Productivity

Increase your business's profitability with multilingual website! by Yasir Ahmed

2009-11-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

Businesses are finding it hard to sustain in this competitive environment and to keep the business profitable, one need to put in extra amount of work and look for ways to reach maximum number of people and thus increasing the probability to turn those people into valuable customers.

With the advent of Internet and its ever increasing popularity, businesses must not neglect the importance of making use of this platform to enhance their business's profitability.

A professional looking website is important as it portrays your company image. But, you need to take a step ahead and make this site in other foreign languages as well.

A multilingual website can great help you to reach maximum possible audience and thus helping your business to expand worldwide. By incorporating multilingual support in your website, you are greatly increasing your chances to capture more business.

It won't be wise on your part to leave the money on table by just focusing on English language. There are millions of people on earth who do not know English but that means you can't do business with them?

My reply to this: NO!

You must adapt yourself to the changes taking place globally and especially on the Internet.

Just take the examples of online business giants like Ebay, Amazon who are not only popular in English speaking countries but expanding their user-base by developing websites in other foreign languages as well.

The time is changing rapidly so you must take action now if your want to prosper.

Strategizing - Results not Resolutions by Dr. Nicola Bunting

2009-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

Over the many years I've been coaching, my clients have achieved extraordinary personal and professional results through following the strategizing process outlined below, everything from changing career from one that bores to one that delights, gaining rapid promotion, turning a team (and company) around, turning a redundancy into a life-enhancing opportunity for positive change, writing a novel, starting a successful and dynamic business, moving countries, attracting soulful love, becoming a millionaire, and much more.

Here are 10 steps to creating strategies that deliver:

1) Look at your personal and/or business foundation. Are you in a solid, healthy place in order to make changes, or do you need to pay initial attention to your physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual health in order to move forward? Are your needs getting met? Are you bouncing with energy? If not, some initial attention to these underlying areas is fundamental. After all, there's no point in designing a spectacular house if it has weak foundations that won't sustain it.

2) Ask yourself what your priorities are? This is an important precondition to goal planning.

3) What's your vision? Reflect on your values, strengths, life experiences, dreams and desires. Create a vision that is true for you and your priorities and make sure you find it compelling. If it doesn't light up your day when you think about it, work on it (creatively and analytically) until it does.

4) Clear your time and energy. What can you let go of that stands in the way of achieving your vision? Do you need to declutter your time or your space in order to free up the space for turning your vision into reality? Can you work 4 days rather than 5? Where can you delegate more? etc.

5) Set your goals! Make sure they reflect your priorities and vision, are achievable, and genuinely excite you and resonate with you. Do the goals align with your personal and/or business foundation? Create a timeline and order for achieving them.

6) Put your goals and desired outcome in writing.

7) Create a strategy to achieve your goals. What is your time line, order, and what are the stages? Perhaps create a diagram or picture to chart your goals. Are they realistic? How will you know when you've achieved them? Describe your desired outcome.

8) What resources and support do you need to get successful results? The support of a strong, qualified, experienced coach can make all the difference in getting the results you want. Alternatively, perhaps you can team up with a friend or colleague and organize regular brainstorming and support meetings.

9) Hold yourself accountable! Check in with yourself to make sure you are making progress, keeping to your time lines, doing the practical work you need to do every day and week to move forward, and aligning the rest of your life and work with the goals and underlying vision.

10) Enjoy the journey and make it an exciting and fulfilling one. Celebrate all your achievements along the way and celebrate your success when you achieve the significant, sustainable goals that are right for you and which reflect your vision.

Want To Use This Article In Your E-Zine or Website? Feel free to reprint this article. Please write copyright Dr . Nicola Bunting, 2009, La Vita Nuova Personal and Professional Coaching. Get our FREE e-course/audio mini-workshop and FREE monthly inspirations for your life and work at http://www.la-vita-nuova.com

Are you a successful professional who has big dreams and plans for both your personal and work life and doesn't want to compromise on either? Whatever you really want, start creating it today and don't postpone it! Discover the secrets of a brilliantly fulfilling personal and professional life by signing up for our free monthly ezine, "Your New Life: Inspiration for Personal and Professional Fulfillment." Take the first step today to create more balance, harmony, and joy in your life by accessing your full potential, visiting http://www.la-vita-nuova.com and signing up for our free monthly strategies; along with your subscription, you receive a complimentary three-part audio series designed to inspire your life and work.

Step up the forex trading platform! by stevenzzed

2009-08-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

The forex market or forex trading is an unregulated one as it is known for being enormously liquid or flexible for trading purposes. Forex brokers provide their services to traders to help them enter the market and be a part of it.

Legally, a broker is meant to be registered with one of the many regulatory agencies that work in the arena and a trader has to look for this registered broker to avoid any problems that might arise because of getting an unregisterd broker. The best forex trading platform is the one which is less costly and is very user friendly for an even running business. The best forex robot, as the forex trading platform is generally called, is the one which yields maximum profits and also offers information and knowledge on how to achieve such profits. This knowledge amounts to intelligible ways to supervise business proficiently with an intention to develop forex trading strategies.

The forex trading software also proves of a great help where instant information is required in lesser time. And this has happened with the rise in demand of automated forex trading system due to increased online forex trading. The best of forex trading platforms are also available on the internet today, but these are to e chosen only with expert advice. Online forex trading has improved to a great extent with technological advancements in the forex trading arena. And this is lesser costly and easy to use than the established trading structures. But online trading platforms have to be checked for their authenticity. It is at times difficult for the trader to choose the best forex robot which is credible too. The information provided by online forex trading systems holds a lot of importance due to minute by minute changing trading figures. This ever changing information can affect profits so online trading systems are very essential and can prove helpful if trader deems to increase his technical knowledge. The Forex market is designed to give ease and permit financiers to come in and way out the market at will and with ease. There is supposed to be neither a bond nor time limitations on when to enter or exit the forex market.

Thus forex market platforms are highly professional and require extreme knowledge and skill on the part of the trader right from choosing the broker, acting upon the demo account, to investing real money in real accounts. So, if you feel that you are skillful enough to survive in the forex trading field, step right up on the platform, because that's your place to be!

What is Paper Scanning and How Paper Scanning is useful? by Ethan Allen

2009-08-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

In business, Paper is a very important peace of information. Papers play key role to make your prediction more accurate and feasible with time. They are containing very important data with must be available at ease. If not, this type of error creates trouble for business to move upwards. Let's check how paper is important.

* It provides reference to our errors which we done in the past.

* It gives idea about current position of business and how far we have reached.

* It helps to take more accurate and speedy decision because it contains information of past and current business trends.

So, paper makes future of business with reference of past and current. If any references are missing, your business will have gloomy future. Some disadvantages of having papers physically.

* It requires more space to store.

* It requires extra care to save from environmental effects.

* It requires accurate management to get the paper at proper time.

* It costs you a lot for maintenance.

Paper scanning offers digital conversion of physical papers. I will 'digital papers'. Digital papers are very portable and can available at any time. They overcome the disadvantages of normal papers.

* They require less storage space.

* They are protected against environmental effects.

* They are easy to manage and search. You can get the digital paper at any point of time with some clicks.

* Maintenance is near to none. In Addition,

* They are very portable so you can have in your flash drive and use at any system.

* You can protect them with password which increases the security of the confidential information.

* You can take backup copy to have safety against sudden deletion/corruption of digital papers.

* Many executives can refer the scanned document at a time with taking photo copy of papers. That's way paper scanning saves your stationery cost.

Paper scanning facilitates you to have the important papers at proper time without wasting in searching here and there. Ultimately it saves your time which helps you to act before you competitors do. So paper scanning helps you out to give your business brighter future.

