Top Management Story

Writen by Kal Bishop

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Time to market or time to success?

Even today Innovation Consultancies trumpet their ability to increase time to market as opposed to time to success:

a) It is always possible to increase time to market – one way is by not carrying out proper due diligence and thus increasing the likelihood of failure.

b) Whilst there is never enough time available before pushing a product onto the market, there is always enough time to revisit what went wrong and fix problems. The cost of reengineering runs into the billions.

c) Speed and cost are considerations but good decision-making should be priorities.

d) Quick time to market does not guarantee profit. A strategy of time to profit makes more business sense.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Writen by Matthew Steffen

Choosing The Right Business Path

Technology advances at such a rapid rate that with each passing day it seems to only go faster. Business professionals strive to choose the best tools to efficiently manage and execute projects. With technology moving so fast, there is no time to go down the wrong path. Once on a familiar path, one can continue with confidence. The biggest fear is starting off on the wrong path. There is a simple guideline for determining the correct path and it is this – empowering the end user. End users are their own experts, so the more ability you give them to control their tools the more they will feel comfortable with any given product.

The Current Situation

We live in a time of technology when access to tools has exceeded political boundaries. The Internet and the World Wide Web are part of a user-driven force that is affecting everything in society. Entertainment has become decentralized. We can download songs, which means we do not have to go to the concerts; we can download a movie, which means we do not have to go to the theater. We are in fact becoming a world of Do It Yourselfers who expect user-driven tools. The last thing we want is for our tools to drive us.

Technology is always somewhere between the center point and the perimeter. End users towards the perimeter have greater control over their tools and the systems they use, whereas end users towards the center have little or no input. They must follow the dictates of the tool's designer.

Some History

In the past, when you wanted to place a call you gave the operator the number and the call was put through for you. Today we dial directly. We still purchase newspapers and read what the editor laid out for us. But now we can go to Digg.com and see what the readers think should be on the front page. Technology seems to be moving us away from the center and out towards the perimeter. Kodak built a business on developing film, whereas the digital camera allows us as many shots as we want followed by all the manipulation of the image cared for.

Design For The Perimeter

By its nature, technology is moving away from the center towards the perimeter. End users are empowered to not only do more things, but to have those things feed back into the system and affect end results. The success of a new piece of technology or business is based on a wide number of factors, but empowering your users rather than trying to overpower them truly provides the best foundation.

Project Management Software that empowers the end user.

In the realm of project management software, systems such as Interneer Intellect are built around empowering end users. These types of systems allow the administrative user to actually design the templates and workflows that project executers see. The entire project management process is guided and designed by the project managers themselves, without hard coding. This is a major breakthrough for project management software.

Most systems trap the end user into attempting to execute unique and often complicated projects with the limited functionality of pre-designed templates. If the business then wants to change the program to reflect the types of projects they run the system must be programmed, costing unnecessary amounts of time and money.

Effective software must empower the end users to design, manage and execute every project in the most effective way possible.

This invaluable feature has convinced enterprises like Bose, Boeing, Verizon and Harman International to turn to tools that allow user-control for their project management needs.

Matthew Steffen serves as the Marketing Coordinator for Interneer, Inc. His experience utilizing Interneer Intellect to manage marketing projects has convinced him that web-based user-defined tools are the most effective. He can be reached at (800) 558-6832. Mr. Steffen recommends visiting http://www.interneer.com to view white papers or demos of Interneer Intellect. Lawrence Calmus also contributed to this article. Mr. Calmus is a sales representative for Interneer, Inc. He can be reached at lcalmus@interneer.com.

Writen by Kevin Dwyer

According to Kenny Rogers, we have to "know when to hold them, know when to fold them and know when to run". The gambling refrain also applies to the outsourcing of an organisation's activities. We have to know what activities we need to do ourselves, what we need to partner others to do and what we need to procure to be done.

Many organisations, however, make errors in what they outsource whilst other organisations make errors in that they outsource nothing. The result of the former error is usually a loss of control of the activities of the organisation which build value. The result of the latter error is higher operating and or financial costs than is necessary.

To determine what activities to outsource requires an understanding of how activities add value to the "business" which the organisation is in. Knowing what business an organisation is in is a significant piece of work for many organisations.

For example, is a soft drink company in the bottling business, the soft drink distribution business or in the beverage marketing business? Dependent on the answer, what adds value to the business will be very different.

Determining what "business" organisations are in and what adds value is, by design, somewhat circular. The "business" an organisation is in is where they add most value to their stakeholders in the future. It is further complicated by the fact that the emerging competitive environment may well change what is considered to be value adding from today.

After clearly determining what business we are in, then we can turn our thoughts to what we can or indeed, should, outsource. A starting point for determining what makes sense to outsource is to map the processes of our business.

An example I know well is the sampling, testing and analysis of used oil in truck fleets. By analysing the used oil at set intervals, scientists can not only determine the condition of the oil but also the condition of the engine or gearbox of some very expensive equipment.

Not only is the equipment itself very expensive, but so is the downtime impact of unscheduled maintenance. Being able to predict what the condition of the equipment is going to be and to be able to schedule maintenance in a large trucking fleet saves millions of dollars.

The high level process flow for the activities to sample and analyse used oil is as follows.

Plastic bottles, labels and sampling tubes are manufactured and sent to the oil company upon placement and processing of an order. Bottles' labels and sampling tubes are sent to the trucking company. Used oil is collected in bottles and a label with pertinent details is put on the bottle. The bottle is sent to a laboratory.

The laboratory tests the oil and reports the concentration of a range of metals in the used oil. A highly experienced mechanical engineer with a good knowledge of metallurgy analyses the results and predicts the wear of components of the machine from which the used oil was taken. The results are sent to the trucking company.

Value is added in each step. In all bar the evaluation by the experienced mechanical engineer, in Europe the added value is about low cost and quality parameters such as timeliness, quantity and accuracy.

In Europe, hundreds of companies can manufacture the bottles and labels. Hundreds of companies can courier the empty and filled bottles. Tens of companies can test the oil. Experienced mechanical engineers who can evaluate the results of the tests however, are hard to find and if they know their worth are very expensive.

So in Europe, the greatest value is added by the process involving a scarce resource, an experienced mechanical engineer, evaluating the test results. This is the process that organisations wishing to win in this market must own.

The testing of the used oil is not difficult but there are only a handful of companies who can handle the scale of work that a major oil company would create. This is the process that the same companies should partner, seeking synergy and some exclusive services from an outside supplier.

The same companies should seek to procure couriers, bottles and labels to a standard of performance at the lowest cost.

In other geographic regions with different supply capability, the result is different.

To understand what to own, partner or procure, organisations need to determine what adds value and is in scarce supply. "It" may be people, intellectual property or plant and equipment and if it fits the foregoing criteria, must be owned. They also need to understand what, meeting their requirements, is readily available in the market and therefore should be procured. What lies in the middle should be considered under a partnering deal with an outside supplier.

Writen by Jan Stringer

From postcards on the table at your favorite restaurant to letters after a brief hospital stay tucked in with your prescriptions, surveys represent the most effective way to secure an honest answer to: How did we do? More recently, these surveys have made their way into the workplace, providing a method of gauging employee attitudes at the office.

Spending 40 hours or more every week with the same people, there's no question what type of outlook you want these people to have. A positive employee with a can-do attitude takes the prize every time, and not just because of how pleasant it makes things in the workplace. Happy employees create a more efficient office, primarily by sticking around.

Toby Velte, former CEO of FireSummit, Inc., knew the way to his employees' heart, and it wasn't increased pay. He recognized that his employees were after more than just compensation; they wanted to be happy while they were at the office. He obliged with supplying a game room, free soda, and network video game sessions.

"We paid 15 percent less than other companies," said Velte. "But … I never had one person quit." Knowing what his employees wanted gave Velte a leg up in limiting turnover, one of the worst sieves of company profits. With estimates of turnover costs at 150% of the employees' yearly salary (more for newer employees or management), it makes sense to make the effort to find out what makes your company culture tick, and how to open the lines of communication with employees. In the end, it means keeping the customers happy, which starts with employees excited to be at the office.

