companies. Look at HP, Google, Nokia, Southwest Airlines, etc. Look at their policies and see how these policies are implemented - and you will learn the best HR practices in the world.

I lived in US for several years, and I know my freedoms. I can talk over the phone and people around me can request me to talk in a softer voice - that is a comment covered by their freedom of speech, but they cannot touch me or snatch away the phone etc. That will be a violation of my freedom.

Manager can raise objection only if the person's work performance drops - and that drop in performance is a valid grounds for action. The company's "code of conduct" policies must be inline with the country's laws - else the company cannot take action based on arbitrary "code of conduct" which is in violation with the country's laws. I recall a legal case in 1986-87, where McMillan publications fired a woman for wearing Jeans to work - citing their "code of conduct" regarding dress rules, the lady went to court and Bombay high court ruled in the employee's favor citing that in absence of a work uniform, employees have freedom of _expression.

If a person's activities are not obscene or illegal, people can do it in public spaces. If other persons in the place are disturbed then the other employees will have to learn to adapt - or their performance will drop. Other employees can raise objection (this is covered under their freedom of speech) but the management cannot take action if such an action will be in violation of the law - irrespective of the "company policy" or "code of conduct".

Please note that the law of the country takes precedence over the company policy. No HR policy or company policy can be above the law. Period.

As long as person's activities do not affect his/her work performance - then company has no right. The legal standing here is the employee's performance - and not his personal life.

If a person's act of talking to other employee (or any other actions) is causing a disturbance to others, even then company cannot take action as long as the person's actions are legal. Note that the person's legal rights take precedence over everything else. To explain this, take an example of a male employee raising an objection to another female employee wearing a skirt/pants - citing that her way of dressing was disturbing him and affecting his performance. Here company cannot take action against the lady - as she has not done anything illegal. But the company can take action against the employee who raised the objection - because he was violating the fundamental rights of the female employee.

In the current example, the lady & the gentleman in question have not done anything illegal - so the persons raising objection are at legal risk - as their objection violates the fundamental rights of the other employees (lady & gentleman in question).

To explain this, consider the celebration of "Ganesh" festival in the company premises. If such celebrations do not affect the company's performance or its employees performance, then such festival is allowed. Other employees who find this religious function as offending cannot raise objection because freedom of religion is a fundamental right in India. Thus raising objection becomes illegal.

All that I am trying to tell here is that the company's actions and HR policies must be inline with the country's laws. Company cannot cite their policy or code of conduct if these policies are in violation of the country's laws. So I am telling all HR professionals to keep in mind about the law while developing/enforcing policies.

Arun Kottolli: I agree with Saumitra, the lady & gentleman in question have not done anything illegal - and their acts are within their fundamental rights in India.

If these two persons had a boss-subordinate relationship at work, then there is a risk of sexual harassment and a possibility of misconduct. Under such circumstances, HR has to intervene to see that no inappropriate sexual exploitation is taking place. The company will be at legal risk if there was a potential of sexual harassment - as both company and the manager will be held liable.

Sanjeev Sharma: Arun, Have you been to India anytime during last 3-4 years? Have you visited any of the Call Center/Contact Center or BPO? If yes, then you would not have said all these...giving all these logical reasons. Talk practical. No company has any policy, which is against the Law of the Land.

Because companies didn't had any policy...no discipline...and now you will see people romancing in the organization, taking drugs in the organization...having physical relations. There is dirt all over in those organizations. You talk about GECIS (Now Genpact); WNS; IBM-Daksh; Infosys-Progeon; Wipro Spectramind...any of the top BPO. And, now probably it is too late to control that. There also it started with a simple thing...a guy talking to girl.

Violation of Rights and Discipline

Have a look at this...

1) In FMCG companies and production companies all employees undergo thorough body-checks.

2) A cashier in a company or bank undergoes a thorough check to the extent that security person counts the money in his wallet...every time he enters or leaves the premises.

3) In Call-Centers/BPO's you are not suppose to carry any computer related accessory into the organization...CD's, Floppies, Pen-Drive nothing. In some companies you are not even suppose to carry mobile or hand phones. You should keep your mobiles or hand phones on vibration/silent mode.