Packaging of Guar Gum in Rama Industries Gujarat,India by Rama Industries

2009-08-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

What is Guar Gum?
Guar Gum is a gum from seeds of the guar plant, used to thicken foods and as sizing for paper and cloth. The guar plant, also known as a cluster plant, grows primarily in Pakistan and the northern regions of India, with smaller crops grown in the U.S., Australia, China, and Africa.. It is primarily used as a thickener and stabilizer in canned food, it is a highly soluble and digestible fiber with low caloric content that is known to.
Guar gum is widely used in:

Textile industry – sizing, finishing and printing
Paper industry – improved sheet formation, folding and denser surface for printing
Explosives industry – as waterproofing agent mixed with ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerin etc.
Pharmaceutical industry – as binder or as disintegrator in tablets
Cosmetics and toiletries industries – thickener in toothpastes, conditioner in shampoos (usually in a chemically modified version)
Oil and gas drilling, hydraulic fracturing
Mining
Hydro seeding – formation of seed bearing "guar tack"

Packaging of Guar Gum is a very critical operation, since it has to be done in such a way that preserves the highly delicate product in good condition for a long time. Thus, Rama Industries placed high level of care in the packaging operation, after manufacturing passed through safety siever and packed immediately in bags than passed through metal detector and after packaging the product is properly stocked in a separate warehouse until it is shipped out.
Stuffing of Containers and sealing them is done under strict supervision, since this is a very critical point. The bags have to remain in the container anywhere between 20 to 45 days till it is reaches the destination and have to sail through different climatic conditions. So, proper care is taken in selection of containers and stuffing of the bags so that buyers receive the goods in factory –in fresh condition.

The lots Number, Batch Number, Month of Mfg., Exp. Date etc. are marked on each & every bag. Shipped in FCL lots consisting of 4 batches (each of 5 Tons).
Rama industries has well experienced work force, proximity to Kandla/Mundra port, ICD Ahmedabad for JNPT, NSICT Port in house container stuffing, strict quality control and customized services, has brought to us recognition and rewards from the buyers world over and Government at home. The quality systems adopted at Rama Industries confirms international norms involving regular procedures designed to check the physical properties of the products supplied. Each batch is throughly checked to ensure that the right quality is offered to its customers apart from excellent packaging. The quality efforts at Rama Industries has been recognized in having ISO 22000,HSCCP,KOSHER,GMP,HALAL certification and maintaining HSCCP Rules and Regulation.

High Volume Inline Mixed Flow Fans by Oleg Cthetchel

2009-07-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

Made by Northern Industrial Co. high pressure MVA series mixed flow inline ventilators finally resolves the problem of pushing air through high resistance and long ventilation ducts.

Mixed Flow fans are an excellent choice for return air, supply, or general ventilation applications where low sound is critical. As compared to similarly sized tubular centrifugals and vane axials, a mixed flow fan will be 5-20 dB quieter! In addition, the mixed flow wheel is extremely efficient and will cut down on operating expenses.

Unique features of the MVA Mixed Flow Fans include:

- Universal Mounting System that allows the unit to be field rotated at the job site - Compact design with standard slip-fit duct connections for ease of installation - UL/CSA listing for electrical is available - Continuously welded housing with a standard powder paint finish suitable for indoor or outdoor applications - A complete three plane vibration test of all assembled fans prior to shipment

Model MVAB: * Belt drive construction with motor out of the airstream * Air Handling Quality bearings selected with a minimum life in excess of L(10) 50,000 hours at the maximum operating speed * Performance capacities from 1,000 to 100,000 cfm (1,700 - 165,000 m3/hour) and pressures up to 8 in. wg. (2000 Pa)

Model MVAD:

* Direct drive construction eliminates belts, pulleys, and shaft bearing maintenance * MVAD design is more compact for space critical application * Partial wheel widths allow for wide performance capacities ranging from 500 to 105,000 cfm (900 - 170,000 m3/hour) and pressures up to 9 in. w.g. (2300PA)

Another in-line fan for for air moving in round ducts by Canada Blower is a high pressure small vaneaxial fan finally resolves the problem of boosting air flow in long ventilation ducts of today's large residential houses.

For a long time the efficient ventilation of remote rooms in the large houses could be done only with two independent air supply sources (like a furnace). Ventilating ductwork in contemporary large houses becomes so long and elaborated that even a high pressure furnace fan couldn't generate enough static pressure to blow through the whole length of such a duct. The existing low pressure booster duct fans, even though compact enough to be installed in-line in the house ventilation ductwork, still do not provide enough booster pressure / airflow. The usual solution to this problem was installation of two independent furnaces with different air ducts, which is rather expensive option.

A new high pressure (up to 1.5" WG) small vaneaxial Series VA fan is an ideal booster fan for prolonged ducts. Unlike inline centrifugal ventilator, that also generates rather high pressure, the air comes out not from a peripheral outlet ring area, but distributes evenly across its outlet opening like in true axial blowers.

The other advantages of VA Series vaneaxial ventilators is their intrinsic spark-resistant construction because of all-aluminum construction; quiet operation of true vaneaxial design; lower energy consumption due to efficient wheel design.

Eight different sizes from 6" DIA to 10" DIA offer wide performance range for any ventilation duct design. Direct drive design ensures long live, maintenance-free operation. Explosion proof motors are available too, as well as sliding dampers, various mounting options, additional sound isolation.

For additional information please refer to Northern Industrial Co. web site http://northernindustrialsupplycompany.com/index.html.

Oleg Cthetchel Process Ventilation Engineer Canadian Blower http://northernindustrialsupplycompany.com/products/industrialfan_blowers.html http://northernindustrialsupplycompany.com/products/ventilators.html

Guar Gum, Guar Gum Powder, Cassia Tora Powder, Tamarind Kernel Powder, Psylium Powder Exporter by Jigney Bhachech

2009-07-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

Body

Due to the changing lifestyles people are depending more on natural products than for pharmaceutical uses. The natural herbs and seeds do not have side effects. The foremost example is guar gum. Naturally sourced guar gum is used for Food Products, Textiles, Pharmaceuticals,Cosmetics , Confectionery, Water Treatment, Mining, Drilling, Explosives etc. There are other several products offered by guar gum exporters. Let us look at the details of each one of them inculding guar gum.

Guar gum powder is derived from ground endosperm of guar plant. The color of the guar gum powder is whitish and yellowish consisting of slight odor. Guar gum powder is soluble in hot and cold water but insoluble in most organic solvents. It is non-ionic and maintains a constant high viscosity over a broad range of pH. The viscosity of its solution increases gradually with increasing concentration of guar gum in water. Temperature, pH, presence of salts and other solids influence the viscosity of guar gum solution. Guar gum forms highly viscous colloidal dispersions when hydrated in cold water. The time required for complete hydration in water and to achieve maximum viscosity depend on various factors, i.e., the pH, temperature, grade of powder used and equipment. Guar gum is compatible with a variety of inorganic and organic substances including certain dyes and various constituents of food. Guar gum has excellent thickening, emulsifying, stabilizing and film forming properties. At very low concentration, guar gum has excellent settling (flocculation) properties and it acts as a filter aid. Guar gum powder has strong hydrogen bonding properties. Guar gum is used for many industries like food, pharmaceuticals, textile, health care, paper, cosmetics, oil drilling, mining etc.

Cassia tora powder is derived from cassia tora which is a wild crop. Cassia is basically a slim evergreen tree. In order to harvest this tree the bark of the tree is sown to grow a cassia crop. Cassia tora powder is basically off white in to light tan in color. Cassia tora powder is mixed with guar gum powder and used in mining and other industrial applications.