Clients, after all, have an uncanny ability to know the general manner of everyone they come in contact with. Be it the smile in the employees' voice, the relaxed way in which the employee deals with the customer, or just a bit of a sixth sense, that attitude flows through and affects the overall relationship. Surveys have shown that customers who feel a kinship with a company will remain loyal customers, and it follows that maintaining that connection stems from creating a positive work environment.

Surveying employees about their impressions of their employer is the best indicator of the overall culture in a company. This culture will permeate every aspect of the organization affecting co-workers and clients alike. But just surveying a company's employees isn't enough.

Velte made sure that he knew where he stood compared to his competitors as well as what his employees expected in the workplace. Competition is fierce in today's market, and companies who pay attention have an edge over those working in a void. With headhunters cold calling lists of employees in every industry these days, knowing what's offered by the competition can go a long way toward heading off expensive employee turn over.

The cost of employee dissatisfaction can be remarkable, and many companies try to prevent the loss of employees by throwing money at them. While it may work for a little while, the undermining factors will go unnoticed, resulting in throwing more money at the problem. With employee surveys, however, it can be easier to see where the money should be going, and often companies find that their costs go down significantly.

Writen by Kal Bishop

Many concepts in the fields of managing creativity are very much applicable to culture management in general. The same concepts that foster creativity and innovation also maximise human capital potential, increase productivity, reduce costs and maintain competitive advantage etc. Some of the many commonalities between culture and creativity management follow.

a) A culture of psychological safety and freedom. A culture that limits experience, information and expression and allows relatively few members to contribute to decision-making is not taking advantage of the immense pool of available talent. Just as idea-generating sessions are conducted in environments that limit judgement, in order to elicit the contribution of all participants, so that philosophy should be extended throughout the organisation permanently.

b) Motivation is more important than natural ability. This is similar to possessing high intelligence – one must be motivated to apply it and improve it. Human capital is optimised when participants have high intrinsic motivation and i) synergistic extrinsic motivators are present to facilitate the task and ii) non-synergistic facilitators are minimised. Further, specific motivators such as i) gap between ideal and real self, ii) degree of enjoyability, iii) degree of challenge, iv) feasibility, v) degree of self-determination, vi) recognition, vii) material reward, viii) time pressures, ix) project numbers and complexity and x) competition versus collaboration etc need to be measured and monitored.

c) Team structures. The group structure affects individual productivity. Individuals working alone, when motivated, have high output levels, but suffer from path dependency, parochialism and a lack of intellectual cross-pollination. Pairs reduce some of these tendencies and as groups get larger, negatives begin to outweigh the positives – group think, status differentials and deference, politicking and the restriction of information are just some examples.

d) Competency and tacit knowledge mix. Without a varied tacit knowledge and competency mix and a collaborative approach, a number of things happen: i) groups significantly under-perform and ii) the gap between individuals increases. Competitive advantage is lost in the group, team, department and eventually the organisational.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased at http://www.managing-creativity.com

You are free to reproduce this article as long as the author's name, web address and link to MBA dissertation is retained.

Kal Bishop MBA
Kal is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller.

Writen by Damian Appleby

There are few companies in the UK that have not been Insolvent at one time or another. Their Insolvency may last for a matter of days, it may last for months or even years. Insolvency does not have to mean the end, indeed there are a number of solutions available to an Insolvent company.

Whatever the cause of your Insolvency it is good to know there is a solution available; from simply trading through it, right up to liquidating and starting again. Whatever you decide is your best path forward, there a couple of thoughts to keep in mind:

1. It is your company – if you are not happy with the solution, then get a second opinion.

2. If you are going to go on in business, make sure you fully understand what went wrong. A customer not paying you is not a problem, it is a symptom of a problematic credit control procedure.

3. Be comfortable with who you are dealing with. Whichever professional you decide to use to help you, make sure you are happy with them and their approach as you might have to work with them very closely.

4. Bear in mind your future. Whatever solution you choose, your life will go on afterwards. Make sure the solution enables you to go forward.

5. Honesty. Everyone in the Insolvency field is there to get you out of debt (as hard as it seems to believe at times). If they aren't aware of a problem, make them aware.

It is beyond the scope of this article to narrow down exactly which solution is best for you, your situation will need to be discussed and analysed properly.

So what about the solutions available?

There are only a few, but they cover most situations.

Administration. This isn't a solution in its own right, but it does allow for legal protection while you are sorting another solution. Typically, if you are concerned about your landlord repossessing your stock, or just locking you out, Administration will stop this. There needs to be an exit point, which is usually one of the following.

Re-financing. This is a sticky point with most companies, and rarely provides a solution. However, it can help facilitate another solution. Realistically, it only solves the problem when the assets of the company are badly underutilised. Unfortunately, if your company is Insolvent then the interest rates are likely to be high.

Rescheduling your debt. This covers everything from debt management up to Voluntary Arrangements. The idea is that you repay your creditors over a longer period. Under Voluntary Arrangements the interest on the debt is frozen, and you should only pay an affordable amount every month.

Liquidation. The technical term for restarting an insolvent business is 'phoenixing'. As the old company dies, a new company is born out of the ashes. This is by far the most popular choice as it kills off most of the old debt without the need to make repayments.

Trading through. This is not an option for most businesses. It means that the cause of your insolvency is a 'one off' and you have sufficient work to carry on regardless. Be careful though, if you carry on and the problems still exist, or your cash flow cannot support the company, you will have worse problems later on.

As I mentioned earlier the approach you take to your Insolvency solution is vital. Your business is Insolvent for a reason, it may be you aren't charging enough. Maybe you haven't enough work coming in. Whatever the cause, if you are going to be trading in the future, you need to have dealt with it.

Below we will go into how to deal with each approach, to make sure you get the most out of it.

Trading through. Make sure of your cash flow projections. If you halve them, does it still hold together? If it doesn't you need to ensure you find a way to make sure you get more than half in.

Refinancing. Again go back to your cash flows. Can you make the repayments as the situation stands at this moment? Many businesses borrow on the basis of an increase in turnover; unfortunately this usually leads to failure.

Debt Rescheduling. The crux of any form of debt rescheduling is a proposal put to the creditors. This is your proposal; if you don't believe in it then it probably won't happen. Look at the repayments, are they realistic? More importantly, have you got rid of the problem? If the problem is still there, then the chances are this will fail. This is the single biggest cause of failed Voluntary Arrangements and debt management programs.

Liquidation. If you are looking at liquidation, you need to be aware that you will have to buy the assets of the company out of liquidation. Discuss with your liquidator how much this is likely to cost, and make sure that you will have the funds before you liquidate, once you start, you can't go back.

The most important thing you can do is to take advice; any advisor worth their salt will give you honest and practical advice, the solution has to fit your needs. The earlier you can get the advice the better placed you are to deal with the problems that may occur.

Writen by Steve Kaye

If you are like most business people, voice mail has both simplified and complicated your life. On the good side, it helps you exchange information. On the other side, leaving messages can seem like putting notes in bottles that drift off to sea. Here's how to make sure that your messages get results.

First, prepare for the call. Realize that you are more likely to leave a message than to talk with someone. Thus, write a list of your key points and questions before you call. Then use that list as an outline when you leave a message. Of course, such preparation also helps you communicate effectively when you actually talk to someone.

If you suffer a sudden mental block when the beep tells you to leave a message, simply hang up. Then, organize your thoughts and call back. This is far better than leaving a rambling, incoherent message.

When you leave a message, speak clearly. Begin by greeting the person and identifying yourself. For example, I might say "Hi Pat. This is Steve Kaye at 714 -528-1300." This standard communication protocol tells the other person who you wanted to call and identifies who you are.

When leaving numbers, write the numbers while you state them. This slows down your speaking pace to match the listener's writing speed. Then, as an added courtesy, repeat all numbers. If this is your first contact or if your name is unusual, spell your name, also writing each letter as you speak it. The extra time that you spend to leave a clear message greatly helps the other person return your call.

Next state the purpose of you call. Be candid and concise. Provide enough information so that the other person can meet your request by leaving a message on your system.

Never leave personal information on a message. This could embarrass you or the other person. It is possible that 1) an assistant or coworker will pick up your message 2) the message will be played back on a speaker phone with other people in the office, or 3) your message will be forwarded to someone else.

