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Monday, September 27, 2010
Essential Business Networking Techniques
Improve your business networking techniques and grow your business by expanding your contacts and building relationships with other people. Here you will find lots of networking information, great tips, essential tools and key networking advice to help you get the most out of networking and generate new business.
It’s a fact – 70% on average of new business is gained through referrals or relationship marketing, and not only that it is one of the most cost-effective ways of building your business.
You may already have spent considerable time, effort and money on other marketing methods such as advertising or direct mailing with little or no return. Or perhaps you have tried cold-calling with little to show for your efforts leaving you feeling demoralized and no further forward.
It’s a fact – 70% on average of new business is gained through referrals or relationship marketing, and not only that it is one of the most cost-effective ways of building your business.
You may already have spent considerable time, effort and money on other marketing methods such as advertising or direct mailing with little or no return. Or perhaps you have tried cold-calling with little to show for your efforts leaving you feeling demoralized and no further forward.
Types of Business Organizations
Sole proprietors are unincorporated businesses. They are also called independent contractors, consultants, or freelancers. There are no forms you need to fill out to start this type of business. The only thing you need to do is report your business income and expenses on your Form 1040 Schedule C. This is the easiest form of business to set up, and the easiest to dissolve. (An LLC with only a single shareholder, a so-called single-member LLC, is taxed as a sole proprietor on a Schedule C.)
Corporations are incorporated businesses. Every form of business besides the sole proprietor is considered a separate entity, and this often provides a measure of legal and financial protection for the shareholders. The shareholders of corporations have limited liability protection, and corporations have full discretion over the amount of profits they can distribute or retain. Corporations are presumed to be for-profit entities, and as such they can have an unlimited number of years with losses. Corporations must have at least one shareholder.
Partnerships are unincorporated businesses. Like corporations, partnerships are separate entities from the shareholders. Unlike corporations, partnerships must have at lease one General Partner who assumes unlimited liability for the business. Partnerships must have at least two shareholders. Partnerships distribute all profits and losses to their shareholders without regard for any profits retained by the business for cash flow purposes. (LLCs are taxed as partnerships, unless they choose to be taxed as corporations.)
S-Corporations have features similar to a partnership. An S-corporation must have at least one shareholder, and cannot have more than 100 shareholders. If any shareholder provides services to the business, the S-Corp must pay that shareholder a reasonable salary. This salary is a separate payment from distributions of profits or losses.
Trusts are usually formed upon the death of an individual and are designed to provide continuity of the investments and business activities of the deceased individual. We will not discuss trusts further.
Nonprofits are corporations formed for a charitable, civic, or artistic purpose. Nonprofits are generally exempt from federal and state taxation on their income, and so they are often called "exempt organizations." Nonprofits have substantial responsibilities for reporting their activities, income, and assets to ensure that they are in compliance with federal and state laws governing charities. For additional information on starting, managing, and developing a not-for-profit organization, see the About.com Guide to Nonprofits.
Corporations are incorporated businesses. Every form of business besides the sole proprietor is considered a separate entity, and this often provides a measure of legal and financial protection for the shareholders. The shareholders of corporations have limited liability protection, and corporations have full discretion over the amount of profits they can distribute or retain. Corporations are presumed to be for-profit entities, and as such they can have an unlimited number of years with losses. Corporations must have at least one shareholder.
Partnerships are unincorporated businesses. Like corporations, partnerships are separate entities from the shareholders. Unlike corporations, partnerships must have at lease one General Partner who assumes unlimited liability for the business. Partnerships must have at least two shareholders. Partnerships distribute all profits and losses to their shareholders without regard for any profits retained by the business for cash flow purposes. (LLCs are taxed as partnerships, unless they choose to be taxed as corporations.)
S-Corporations have features similar to a partnership. An S-corporation must have at least one shareholder, and cannot have more than 100 shareholders. If any shareholder provides services to the business, the S-Corp must pay that shareholder a reasonable salary. This salary is a separate payment from distributions of profits or losses.
Trusts are usually formed upon the death of an individual and are designed to provide continuity of the investments and business activities of the deceased individual. We will not discuss trusts further.