Tamarind kernel powder is derived from the plant Tamarindus Indica. Tamarind seeds are broken. The hull is removed through heating, grinding and sieving. The endosperm is separated from the germ through grinding and sieving and is then pulverized to get a fine powder called Tamarind Kernel Powder. Tamarind Kernel Powder is a polysaccharide consisting mainly of D-mannose and D-galactose units. The powder is odourless and appears creamish white. It has a high capacity of water absorption and can retain a stable viscosity over a broad pH range. Tamarind kernel powder is used in textile industries, printing industry, food processing industries, paper and explosive industries, mining industries, cosmetics industries, tobacco industries etc.

The Psyllium seed is first removed of impurities through sieves, magnets, destoners and aspirators. These are dehusked through grinders, winnowers and aspirators. If needed, the refined psyllium husk is pulverized into powder. The psyllium powder helps lower cholesterol, in fighting diabetes, is used as a purgative and provides source of fibre supplement. Psylliums are highly used as thickening agents in tablets produced in pharmaceutical companies. It is also used in food processing companies and is also used in horse feeds.

Cummin seed or jeera is seeds of flowering plant Cuminum Cyminum . This plant, native of east India and east Mediterranean, belongs to family Apeaceae. The herbaceous plant Cuminum Cyminum grows to a height of 20- 30 cms. Leaves of this plant are pinnate and bear thread like leaflets.The seeds of Cuminum Cyminum have gained their place as main spice in Indian, African, Chinese, Cuban and Mexican cuisines, due to their distinctive popular aroma. It is mainly used to spice and season variety of dishes like curries, chutneys, masalas etc. It is extensively used in India to season dishes. Due to its numerous medicinal properties, cumin seeds are used as an ingredient in many home remedies and ayurvedic preparations. The strong aroma of jeera or cumin seeds is due to the presence of compound cuminaldehyde.

Castor oil is the oil that comes from castor beans. The castor bean contains 50% to 55% oil. The oil itself contains a lot of fatty acids similar to those used in cooking oil, some examples of this are oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid.

Fennel was known to the ancient Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, and Greek civilizations. It was in great demand during the Middle Ages. The plant was introduced to North America by Spanish priests and the English brought it to their settlements in Virginia. All parts of the plant have been used for flavorings. The oil has been used to protect stored fruits and vegetables against infection by pathogenic fungi. Fennel has been used for treatment of gastroenteritis and indigestion, to stimulate lactation, as an expectorant and emmenagogue and, reportedly, as an antidote to poisonous herbs, mushrooms and snakebites. Fennel oil is obtained from the ripe or dried seeds of either sweet or bitter fennel.

As far as the derivation of mustard seed is concerned, normally two types of mustard varieties are seen in the mustard seed. These two varieties are Brassica hirta and Brassica juncea. The first variety like Brassica hirta is mainly generates the white and yellow types of mustard seed. While the variety likes Brassica juncea is the main producer of mustard seeds like brown and oriental. All such mustard seeds reveal the prickly type of taste.

Sesamin is an all-natural component stored in sesame seeds. Its content is only about 0.5 percent. Through extracting sesamin from sesame, and experimenting in animals and humans, the Japanese scientific researchers have discovered that sesamin has effects of preventing hypertension and cardiovascular hypertrophy, protecting liver, resisting oxidation, reducing cholesterol, and anti-cancer

Although fenugreek seeds are used extensively in the recipes of countries in the Middle and Far East, in the West it is not as well known as many other spices. Not only does fenugreek impart a characteristic flavour and tang to food but it also has several very important disease preventing characteristics. Sesbania seeds were sown in the soil after the first ploughing and allowed to grow up to preflowering stage where after the field was ploughed and the plants were incorporated into the soil together with pongam oil cake, cow urine soaked cowshed soil and home made compost. The farm land top soil was thus converted into a paste of soil, sesbania plants, pongam oil cake, urine soaked cow shed soil, home made compost and stagnated water (just enough to create a muddy condition). It was allowed to stand overnight. The field was then transplanted with the paddy seedlings two days after. Sesbania is particularly suited for planting in orchards because it protects the young trees during hot weather, and enriches the soil at the same time.

Altrafine Gums is the pioneer in providing food grade thickners, natural gums for textile, priniting and sizing. They manufacture organic paper gums to meet the international standards. The product line of Altrafine Gums include guar gum, guar gum powder, cassia tora powder, tamarind kernel powder, psyllium husk and psyllium powder. The are also the providers of cumin seeds, castor oil, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, fenugreek seeds and Sesbania seeds. They are the guar gum exporters from India and they export guar gum in more than 45 countries like USA, UK, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, South Africa and many more.

A Brief Guide to Modern Home Office Chairs by Express-Furniture.co.uk

2009-07-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

Home office chairs come in a variety of designs representative of classic, Victorian, or other historical eras as well as those which are more typical of current and futuristic time periods. They serve a variety of functions and purposes.

A Bit of History

An inventory of this category of seating originates from several different design eras. Some of the selections indicative of more recent times were influenced by architects such as Charles Eames, Miles Van Der Rhoe, George Nelson, Eileen Gray, and others.

So, what does this mean to you exactly? Well, for one the architects and furniture designers brought up above also prompted the conception of furniture applied in enormous auditoriums or theatre halls. Their famous works were also placed around the world in coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels, and apartments.

Usage

Many of the home office chairs produced are appropriate for placement in smaller home and commercial workplace settings. Some selections are meant to be placed behind desks while others may sit in a corner or may be placed in front of a desk.

In addition to being used to perform tasks, vast arrays of models are made for resting, napping, and reading. After all, taking adequate break times or naps are just as important as the time spent working, or a person could not be productive on the job.

Top Choices

Normally home office chairs today are made from ribbed or smooth textures of leather. Some of the most universally preferred designs employed in offices currently include the high-back and the low-back roller models. These are usually easily adjustable to accommodate the most dedicated business professionals.

Other favorites models that are usually set in commercial or residential places include the organic reading seats, arm chairs, or netweave mesh variants. These items frequently match along with additional items such as one of numerous different models of useful yet stylish stools.

Supporting Equipment

A variety of additional business furniture used in homes also would be suitable for use with various seating. Most of these are designed with comfort and practicality in mind, as well as style. An assortment of accessories can be combined with these as well to make your workspace feel as inviting as possible.

For instance, stools, benches, or other cabinets are placed in small business workspaces. Of course, designer trash cans, lamps, shelves, and more are designed with the intention of placement in small business settings.

Some of the most superior models of home home office chairs are produced from strong polished metals, tempered safety class, and dependable fabric. Of course, leather is example of these that is most suitable for seating-as you already know.

Losing Everything , Noose Or Opportunity ? by Cally Rao

2009-07-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

The Great Kobe Earthquake , 6.8 on the Richter scale hit the city of Kobe in January 1995 . It was the largest urban earthquake to hit Japan since 1923. Close to 6,000 died, many plummeting to their deaths from elevated highways and bridges . Forty thousand more were seriously injured .Over 55,000 homes crumpled and fell sprawled across streets. Severe damage and flash fires rendered another 55,000 homes incapable of salvage . Half a million more people were made homeless. Dazed survivors - newly- made orphans , widows , homeless , injured scurried for safety onto smoke-filled , buckled streets , huddled in blankets and in askance "Why us?" .

On our home front here the number of unemployed has crossed the 15-million figure of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Experts forecast that one in eight Americans may be without an income by year's end. Rising homelessness - more than 5.5 million families have lost their homes since the crisis kicked-in - and bankruptcies threaten to tear up even more of the fabric. Furthermore with plunging real estate values the equity in our homes is being evaporated before our very eyes.