4) In some companies you cannot even access Internet.

Does any of these is violation of "Employee Rights" or "Human Rights"?

NO. Organizations are formed with certain vision, mission and purpose and none of the purpose is to "Let the people romance in the organization". Nobody is interfering with the freedom...you can interact with anybody...anytime, provided it is related to your work...provided it is related to company. I cannot let my company premises to become "Love-Garden"...for that you have other places to go. It is just for the person to distinguish between personal and professional life.

Sanjeev Sharma: Ok. I agree that as of know these two people are just moving around together and have not done anything obscene. If it is my company, I should wait till the time they do any such activity and take any action if required, only after that. I should not take any preventive measures. I should wait till the family members of either or both the persons enter into my office and accuse me for harbouring and encouraging such activities.

Yes, they are preforming well…there is no problem in their performance. I have one more couple…they are very dedicated to work…high performers but only during the break they get into "physical mode". I should not do anything, their work-performance is very good…and why should I interfere in their personal life…their personal-right?

I have one more person…very good person…hardworking…punctual…but take drugs. It is Ok. He is a performer and why should I worry about that?

Conclusive remarks given by Arun Kottolli: Basically, I think there is a cultural issue here. I come from a cultural background, which encourages strong individualism, and the company policies are designed with that in mind. But in India, it is a collectivism that is more prevalent and important - therefore policies are designed with the collective in mind. The BPO/Call center examples highlight the collective mindset and the policies being implemented are in that direction.

In the current example, I think what Sanjeev is talking about, primarily comes from the background that collective benefits must rule over Individual rights. And I think that Individual rights must be honored.

Girl talking to a guy or vice versa, As in the case here - where there is no physical contact or a drop in their work related performance, is not illegal as per the law and therefore company cannot have a policy banning it.

If two people exchange confidential information, or indulged in a physical act at public place - that is illegal. You can have a policy to prevent such activities.

However their is a thin line if the romance is between the boss and the subordinate, in such cases, the HR policies can be drafted such that they are separated into different departments - such that they do not report into each other. This is primarily done to prevent any potential sexual harassment cases and unethical practices of favoritism etc. I would love to have your comments and feedback on this issue…not only from India but also across the globe.

With lots of love and care

Sanjeev Himachali (E-mail: ss_himachali@yahoo.com;sanjeev.himachali@gmail.com ) (Blog: www.sanjeevhimachali.blogspot.com )

Making It Great

Writen by Ben Bach

Today I am joined by Phil Gerbyshak of Make It Great!, one of the web's premier personal development bloggers.

Benjamin: How did you get started in the field of Self Improvement?

Phil: About 5 years ago, I decided I wasn't happy with the path I was on, so I decided to pick up a few good books to try to get motivated and change my life. I was reading about 20 books a year, and over the past 5 years, I've turned it up to read 40-50 a year on self-improvement, motivation, business, and the like.

B: Were you always this positive a person?

P: No, I sure haven't been. I used to be an energy sucker. It pains me to admit it, but I was until about 7 years ago. Most of the people I knew then probably wouldn't recognize me now, and not because my hair color is different. My attitude has changed that dramatically.

B: How has Self Improvement impacted your business and personal life?

P: The more I learn, the more I grow, and the more I am able to help others. In a personal and professional setting, this has helped me impact more people because I better understand them. Dr. Steven Covey has said that the most basic human need is to be understood, so understanding MYSELF has helped me to understand others.

B: How can we Make It Great every day?

P: Attitude is everything. If you believe you can or you can't, you're right. I think that was originally attributed to Walt Disney or Henry Ford, and it sounds a bit trite, but it's true. Believe you can make it great, and you will. That's the big picture way to greatness.

B: How have you attracted your success with your blog?

P: I visit as many blogs like Make It Great! as I can (I subscribe to 300+ RSS feeds) and try to continue their conversations on their blogs, and trackback with my own conversation. I've asked many more successful people than I what has made them successful, what tips they would share, and most importantly, how I can help them. I pay it forward as much as I can. I try to do an interview a month on Make It Great! featuring a blogger I've found interesting, and I offer suggestions for improvement when appropriate.