Nonprofits are corporations formed for a charitable, civic, or artistic purpose. Nonprofits are generally exempt from federal and state taxation on their income, and so they are often called "exempt organizations." Nonprofits have substantial responsibilities for reporting their activities, income, and assets to ensure that they are in compliance with federal and state laws governing charities. For additional information on starting, managing, and developing a not-for-profit organization, see the About.com Guide to Nonprofits.
Choosing a Successor for who business
That's not unusual. Many business owners hit a point at which they just feel overwhelmed.
There can be a variety of reasons for wanting out.
Maybe you are too hands-on and hate to delegate, and the business is growing to the point where the workload is just killing you.
Maybe you are simply working way too hard for too little money.
On the other hand, maybe business is doing so well that you feel you finally have earned and deserve a break.
Whatever your reason for wanting a change, it's OK to feel good about your decision to get out.
Changing leadership every so often is a good thing for most businesses. New leaders bring in fresh perspective, fresh ideas and fresh energy.
So who should replace you? That's a tough decision. The best way to find your replacement is to list out potential candidates and evaluate each of them on attributes that are important to you.
Build a spreadsheet with these attributes in the rows and then create a column for each succession candidate. For each attribute (i.e. row), rank each succession candidate on a scale of one to five with five being high and one being low.
Here are some sample succession candidate evaluation criteria that you might consider using:
Do you trust them?
What's their relevant experience?
What's their level of commitment to the firm?
Do they have an effective management style?
How good are their communications skills?
Will they run the business profitably?
Do they show signs of creativity that might help to grow the business?
Are guts and ambition part of their makeup?
How well do their values align with your values?
What's their education?
How well-connected are they?
Once you've filled in your spreadsheet, add up the numbers for each candidate. The total for each candidate is your assessment of how capable he or she would be as a successor. The candidate with the most points may be the best person for the job.
There can be a variety of reasons for wanting out.
Maybe you are too hands-on and hate to delegate, and the business is growing to the point where the workload is just killing you.
Maybe you are simply working way too hard for too little money.
On the other hand, maybe business is doing so well that you feel you finally have earned and deserve a break.
Whatever your reason for wanting a change, it's OK to feel good about your decision to get out.
Changing leadership every so often is a good thing for most businesses. New leaders bring in fresh perspective, fresh ideas and fresh energy.
So who should replace you? That's a tough decision. The best way to find your replacement is to list out potential candidates and evaluate each of them on attributes that are important to you.
Build a spreadsheet with these attributes in the rows and then create a column for each succession candidate. For each attribute (i.e. row), rank each succession candidate on a scale of one to five with five being high and one being low.
Here are some sample succession candidate evaluation criteria that you might consider using:
Do you trust them?
What's their relevant experience?
What's their level of commitment to the firm?
Do they have an effective management style?
How good are their communications skills?
Will they run the business profitably?
Do they show signs of creativity that might help to grow the business?
Are guts and ambition part of their makeup?
How well do their values align with your values?
What's their education?
How well-connected are they?
Once you've filled in your spreadsheet, add up the numbers for each candidate. The total for each candidate is your assessment of how capable he or she would be as a successor. The candidate with the most points may be the best person for the job.
Achieve Entrepreneur Success with Optimism
There may be times when you question your ability to succeed and whether or not you're cut out to be an entrepreneur at all. One essential thing for you to do to achieve entrepreneur success is to remain optimistic. Achieving entrepreneur success with optimism is a technique and way of life for many thriving business people.
Celebrate The Good
One key point to achieving success with optimism is to make it a point to celebrate every good thing that happens in your business and in your life for that matter. Whether it be a day where you met your sales quota or one where all your customers were satisfied, this will help you to see that things aren't as bleak as they sometimes may seem. By celebrating the good, you get yourself in a frame of mind that positive things are possible and do happen. This will put you in a mode of expectancy. It's a proven fact that people tend to receive from the universe what they expect to receive. Celebrating the good helps to raise your level of expectations for good things to continue to happen.
Connect With Positive People
Align yourself with others who are optimistic. The old saying of "birds of a feather flock together" is true. If you want to have a more positive outlook on life, you need to surround yourself with others that have the same outlook. Stay away from individuals who believe they are the victims of what's happening to them as opposed to those who believe that they control their own destiny.
Get Advice From Successful People
You should never take advice from someone you wouldn't want to trade places with. Get advice from successful people who are experiencing prosperity in their businesses and personal lives. These type of people usually love sharing how they got to where they are and giving you tips on how to do the same.