Similarly, never leave a message when you are upset. Instead, hang up and call back after you calm down.

Close your message with directions on how to respond. Suggest times when you will be available for a return call. For example, you might say "I'd welcome a return call at three this afternoon." Then add positive encouragement, such as "I look forward to hearing from you."

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IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kaye works with leaders who want to be more effective. His innovative workshops have informed and inspired people nationwide. His facilitation produces results that people will support. Call 714-528-1300 or visit his web site for over 100 pages of valuable ideas. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.stevekaye.com

Writen by Don Monteith

Nothing has changed. Your ancestors lived by faith. Some planted crops and waited for the harvest. Others worked for the "boss" and by faith expected pay for their labor.

Every venture, business or otherwise, is an act of faith. You ride in an airplane believing that you will reach your destination without consequence. Lost luggage is a given.

IN THE BEGINNING

Life is lived "one-step" at a time. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step and then another. Drive to the West Coast from the East. None of us can know in advance the "end" or the "between" experiences we will encounter.

My brother spent 4 years in the Air Force and "found" his first business partner. Salesmen are "waiting" at the discharge gate after you receive "mustering out" money. Buy a "few" vending machines and you're in business is the pitch.

Everything was great "until"…. the "partner" lived in Idaho and the business was in North Carolina. He went home and never came back. Now, the "between" stage has arrived.

Both young men took a step of faith. Nothing ventured equals nothing gained. Did the car really break down on the way back from Idaho? Did the "partner" get cold feet? We don't know. I'm thinking a "sweetie" showed up.

Was it a good decision? Maybe. The business ran successfully for 4 years and was sold at a profit. Could it have been better? Maybe. Life interacts through a series of journeys down many curvy roads.

FAITH IS A DECISION

You and I live by "faith" or we don't have a life. Nothing comes without a degree of risk. Everything we do requires that we take a step of faith and then another and another.

Faith believes in that which is unseen. If you have a spouse then you took a step of faith. You believed that what you "saw" was your gift to happiness. Children? No need to go there!

Huge mountains are moved by faith or we let the "little" stuff cause us to fall. Every business executive "fails" and gets back up to face the next challenge. None of us make a sale to every prospect or run our business without a few "hiccups".

DOUBT and FEAR

Let these two "robbers" control your life and nothing good is coming your way. All of us have doubts. Sometimes we fear the worst is about to happen to us.

Be an "overcomer". Kick doubt into eternity along with your fears that hold you down. Get up and face the future with confidence.

Faith is imperative to achieve success. You have to believe in your abilities and talents. Use them with confidence, energy, and patience with persistence.

Each of us gets up in the morning believing (by faith) in a good God who has a plan for our lives. Trusting that today we'll have another good experience as we travel through this life which has been given to us.

MISTAKES HAPPEN

Did you break your toe when you "accidentally" kicked the cat? A "dumb" reaction to an irritation. Was it worth the pain or the verbal abuse from your spouse? Are you the unfortunate guy who encountered the wasps nest when cleaning the gutters?

Unfortunately, you can't undo the injury. In a few weeks you'll be as good as new, but the price for the "bad" decision gave you a pain in the foot and the pocketbook.

An easy response to a new challenge is "I can't do that" and hope it sticks. Is it because of doubt that we back away from those opportunities that cross our path? Is it fear of failure? Some folks simply get lazy.

Accept the challenge. Face the doubts and fears head-on with determination to succeed. If you make a mistake, so be it. Get up and try again.

TEMPORARY FAILURE

Failure is only PERMANENT when you refuse to get up and take another crack at the obstacles you encounter.

An old saying is…"just do it!" and let the chips fall. One of the great "butterfly" anxieties comes most often when you stand up to make a speech. Instantaneously, the brain "sits" down.

Toastmasters is the answer. Learning the "secret" to standing on your own two feet and making a speech. How? Practice! Just DO IT! No secret at all. A great experience for me and I highly recommend it to you.

Action Tip: Increase FAITH by action. Just do it! Each journey in life and business begins with the first step. Begin with small bites and build your confidence level. Think for yourself. Kick doubt and fear into the past. Know that with God ALL THINGS are possible.

Don Monteith spent 32 years as co-owner of several franchises and a personnel/staffing business. Every year, his firm placed hundreds of job candidates in their dream job. Today, Don shares his business and career expertise through his newest websites on the Internet. Lots of FREE ideas - suggestions - ready for your perusal and study.

http://www.Career-Coaching-Central.com
http://www.HowToGetYourDreamJob.com

Writen by Lance Winslow

For nearly a decade and a half, I ran a franchising company, which I founded. I took my existing company and franchised it serving 450 cities, 110 markets in 23 states and four countries. The entire process took about 27 years. I am now retired at age 40 and I have something to say about the modern-day franchise model and how it is being used.

You see, in reviewing franchising models for some 20-years now and having read all the books I find issues with much of the way that the Franchising Model is being used. You know like Boston Market? Krispy Kremes?

In my opinion the economies of scale that franchising brings should be passed onto the franchisees to help them be more competitive and yet it is not. Instead the franchisor soaks it all up, wastes it in inefficiencies and yes it is used as profits too and mind you I am not against capitalism and all. I merely pointing out a fact. And all this is done by the Franchisor, while charging the franchisees more for every thing from straws to plastic cups, rather than passing on the savings of the economies of scale.

I am troubled by this. But that is how the franchising model is being used, meaning the franchisee becomes a locked in customer with a 5-year renewable agreement, which changes at each go around. These modern-day franchise agreements have so many stipulations that the model boxes in both parties into a sea of non-competitiveness. Although this is never how I ran my company; Service Sector, no products, I found it alarming.

Now then in saying this also realize that increased regulations cost both franchisee and franchisor. Still, with all this said and probably my only real complaint of the franchising model and how is being used, I still believe franchising is one of the greatest business models and history of commerce. Please consider this in 2006.

Writen by Ron Kaufman

Clients often ask me how to motivate stodgy 'old-timers' to give better service, work more effectively on teams or contribute to building a stronger learning culture. One company even asked me to help 'crack four tough nuts' out of a staff strength of over five hundred!

My response to these situations is this: stop spending so much time and energy trying to convert the few who are 'stuck in the mud' and unwilling to change. Instead, put more focus and attention on staff who do want to learn, are willing to change and will improve their skills.

Over time, the 'old timers' will become uncomfortable with all the focused and positive efforts. They will wake up and get with the program, or leave.

Please note: I am not saying that 'old-timers' are always a problem. Their wisdom and experience can be a precious asset. But in today's fast moving world, everyone must be willing to learn, ready to change and eager to grow. If someone refuses to rise with the tide, let them sink.

Key Learning Point
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Don't let a few stodgy characters from the `old school' keep you from building an effective learning organization.

Action Steps
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To keep your culture vibrant and growing strong: conduct more training, launch new campaigns, circulate interesting articles, share real stories, run frequent contests, reward staff initiatives, give plenty of praise, share benchmarking results, capture and communicate up-to-date customer information. Do everything positive you possibly can. And then do even more.

Writen by John Nicholas

Part of good leadership requires skill in the hiring process. Good leaders know that retention of productive employees affects the bottom line as well as morale and growth.

Recruiting, training and then terminating someone is never desirable. There are many good candidates you could hire. However, even though they may have certain desirable skills, they may not be right for the job at hand. The key is not just to hire the right person, but to hire the right person for the right job.

Taking the time to make the correct hire in the first place is worth all of the effort it takes. The right person in the right job will be productive for years to come. The right person in the wrong job will cause problems, waste time, and expense and send you back to square one again.

Retention is directly related to the hiring process. Therefore, in order to minimize turnover and maximize retention and productivity it is vital to focus on these six steps:

1. Screening Interview

Quickly weed out those who immediately demonstrate they will not fit. Proceed with those who show a history of previous success and who will commit to becoming an employee candidate.

2. Psychological Profile

If your organization does not have a specific test for the type of job you need to fill, there are many different companies that provide tests for various types of jobs. Use the Internet to locate them. Try the search category "job psychological tests" as a starter. Research what's available and then go with the test that you determine fits your situation best.