I also write almost every day on Make It Great!, or at least bookmark some sites for later and add them to my site. I link out as much as possible, as there's no way I could know everything, so I point people to different places who can help complete the picture.

Last thing I do is I leave my comments wide open, I don't hide my e-mail address, and I respond to EVERY comment I get on my blog, and EVERY e-mail, even if it's just with a "thanks for your comment" or "thanks for your e-mail." I use my blog to build relationships, not just traffic, and that helps out a lot.

B: What "lifehacks" do you try to use to increase your productivity?

P: I am a huge believer in setting goals. I use the SMARTER method for goal setting.

* S - Goals must be Specific and the more specific the better. State your goal in as exact of terms as possible.

* M - Targets should be Measurable. That which you measure will be treasured, so think about what will be the measurement of your achievement of your goal.

* A - Goals should have Accountability. Who or what are you accountable to for the goal?

* R - Goals must be Realistic. Unrealistic goals will lead to discouragement.

* T - Targets should be Time based. Decide your time-table for completion, and stick to it.

* E - Goals should be Exciting. Exciting goals will be met far sooner than boring, bland goals.

* R - Goals should be Recorded, in a place where you can look at it every day.

Also, I use RSS as much as possible for my blog reading.

I use the 3D method for e-mail: Delete it right away if it's junk (turn on the preview pane, and please don't send me an e-mail without a subject line), Delegate it to someone else who can help, or Deal with it (I use chunking where I set aside 30-40 minutes where I am dedicated to e-mail, and I respond to e-mails during this time). I am not perfect at 3D, but when I use it, it works very well. I blog with Performancing for Firefox, and this makes a HUGE difference for my blogging, as I can do categories, formatting, and copy and paste text right into my posts.

Lastly is I only have a cell phone, no home phone, and I carry it with me always and it's always turned on. I don't always answer it, but having it on me at all times means I can often get the call right away instead of having to return calls later.

B: How can I go about writing a book and becoming a Web 2.0 Superstar?

P: Writing a book is not as hard as you'd think. Start by picking a topic you're interested in, and start a blog. Read as much as you can FIRST, link out to other experts, and write your own ideas. Do this for about 6 months or until you feel you've found your voice. Write for another 6 months in your voice, then put your favorite 15 or 20 articles on the topic together in 1 document. Print out the table of contents and see what can be put together, what can be deleted, what needs improvement, and try to have 10-12 chapters. Have friends review it, and refine it. Refine it again, hire a real editor (go to your local English department at a college for an inexpensive one), and keep refining. Give the final decision up to someone else so when they say it's done, you're done. Use a service like http://www.lulu.com, http://www.dogearpublishing.net or where I used http://www.booksurgepublishing.com and make it happen!

I don't think of myself as a Web 2.0 superstar, but I appreciate the endorsement Benjamin. I can share with you the tools I use for my blog, and maybe they will help you. They are all FREE!

* Gmail - easy filtering and e-mail to track your conversations, and less spam than Hotmail or Yahoo.

* Feedburner - burn your RSS feed, and GREAT stats for your subscribers to know what RSS reader they use. Plus other tools that are helpful for promotion.

* Technorati - the mother ship of all blog sites. You must list yourself here to be taken seriously in blogging, and if you put Technorati tags on your blog posts, people can easily find you.

* Performancing.com/firefox - right click, write your blog. Includes automatic Technorati tags, bookmark your post at Del.Icio.Us

* Del.Icio.Us - social bookmarking, and I can automatically post my bookmarks to my blog.

* Performancing.com/metrics - metrics package you can subscribe to via RSS and has great reporting capabilities.

* Odeo.com - I put some of my podcasts up here.

* Not free: Typepad - I host my blog here. If you can use Microsoft Word or Excel, you can use TypePad.

B: Can you describe yourself in less than Five words?

P: I'm here to help! Ask!

B: Can you leave our readers with an Action Plan to Make it Great! ?