Celebrate The Good
One key point to achieving success with optimism is to make it a point to celebrate every good thing that happens in your business and in your life for that matter. Whether it be a day where you met your sales quota or one where all your customers were satisfied, this will help you to see that things aren't as bleak as they sometimes may seem. By celebrating the good, you get yourself in a frame of mind that positive things are possible and do happen. This will put you in a mode of expectancy. It's a proven fact that people tend to receive from the universe what they expect to receive. Celebrating the good helps to raise your level of expectations for good things to continue to happen.
Connect With Positive People
Align yourself with others who are optimistic. The old saying of "birds of a feather flock together" is true. If you want to have a more positive outlook on life, you need to surround yourself with others that have the same outlook. Stay away from individuals who believe they are the victims of what's happening to them as opposed to those who believe that they control their own destiny.
Get Advice From Successful People
You should never take advice from someone you wouldn't want to trade places with. Get advice from successful people who are experiencing prosperity in their businesses and personal lives. These type of people usually love sharing how they got to where they are and giving you tips on how to do the same.
The Sport of Business
From coaching to team-building, it seems like the best way to run a business these days is to manage it like a sports franchise. But are sports metaphors really a helpful way to think about your small business?
Although the comparison between sports and small business has its limitations, there are certain aspects of owning a small business that are analogous to managing a sports team.
After all, small businesses and sports teams are both comprised of individuals working together to achieve a common goal. As your company's "head coach", it's your job to make sure the team is equipped to achieve that goal. Here's how to do it:
Create a Game Plan
Good coaches know the importance of going into the game with a game plan. The same is true for good business owners, only your game plan is your strategy for achieving your company's goals.
Like every game plan, your business strategy should describe each team member's role and team members should be encouraged to understand how each person fits into the overall scheme of the business.
Also, your strategy should be flexible enough to accommodate changes in the marketplace if and when they occur.
Recruit Quality Players
Winning teams consist of winning players. Your ability to achieve your goals in business will be limited by your ability to attract and hire quality employees.
In the same way that coaches scout and recruit talented players, you need to routinely seek out the best and the brightest for your company. Ironically, a good place to begin your search is the same place professional sports franchises go to recruit new talent - college campuses.
Often, small businesses can offer college graduates opportunities that can't be found in blue chip competitors.
Play to Win
Winning teams play to win. Likewise, winning businesses play to succeed - to achieve their strategic goals, and realize steady trends of growth and profit.
As the business' owner, it falls on your shoulders to set a winning tone for your employees. If you approach your goals with a "can-do" attitude, your employees will display a similar attitude and will go the extra mile for the sake of the team.
Focus on Fundamentals
When a coach tells his players to focus on fundamentals, he is reminding them to maintain proficiency in the bread-and-butter skills that are vital to the sport. Similarly, your company's fundamentals are your core proficiencies, the products and services your company is known for in the marketplace.
Although the comparison between sports and small business has its limitations, there are certain aspects of owning a small business that are analogous to managing a sports team.
After all, small businesses and sports teams are both comprised of individuals working together to achieve a common goal. As your company's "head coach", it's your job to make sure the team is equipped to achieve that goal. Here's how to do it:
Create a Game Plan
Good coaches know the importance of going into the game with a game plan. The same is true for good business owners, only your game plan is your strategy for achieving your company's goals.
Like every game plan, your business strategy should describe each team member's role and team members should be encouraged to understand how each person fits into the overall scheme of the business.
Also, your strategy should be flexible enough to accommodate changes in the marketplace if and when they occur.
Recruit Quality Players
Winning teams consist of winning players. Your ability to achieve your goals in business will be limited by your ability to attract and hire quality employees.
In the same way that coaches scout and recruit talented players, you need to routinely seek out the best and the brightest for your company. Ironically, a good place to begin your search is the same place professional sports franchises go to recruit new talent - college campuses.
Often, small businesses can offer college graduates opportunities that can't be found in blue chip competitors.
Play to Win
Winning teams play to win. Likewise, winning businesses play to succeed - to achieve their strategic goals, and realize steady trends of growth and profit.
As the business' owner, it falls on your shoulders to set a winning tone for your employees. If you approach your goals with a "can-do" attitude, your employees will display a similar attitude and will go the extra mile for the sake of the team.