Survivalists say sometime in the course of our lives, maybe weekly , we must sit back to .... imagine . IMAGINE losing everything of value to us - job termination , our home burnt to the ground with all of our possessions , creeping cancer or the death of a child. Why this dreary bit in the midst of all this ? The argument is that everything we have in our lives now though we have put together , toiled for and fought for maybe even inherited is not for keeps forever. We can't lock them up in our grasp for all of our days on earth .To get to feeling that we 'have it all' and need never worry nor be vigilant is folly! Neither can we 'lock in' our health or breathe of life or forecast and thwart the circumstances or the events ahead in our lives. Anyday any calamity may ride in or all of our assets are put to smoke . Our health could tumble from it's tower. This is not to suggest that you should tune out and go watch movies for the rest of the day or life or wait for a rapture of the holy ! It's instead the cry of the watchman., to be prepared for the worst , not be put to sleep or charmed by the good times and the parties now . It's to move towards changing your state of mind. No one should invite or need a catastrophe tofeel what it is like to be homeless or drawing your last breath. But keeping yourself in razor sharp preparedness for sudden desolation , for the worst , will keep you in stock of rafts to keep afloat and live for another day while most everyone else is drowning. This continuos re-imagining the future , of dwelling constructively on the 'what if's' , what can totally go wrong etc etc scenarios will keep you on your toes and enable you to row to fresh shores after an earthquake or move on to new endeavours if you lost your job. There's no salvation in playing victim when you are visited or burying the head in sand or live obliviously now . Remember the sycamore ! The tree has amazing powers of regeneration. Even if you cut it all the way down to the ground , it will always grow back. Even if a small sycamore is completely covered over with sand, it will send out new branches and drill new roots to survive .As it's ability to grow back even under the harshest of conditions, the sycamore has a lesson for us - that no calamity is a noose .We need to pitch for our future now , not when it arrives , to be ready in a split second lest the future gets stolen . To your future ,

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Choosing a Consultant - Seven Questions to Ask When Shopping For a Consultant by Chris M. Hart, Sr.

2009-07-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

Are you thinking about adding some horsepower to your organization's team by bringing on a consultant?

I have had a lot of fun over the last 30 years consulting with all types of organizations: independent businesses, ministries, Fortune 100 corporations, not-for-profit enterprises, and start-up ventures.

I have seen many organizations benefit greatly from the contribution of consultants. Unfortunately, I have also seen many consulting relationships that were disappointing and even harmful to the organization.

To help you have the best experience possible, I've put together the following seven questions to ask when "shopping" for a consultant:

Question #1: Are They a "Big Black Binder" Consultant?

There are several national consulting firms whose model is to obtain an up-front fee ($20,000 to $80,000!) and then send a team that "Blows In, Blows Up, and Blows Out." They are on-site for a month or so and when they are finished, they leave behind the proverbial Big Black Binder. I have carefully reviewed several of these Big Black Binders and frankly, many of them are well written and have good business info in them. The problem is, I have never YET met an organization that implemented the suggestions in the Big Black Binder. While the content may have been great, the organization was left on its own to carry out the changes.

What business leaders need is regular, consistent help from a consultant who knows them personally and understands the goals of their organization. I prefer to build a strong relationship with the client and communicate very frequently. This almost always leads to a long-term relationship that is productive and affordable. Speaking of affordable...

Question #2: Is Your Consultant's Fee Affordable?

Consulting clients should be offered an affordable, set, monthly fee. This way, they can budget their consulting investment into their cash flow.

A while back, I was reviewing one of my client's financial statements with them. When we got to the line where my monthly fee was posted, the client remarked good-naturedly, "Well, we know what THAT expense is for, don't we!"

Then, to my surprise, he sat up straight in his chair and looked me right in the eye. He said, "Chris, all kidding aside, let me tell you something about our fee."

Not being quite sure what he was going to say next, I said, "OK, what's that?"

He said, "Chris, your fee is less than I pay the receptionist. For that amount, I get a seasoned executive on my team with over 30 years experience. Chris, I don't mind saying this...You're the best value on my staff."

Your consultant should make you great about the value they return for your investment in their services.

Question #3: How Much Access Will You Have To Your Consultant?

Will you be able to get in touch with your consultant easily? Will they respond promptly to your phone calls and email messages?

You need to be able to ask questions and bring issues to your consultant in real-time. Each of my clients has my direct phone number, and all of my team members are required to respond to all client inquiries as soon as possible, but certainly no later than "before the sun sets twice."

Question #4: What Resources Does Your Consultant Bring to the Table?

Are you considering an individual consultant who has a "platinum" resume? Even if he or she is part of a 10 member firm, your business will be limited in the amount of intellectual resources available to it.

A consultant needs to have access to a large network of colleague who can help with any business issue a client faces. These networks can be an invaluable resource for promoting the client's services, finding specialist support, or opening new markets for clients.

I like to tell my prospective clients, "When you have me on your team, you get my 30+ years of business experience, PLUS access to an international network of over 5,000 top executive advisors!"

Question #5: Is Your Consultant a Cutter or a Builder?

Here we get into differences in personalities and business philosophies. I was an employee of a company that brought in a consultant to help them become more profitable. The consultant began with a savage campaign of systematically cutting over two-thirds of the staff. They then began cutting expenses in employee benefits, advertising, marketing, sales, customer service, and product development.

When they were done, the expenses of the organization had definitely been cut, but they were left with virtually no resources to retain their customers or to solicit new business.

My experience has shown that just cutting expenses does not result in increased profits, especially when you cut back on items that motivate your staff and encourage prospective customers to spend their dollars with you.

I prefer to grow businesses, by asking these questions: How can we use the resources we have to become more profitable? What new products can we introduce with little or modest investment? What ideas does the staff have that can help us to grow?

With proper consulting leadership, there are usually adequate resources of personnel and finances in the organization to begin executing an exciting and rewarding business growth strategy.

Question #6: Does Your Consultant Have a Bill of Goods They Want to Sell You?

I was introduced to a business owner who really wanted help with her organization's business plan. She was, however, very hesitant about working with a consultant because of the bad experience she had with her last one.

She explained to me that the consultant insisted that her business could only be profitable if she outsourced her Payroll, Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing, and even Sales. After a confusing and time-consuming transfer of services, the business owner learned that the consultant received commissions from all of her new service providers. And, to add insult to injury, they were all costing her more than before!

When a consultant is asked to help in choosing business-to-business service providers, loyalty should be to the client. I don't believe it is ethical to try and make a few extra bucks by steering them to vendors who serve the consultant instead of the client.

Question #7: Are They Suggesting a Pre-determined Mold for Your Business?

Far too often, I have heard of consultants trying to force an organization's operation into a model the consultant wants, instead of carefully defining what the organization needs.

Every organization is unique and has its own personality. There are, however, broad business practices that are healthy for all organizations to embrace. What I find works best is to have some general rails to run on by laying out a Business Operations Blueprint with the client.

The blueprint components include the Vision and Mission Statements, Goals and Objectives, Performance Metrics, the Financial Plan and Financial Review, the Operations Model, Staffing Services, Projects, Research & Development, Marketing, and Sales.

When I begin working with a client, the most important thing for me to do is...listen! Honest, open discussions will determine the critical issues that need immediate attention. Whether there is a toxic staffing issue that needs to be corrected or marketing is not producing adequate sales to keep the doors open, it is imperative to make use of proven business growth strategies. A customized blueprint will make it possible to lay out simple, daily tasks that will accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization.

I trust that this article will help you to have a productive and profitable relationship with your consultant. Here's to your success!

Feng Shui Your Office Space by Erin Ryan

2009-07-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

When setting up a business from scratch, there are a lot of important things to consider, such as services, customer base and finances. So it isn't surprising that the seemingly trivial matter of working environment is often so overlooked.