P: Sure thing.

* Think about what you REALLY want to be known for in your life, what you are known for right now, and take the steps needed in order to get to where you want to be.

* Serve first, and don't worry about payback. It'll come around.

* Find like-minded people who can help you, and don't be afraid to ask them to help you.

* Use the 80/20 rule to determine what's really important and what's not.

* Finish what you start…or just get started! Whether you struggle with the beginning or the end of things you do, it's important that you realize that you need to TAKE ACTION in order to really make it great! Life is not a passive sport, so ACTION is important.

* Last but not least: Attitude is EVERYTHING, so smile MORE often.

Benjamin Bach is a realtor in Kitchener Waterloo dedicated to helping people he has relationships with grow, personally and financially. You can find out more about his comprehensive real estate team, The Home Team, and follow his journey to success at BenjaminBach.com. Benjamin studied Political Science and American History while he attended University College at the University of Toronto. In December 2005, Benjamin started a real estate business, helping people build their wealth through smart investments. He speaks and writes on Real Estate Investments, and can be reached through his website at http://www.benjaminbach.com

Restaurant Equipment Tips Save Money When You Conserve Energy

Writen by Patty Gardiner

We at Jean's Restaurant Supply want you to succeed with your business venture and rising energy costs are on the forefront of everyone's minds. Inefficient, or inefficient use of, food preparation equipment is the second-largest energy drain on your restaurant's profits. So we have compiled some energy-saving tips for your commercial cook/stove tops. In doing so, we hope that with the implementation of some of these energy-saving tips, your energy bill leaves you with some profits still on your plate.

Energy-Saving Tips for Commercial Cook/Stove Tops

• What pan are you using on your cook top? In commercial applications, choosing the right size and type of pot or pan for the burner on your stovetop is crucial in maximizing your restaurant's energy-savings. Pots & pans should be larger in diameter by one inch than the burner they are resting on. Making sure your pot is the right size for your commercial stovetop burner will reduce your energy bill because more of the burner's heat is absorbed by the cookware. Choosing the best commercial cookware (flat-bottom cookware is generally more efficient than warped-bottom cookware) will get you on your way to lower energy bills.
• Keep it in Check. When using a gas cook top, prevent flames from licking up the sides and keep them down underneath the pot, where they belong. When preparing food with an electric cook top, turn off the burner before you're finished cooking and let the residual heat finish up the cooking for you.
• Cooking is one thing that's good under pressure. Your restaurant keeps you under pressure, but are you keeping pressure on your cooking? Pressure cookers use the pressure they create to raise boiling points and reduce cook time. Utilizing a commercial pressure cooker can reduce your energy usage by two-thirds.
• Keep a lid on it! Lids keep heat in commercial cooking equipment, reduce energy and achieve faster cooking times. So for no added cost, putting lids on your pots can put more profits in your pockets.
• Maintenance is key. Here at Jean's Restaurant Supply, we recommend the following maintenance guidelines for your commercial stove/cook top: Keep an eye out for accumulated food spills, which can cause corrosion, uneven cooking, and unnecessary fuel consumption – which ends up costing you. Have all of your burners, jets and controls serviced regularly. You can also have your local utility company come and check all your burner adjustments and electrical/gas connections.
• An eye to the future. Keeping in mind that you will have to pay energy bills for the life of the stovetop, research what type of stovetop would be best suited for your needs. Therefore, your energy-saving efforts can continue to result in lower energy bills and higher profit margins.

Using these tips will help you save on your restaurant's energy bill, but always remember to take a step back and look at the big picture. Investigate your commercial cooking equipment options before making a final decision. Saving money up front on an inferior quality piece of equipment will probably end up costing your more in energy overhead, while investing in a piece of higher quality equipment will permit you to use your energy efficiently throughout the life of the equipment. Using energy efficiently can also produce other benefits to your restaurant, such as: improved, more consistent food quality; less waste resulting from reduced food spoilage; and, finally, you can enjoy more comfortable working conditions in the kitchen because wasted heat is reduced. Cleanliness and consistent attention to operational details can make or break your energy-saving efforts, but that is not all. It does no good to become knowledgeable about all these great cost-cutting ideas, if you don't pass the information along. Educate your staff on the proper operation and maintenance of your equipment to help ensure the extended life of your valuable investment.