Focus on Fundamentals
When a coach tells his players to focus on fundamentals, he is reminding them to maintain proficiency in the bread-and-butter skills that are vital to the sport. Similarly, your company's fundamentals are your core proficiencies, the products and services your company is known for in the marketplace.
Managing Team Dynamics in who business
To get started in business initially takes a lot of courage, mental toughness, perseverance, drive, ambition, a lot of which have nothing to do with other people. However to keep a business growing and thriving means you have to keep the people who are working in the company growing, thriving, and working well together, and that requires a whole new set of skills.
There are a few things you must make sure to do in order to have a company that is successful in working together:
Have relationships throughout the organization
One of the most important things you need to do as a leader of your organization is to build relationships with as many people as possible. Of course use the 80/20 rule for this as it is virtually impossible to have a great relationship with your entire team. Try and "invest" 80% of your time in 20% of the people who are producing 80% of the results, but make sure to "spend" time with everyone so they all feel valued. This helps to always keep you in the know and helps you to start to figure out the types of strengths you have in different parts of your team. You also get to know the truth of what is really going on when you go to the lower ranks of your team and build relationships. Sometimes the people directly under you can be misleading in their communication with you about what is going on beneath them. Having good relationships with the people below them will help reduce the risk of a cancer spreading before you catch it.
Edify the right example
Make sure you are consistent in your praise and recognition of others. Never praise someone just to praise them. There has to be a valid reason for edification of anyone in your team and that reason needs to be clear, communicated, and understood by everyone. Edification that is not justified will create disunity and the eventual breakdown in camaraderie. If you praise people who are not doing anything just so they can feel better about themselves you will frustrate the leaders and the producers in the organization. On the other hand if you only praise the leaders and producers you will demoralize the people who might not be producing as of yet.
Understand personality differences
Difference in personalities is a big reason why most people in teams do not get along. As a leader it is important you appreciate the differences in personality that the people in your team have. You can't treat every employee the same way. Each person is motivated by something different, connects differently, talks differently, etc. Just like every child is different even though they come from the same sets of parents, every employee is different even if they work for the same company. Most companies are less like well-oiled machines and more like dysfunctional families if you take a closer look. If you keep that in mind you will always have an environment where every type of person feels they have a voice and that will always facilitate growth.
Chukwuma Asala is an international student from Nigeria who is studying to earn an MBA from the State University of New York in Albany. He has analyzed more than 20 industry case studies throughout his education thus far, and hopes to bring some of his business knowledge to Gaebler.com.
There are a few things you must make sure to do in order to have a company that is successful in working together:
Have relationships throughout the organization
One of the most important things you need to do as a leader of your organization is to build relationships with as many people as possible. Of course use the 80/20 rule for this as it is virtually impossible to have a great relationship with your entire team. Try and "invest" 80% of your time in 20% of the people who are producing 80% of the results, but make sure to "spend" time with everyone so they all feel valued. This helps to always keep you in the know and helps you to start to figure out the types of strengths you have in different parts of your team. You also get to know the truth of what is really going on when you go to the lower ranks of your team and build relationships. Sometimes the people directly under you can be misleading in their communication with you about what is going on beneath them. Having good relationships with the people below them will help reduce the risk of a cancer spreading before you catch it.
Edify the right example
Make sure you are consistent in your praise and recognition of others. Never praise someone just to praise them. There has to be a valid reason for edification of anyone in your team and that reason needs to be clear, communicated, and understood by everyone. Edification that is not justified will create disunity and the eventual breakdown in camaraderie. If you praise people who are not doing anything just so they can feel better about themselves you will frustrate the leaders and the producers in the organization. On the other hand if you only praise the leaders and producers you will demoralize the people who might not be producing as of yet.
Understand personality differences
Difference in personalities is a big reason why most people in teams do not get along. As a leader it is important you appreciate the differences in personality that the people in your team have. You can't treat every employee the same way. Each person is motivated by something different, connects differently, talks differently, etc. Just like every child is different even though they come from the same sets of parents, every employee is different even if they work for the same company. Most companies are less like well-oiled machines and more like dysfunctional families if you take a closer look. If you keep that in mind you will always have an environment where every type of person feels they have a voice and that will always facilitate growth.