3. Reference Checking

This is exactly what it says. There are ethical and legal ways to find out about a candidate's history. The most common ways are by talking to their previous employer, suppliers and past associates, to name just a few. Information is where you get it. Always be discreet about where and what you learned.

4. Comprehensive Interview

This interview should take from six to eight hours over a one to two week period. It should include, on average, two other interviewers of your choosing in order to form a consensus. Keep in mind that this is really a minimal time investment in the multi-year relationship you hope to build. Some interviewees may try to hide some of their true feelings initially, but most people will become "themselves" over a longer interview period.

This process gives you a truer window on the type of candidate that you really have. Another objective is to try to get to know the candidate as well as anyone in your organization. Many people applying for a job may not be prepared to make the effort required for an intense process such as this. The fact that they will stick it out tells you a lot about them.

This may seem time consuming, especially when added to your already extensive schedule. Always remember that you may be spending as much time with this candidate as you do with your family. Spending the required time now to get to know the person well enough to predict their success can pay huge dividends down the road for all parties.

5. Family Discussion

If they are married, get a little more insight into the candidate by also interviewing their spouse. This is also an opportunity to sell your company to the spouse to gain support. Then you can turn them into a proponent for the company and the job.

Everyone has those down days when they need a calming, supportive, encouraging influence at home.

6. Expectation Interview

After you determine that this is the candidate you want, it's time to reverse the interview process and begin selling them on yourself and your organization. This is also when the first serious discussion of money occurs. In many cases, the candidate will already be employed and therefore is subject to a counter offer. It's essential that you get a commitment and that you prepare the candidate for this eventuality. If you've done a good job thus far and are competitive and fair, this should not present a problem.

Summary

• Take the time to hire the best even if it takes six to eight hours over a two week time frame

• Go through a six step structured hiring process including:

o Screening Interview
o Psychological Profile
o Reference Checking
o Comprehensive Interview
o Family Discussion
o Expectation Interview

© 2005 Gaining The Edge. Feel free to reprint this article provided that it is not altered and that the resource information as shown below is included.

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Writen by Craig Setter

There seems to be a well drawn line between the supporters and skeptics of Six Sigma Training. On one side companies will praise the profits they have made. However, to the skeptics, they don't believe it is possible for one type of solution to apply to all the different types of business models.

There are many companies that have had high hopes for Six Sigma. These companies often spend large amounts of money and resources on Six Sigma training only to have their dreams shattered. The money was spent, but the profits never came. Scratching their heads they often conclude that Six Sigma is a flawed methodology.

The Flaws

Six Sigma is certainly not a miracle drug that will transform your company into a powerhouse. Plain and simple, if you do not have 100% support from your company's leadership… your implementation will either "fall short" or fail completely.

Six Sigma can be a very slow process that takes years to implement successfully. Granted, there are other quality initiatives that may have quicker and larger returns. But those cases can't compete as quality levels are increased to high rates.

If you or your company is looking for a "quick fix" that will lead you down the yellow brick road… all of the Black Belts in the world couldn't really help you. However, if you have long term goals for your company and understand the importance of customer satisfaction… Six Sigma is definitely the tool of choice.

Your Company + Better Processes = $$$$

Everyday you go to work and have a process of getting your work done. Everyday, chances are, there are better ways of doing it quicker and more efficient. Quickness and efficiency equal a better product or service, a happier customer, and higher profits for your company.

Simple right?

Well in theory yes, but in reality it is quite a daunting task. Just imagine all the possible improvements that can be made. From the custodian to the assembly line, millions of processes are waiting to be improved.

Six Sigma is a highly controlled methodology. It demands that you choose only the very best projects that meet your company's goals. And once they are chosen it demands that the proper resources are dedicated to it. It requires the project be put through an entire process called DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, & Control).

Is it really worth it?

If given the dedication it deserves, you bet! There is a reason that Six Sigma is a household term nowadays. It's all about the quality with Six Sigma. Everything that you do opens up the chances for an error to sneak in. The hope of Six Sigma is to lower those chances. Here's the breakdown:

Defects per million chances/opportunities

• 2 sigma = 308,537

• 3 sigma = 67,000

• 4 sigma = 6,200

• 5 sigma = 233

• 6 sigma = 3.4

What does that translate into?

Six Sigma has been proven to work time after time. The fact is that poor quality represents 20%-30% of a company's total revenue. In terms of improvement, Six Sigma training is the only known process that can recover savings on such a large scale and return it where it has the most impact… to your bottom line.

And that's just for starters. Every time you move up a sigma, it can easily mean a 20% increase for each sigma level. Sign me up! How long will it take?

Well that depends on just how good your quality currently is. With the proper dedication a company can move from 3 Sigma to 4 Sigma within 1 year. However, a good rule of thumb is "the higher your Sigma level is… the longer it will take you to reach the next sigma level." But as the old adage goes, "the best things come to those who wait".

Craig Setter is president of Aveta Solutions – Six Sigma Online. Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for 6 sigma black belt, green belt, yellow belt, lean and DFSS courses ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ).

Writen by Diane Helbig

Do you remember learning the Golden Rule as a child? You probably heard it a thousand times. 'Do unto others as you would have done unto you.' Powerful words.

Do you use it? It's one of the simplest lessons we learn. And arguably the most valuable. Yet, many of us lose sight of it.

Most business owners tend to focus on their customers. They see the value in making sure their customers are treated as they would want to be treated. They put themselves in their customers' shoes.

Are they doing the same thing with their employees? More and more these days, I see business owners who don't practice the same sort of policy when it comes to their staff. Their business suffers for it. They suffer for it. And, of course, their employees suffer for it.

Implementing a Golden Rule policy with your staff should be easy. Think about how you'd want to be treated if you were an employee. Establish systems and programs that mirror those desires.

You'd want to be treated with dignity and respect. You'd want to be trusted andtold the truth. You'd want to know what was expected of you and what the consequences were for meeting, exceeding, or falling short of those expectations. You'd want to be told things of importance in a timely fashion. And likewise, you'd like to be responded to in a timely fashion. You'd want to know the company owner's vision and what your role was in achieving that vision. You'd want to know that you and all of your co-workers were treated fairly and that the ownership had a genuine interest in your success. You'd need the tools and resources to achieve that success. You'd want to be empowered to do your job without someone standing over your shoulder. You'd like to have the opportunity to be accountable. And, certainly not least of all, you'd like to feel appreciated.

Trust and truthfulness: Do you trust your employees to carry out your vision? Are you honest with them? People know when they aren't trusted and when information is being kept from them. It makes them uncomfortable and insecure. When people feel this way, they are unintentionally less productive.

If you want your staff to carry out your vision, they need to hear it from you – often. Don't assume that they just know what it is. Your vision is YOUR responsibility. While they should be hearing it from their direct supervisors too, they need to hear it from you – after all, it's your vision.

If you have people on your staff who you don't trust, get rid of them. Look at it this way, if you don't trust them, they know it. The odds of them carrying out your vision are diminished. At the same time, there is probably a good reason that you don't trust them. And the rest of your staff is most likely fully aware of it. It is detrimental to you, your staff and your company's success to keep anyone on the payroll who you have issues with. Imagine how it makes the rest of your staff feel.

Establish clear and documented expectations. It sounds simple and it is. Make sure your staff understands what you expect from them. They also need to know what the consequences are when they meet, exceed, or fall short of those expectations. Those consequences should be clear and measurable. When all the players know the rules, you have a level playing field. This is when it becomes easy to remove someone who isn't performing. There's no gray area, no uncertainty for you, or them.

One of the keys to successful management is effective communication. What I'm talking about here is the flow of information between management and staff. You have an obligation to make sure your staff has the information they need to do their jobs. At the same time, when they leave you a message or email you, you have an obligation to respond in a timely fashion. First of all, you don't want to be the reason they couldn't get their job done. Secondly, when you don't respond, it gives the impression that you don't care. You will be perceived as being dismissive.

Empower your people to do their jobs. Give them the tools and resources they need to be successful. Provide adequate training when appropriate. This, in addition to providing clear and measurable consequences, allows them to be accountable for their actions.