If you found theese hints helpful, please check out our restaurant equipment energy-saving tips for your commercial ovens, fryers and broilers. We are here to answer any of your energy-saving questions and hope that these tips will help you see some improvement on your energy-savings menu. Patty Gardiner is a member of the website development team at Jean's Restaurant Supply, a restaurant and food service supply company offering restaurant equipment such as refrigeration, bar and beverage supplies, dinnerware, concessions and more. She can be reached at 800-840-3610 Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm, Central Standard Time and on Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm Central Standard Time. Or check us out on the web at http://www.jeansrestaurantsupply.com/

Your Recipe For Online Success

Writen by Darren Power

Your perfect online business will be made up of just a handful of ingredients. They will be your revenue ingredients and your traffic ingredients.

Your challenge is to mix them up in the best way to suit your business needs and your niche in order to gain maximum profit.

Assuming your niche has already been determined by looking for a hungry crowd that you can put your site in the way of, the next step in planning your online business will be to choose your income ingredients.

When it comes down to it there are three basic ways that you can earn money with your own website.

1. You could create your own product that you sell to visitors. This might be an e-book, a video or audio course or maybe some kind of a membership service. Or maybe it's a hard product, by that I mean something that you can touch and that you have to physically ship to your customers.

2. You could sell other people's products either by buying resale rights to a product or by joining affiliate programs and promoting other people's products for commission.

3. You could sell advertising on your site and earn revenue this way. This may be by selling space on your site but more likely would be by showing Adsense or similar ads.

Probably you will want to do all of the above.

The third step will be to determine how you will get traffic. You have a few choices in this regard and below I have detailed six sources of traffic that you can use for your site. As with the income ingredients above, top marketers use all of them.

1. Search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO is the art of getting free traffic by being listed highly in search engines. if you can get on the first page at Google for a popular search term then you'll get traffic and plenty of it. The process can be slow but is certainly worthwhile.

2. Paid advertising. Most popularly this would be pay per click advertising through Adwords or Overture or one of the many other pay per click search engines. But it could be pay for inclusion, banner advertising or sponsor ads in E-zines.

3. Free advertising. The best way to get free advertising other than your search engine listings is to write articles. Articles like this one your reading will be added to other people's websites and can be submitted to article directories. Everywhere your article is placed there will also be a link to your site.

4. Affiliates. If you have a product then you should operate your own affiliate programme. That way others can promote your product in return for a commission and in order to do that they will have to send their visitors to your site.

5. Joint ventures. A joint venture is like a customised affiliate arrangement whereby another site owner promotes your product to their list or on their site in return for commission. A joint venture differs from an affiliate offer in that it will be a custom or personalised arrangement negotiated between the parties.

6. Repeat visits. The two main ways of getting repeat visits to your site are to have interesting content or to invite people to return via a newsletter or other email that you send to previous visitors. You will of course need to have a reason for these visitors to return. Which brings us back to fresh content, but it could be a special offer or bonus. Obviously in order to send an e-mail you need to collect the visitors email address the first time that they visit your site.

These then are your basic ingredients. What you need is the right recipe that mixes them all up into the perfect business for you.

Copyright 2004 Darren Power

About The Author Darren Power is the author of The Money Seed, your step by step guide to building an online business. (www.themoneyseed.com/stepbystep) For resources related to this article visit www.themoneyseed.com/articles/recipe.html.

Business Essentials

Writen by Isha Edwards

There are six facets of business that affect a company's growth potential and life cycle: accounting, economics, finance, information systems, marketing, and management. Classified by academia and employed primarily by corporate America, each facet of business is essential for success. Consider the following example: For every organization, there is a product or service that portrays an image or defines a brand. Marketing plans are implemented to both safeguard and impel a company's efforts to increase net worth and market share. Where applicable, shareholder return on investment is also maximized. Assets such as land, labor, and capital are frequently monitored business investments, as is a company's ability to circumvent or leverage economic factors. Business owners work closely with their management team and/or a board of directors to ensure the salability and success of each venture. Lawyers, accountants, and other skilled laborers help track progress and minimize losses. As technology progresses, information systems: word-of-mouth, the media, books, magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, and the Internet help promote a brand and consequently increase sales.