Chukwuma Asala is an international student from Nigeria who is studying to earn an MBA from the State University of New York in Albany. He has analyzed more than 20 industry case studies throughout his education thus far, and hopes to bring some of his business knowledge to Gaebler.com.
Making Good Business Decisions
That's the kind of leader your business deserves and that's the kind of leader you can be. All you need are a few common-sense decision-making tips, and you'll be on your way in no in time.
The key to good decision-making is self-discipline. Most small business owners are forced to make so many decisions that the temptation to shoot from the hip can sometimes be overwhelming. But sloppy decision-making almost always backfires, creating more problems than solutions. Instead of winging it, the best decision-makers adhere to self-imposed decision-making guidelines that are designed to make every decision count. Here are five of the best that you may want to consider.
The key to good decision-making is self-discipline. Most small business owners are forced to make so many decisions that the temptation to shoot from the hip can sometimes be overwhelming. But sloppy decision-making almost always backfires, creating more problems than solutions. Instead of winging it, the best decision-makers adhere to self-imposed decision-making guidelines that are designed to make every decision count. Here are five of the best that you may want to consider.
Proper Business Dress
The safest bet for men is always a suit. Style doesn't matter too much, but the suit should be well fitted with the appropriate lengths for both the pants and the suit jacket. Dark colors like Black, Navy Blue and Smoke Grey are preferable over any other colors with a white shirt as a background. White is universal and goes well with any suits and any ties. The back of the pants should rest comfortably at the base of the shoe but not touching the ground with the front of the pants resting comfortably on the front of the show with little folding.
The arms of suit jackets should not pass the wrist and preferably should be at least three-eighths of an inch from the wrist to allow the shirt sleeves to show up from under the suit jacket which gives a very professional look.
Ties should command respect like solid red, pink, something that stands out noticeably. Make sure that the tie does not pass over the belt buckle of the pants but isn't too short either.
For women, dress suits are very professional and are really a step up from pant suits. Pant suits should be used for semi-formal wear. And remember to always wear pantyhose at all times. For dress suits, it is important that the skirt not be too high and the top of the shirt not be too low. If the budget is limited for both men and women, purchase two good suits and alternate the shirts in the case of the women and the ties in the case of the men.
The arms of suit jackets should not pass the wrist and preferably should be at least three-eighths of an inch from the wrist to allow the shirt sleeves to show up from under the suit jacket which gives a very professional look.
Ties should command respect like solid red, pink, something that stands out noticeably. Make sure that the tie does not pass over the belt buckle of the pants but isn't too short either.
For women, dress suits are very professional and are really a step up from pant suits. Pant suits should be used for semi-formal wear. And remember to always wear pantyhose at all times. For dress suits, it is important that the skirt not be too high and the top of the shirt not be too low. If the budget is limited for both men and women, purchase two good suits and alternate the shirts in the case of the women and the ties in the case of the men.
Signs of a Good Leader in business
Written by Scott Scheper for Gaebler Ventures
How can you tell if you're succeeding as a leader? Here, we provide six steps that ensure you're headed on the right track to becoming an effective leader, and explain how to keep your employees happy.
Being a business owner requires strong leadership abilities.
(article continues below)
How can you tell if you're succeeding as a leader? Here, we provide six steps that ensure you're headed on the right track to becoming an effective leader, and explain how to keep your employees happy.
Being a business owner requires strong leadership abilities.
(article continues below)
Business Leadership
Being a good leader is often a key success factor that determines whether an entrepreneur will succeed or fail. In this article, we take a look at the characteristics of good business leaders.
What does it take to be a good business leader? Do you have what it takes to lead a business?
(article continues below)
Over the past several years, one of the most important contributions psychology has made to the field of business has been in determining the key traits of acknowledged leaders.
Psychological tests have been used to determine what characteristics are most commonly noted among successful leaders. This list of characteristics can be used for developmental purposes to help managers gain insight and develop their leadership skills.
The increasing rate of change in the business environment is a major factor in this new emphasis on leadership. Whereas in the past, managers were expected to maintain the status quo in order to move ahead, new forces in the marketplace have made it necessary to expand this narrow focus. The new leaders of tomorrow are visionary. They are both learners and teachers. Not only do they foresee paradigm changes in society, but they also have a strong sense of ethics and work to build integrity in their organizations.