Compensate them fairly. Remember the old adage 'An honest day's work for an honest day's pay?' It is still relevant. If you want your staff to want to work for you, make sure they are fairly compensated. Make sure they understand that it's the position that merits a certain pay grade and not the person. Let them know any ways they may be able to increase their pay. And keep it consistent. Compensation should never be a moving target. It should be clear, stable, and simple. This goes for sales positions too. If you can't clearly explain to your salespeople how you arrive at their commission, it's too complicated. That also leads to mistrust on their part. They're never sure if they are getting what they earned.

Let them know they are appreciated. This is huge. Studies have been done which show that while people want fair compensation, they also need to know they are appreciated when they do a good job. It doesn't have to be extravagant. A little bit goes a long way – like a pat on the back. Likewise, don't ever assume that people know you are happy with their performance simply because they get a paycheck. They need to hear it. While it's a good idea to establish a set review schedule, you'll add value when you veer from that format to thank someone at an unscheduled time.

At this point, there is one huge statement that must be made. If you are the kind of person who avoids confrontation and/or likes to micromanage – remove yourself from the day to day operation of your company. This goes right back to the trust issue. You have to trust people or you are doomed. Put managers in place to carry out your desired plans and establish a reasonable communication system between you and them. If this proves difficult for you, enlist the help of a business coach. Someone you do trust who can help you develop a better program. Your staff should be hearing from you when you are discussing your vision and when you are thanking them for a job well done. Otherwise, you should be out of the picture.

As always, when considering this issue, ask yourself the question – Would you want to be micromanaged or work for someone who avoided confrontation? Probably not. Neither do the people who work for you.

So you see, when dealing with your employees, the rule of thumb to use is The Golden Rule. It will help you make the best decisions for you and your business. Your employees will thank you with outstanding performance and loyalty.

Copyright © 2006 Diane Helbig

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and the president of Seize The Day Life Coaching. She works one-on-one with people to help them realize their best, most fulfilling life. As a team, they embrace the possibilities. Diane's website is http://www.seize-the-day.org

Writen by Wally Bock

Great supervisors work directly with the people who do the frontline work of the company. They are the key to company productivity and morale.

There are all kinds of great supervisors. They're tall and short, fat and thin. Great supervisors come in a variety of styles. Some are loud and some are quiet. Some are volatile and some are calm.

Great supervisors are responsible for groups that out-perform their less effective peers on two key dimensions. Their groups are more productive, often by huge margins. And their groups have high moral.

Great supervisors get great results because they do things differently than their less effective peers. If you want to get the results that great supervisors get, just do the things that great supervisors do.

After more than a quarter century of training, coaching and research, I've got a pretty good idea of what those things are. Here's my list, in no particular order.

Great supervisors show up a lot.

This is such a simple thing, but it generates great results. When you show up a lot, good things start to happen.

You get to know your people by seeing them in action. That's the best way there is to learn what they do well and what needs improvement. Showing up a lot gives you many opportunities to help your people improve.

Your people also get to know you. You become a natural part of the working environment. That, in turn, leads to more natural conversations and better communication.

Great supervisors tell their people why their work is important.

People want to do important work. They want to be part of something that's bigger than they are, something that matters.

Great supervisors tell individuals how what they're doing contributes to team and company success. They tell the team how their work makes a difference to the company.

Great supervisors do things to keep work interesting.

People want to enjoy themselves at work. There are two key ways that great supervisors help them do that.

Great supervisors help individuals learn and grow. Learning is actually like play for most adults and the great supervisors help their people keep learning.

Great supervisors keep things interesting for the team by setting up competition. Sometimes individuals or parts of the team compete with each other. Sometimes the team competes with other teams. Sometimes the team competes with its own prior performance or goals.

Great supervisors rehearse mentally.

Great athletes prepare for competition by imagining a great performance. Great generals prepare for battle by imagining what might happen and how they'll respond. Great supervisors do the same thing.

Great supervisors practice encounters with subordinates or presentations or handling emergencies in their head. They determine what might happen, and then they figure out what they'll do if it does.

That mental rehearsal pays off when the real situations occur. By then, the great supervisors have already developed and considered alternatives and can easily choose the best course of action.

Great supervisors work hard to assure understanding.

Your people need to know what you expect of them. You need to understand the messages they send you.

Great supervisors know that understanding rarely happens naturally. That's why they use techniques like active listening to make sure they understand what others are saying. They check for understanding when they give instructions.

Great supervisors manage the consequences of performance.

Consequences are the natural outcome of performance. They should work this way. If someone does something good, something good happens to them. If they do something bad, something bad happens.

Great supervisors deliver the consequences of performance effectively. That means that they use positive consequences like praise, reward and recognition to get people to try something new or to continue a behavior. They use negative consequences like reprimand or punishment to get people to stop something.

Great supervisors take every opportunity to communicate and counsel.

Those moments when you contact a subordinate are precious. Great supervisors try to use every one to improve performance, stop unwanted behavior and help people grow.

Great supervisors help people grow.

Great supervisors strive to help and encourage everyone who works for them to become an ideal employee. That means helping them develop their skills and try new things.

Great supervisors get feedback on their supervisory performance.

You can't get better if you don't know how you're doing. That's why great supervisors seek critique from many areas. They ask their boss and their subordinates how they're doing. They ask their peers. And they critique their own supervisory performance.

Great supervisors ask for advice.

Supervision is a demanding art. It's also an apprentice trade, one that's learned mostly on the job. Great supervisors read and take courses, but they also seek advice from other supervisors.

It doesn't take magic or in-born skill to do these things. But it does take consistent and concentrated effort.

Now that you know what it takes, you can become a great supervisor. Just do what they do and you'll get the results they get.

Writen by Steve Kaye

Over the past five years an epidemic of rudeness has swept America. Here's how to perpetuate the disease.

1) Ignore people. Don't return phone calls. Never answer the phone. Don't listen when people talk to you. Talk on your cell phone when with others, especially in restaurants or other public places. Don't acknowledge that others exist. The greatest insult that you can give someone is to ignore the person. If you excel at this skill you can skip the next four paragraphs.

2) Show disrespect. Make fun of others. Assign stupid nicknames or deliberately mispronounce names. Make people wait for you. Laugh at other people's mistakes, struggles, and fears. Use sarcasm and cynicism freely. Treat people like idiots. Disrespect is powerful because it strips people of their dignity.

3) Criticize. Find fault in everything. Spread gossip. Complain about anything and everything. Remind people about mistakes they made, even if decades ago. If possible, embellish your complaints with exaggerated descriptions of failure. Keep a written log of faults, flaws, and fumbles so you can grind on them daily. Develop a whining tone to your voice. Critics reduce everything to dirt.

4) Be negative. Master pessimism. Attack every change or new idea. Always focus on failure. Expect the worst to happen. Never accept or approve anything. Refuse to participate or cooperate in any endeavor. If something appears to work despite your efforts, cause delays so you can prepare fresh arguments against it. Aggressive gloom creates perpetual hopelessness.

5) Get mad. Throw tantrums. Scream. Yell. Shout. Slam doors. Hit walls. Throw things. Act violent. Use accusations, insults, and threats to disrupt conversations. Tolerate nothing. Insist on retribution. Always attack first. Blame your anger on others. Unpredictable, insane behavior keeps other people off balance.

Caution: Application of these ideas guarantees that the need for attorneys will increase.

- - -

Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.

Writen by Denise O'Berry

There was a buzz in the air recently about the US Postal Service. Seems as though they were running into a budget deficit in the billions.

The Postal Service claimed they must cut Saturday service to customers to stay afloat -- a service they had provided for years. And one that customers expected. They said people using email instead of regular mail made a major dent in their profits. Customers were in an uproar. If customers had a choice, they'd lose many. Welcome to the real world of business.

There are three lessons in this for your business.

Lesson #1:

Use indicators, in addition to cash flow, that help you watch the ebb and flow of your business. What can you measure that will tell you quickly -- so you can act -- about what's happening in your business?

Lesson #2:

Don't just whack a service you've been providing your customers. If you need to cut, look inside your business for processes and procedures that can be streamlined to save you money. Cut the fat of your business, not the services.

Lesson #3:

Always be on the lookout for new competitors entering your business space. Don't wait for that competition to start taking away your customers. Be proactive. Find ways to offer more value to keep your customers loyal.