Three Things to Note

As with many things in life, being successful involves actively seeking ways to improve as well as knowing how to effectively mix-manage (balance) resources. How can a company ensure success?

Practical steps for being successful in business must always begin with vision. Having a vision provides purpose and direction. Having a vision also serves as a measuring stick for tracking progress. The next step to being successful in business is pursuing goals that support the vision and simplifying each endeavor. In addition to knowing why, business owners should make it a point to know how. Knowing how something or someone operates provides insight for making improvements. The last step to being successful in business is to actively recruit and happily compensate people who are skilled in one or more facet of business. Creativity goes a long way and theory is as important as factual. To optimize results, hire the right balance between the creative, theoretical, and the factual.

Six Tips to Follow

Since business essentials are inexhaustible, they can and should be applied to most areas of life. To that end, here are tips to applying business essentials where you work and play:

· Support or create initiatives that have a well-defined vision

· Fund ventures and invest in assets that yield a profit or generate revenue

· Use or provide quality products or services that positively engage the end-user

· Use associations and the media: TV, radio, and publications to increase awareness

· Strengthen your network and expertise through strategic alliances · Keep abreast of related and unrelated industry news and adapt accordingly

Business enterprise usually originates from the desire for self or others to advance financially and socially. Therefore, business essentials should be maximized in all organizations particularly government, public, and nonprofit entities. Business owners who effectively employ each facet of business in daily operations will strengthen their company's ability to gain the advantage as well as excel.

Isha is a freelance writer and Chicago native. She is also a business owner whose role involves developing brand awareness for clients through strategic alliances, promotional events, print, and other forms of media. To contact Isha, e-mail: epic.measures@gmail.com

Tips For Keeping Restrooms Smelling Fresh And Clean

Writen by Steve Hanson

There's nothing that says your cleaning company is doing a great job more than when your building's restrooms are not only clean, but fresh-smelling. After all, when employees or visitors enter a restroom they "hope" to be confronted with a pleasant scent - pine, citrus or just a clean smell. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Often when individuals enter a restroom they are assaulted with an overpowering scent or even unpleasant odors.

Looking through any janitorial supply catalog there is a wide range of products to combat odors - urinal screens and cakes, air fresheners of all shapes, sizes and fragrances, air sanitizers and commode and urinal mats. As a cleaning contractor, where do you begin?

To get a clean smelling restroom the first thing you have to do is remove any foul odors. Begin by assessing the restroom. Odors can come from many sources - restrooms do have their own share of "natural" odors and in addition dirt and bacteria can cause even more offensive smells. Check and monitor drains as they are a well-known source of fostering odors.

The first step to keeping odors under control is thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting restroom surfaces. Also consider using enzymes in drains to help break down materials that are decaying and that can lead to problem odors. Proper cleaning should remove not only the dirt you can see, but places that catch dirt and bacteria that can lead to offensive smells.

Odors can thrive in tile floors in men's restrooms as urine can easily get into the grout. Mopping every day can get the surface dirt, but dirt and urine that have penetrated the grout need more aggressive treatment. You may need to use a floor machine or vigorously scrub the grout to remove any build-up.

Use a neutral cleaner/disinfectant/deodorizer when cleaning floors, urinals, toilets and the partitions between stalls. If you mix up your solution in a mop bucket, you can pour the water down the drain after cleaning the restroom to help keep the drain smelling fresh. Check under toilet rims, countertops and other areas where soil may have collected.

Proper employee training is also critical in keeping restrooms odor free. An employee who rushes through a bathroom with a squirt of disinfectant and quickly sloshing a mop across the floor is going to be creating rather than solving odor problems. Employees must know how to use cleaners and disinfectants properly and be sure to allow the right amount of dwell time.