It has long been understood that the environment in which you work, can dramatically affect performance and attitudes of employees. With this in mind, it is now becoming more and more popular for businesses to take into account an office space environment when setting up the office.

It may seem trivial from a business point of view, however it is known that global market leading companies such as Orange and Virgin employ the ancient practice of feng shui as a standard practice in office design.

Global mobile network providers Orange designed and built their Tyneside business centre based on the ancient Chinese art of feng shui. During the office block build, Orange was part of the Chinese firm Hutchinson Telecom, and as a result a feng shui consultant was hired to oversee the project.

The elaborate feng shui efforts were visible with koi carp fish at the entrance of the building, alongside strategically placed plants and water features. These are all said to represent success, wealth, power and blessings.

Although this might seem slightly indulgent, and perhaps to the average businessman as 'a load of nonsense', it has been proven to help employees feel happier and less stressed.

Therefore it is also important to consider the harmony of an office when you are looking for new office space. Most elements of a good working environment can be created and altered through simple steps such as the ones I will go on to outline in this article; however takenote of the amount of natural light and space when looking for office space to let.

Introducing feng shui into the office does not need to be a military operation with consultants. There are plenty of small things that can be introduced to improve the balance and harmony of your working space.

Here are a few of the simple things you can do to improve the environment you work in:

Clutter: Be sure to keep your general working space free of clutter, as this can contribute to feelings of stress. Through the simple task of keeping your desk area clean, you can allow the chi to flow with ease, therefore having a calming effect on the workspace.

Plants: By having a plant on your desk, you are helping to ease the tension in your immediate vicinity, as these are known to absorb toxins from the air. It will also have the added bonus ofmaking your desk more aesthetically pleasing.

Colour: Assess the colours you are surrounded by in your working environment. Light and vibrant colours can be uplifting and aid creativity. Dark colours can be oppressive and mood altering.

Light: Light is a fundamental element of life; we couldn't live without it. Therefore it is of no surprise that it is one of the most important elements of good feng shui. If your office doesn't get huge amounts of natural light, you can buy 'living' light bulbs, which comprise of all colours of the spectrum and are better for overall health.

Cincinnati & Worldwide Vehicle Wraps and Wholesale Printing by Muralpop.com, 639 Main St Cincinnati

2009-06-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

Established in 1996 as an alternative to larger agencies, MuralPop is a Mural Painting and Print Design & production Facility dedicated to exceeding your expectations. For us, "near enough is not good enough". A strong commitment to customer service, unique design solutions and rigorous quality control are our core values. Our focus remains on establishing relationships and creating design solutions that work, are within budget and are delivered on time.

Whether you are a Home Owner or a Large Corporation, we provide you with planning and creative insights that meet your marketing and communications needs. We Provide Mural Painting, Graphic Design, and Complete Large Format Printing Services under One Roof.

Our Client Base spans a broad range of Projects including education, real estate, property development, lifestyle & wellness, technology, industry professionals, training and retail.

MuralPop offers the most advanced digital imaging technology and services in the United States. From Printing, Photography, Graphic Design, Large Format Trade Show Prints and Vehicle Graphics, to Hand Painted Wall Murals, Design and Custom Painting. Our diverse range of expertise sets us apart from traditional studios. Hand Painted MuralPop Murals: MuralPop Offers professional Custom painting services. We Paint Furniture, Walls, Floors, Windows, Ceilings, and Specialize in LARGE paintings on Canvas.

STEP 1 - Initial Consultation This consultation (by phone or face-to-face) helps us to understand you and your business, so we can provide an effective creative solution. We also recommend you Call to give us a little background information on the direction of your Project, your goals, style, target audience etc.

STEP 2 - Project Outline/Budget & Approval Once we have talked about your project brief , a structured project budget is created to outline the specifics and inclusions of the project.

Once you have made the decision that we are the company for you, we establish a project schedule, outline objectives. We then have final meetings/conversations with you to finalise the creative brief for the job.

STEP 3 - Research Artists are given a clear brief of your project and begin by researching and understanding the target audience.

STEP 4 - Concepts and Design This stage is where branding, content and aesthetics are brought together into a design concept. Beginning with sketches of layout ideas, the designers explore multiple design formats that could work to achieve your objective. The best concepts are chosen and set up in the design program where colours, fonts, photos & effects are experimented with, compared, altered etc.

Designs are saved in pdf format and sent through to the client for feedback and any edits. If any conceptual changes need to be made, they are done at this point.

STEP 5 - Layout Once a concept has been approved, the design is developed and refined for all sections of the project. If the project is a corporate identity, we would at this stage proceed to layout of all stationery items with the new logo.

STEP 6 - Project Management & Production Our project managers coordinate the project, liaise with you on any final edits, ensure quality control and oversee the various technical processes involved in finalising, proofing, printing and delivering the project.

Have an Idea? Let Us Create it for you. Call Now: 513-917-3039

How to Locate Truckload and LTL Freight - 3 Easy Steps by Joe Swantack

2009-06-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

One of the most challenging tasks for any trucking company, both large and small, including independent owner-operators, is finding and locating regular truckload and LTL freight. With a little time and effort you can develop a network of competent resources, individuals and companies that will seek out your equipment and keep you rolling down the roadway. From established companies, to start-ups, and to those beginning a new career in trucking, adhering to these 3 Easy Steps will ensure your ongoing success.

Step 1 - Post and Announce Your Available Equipment

Let everyone know where you are, where you will be, and the type(s) of equipment you have available, even if your equipment will not be available for another 5-7 days, or more. Oftentimes, those who post their equipment well in advance can expect fewer cancellations and a higher rate per mile. InternetTruckStop and 123Loadboard are major players when it comes to posting your equipment.

Step 2 - Subscribe to the Major Loadboards

A critical element of any successful freight program includes reviewing and seeking freight that has already been posted by the major corporations and brokers. Large manufacturers, trucking companies and brokerages will post their overflow freight on their websites and internet loadboards. This step is often underutilized and can make the difference between profitability and running in the red.

Step 3 - Establish Direct Contact with Shippers and Freight Brokers

Make you and your organization known by making routine direct contact with manufacturers and freight brokers. Make a habit of calling a minimum of 10 new potential shippers and 10 new freight brokers each and every day. Establish a "Top 10" list of the freight brokers who are shakers and movers in their field, such as C.H.Robinson, Landstar, Yellow, Conway, ABF and Mercer. Make contact with them daily and often, and they'll soon be calling you.

For additional trucking and freight locating resources, including loadboards, visit www.Freight-Finder.com, for all of your trucking and freight locating needs.

It's time to Wake UP by Kevin Abdulrahman - Mind Nutrition Expert

2009-06-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know what happened that morning, but I woke up with a fire in me. Preceding that, I had been bogged down for a number of days with relationship issues. My head had been in the clouds and I had lost the complete focus I am known to have in setting and achieving my goals in life.

So how did I wake up with that burning flame that morning? Let skip back to the night before where I had an interview on the radio. Before I do any training, talk or interview, I usually get myself into a zone. I get into a mind frame where I am in peak state. I may not be bouncing off walls and sounding loony, but mentally I am super alert, completely present and channelling my thoughts to my audience with complete flow. That energy stays on with me for a few hours after any event. Since this was an evening radio show, I happened to have had taken a lot of that energy with me to bed. Whilst in bed, I paid immense gratitude to everything I had in my life, both for the success and the numerous challenges I was facing (yes be thankful for the challenges because they shape your strong character). I paid gratitude for the family and friends that I have. I paid gratitude for being the person that I am, contributing to the world in a positive way. I then started to do my visualisation for the future. I thought of my ideal life, my purpose in this world, what I wanted to really do, what impact I wanted to make and what I wanted to leave behind. I was dreaming as if I was there, walking through my day as it would be five years from then. It was the perfect clip, my perfect movie. With that I must have fallen asleep.