About The Author

(C) 2004 Denise O'Berry. Small Business Expert Denise O'Berry helps business owners take action to grow their business. Find out more at http://www.whatspossible.com

Writen by Kevin Bidwell

I don't like the title of this article. It sounds boring. It doesn't do the topic justice. Here's why:

You are about to discover the most powerful single concept in making your business profitable. This one key—if applied—will produce more and higher profits for you than any other single piece of information.

Let's dig in.

Having a profitable business online or off is really about getting prospects, showing them your products in enticing ways, filling their orders and providing customer service.

Before the internet this was all done via mail and telephone. Now it is done, often automatically, using simple, cheap online tools.

Most online businesses have some sort of list management service or program they use to manage the email addresses and names of prospects and customers. These are called a variety of names. Often these services are referred to as "autoresponders" since they typically can send out a series of pre-written messages when someone signs up. But they are much more than a simple autoresponder.

Today's services and programs can accomplish all sorts of tasks:

• Send a "broadcast" message at a pre-determined time and date

• Allow multiple lists to be managed through one account

• Send a message to all those who haven't purchased a particular product

• Send a message to all those who HAVE purchased a particular product

• Automatically generate personalized thank you and download messages

And the best thing about these services is they cost almost nothing.

Here is how to set up your own list management to maximize profits and make customer service a snap.

First, sign up for a complete list management service.

You may be tempted to buy a program and do this yourself because it's cheaper. Don't. The fast and ever changing world of bulk email means you will either have to spend way too much time trying to make sure your email gets through or a significant portion of your emails won't get through.

Keeping up with email deliverability is a full-time job. Let an expert handle it.

While there are several services you can sign up for, here is the one I recommend: All-In-One-Business.com/list

It's cheap, and it's the best in the business.

Now once you get signed up, decide what lists you want to have. You can have a list that people subscribe to when they first visit your site to tell them about your product(s), you can have a list that serves as your newsletter, you can have a list for people who purchase your products.

Here is what I would recommend:

1 List for Your Newsletter

1 List for Each Product's Pre-Sell Messages

1 List for Each Product's Customers

So if you have just one product, you would have three lists.

Go ahead and set up each of the lists. You want to include some automation as well (this can be done on the list server I recommend above.) You want to:

• Add the Subscriber to Your Newsletter when they Subscribe to the Pre-Sell Messages

• Remove the Subscribe from Your Pre-Sell Messages when they are Added to the Customer List

Now, let's add a little "flair" that will help you with customer service and follow-up.

Most people simply save a person's name and email address in their list manager. We want to do more than that. We want to save as much info as possible.

Think about it this way: When a person buys a product from you they are giving you a ton of information about themselves—name, physical address, phone number as well as a unique product code. The more of that information you save, the better you can market to that person in the future.

So, make a list of all the data you want to (eventually) collect from your prospects and customers. A sample list might be:

First Name
Last Name
Address
City
State or Province
Country
Postal Code
Phone
Fax
Order ID
Etc.

Once you have this list, go back to your lists and add these fields as "custom fields." When someone buys your products, you automatically add the data from their order form into your customer data fields. (If you don't know how to create a form to do this, ask your webmaster.)

Now let's look at this in action…

Let's say someone buys your product but doesn't get the download. They send you an email. You simply go to your list management panel and type in their email address. In a few moments you not only have a list of every one of the products they have purchased from you, you also have all of their contact information in case you need to call or send them something via postal mail.

Or let's look at it another way. Someone writes asking for a refund. In our case we need to find an order ID to process a refund. Using this same method we can just type in the email address or name and instantly have a list of all the unique order numbers associated with that customer.

Having all this information at your finger tips makes customer service a breeze.

But what about your marketing?

Setting up your lists as I recommend allows you to pin-point target your marketing.

Let's say you want to promote one of your products to only those who have not already purchased it—you simply send the promo to your newsletter list and exclude the customer list for that product.

Or let's say you want to offer a special discount only to people who have already purchased a particular product. You can send the offer to that customer list only, not your entire list.

Let's say you want to send a holiday card to each of your customers. Simply download their postal addresses and use Excel to create mailing labels. Ditto for a special offer via a post card or direct mail campaign.

Not only does organizing your data in this fashion save you time, it will make you money.

Writen by Chuck Yorke

We had a problem with handling materials in a production department. Our process required raw materials to enter the department, be processed, and leave the department. The raw material was placed on pods, delivered for production, removed from the pods, placed on a staging fixture, removed from the fixture and process materials were then placed on another pod and delivered to an internal customer. Internal customer had to place on still another pod.

Someone suggested placing the material from the fixture onto the customer's internal pod to reduce handling, errors, etc. Room was tight (because two different style pods were used, one for raw material and one for processing) and someone long ago suggested moving a wall to create more space for easier movement of the pods.

After we realized that involving people would give us the improvements we wanted, someone suggested modifying the pods into a cart that could hold more material and reduce our need for more space. Others became involved; Martin developed possible designs for the cart while speaking with his coworkers to find out their ideas.

A cross-functional team designed and built a new cart. It held more raw materials, eliminated the need for the staging fixture, and allowed raw material and processed material to be transported on the same cart, eliminating the need for the second pod. The cart was built by reusing materials from the old pods.

Immediate benefits included less movement and less contamination of materials, also the new cart was more ergonomically friendly. After using the new cart, others came up with more ideas. All together 20 people contributed improvements to eliminate unnecessary equipment, combine processes, and reduce cost. Fourteen process steps were reduced to seven, operator motion was reduced, material was moved less, quality improved, and the job of the operator was made easier.

Recently someone had the idea of using the cart in a different area, so more improvements are to come.

Copyright © 2005 Chuck Yorke - All Rights Reserved

Chuck Yorke is an organizational development and performance improvement specialist, trainer, consultant and speaker. He is co-author of "All You Gotta Do Is Ask," a book which explains how to promote large numbers of ideas from employees. Chuck may be reached at ChuckYorke@yahoo.com

Writen by Martin Haworth

And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on people, who they are and what interests them. And that's just where you spend your time. About them - not you, not your business. Create partnerships.

5 tips

• Be natural - by being yourself, you will build relationships with ease. Trust yourself - let yourself go. Be open, share your feelings, but mostly, listen to others.
• Ask questions - you will find out more about others by listening to what they have to say, so be nosy, ask open questions, find out stuff. Then ask more about what they have been telling you.
• Show integrity - by ensuring that others can trust you, by following through with promises and being discreet, people will be more open with you and that is the doorway to great relationships. Do what you say you will do.
• Match - nothing helps build relationships by matching tone, volume of voice. By taking the same body posture. By paying attention to their eyes (whilst nor staring).
• Have fun - nothing works better to build relationships than by having a foundation of a fun time together. So laugh, take time to 'play' and be informal. Take part.

5 Questions

1. What do you know about your people outside the business?
2. When was the last time you asked them about something important to them?
3. What percentage of your people do you speak to every day?
4. Who have you shared your hopes, fears, worries and excitements about your organisation with this week?
5. What three steps can you take to build relationships between you and your people - in the next three working days?

There is no time like the present to start and to focus on Relationship Building. It is the basis of all you do when you manage others.

Copyright 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com. (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)

...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

Writen by Matthew Keegan

In 1998 Daimler-Benz and the Chrysler Corporation tied the knot. The newly created DaimlerChrysler [DCX] conglomerate was touted in the business world as a merger of equals with both companies retaining their unique and distinct identities. Soon after the merger the honeymoon period abruptly ended and the rancor began. Diametrically opposite management and cultural differences contributed to deep divisions which nearly scuttled the new relationship. Today, things are much different than they were in 1998; however it remains to be seen whether the long term partnership between the German and American automakers will outlast the deep, mutual distrust that prevailed for so many years.

A changing global automobile market during the final decade of the 20th century signaled the end of small, independent automakers. Although fairly large in size, the Chrysler Corporation, which nearly vanished in the early 1980s, was once again nearing a crisis point: a rapidly changing market meant that large amounts of cash would be needed to keep their product line up to date as well as to take their product to emerging and lucrative new markets. Unlike in the early 1980s when the US federal government stepped in with much needed cash, no government suitor was expected this time around. For Chrysler, the long term strategy strongly suggested that the automaker would have to be acquired in order to survive. In stepped Daimler-Benz.