Once you have a restroom clean, putting the right products in place will help keep it smelling fresh. Urinal and commode mats are gaining popularity. Place these items under urinals and around toilets to collect any urine that drips on the floor. Besides capturing liquids, the mats also contain a deodorant that helps cut down on odors. Once full, simply toss the mats into the trash.

Air freshener dispensers come in all shapes, sizes and fragrances. Take care in choosing fragrances that are not overpowering. Strong smells, whether they be of pine, vanilla, cinnamon, green apple or citrus, can be offensive. Also remember when choosing fragrances to make sure that air dispensers, urinal cakes and others, all emit the same scent. Competing scents can interact and make your restroom odor problems worse.

There are many variables when it you are first trying to rid a restroom of foul or unpleasant odors. Because of increased scrubbing, when you first thoroughly clean a restroom more odors may be created as you are stirring up dormant smells. However, this is a sign that your cleaning will remove the problems and your customers will end up with a clean and fresh smelling restroom. The overall benefit of a "fresh smelling restroom" will make your cleaning clients happy and your cash register ring!

Copyright 2006 The Janitorial Store

Steve Hanson is co-founder of TheJanitorialStore.com, an online community for owners of cleaning companies. Sign up for Trash Talk:Tip of the Week at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com. Read success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com.

Board Of Directors Meeting

Writen by David Gass

Board of Directors is appointed by the shareholders to take care of their best interest and act as representatives of the shareholders. Board of Directors is the true governing body of the company. The authority to set business goals and to regulate business methods wrests with the board of directors. Board of directors is empowered by the shareholders to guide a company's operations and form opinions and strategies for the growth and development of the corporation.

Features:

A board meeting usually runs for a longer duration than the shareholders meeting and the frequency of the meeting is also more as compared to the shareholders meetings. Board meetings touch more comprehensive topics related to the operations of the company and the ways or strategize the implementation of certain decisions or resolutions passed by shareholders. The Board can pass resolutions except those which involve the approval and involvement of the shareholders as per the company bylaws. These meetings and the content can be confidential contrary to the shareholders meeting, where the agenda, minutes and the decisions taken are not confidential.

The Board Meetings Generally Cover the Following Subjects:

*Chalking out strategies of the company

*Put forth the recommendation about the classes of shares and about the number of shares of each class may be offered

*Laying out investment plans for future growth

*Laying out a roadmap on solutions for market expansion, marketing and technology

*Guiding the approval of contracts for purchase, sale, borrowing, lending and other contracts and total value of assets recorded in the accounting book of the company.

*Decisions related to the appointment, termination of the director (general director) and other key executives of a company

*Decisions pertaining to the organizational structure and internal management

*All the decisions related to the establishment of subsidiary companies and the opening of branches

*Preparation and submission of annual final financial reports to the General Meeting of shareholders

*Approving the agenda and documents of the General Meeting of shareholders

*Recommendation of re-organization or dissolution of the company

*Approval of various Bills against loans & other financial liabilities

*Consideration of any new business approval

The Activities Can Be Broadly Summarized Under the Following Headings:

*Description of the issues.

*Decisions to be taken.

*Reviewing previous decisions.

*Discussing all the available options, including discussion of the pros and cons of each.

*Impact of budget and/or staffing.

*Detailed recommendations on various subjects

The board of directors meeting can be conducted even without physical presence of all directors. Virtual Meeting can also be conducted, wherein the participant can be logged on to video conferencing which can validate the presence as good as face to face interaction.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc., founder of http://www.SmallBusinessConsulting.com and co-developer of the Corporate Manager Software which manages the records of a Corporation or LLC. For a Free Trial of the software visit http://www.corporateforms.net

Mutual Respect Is Essential In Business Relations

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

For whom would you rather work?

(1) Someone who pays well, but who never thanks you for your contributions or constructively acknowledges them: or

(2) For someone who pays less, but is very respectful of your role in the success of the business?

Sometimes, as a consultant, I face this very question. I can invest my time with mean-spirited, miserly folks, who hate crediting other people's contributions, or for those with fewer financial resources, but who are lavish in their praise and appreciation.

