I Advice - Business

Manufacturing Salaries - 2004
The composite highest-income practitioner reported in this field (salary plus cash bonus and/or cash profit-sharing) is the President "B" of a manufacturing firm (defined as a chief executive officer who has little or no financial interest in the firm). The firm manufactures automotive parts/accessories, food/beverage/tobacco products, chemical & allied products, or machinery & heavy equipment; has 1,000 or more employees; has a total annual revenue of $100,000,000 or more; and is headquartered in or near Denver/Colorado Springs, Houston, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Modesto/Stockton, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Indianapolis, Boston, New York City, or Dayton, or outside a metropolitan area studied in Idaho. However, while the median President "B' has a total annual income of $214,966, the highest-income individuals reported are Presidents "A" (hav

n bring together large groups of people in disparate locales to hear speeches and presentations in a broadcast-quality setting. But video conferencing today also can be done on the cheap, with inexpensive webcams and free or low-cost software, such as Microsoft NetMeeting.

Minuses: Unless you go to a video conferencing centre, audio and video equipment must be purchased. (NetMeeting, for example, requires a PC sound card with a microphone and speakers, as well as a video capture card or camera for video support.) Most video conferencing providers charge by the hour, so you may feel pressured to end on the hour and leave business undone.

Web Conferencing Video conferencing without the video - or, put ano

Ten Parameters of Good Corporate Culture
Sometime in the 1980s, I read a book written by Manfred Kets de Vries who claimed to have found six types of corporate cultures. The most intriguing thesis of the book was that actually most organizations are not sick, but not entirely healthy: the so-called lingering organizations. The other five types of organizations are: the dramatic organization, the depressive organization, the paranoid organization, the coercive organization, and the schizophrenic organization.The dramatic organization is hyperactive, impulsive, very adventurous and dangerously unrestrained. The decision-makers base their ideas on intuition and impressions instead of facts. The leaders use their charisma to concentrate all the power in the top. They can therefore undertake very risky operations. They do these things to create a completely different environment

A majority of companies have higher travel expenses than they need," says Alisa Jenkins, senior director at Bredin Business Information, a business consulting firm. "This doesn't mean you have to cut out all travel. There are still many cases where meeting face to face is best. But there are also good ways to meet virtually that can make many of your business trips unnecessary."

Alternatives to business travel - such as web conferencing with Microsoft Office Live Meeting or similar products - continue to improve with advances in internet and related technologies, most agree. We'll address the options, including video conferencing, teleconferencing, online collaboration tools and the web conferencing in detail below.

But first: When do you absolutely need to meet? Here are some scenarios mentioned by experts:

You are meeting a new client.
You are introducing new people - perhaps your replacement - to an ongoing but important business relationship.
You are attempting to close a significant sale or cut an important deal.
You are delivering a product that you must demonstrate.
You need to resolve a controversial or complex problem, or discuss top-secret matters such as an acquisition or merger.
You need to meet with an attorney to discuss legal matters.
You need to solicit money from an investor.
You are making sales or training presentations and your materials are best presented in person.
Your competitors are meeting face to face with a client you want.

Perhaps you could add other scenarios specific to your company or industry. The point is, meetings remain critical to the success of your business.

However, there are many meetings where technology can substitute for travel easily and effectively.

"You generally need to find the wherewithal to make that initial contact face to face," says Diane Parks, an information technology products reseller. "But once you have established a relationship, technology can save you time and money for your later meetings."

"It depends on the level of importance and whether deal-making is involved," adds Bruce D. Phillips, senior fellow for regulatory studies at the United States-based National Federation of Independent Business. He says there are times when professional meetings, like conventions, may be dispensable.

With increased airport security and the time it takes to get through airports now, the "quick trip" - where you fly to and from a meeting on the same day - isn't so quick, or practical, anymore, Parks adds.

"Virtual meetings" may not be as much fun, but they can allow you to get a lot of work done at less expense. Here's a rundown of the alternatives:

Video Conferencing An interactive use of video, computing and communication technologies to allow people in two or more locations to meet - either one-on-one or in groups of up to a dozen people or so - without being physically together. Video can be streamed over the Internet or broadcast over television monitors.

Pluses: High-end video conferencing systems (such as those owned by many larger corporations) can bring together large groups of people in disparate locales to hear speeches and presentations in a broadcast-quality setting. But video conferencing today also can be done on the cheap, with inexpensive webcams and free or low-cost software, such as Microsoft NetMeeting.

Web Conferencing Video conferencing without the video - or, put anot

Promote yourself on radio for free
Unless you have become extremely popular in your personal or business name, you likely need all of the marketing and promotion you can get. Now, you may say, of course, I'm aware of this, but who has the money? This a good and fair question. It may surprise you, though, when I say, you don't need money for some of the most valuable marketing available -- radio advertising.If you aren't the kind of person who listens to talk radio, the next time you're taking a drive, tune in to one of your local talk shows and listen for awhile. Try to find something that is not a sports talk show, although they also offer the type of free advertising I want to explain. What you'll eventually hear is an interview. A talk show host will have a guest, who is an expert at something. Perhaps it's a health show, and the subject is weight loss and th

d by experts:

You are meeting a new client.
You are introducing new people - perhaps your replacement - to an ongoing but important business relationship.
You are attempting to close a significant sale or cut an important deal.
You are delivering a product that you must demonstrate.
You need to resolve a controversial or complex problem, or discuss top-secret matters such as an acquisition or merger.
You need to meet with an attorney to discuss legal matters.
You need to solicit money from an investor.
You are making sales or training presentations and your materials are best presented in person.
Your competitors are meeting face to face with a client you want.