Although I might have fallen asleep, I had really just got my subconscious mind into overdrive. The subconscious mind never sleeps, ticking through the night working on the questions you ask your self and the images you portray of yourself through out the day. My subconscious mind must have been working on all cylinders throughout the night, because when I woke up the next morning, I really woke up (burning flame and all included).

What am I talking about, 'waking up'? Yes, some of you might say, this is the reason you were able to write this piece. Indeed, I was grateful to see the sun rise to yet another beautiful day, but I am not talking about waking up physically. I am talking about waking up mentally. I woke up and realised how much of my potential I was leaving behind on the table. I was letting opportunities go to waste by not working at my true full potential. I was doing ok, but I knew that, like the majority of people I come across, I still had so much more in me to give, so much more.

I was on fire. I wrote out a plan of what I wanted to do. I wrote my goals again in a list format. I re-wrote my purpose of inspiring millions and one day reaching one billion people. I had even more energy after writing all that out. Then I thought, let me use this energy to begin working on one of my goals of getting my book published in 40 languages.

With that thought I jumped online to update my Facebook status and emailing some key friends and contacts. All these people started coming into my mind that I had in my rolodex.

People had offered to help me translate the book in the past but I had never followed up on them. I soon realised how much resources I had at my disposal and how many people I was fortunate to know (we all know at least 2000 people on a first name basis by the time we are 18). I reflected as to how many of us have resources in different shapes and forms, yet many never even begin to scratch the surface.

These friends, contacts and resources, like everything in life are all there. We all have everything we want and need (by way of resource) in life. What many lack is being resourceful of what is around them. Many unfortunately leave too many stones unturned. Literally within minutes of updating my status, chatting with some friends and firing off some emails, I was entertaining six translation offers for my book. Talk about being on fire.

What a change in gears. Overnight, I went from simply moving ahead, to turbo charging forward.

This is what happened. I woke up and chose to utilise everything around me to get the book to 40 languages. There resources were always there. I simply wasn't achieving my goals and moving forward because I was asleep. I might have been awake in people's eyes when communicating with them, but my mind was certainly fast asleep. Could you say that about a time when you have been like this? How many times have you been preoccupied with everything that is going in your life, that you lose focus about propelling forward? Some sadly spend their entire lifetime asleep.

Those winning their game in life, have woken up. They have woken up invigorated by endless possibilities in their lives. They have woken up to realise this world has a lot to offer.

Taking you back to the night before when I was on the radio, a lady called in. Her voice was familiar and she was talking about how she enjoyed reading my first book Winning The Game Of Life. She said that she had been made redundant a few months back and at that point she was completely and utterly devastated by it.

At that point I remembered that she been of of my clients that I had coached. Whilst she was talking, I remembered how much potential I saw in this young lady which she had yet to discover. Then she said, that one comment I made changed her life. It was the last statement I made before concluding our session, 'If only you could see the potential I see in you'.

That her thinking all through that day and as a result she said her life had turned around. She was going through numerous hardships including the shock of being made redundant from her job. Yet she followed through with what we had discussed in our session of being grateful for the events in her life, which she did. I had her question herself, 'what can I do? What am I good at? What can resources can I use? What are my strengths? What am I passionate about?' Within a few months of practising being grateful, visualising what she wanted in life and asking the right questions, things started to turn for the positive. She had called in the radio to say that she was the happiest she has been in her entire life. She was grateful to have been made redundant (isn't that pleasant?) because she had now started to make twice as much as what she had made in her previous employment.

Talk about exciting stuff!

This young lady's story was very inspiring, yet there are hundreds of thousands of people who have been made redundant and never go on to achieve such success. Why? Because they are still mentally sleep. So I want to ask you,

How often are you going through life remaining asleep to the opportunities in your life?

How often have you felt that you don't have the resources you needed to get ahead in life?

How often have you wondered whether you have what it takes to make it to the next level?

How often will you remain in this phase? The phase of 'thoughts with no action'

Who ever you are and where ever you are from, I want you to know that you have so much more to give and so much more to do, to even come close to your full potential.

Begin with paying gratitude to everything in your life. As many challenges as you could be facing, there are millions of people out there who will happily switch their lives for yours because it would be an upgrade. Be grateful, and ask to become better instead of asking for your problems to go away. Ask and seek to be wiser. Focus on visualising your perfect movie clip. Walk through the movie in your mind, every moment taking an eternity to roll to the next. Do it until you fall asleep but remember that even when you do, your subconscious mind never sleeps.

In fact it would be wide awake.

Workplace Productivity Changes. by PLMitchell

2009-06-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Workplace Productivity Changes. One of the greatest challenges in leadership today is to persuade people to change their behavior. We are a product of our normal behavior our habitual behavior is pretty much fixed and permanent so change is very difficult to achieve.

Think about it from this point of view, you are person in a leadership position and you want to increase the productivity of your team. Before you even try this, learn a bit about why people do things the way they do. After all, if you increase productivity there has to be a change. Managing and leading change is not always easy. However, the more you understand about why people have difficulty changing, the better you are able to lead the change.

Look at yourself, you go to the same shops, you go to the same gas station, watch the same TV programs and probably get dressed in the same order every day. It's almost like we need this pattern of behavior to give us a routine, some sort of stability, a way of doing things which does not require any thought.

When we translate that behavior to the workplace, or we run into problems because some people do things which is not what we want them to do. This is where we need to use techniques that involve influence and persuasion.

Then we are faced with another problem. People will agree that they need to do things differently but find great difficulty in changing. The difficulty is caused by the way our brains operate. All our previous behavior creates behavioral patterns and our brain is wired to do exactly what we have done in the past. So much so, that if we know the way a person has behaved in the past we can almost guarantee that we can predict future behavior. It is that strong.

The latest research indicates that it takes around about five days to form a new habit provided it is repeated daily. These studies have considerable implications in the workplace. It means there is a possibility that workplace behavior can be changed through coaching and repetition in a short time.

Originally, it was thought that the new habit takes 21 days to change. Creating a new habit does not mean that the old habit has been cancelled. What it means that this choice is part of your everyday decision-making and it is tempting to shift back to old ways. Our old, strong, neural pathways are a powerful magnet for us to return to our old behavior.

To overcome the attraction of the old neural pathways we must consciously and intentionally repeat new behavior time after time and day after day until it can compete. To make a change in behavior requires an enormous initial effort because first of all we have to create new neural pathways in the brain and then fight off the temptation to return to old patterns of behavior. Once we have created the new neural pathways we have to strengthen them through regular usage and continual reinforcement.

To increase productivity requires change. It is strongly advised that you plan the change before you try and install it.

Peter Mitchell has been an adviser to businesses of all sizes and types for the last 35 years. He has used all his experience to write a step-by-step guide for business owners and mangers which is complimentary. If you download this guide, you are eligible to buy his latest book "The Key to Productivity"at a special price for a limited time.

It is available NOW at http://www.thekeytoproductivity.com

The Absence of Productivity by Tim Bryce

2009-06-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

While I was driving home one night, I was stopped at a traffic light and began to imagine what life would be like without the many electronic conveniences we enjoy. Hmm...

As a Floridian, we are accustomed to losing power due to tropical storms and hurricanes, which tends to annoy us by living without such things as air conditioning and television, as well as the loss of food maintained in the refrigerator. Schools close in such situations and are often converted to shelters. Other than this, life basically goes on as usual, but what if it turned into a permanent condition? What if some sort of electronic virus infiltrated all of our computers, phones, and other electronic gadgetry, and somehow shut them all done?