Guess whom I choose?

Typically, I'll opt to work with demonstrative types. They are more comfortable to me for a number of reasons:

(1) I don't have to shower after communicating with them! Seriously, the curmudgeonly slime us so much that we need to hose ourselves down, and this is a royal pain.

(2) I don't have to constantly ask myself, "Why am I putting up with them?" when I know the answer: It's the money, dummy. Well, money isn't a sufficient justification.

(3) I hate the feeling that I'm working FOR anybody. With them is fine, and toward a mutually agreed upon goal, is also ok. But I am not an indentured servant; I am a free man, and not just after 5 p.m.

(4) If people don't respect us, how can we respect ourselves when we're in their presence? I think it's very, very difficult to do so, if not impossible.

Happily, there are some organizations that pay well and also show respect, but they seem to be getting more rare with the passage of time.

Know your values, and you won't be conflicted the next time a disrespectful client comes a calling.

You'll know that it's time to swiftly, and politely decline.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Clothing Store Fixtures

Writen by Jimmy Sturo

Clothing store fixtures help increase the sale of clothing. This also helps to bring in more customers. Mannequins and forms are used as clothing store fixtures. There are different types of mannequins and clothing forms.

Mannequins are made of different materials including wood, wax, fiberglass and plastic. Some mannequin store fixtures are set in one pose while some have adjustable arms and legs. The most common type of mannequin used in clothing business is life size mannequin. Torso mannequins are used to display shirts and blouses. Mannequin store fixtures are available for male, female and children in different sizes. Different models of mannequin store fixtures are hands on hip model, hands by side model, ethnic model and sandy series model.

Classic forms of mannequin store fixtures are made of natural wood bases. Mannequin head displays are used to display hats or wigs. Full round mannequins are used to display clothing in an inexpensive way.

Clothing forms are light-weight and durable. PVC forms are used as clothing store fixtures. PVC forms are inexpensive and heavy duty. Forms are available in hanging model or with adjustable stand model. Jersey forms are flexible mannequin forms. Flexible forms are more convenient than traditional mannequin store fixtures. Polyurethane jersey forms and flex kid forms are also available. Flexible tube forms can be bent shaped and twisted. Fabric covered arms and legs of tube form can be bent into any shape. Form store fixtures are available in both adult and children's size.

Clothing hangers are also used to display clothing in an attractive way. There are plastic hangers, metal hangers and wooden hangers. Adult clothing hangers include suit hangers, pant hangers, blouse hangers etc. Children clothing hangers include top hangers, junior hangers and combo hangers.

Store Fixtures provides detailed information on Store Fixtures, Store Fixture Parts, Metal Store Fixtures, Antique Store Fixtures and more. Store Fixtures is affiliated with POS Systems.

Internet Business Marketing Tip Theres No One Best Method To Market Your Business

Writen by Chris Monato

If you're ever read some of the online forums many new people will right off the bat ask this question, "What is the one best method for marketing your business online?" What happens after is the rest of the forum will chime in with what they believe is the best way.

Someone will say pay-per-click advertising. Another will say ezine advertising. And another will say blogging. Everyone will give their opinion as to what works the best. Well my answer to this question is "It depends." It really does depend on the product or service you're promoting as well as your skill and competency as a marketer.

There are many ways to get from point A to point B. Ultimately the decision will be up to you as what type of marketing method or combination of marketing methods will work for you. I recommend learning about all of them. Pay-per-click, ezines, blogging, article marketing, everything you can possibly learn. You don't want to do everything at once. You just want to have enough knowledge to get you started so that you can find out what works best for you. Test them and then stick to the ones you have success with.

No one's marketing campaigns will ever be exactly the same. There is an element of art which comes with marketing and you need to stick with it in order to get it. Your ability to continually test and persevere will determine your ultimate success in promoting your business online. There is no one best way. There's just a lot of ways that work if you're willing to put in the time, effort, and dedication needed to make it successful. That's my internet business marketing tip for today. Happy marketing!

© Copyright Chris Monato.