Perhaps you could add other scenarios specific to your company or industry. The point is, meetings remain critical to the success of your business.

However, there are many meetings where technology can substitute for travel easily and effectively.

"Virtual meetings" may not be as much fun, but they can allow you to get a lot of work done at less expense. Here's a rundown of the alternatives:

Web Conferencing Video conferencing without the video - or, put ano

Do You Have A Big Head Bio?
Do you have a bio that really touts your talents? Do you have a bio that demonstrates how good you are at what you do? Do you have a Big Head Bio? That means exactly what you think. It is a bio that screams from the page, I am great at what I do!Recently I submitted a profile, my bio and a pitch letter in an effort to get a company to hire me as a speaker. A colleague saw the bio and said that I had a big head and was full of myself. Was I embarrassed? Actually, I was embarrassed, but not for myself, for her. The way I see it is that if I don't market myself, who will? After our debate, she reread my bio and wholeheartedly agreed. She even asked me to help her create her own personal BIG HEAD BIO. My complete bio is five pages long. I have several abbreviated versions to adapt for any occasion. I'm not suggesting that everyone have

Perhaps you could add other scenarios specific to your company or industry. The point is, meetings remain critical to the success of your business.

However, there are many meetings where technology can substitute for travel easily and effectively.

"Virtual meetings" may not be as much fun, but they can allow you to get a lot of work done at less expense. Here's a rundown of the alternatives:

Web Conferencing Video conferencing without the video - or, put ano

Job Interview Dressing Tips
It's time to head for the interview and you have one question. What is the job interview dressing code? Yes. Everyone has that same doubt. Should you be too formal? Should you just be yourself? Should you portray yourself as a happy-go-lucky character and dress as you please? Ear rings, nose rings, tattoos and other stuff that has been your style statement ?should they come off? Would you make more of an impression if you stood out from the rest of the crowd? Yes. These are some questions that plague many people. Dressing for the interview is a big issue and many get stuck at this critical area.The answer is actually quite simple. The job interview being a formal meeting between people who are assessing each other's capability and "fit" to work together in a professional environment, the dress code must obviously tilt to the formal. P

pensable.

"Virtual meetings" may not be as much fun, but they can allow you to get a lot of work done at less expense. Here's a rundown of the alternatives:

Web Conferencing Video conferencing without the video - or, put ano

Change Is Not Always Difficult
In corporate life, at least, change is not only the ‘only constant’ but also frequently the bogeyman. You know that it’s necessary, but (“oh my god!”) how are you going to get people to go along with it, even welcome it? The underlying assumption is that people are going to resist it. So you design your change management programs with all the necessary touchy-feely content as well as the hard systems and physical changes.However, there are situations where people adapt remarkably quickly, without ‘help’. For example, when you join a new company, they have a way of doing things that is undoubtedly different from the way you have been used to. But what do you do? You do your damnedest to adapt to this ‘alien’ new way of doing things. Whatever thoughts you may have had during the first few days about the oddness of the place are very soo

Web Conferencing Video conferencing without the video - or, put another way, teleconferencing with the addition of the web for interactive presentations, using PowerPoint, Excel or other documents. Audio can be transmitted by telephone and/or PC microphones.

Pluses: All you need is Internet access and a phone. You can make presentations at once to as many as 2,500 people in different locations. You don't have to email the PowerPoint slides or other documents to your audience ahead of time - you use the visuals and highlight points in real time. Other participants can also use drawing tools to make points or take control of your presentation as well. NetMeeting works well for web conferencing as well.

Minuses: It's certainly not the same as meeting in person, and you miss out on people's facial expressions and body language, unlike video conferencing. But for straightforward business plan reviews, sales meetings, software demonstrations and customer presentations, it works - and brings a lot of people from far and wide together for one meeting.

Teleconferencing Teleconferencing services are offered by long-distance carriers or independent service bureaus using sophisticated call connection "bridges" to join many different phone calls into a single conversation.

Pluses: Calls can be set up quickly and easily, at relatively low cost. All you need is a telephone. Accompanying documents can be faxed, emailed or shipped overnight to meeting participants in advance, if necessary.

Minuses: Teleconferences work well for simple information sharing and straightforward decision-making that require no visual presentation. But they are not a suitable way to discuss more-complicated matters, which could be presented better via web conferencing. Teleconferencing also is not a desirable way to begin or even further an important business relationship. But, in a pinch, it can accomplish a lot.

Online Collaboration Tools While email remains a key business tool, this discussion will focus on extranets - private websites that allow you to share files, documents and use message boards with selected customers or partners.

Pluses: Having an extranet won't take the place of a long-distance meeting using one of the alternatives above. But it can, over time, reduce the need for some meetings by allowing you to have ongoing communication and document-sharing.

Minuses: You can communicate in real time using chat or instant messaging, but most communication is not interactive. Extranets, however, effectively can turn a teleconferencing session into a web conferencing one if all of the participants have access to the private site.

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The main aim of advertising is to project your product before the potential customers in an effective manner, update information on the product easily and in a timely way. One cost effective and efficient way to advertise your product is to use banner stands.

An insight in to the story behind one of America's most wanted! And the amazing lessons we can learn from a person who has been on the wrong side of the law!

Unexpectedly loosing your job can be a very traumatic and distressing experience at the best of times. If you are over 40 and can't find the job you deserve, you will need great inner strength and self belief to come out on top.

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