Our first concern would be whether our military could continue to defend our country effectively, that our hospitals could properly function, and that we could feed the populace adequately. It would be like the premise used in the movie, "The Day the Earth Stood Still," except it would be for an extended period of time. Assuming we could accommodate these situations though, what would life be like without electronics?

For starters, you might think that automobile traffic would snarl up as all of our traffic lights would be out of commission. Inevitably, traffic cops would have to be dispatched to key intersections and we would actually get some intelligent traffic control in place (better than the preprogrammed lights). For minor intersections, we would have to start practicing basic driving courtesy again and, God forbid, cooperate with and respect other drivers. I suspect traffic accidents and fatalities would actually go down.

So far, so good.

If televisions and computers were knocked out, people would be forced to read, write and speak again. Kids would have to come out of their caves and into the sunlight, pick up a ball and get a little exercise and socialize. We would all still be craving some form of entertainment and, because of this, you might see more picnics, concerts in the park, and other civic functions. Attendance at school functions, such as the PTA and SAC, would be stimulated, and parents would become actively involved in the welfare of their children again. Participation in other nonprofit groups would undoubtedly flourish as well. Basically, our socialization skills would improve and we would become more conscious of our civic duties.

As mentioned, food would be a problem; we would have to learn to shop more frequently and prepare meals differently, and we would have to learn the lost art of baking and cooking. No doubt, we would miss all of those highly nutritious microwave meals and snacks. "What, no more Hot Pockets??!"

We would become healthier as we would have more time for exercise and play games like tennis, golf, softball, or whatever without Wii. This should cause health insurance rates to go down.

Since computers would be out of commission, the unemployment rate would go down because we would need more clerical people for such things as filing, typing, preparing graphics, processing orders, etc.

Our personal debt would probably go away as we would be unable to process credit cards and, as such, we would be wiser in the use of our cash.

Our sex lives would improve as evidenced by the power outages of New York. The only downside is it would probably result in a population explosion if we don't properly promote birth control.

Due to a change in our diet and having to be forced to improve our socialization skills, maybe we can finally get people off of drugs like Prozac, Xanax, and Valium.

And finally, the cost of living would go down as we are no longer having to pay for all of the electronic luxuries we are accustomed to.

All of this illustrates our addiction to electronics and their manipulative powers. Life would be cheaper, more healthy, and perhaps more industrious, but it would certainly not be as fast-paced or complicated than what we are familiar with, but then again, would this be a problem?

Maybe the rallying cry would be a variation of John Lennon's song, "Imagine" -

"Imagine no cell phones, it's easy if you try, no PC's or TV's, above us, only sky. Imagine all the people, living life in peace."

Yes sir, the best thing that could happen to this country is to have a virus that knocked out our technology...

Then the light changed, I snapped out of it, and drove home.

Keep the faith!

What is Productivity? by PLMitchell

2009-06-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

What is Productivity? The concept of productivity is often misunderstood. Often, production and productivity are treated as the same thing. It must be remembered that production is not productivity and productivity is not production.

Production expressed as units is output. On the other hand, productivity is the relationship between what you put in against what you get out. In other words are productivity is about the relationship of your inputs and your outputs. Productivity is not about producing products on an assembly line as fast as possible without any consideration for quality, safety and cost. When you're measuring productivity you are looking at the costs of the inputs and the value of the outputs. This is just one measure of productivity. Production is different to productivity although some people treat them the same way. Production is only concerned about output and is described as production volume. If as a manufacturer, you produce 100,000 units a year then that is your volume output. On the other hand, productivity is the ratio between output and input. It clearly shows us the relationship between input and output. This relationship is expressed as output divided by input

On top of the labor (people's effort), the other inputs can be capital (money) and raw materials.Efficiency and effectiveness are two vital aspects of productivity. Efficiency refers to how all well the various inputs are combined and how the work is performed. Effectiveness refers to the degree of influence the inputs have on the outputs.

For example, if there are two people doing the same job and one has a higher level of productivity than the other, it is worthwhile looking at the way they do the work. If they work the same number of hours, working the same department, sit next to each other, and one of them completes more work than the other. It is valuable to look at the way the more successful person is doing the job.Although the input is the same the difference may be due to any number of factors. The sort of factors that would make a difference may include motivation, training, experience, knowledge, skill, methods, leadership, planning, organisation or intelligence.

To sum up, we can say that productivity is how well various resources (inputs) are brought together and put into use for achieving special goals or results. Productivity is the key to profitability. It is doing things better and working smarter, not just harder.

To do so, we have to tap the reservoir of knowledge, creativity and productivity locked in our workforce through education, training, motivation, technology and group effort. The challenge is how to secure the maximum possible improvement in performance or results while using the minimum possible resources. With proper planning and motivation, the job of productivity growth can be achieved. However, certain facts have to be borne in mind when launching the productivity improvement program.

The productivity growth is more likely to be achieved if the set objectives are communicated and understood by the employees. Let us say, the objective is: Reduce rework (which results from defective products). The employees must know the current rework rate, the expected reduction targets, the reasons for the current rework rate, and the methods to improve the rate. By making periodic checks, the supervisors can make sure whether the employees) understand the objectives and make efforts to accomplish them.

It is available NOW at http://www.thekeytoproductivity.com

Train and Coach for Productivity. by PLMitchell

2009-06-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Train and Coach for Productivity. One of the greatest assets a leader can have is the ability to train and coach. Without a doubt this skill can have a positive effect on workplace productivity. The problem is we generally don't train our leaders to be great trainers and coaches. We have this assumption if a person can do a job they can train someone else. Nothing is further from the truth.

The ability to do a job and the ability to train are not necessarily connected. There are plenty of examples around of people who are very good at a particular job, but completely inept as a trainer. The key to training and coaching for productivity is to understand how people learn.

When we know a job extremely well, we sometimes forget what it's like to be a learner. Think back to when you were learning the job. You probably learned it step-by-step, one stage a time, going through a process of trial and error, making mistakes until you finally mastered the whole job. It some stage during the learning process you would have probably reached a position called "information overload." This is where your brain is unable to accept any more information.

The best preparation you can make to train somebody on-the-job, is to break down the job in to small manageable steps. Then to show the person how to do the job step by step. Remember that people learn in three different ways basically. They learn through their eyes, they learn through their ears and they learn through their hands by doing things. In these three different learning methods we each have a different combination of strengths and weaknesses.

Knowing how people learn, is a huge advantage if you are training them. However, all good training covers the three ways equally. This ensures that people have the opportunity to learn using their strengths. If, for instance, you just told people how to do the job, then those that had strengths visually or with their hands would miss out. So when you're training, tell, show and illustrate one important step at a time. Then let the person have a tryout of doing the job.

Correct errors until they are successful. Then get them to do the job again as they explain all the key points such as safety, quality and productivity to you. During this training process make sure that the person is put at ease at the beginning of the process and kept at ease throughout the whole session.

Remember not to try and do too much. It is better to train too little rather than too much because, as humans, we cannot learn when our brain is overloaded.

It is available NOW at http://www.thekeytoproductivity.com

The Two Vital Steps to Improve Workplace Productivity by PLMitchell

2009-05-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Two Vital Steps to Improve Workplace Productivity Train your leadership team Without a doubt the most significant contributor to workplace productivity is the ability of the leadership team. It is extremely difficult to increase productivity without having effective levels of leadership throughout the business.

People respond to role models and follow their example either good or bad. All leaders can have a profound effect on the productivity of their people. However, it is necessary to train people in leadership positions how to behave and influence the people that work for them.

Effective leadership training is not common. Too much of it focuses on theory and not enough on the practical aspects of being a leader. The very best leadership training equips the learners with practical skills which they can put to work straightaway. It also provides coaching in the workplace to show supervisors and managers how to get the very best from their people.