At first, the merger was hailed as the deal of the century. The combined automakers, roughly the same size, quickly became the fifth largest automaker in the world. Combining German engineering – Mercedes being the principle business – and North American marketing – the Jeep line and the Chrysler minivans being the biggest draw – many envisioned that the new company would quickly capture a bigger slice of the global market. Unfortunately, the dream was nearly scuttled and for the following reasons:

An American president of the Chrysler Group, Jim Holden, was replaced by a German appointee, Dieter Zetsche. This change occurred as Chrysler was experiencing difficulty in the marketplace; additional senior American personnel had also left and were replaced by German executives too. Some felt that the Germans were imposing their will on the Americans.

Billionaire shareholder Kirk Kerkorian who owned 36 million shares of Chrysler before the merger and now held significant number of shares of DCX stock, filed suit in 2000 alleging that certain Daimler-Benz officials has committed "fraud and deceit" in orchestrating the merger.

Adding fuel to the fire was the closing out of the Plymouth brand. Already suspicious of German intentions and knowing full well that the "merger of equals" was, in fact, an acquisition of Chrysler by Daimler-Benz, the ending of the Plymouth brand escalated fears that the Chrysler Group would fade into the background.

Fortunately, time has eased some of the friction and the Chrysler Group [defined as the part of DaimlerChrysler that was at one time the Chrysler Corporation] has benefited from the merger in several ways, including:

New Mercedes inspired products. The Chrysler Crossfire was the first of several new Mercedes inspired products to find their way into the Chrysler Group. Made in Germany, the Crossfire is essentially a rebadged Mercedes roadster, a model that the top of the line Chrysler division never had.

Strengthening of the Dodge name. Already a decent performer, the Dodge division has received several Mercedes M class inspired models including the Magnum and the Charger. The Viper has been redone, the Ram trucks updated, and the Neon is in the process of being replaced. Dodge market share is increasing even in the face of strong foreign competition.

Fresh blood for Jeep. An all new 7 passenger Commander has hit the streets and additional products are being planned.

Likely, Mercedes would have survived without a merger, while Chrysler would not have. Overcoming strong cultural differences – German authoritarian vs. American creativity – has kept the company afloat. Some are crediting Zetsche's understanding of the American company and culture with easing tensions, thus allowing the companies to benefit from what they have in common versus their differences.

Certainly, the rancor that existed just a few years ago seems to have eased. For DCX to survive and grow a mutual trust and respect of German and American cultural differences and business practices is necessary. Without both, renewed hostilities will surface and potentially scuttle what is still perceived by many as to be a fragile business relationship.

Copyright 2005 -- Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for Auto Parts Canada, a wholesaler of fine Mercedes parts and Mercedes Benz accessories for your Mercedes Benz truck, van, SUV, or passenger car.

Writen by Tim Dawes

You're on your organization's diversity committee. You have the best of intentions.

And that's the problem.

It leads you to appeal for funding for all the wrong reasons.

Take healthcare for example.

The US foreign-born population comprises a larger segment than at any time in the past five decades. And this trend is expected to continue(1). People of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage suffer disproportionately from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and every form of cancer. In addition, their infant mortality rates are generally higher(2). Minorities receive measurably poorer care and they suffer for it.

Great reasons for diversity training. Disastrous reasons to ask for executive funding for your diversity program.

If you doubt me, just look at your budget. Chances are you're getting sincere encouragement from the boardroom but not budget codes that represent significant financial resources.

Here's the nut of the problem.

If you're at or near the front lines--the medical floor if you're in healthcare, or sales or service if you're in a corporation--the discussions you're having about diversity training are not the discussions your executives are having.

In healthcare, for example, when physicians, nurses, and their department heads discuss diversity training, they talk about the increased needs they experience in serving minority populations.

That conversation centers on health disparities among ethnic and cultural minorities, how they might be overcome, the new treatments that are called for, and new techniques and perspectives staff need to be educated in.

That discussion is all good. All well-intentioned. And every part it increases the expense side of the income statement.

Your executives are having a discussion of their own.

What they want to know is how diversity training impacts the business of whatever business you're in. In healthcare, that means increasing your appeal to minority patients, competing for private purchaser business, responding to public purchaser demands, and improving cost effectiveness.

In other words, while frontline staff are talking about diversity training in a way that increases costs, executives are looking for strategies to decrease costs and increase income. As long as the frontline and boardroom talk past each other, programs like diversity training will fail to receive the recognition and funding they deserve.

But you don't need to wait for a more enlightened day. In fact, you can turn a few switches on yourself.

If you're a real advocate of diversity training, I recommend you start assembling a "business impact model", the sharp dark line that connects performance on the front line with your organization's ultimate business goals. There are some very good books where you can learn about this quickly. "The Success Case Method" by Robert Brinkerhoff and "Performance Consulting" by Robinson and Robinson are good places to start.

Here's the short course.

Instead of asking for money for diversity training, start from the top down. Look at your unit's business needs. In healthcare, this shows up as patient satisfaction scores, days in treatment, staffing levels, number of adverse events and law suits, and such.

Next, recognize that when your organization fails to work effectively with minority consumers, it's not only the consumers who suffer. You need to point out how your organization is missing its numbers, how improved performance on the frontline will help your unit meet it's goals, and how diversity training will create the improved performance you need.

Let me give you an example. Here's how diversity training translates to lower liability costs in hospitals.

Hospitals administrators have a significant incentive to reduce medical malpractice claims. If you do a little digging, you'll find out that four of five patients who sue haven't suffered medical negligence(3). Patients sue because they feel devalued, deserted, misunderstood, and misinformed(4).

Combine that with the knowledge that minority patients are less satisfied--in fact African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans are 10-15 times more likely than whites to believe they would receive better health care if they were a different race(5)--and you have a recipe for trouble.

It will cost your hospital $25,000 to mount a defense for each claim, even if you win. And your hospital has scores of claims, possibly hundreds.

Put an argument like this together and see the mileage you get.

The discussion starts like this: "We have a problem with medical malpractice that we all want to solve. Each claim costs us $25,000 to defend. And X number of them have come from our staff's difficulty in engaging minorities effectively. How many cases do you think we could head off if we trained this group of staff to perform more effectively in their interactions with minority patients?"

Now you're talking about saving money and meeting organization goals.

And that's a welcome reason to commit funding.

Whatever cultural issues your organization is facing, they have business impacts. You just need to point them out, and make your proposal part of the solution. ______________________________________________________

1. National Center for Cultural Competence, Why is There a Compelling Need for Cultural Competence?

2. Cohen E, Goode TD. Policy Brief 1: Rationale for Cultural Competence in Primary Health Care. Washington, DC: National Center for Cultural Competence; Winter 1999.

3. Focus June 4, 2004, How Doctors Might Curb Malpractice Claims, News from Harvard Medical, Dental, & Public Health Schools

4. Beckman HB, Markakis KM, Suchman AL, Frankel RM. The doctor-patient relationship and malpractice: lessons from plaintiff depositions. Arch Intern Med. 1994;154:1365-1370

5. Center on an Aging Society Georgetown University, Issue Brief Number 5, February 2004, Cultural Competence in Health Care: Is it important for people with chronic conditions?

Tim Dawes is the founder of Interplay, Inc., a firm that helps healthcare organizations to exceed their strategic goals by demonstrating unexpected empathy to patients. Learn about a step-by-step process that helps your staff make their natural compassion more deliberate and consistent for patients, and sign up for monthly "how to" articles at http://www.interplaygroup.com

Writen by Jeanne Sawyer

Meet your commitments. Do what you promise and don't promise what you can't deliver. Meeting commitments strengthens relationships and builds trust. You need both to solve messy problems. If the situation changes and you have to change a commitment you made in good faith, let everyone know right away so they can make appropriate changes to their own plans. It seems obvious, but many people don't manage to do this.

Managing your commitments successfully means you must be organized yourself, which brings us back to project management—with you being the overall project. That means you'll need to write down all your specific projects, identify tasks, set priorities and keep track of progress and due dates. Each time you consider a new assignment, start by estimating the resources needed (mainly your time) and make sure you've got what you need. Don't accept the assignment if you don't have the resources necessary. If the new assignment is more important than some of your current projects, then get the priorities and expectations adjusted by making explicit agreements with the stakeholders in the projects getting pushed back.