Leadership training which does not have follow-up and does not have coaching is of limited value. This is because there is no evidence of any transfer of learning to the workplace. With no transfer of learning, it could be argued that leadership training of this type is of very limited value. Remember that everybody in a leadership position is a role model.

The best way of doing it is to follow this simple procedure. If you are in a leadership position, make a list of the characteristic behaviors you want from your team. For example, if you have a customer service team you are likely to want them to be organized, and responsive, to be clear about the customer and take notice of the customer's viewpoint.

If you want your team to behave in this way then you need to be behaving in this way with your team because they are your customers. Now this is quite demanding because it means that you have to be responsive to their needs, you have to be organized so that you can always help them out the way that can be useful them.

In other words if you want a customer focused team then you have to be focused on your customers which are your team. Just write down all the behaviors that would make a perfect team and as you do so, reflect on what that means in terms of how you will model for them. Most of it is not too hard because it's a sort of behavior that we do when we're feeling good. This first step of training your leadership team to model the behavior that they want in other people is critical to your success in improving productivity.

Decide the level of productivity required and identify milestones to the goal. This is the area where most people fail. They decide the level of productivity required and then impose it on the staff. Then they are in a situation where they are fighting the resentment of the staff because they have had something imposed on them and generally speaking, failure follows.

Without a doubt, the secret is to involve the team in the target. Let them set it. Let them identify the milestones on the way to the target so that there are occasions for celebrations. Never ever set a target for people without their involvement. Get agreement for all the people involved that the reason for the target is "fair and reasonable." Human nature being what it is, will avoid the setting of low and easily attained targets. You may be surprised how tough they will make their productivity targets.

It is available NOW at http://www.thekeytoproductivity.com

THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION FOR TOP QUALITY PROMOTIONAL ITEMS by Barrack

2009-05-22T18:24:00.001-07:00

Promotional items are being sold at many places but www.dowlis.com is highly reputable and distinguished name as the largest stockiest of all types of promotional items. They have an ocean of all types of promotional items such as conference folders, promotional key rings, promotional bags, promotional clothing, promotional pens, Promotional mugs, special gift boxes, various types of writing instruments, desk ware, diaries and wide range of many other promotional gift items. Thousands of promotional gifts are being offered at the most cost effective prices. They have special price slot for the whole sellers and corporate houses. They are renowned in the market for the most innovative novelties of promotional gifts and they stock the superior quality gift items manufactured locally and across the country. They import the quality gift items from every corner of the world to cater the need of their huge clientele. Besides selling the stock items, they are also professional in arranging specialized gifts for and made to the order gift hampers. They also undertake the distribution of those gift packs on behalf of their clients and offering all sorts of services to satisfy their large clientele. Their wide product range involves the products from cheapest to the most expensive prices. Their gift items bear the lowest price tag in the market and they take all the steps to reach those selected gift items to the door steps of their customers. Their website has proved a great help for those overseas and local customers unable to visit their show room. Now they can place an order through their beautiful, well developed and picturesque website. All the promotional items are placed there in wide variety and category wise so that customer should find it easy to place or book their order. All the items displayed there are given a unique tag number so that it becomes easy for the customers to mention the reference number of the selected promotional goods. Their efficient sales team is a great help for those customers who are confused while selecting the right promotional gift. You just have to let them know your budget for the promotional gifts and they their sales team would do the rest. Promotional gifts are the best tools to convey your business messages to your established and potential customers. So offer them the meaningful gift items and have their positive response. Their array of product range covers from the custom made office stationery to the made to the order promotional giveaways. They also stock gift items for various events and occasions. People should take the great advantage of their superior promotional gifts as early as possible to avoid any disappointments before the stock last.

La pratique de l'aquagym

2009-04-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

De nombreuses personnes sont en train de se tourner vers la pratique de l'aquagym. L'aquagym est une variété de gymnastique qui consiste de mouvement simple et qui est pratiquée généralement dans une piscine. Le but de cet article est de vous aider à mieux comprendre l'aquagym et aussi à connaître les avantages qui sont associées à la pratique de cette discipline. Premièrement l'aquagym est à la portée de tout le monde. Les mouvements sont tous très simples et même les femmes enceintes peuvent les pratiquées. L'aquagym aide les gens à bénéficier aussi des effets de l'eau. De plus l'eau possède aussi un effet massant et favorise la circulation sanguine. L'aquagym est donc recommandée pour les gens qui sont à la recherche d'une activité physique qui n'est pas trop épuisante.

L'aquagym peut aussi être utile dans le traitement de certaines maladies. L'aquagym peut quelquefois être efficace dans le traitement de maladies tel que l'arthrite. La pratique régulière de l'aquagym peut quelquefois aider à réduire la douleur.

L'aquagym peut être aussi avantageuse pour les personnes âgées, les convalescents ou les personnes qui viennent de subir un accident. Cela aidera leurs muscles à devenir fermes et donc retrouver de la vigueur. L'aquagym est surtout conseillée pour les personnes âgées car l'eau peut prévenir des déchirures musculaires.

Si vous débutez dans le monde de l'aquagym il serait préférable que vous soyez suivi par un instructeur. Un moniteur pourra par exemple vous guider dans les choix des mouvements qui seront le plus appropriés pour vous.

L'aquagym est un type de gymnastique qui est pratiquée à travers le monde. Les exercices sont pratiqués dans l'eau afin de favoriser la circulation sanguine et les mouvements musculaires. Il y a de nombreux avantages à pratiquer l'aquagym. C'est une façon simple et facile pour les gens de pratiquer une activité physique. De plus l'aquagym est à la portée de tout le monde. by Deborah Risset

5 Ways to Get Things Done in a Fraction of the Time You're Spending Now

2009-04-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

We'd all like to get more done in less time. The more you get done, the more results you generate for your business. And the more you'll increase your income level.

What are some ways to increase your productivity? Here are 7 ways...

1. Time limits. When you have a time limit set, it forces your brain to figure out a way to get it done within the time limit. If you set short (and realistic) time limits for yourself, you'll get your tasks done faster. Try it. You'll see how it works when you do.

An important point is that you must think that your time limits are non-negotiable. They must be met no matter what, just like client deadlines. Or like the time limits when you wrote exams back in school. If you feel that the time limit can be broken, then you won't take it seriously and your productivity won't increase much.

Parkinson's Law states that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." You can see evidence of this in your own life. Whenever you had a lot of time available to do a task, you tended to work at it more slowly. But when the time available was limited, you worked very hard and efficiently to get it done on time.

2. Prioritize your tasks. Make sure you do your more important tasks first. That way, you're working on the task that contributes the most value to your business.

Ask yourself, "What's the single most important thing that needs to be done now?" And then do that task.

3. Don't multitask. Multitasking hurts your productivity. The best way is to work on one task at a time. Put your mind on the task and put everything else aside. Avoid constantly checking your email. Avoid surfing the web. And avoid chatting on an instant messenger while you're working.

4. Avoid interruptions. Interruptions slow you down because every time you're interrupted, it takes time to get back into the task you were working on. You'll have to figure out where you left off.

Try minimizing your interruptions. If you receive personal phone calls while you work, tell them not to call during your working hours. Set your instant messenger status to busy so people will message you less. Turn your cell phone off.

5. Exercise, eat, and sleep right. When you don't get enough sleep, it's hard to be productive. It's important to get a full night's sleep every night. Find out what works for you to sleep well every night. For me, what works best is to wake up at the same time every morning, 7 days a week.

You also want to exercise. Exercise helps to keep your energy level up which boosts your productivity.

Eating right is also important. It's hard to be productive when your stomach is grumbling because you're hungry.

You'll want to do these 3 things consistently. Exercise, eat, and sleep right. That way, your days will be more consistent. And you'll be consistently more productive. by Francis Lui