Like any project, of course, you'll need to keep updating your project plan so that it reflects accurately everything you're working on. You'll be able to tell more easily if you can accept a new commitment, and if anything starts slipping, you're in a position both to recognize that it's happening and also to do something about it.

Copyright 2006. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.

Jeanne Sawyer is an author, consultant, trainer and coach who helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.

Writen by Maria Grace

Using lessons from movies to improve your life is a good thing that proves that movies can be more than entertainment: they can be our teachers, mentors and friends, keeping us on track especially when we are away from our familiar surroundings. This is how movies can help you battle the stress of business traveling and help you overcome loneliness, homesickness, and the worry that creeps in when things go wrong with your flight.

1. Carry your favorite movies with you—and a set of good earphones. Create your portable DVD library, and pop a movie in your laptop when you flight delays keep you stuck at the airport; after a long day of meetings with nothing to do in the evening except drinking at the bar; when you need to cheer up with a good, "alcohol-free", comedy; when you need inspiration from your favorite movie to face next morning's meetings; when you miss your kids or spouse and the movies you watch together, back home.

2. Watch international movies to learn about the cultures you visit. If you travel internationally for business take advantage from the hundreds of movies made in the countries you visit. Pick some up before you leave home. They can give you insights into how people interact at home and work, how they dress, what their values are, and how they face conflict, competition and challenge.

3. Watch an American movie in a theater when you are in a foreign country—just make sure it's not dubbed, but with subtitles. The benefits from this activity are plenty. First, you get out of the hotel and explore the city. Second, you get to see how big an influence American culture has outside the U.S.A. Third, you observe how people abroad react to a movie made in America, about Americans. Fourth, you get to see a piece of your own culture shown in the context of a foreign country. And fifth, you have a safe adventure that gives you perspectives, keeps you entertained and soothes your homesickness.

Loneliness and homesickness on business trips are inevitable. The best ways to face them is by being prepared for such challenging moments and by knowing what to do when they come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maria Grace, Ph.D., is an expert at teaching people how to learn lessons from popular movies to find the job, home, relationship, and healthy body and mind they want. She is a Fulbright scholar, licensed psychotherapist, sought-after public speaker and coach, and the author of "Reel Fulfillment: A 12-Step Plan for Transforming Your Life through Movies" (McGraw-Hill, 2005). "Reel Fulfillment" was praised by Publisher's Weekly as one of the top "self help books out of the self-help box" for 2005-2006.

For more information visit http://www.mariagrace.com and http://www.reelfulfillment.com

Writen by Stephen S Alison

The purpose of the Feasibility Study phase is to confirm the business requirements and benefits of the project, identify and select the preferred or most advantageous solution and to prepare an Outline Schedule for the Delivery Stage.

Key Players - The key players within the Feasibility Study Phase are:

• the Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager who is responsible for managing the Feasibility Study Stage;
• the Business Sponsor who is responsible for signing off the key deliverables;
• the Sponsor's Representative who is responsible for preparing the Full Business Case and representing the Business Sponsor on day-to-day issues an matters;
• the Business Sponsor's cost or profit center which is responsible for providing assistance in the production of the Full Business case and obtaining the necessary authorisation for the project to progress into Delivery;

Process Description & Recommendations

• The Business Sponsor should appoint a Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager;
• The Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager should plan the Feasibility Study Stage in detail, including the production of a document entitled the Terms of Reference for the Requirements Definition Phase;
• The Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager should create the working environment including any necessary office accommodation, project filing system and specific management procedures including time recording management;
• As the Feasibility Study Phase progresses, the Business Sponsor should collect the information required to develop the benefits within the business case;
• The Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager should conduct the Requirements Definition and produce the Requirements Definition Report to include:
• o The business objectives and strategy;
• o Functional and generic requirements;
• o Data models;
• o Data flow diagrams;
• o Recommendations;
• The Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager should review the project with the Business Sponsor to revalidate its continued viability;
• The Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager should produce the Terms of Reference for the Feasibility Study;
• The Feasibility Study Manager/Project Manager should undertake the Feasibility Study and produce the Feasibility Study Report which should:
• o Re-iterate the objectives and business requirements;
• o Specify the proposed solution;
• o Include a comparative analysis between the proposed solution and other options which were considered;
• The Sponsor's Representative, with assistance from Finance personnel and the Project Manager, should prepare the Full Business case;
• The Sponsor's Representative should issue the Full Business Case for review and agreement to:
• o The Business Sponsor;
• o The appropriate management area;
• o Information Technology representatives;
• o Finance Division representatives;
• o Stakeholders;
• o Steering Committee members, if appropriate;
• The Finance Division, with assistance from the Business Sponsor should produce the Project Authorisation Form and obtain the requisite corporate authorisation;
• The Business Sponsor should send a copy of the Full Business Case and the signed Project Authorisation Form to the appropriate management area to obtain the required resources and confirm funding for the project;

As in the Initiation Phase, The Business Sponsor should be responsible for continually monitoring the progress of the Feasibility Study Stage. If at any time he/she has doubts about the benefits or risks of the project, or that it will support the real business needs, it is the responsibility of the Business Sponsor to reconsider the initiative and, if necessary, terminate the work.

Writen by Vinodh Pushparaj

Accounting is one area which every company has to maintain but mostly not part of their core business. It is also one of the areas that keep changing every year and the company has to aggressively keep up with the changes in the tax code. This includes managing your books till you finish up with paying taxes. For a company to survive in an environment where mistakes are costly and dependent on how well they can play the accounting game correctly, they should have an outstanding accounting department. This could either be in-house or completely outsourced to some good service providers.

Accounting is a critical component of your business and care should be taken to employ the best and the bright. These accountants should be ahead of every tax and book keeping game. They should stay abreast with every tax code changes. More so over they should be capable of finding ways to save more for the company. But having an in-house team for this is often very costly given the price of publications to subscribe and the time it takes to go through complicated laws. The best would be to outsource this task and have a limited in-house staff to oversee the operation. This is one area where a separate expert entity makes a lot more sense and you can rest assured that the team is keeping up with the changes and saving you money and help you run the core business without distractions.

Here is the top 5 list of accounting areas that you should outsource to the experts:

1. Book Keeping: this involves maintaining your sales ledgers, purchase ledgers and cash books.

2. Payroll: This is a lot complex than you think, choosing the right software and constantly keeping up with the tax codes is by itself a very complex task. In this age the base salary is just one component, the majority is based on performance and achievements. These factors are highly volatile, and add a different equation to payroll processing. Outsource this first if you have more than 20 employees.

3. VAT: Value added tax is one of the very complex tax regimes which every company should seek advice with professionals. The customs and excise is a very task intensive area and having in-house experts for small companies who do a lot of imports and exports is a costly misuse of scarce resources. You should find out the folks who can keep up with the complex tax changes and who can ensure the returns you file are accurate without any overpayments or underpayments. The overpayments are one time loss, but underpayments will come back to haunt you.

4. Financial Accounts: The financial accounts should be maintained and shown at very strict time limits. This is usually a race against time. If you have an in-house team, they may perform this well in normal situations. But sometimes there may be some audits where the time to resolve issues will be a big pressure point and your in-house staff cannot just take it. It is better that a good service provider manages this area for you.

5. Company formation and corporation law: This is one service which is wildly popular for its outsourcing ability. You can easily get the services of a good company to take care of the company formation and registration aspects. You need someone to talk to the tax authorities on your behalf. They should also be very well versed in the particular industry segment your company is in. This ensures the tax opportunities and relief available for your company can be fully utilized and proper structure could be employed.

There are a few more that could be outsourced but these are the major areas you may want to evaluate in your next board or company meeting.

If you need an Accountant in Essex you may want to visit the resource filled website auxesiaonline.co.uk. These folks have some good fee structures on an hourly, fixed or percentage basis. Get educated with a small consulting on how to outsource accountingwith these folks before you begin the next cost-saving company meeting that you want to hold.

Author is a Freelancer and writes content for many good websites like Aplora Web Solutions. You can reuse the content but you should reuse in it's entirety with all links active.