Raymond Cattell, a pioneer in the field of personality assessment, developed the Leadership Potential equation in 1954. This equation, which was based on a study of military leaders, is used today to determine the traits which characterize an effective leader. The traits of an effective leader include the following:
Emotional stability. Good leaders must be able to tolerate frustration and stress. Overall, they must be well-adjusted and have the psychological maturity to deal with anything they are required to face.
What does it take to be a good business leader? Do you have what it takes to lead a business?
(article continues below)
Over the past several years, one of the most important contributions psychology has made to the field of business has been in determining the key traits of acknowledged leaders.
Psychological tests have been used to determine what characteristics are most commonly noted among successful leaders. This list of characteristics can be used for developmental purposes to help managers gain insight and develop their leadership skills.
The increasing rate of change in the business environment is a major factor in this new emphasis on leadership. Whereas in the past, managers were expected to maintain the status quo in order to move ahead, new forces in the marketplace have made it necessary to expand this narrow focus. The new leaders of tomorrow are visionary. They are both learners and teachers. Not only do they foresee paradigm changes in society, but they also have a strong sense of ethics and work to build integrity in their organizations.
Raymond Cattell, a pioneer in the field of personality assessment, developed the Leadership Potential equation in 1954. This equation, which was based on a study of military leaders, is used today to determine the traits which characterize an effective leader. The traits of an effective leader include the following:
Emotional stability. Good leaders must be able to tolerate frustration and stress. Overall, they must be well-adjusted and have the psychological maturity to deal with anything they are required to face.
The Sport of Business
What can business leaders learn from sports coaches? It turns out there's tons to be learned. Here's our take on how winning sports methods can be applied to business to foster business success.
Crack open any business-based resource and you will inevitably see buzzwords that have traditionally been associated with the world of sports.
(article continues below)
Crack open any business-based resource and you will inevitably see buzzwords that have traditionally been associated with the world of sports.
(article continues below)
Leadership in Drainage Solutions in business
At ADS we have established a reputation for leadership in the drainage industry by exceeding the expectations of our customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. We remain committed to the development of state-of-the-art products and services that set industry standards, and help solve water management challenges.
Our reputation is made and supported by our products. Whether the project involves storm and sanitary sewers, agricultural drainage, road and highway construction, residential and commercial development or turf and recreational applications, there is an ADS Corrugated HDPE Pipe solution. In addition, we offer solutions for surface runoff retention/detention systems, on-site leaching chambers and septic systems.
Our Core Values will serve to help us deliver those products, services and innovation that our customers demand.
Our reputation is made and supported by our products. Whether the project involves storm and sanitary sewers, agricultural drainage, road and highway construction, residential and commercial development or turf and recreational applications, there is an ADS Corrugated HDPE Pipe solution. In addition, we offer solutions for surface runoff retention/detention systems, on-site leaching chambers and septic systems.
Our Core Values will serve to help us deliver those products, services and innovation that our customers demand.
Home Economic
To buy or not to buy, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the bank’s hands or to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous mortgages. My apologies to Shakespeare. I hand it off to Brett Arends and The Wall Street Journal and their 10 Reasons to buy a home.
Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership.
Sure, maybe there’s more pain to come in the housing market. But when Time magazine starts running covers that declare “Owning a home may no longer make economic sense,” it’s time to say: Enough is enough. This is what “capitulation” looks like. Everyone has given up.
Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership.
Sure, maybe there’s more pain to come in the housing market. But when Time magazine starts running covers that declare “Owning a home may no longer make economic sense,” it’s time to say: Enough is enough. This is what “capitulation” looks like. Everyone has given up.
The Taboo of the Bananas: Organizational Culture and Recruiting
Once upon a time there was a company known as Robotic Chromosomes. Don’t bother Googling it; it’s no longer in business, and besides, that’s not the real name. Robotic Chromosomes had a way of hiring programmers that isn’t all that unfamiliar to folks in the software industry: logic puzzles. Like Microsoft, and various other companies, Robotic Chromosomes put every potential engineer
through a series of logic puzzles in order to determine if those engineers were qualified.
There is, in fact, no actual correlation between programming ability and the ability to solve logic puzzles.This did not stop the folks at Robotic Chromosomes, who were convinced of the validity of their methods and were not interested in allowing facts to get in the way.
Even within the logic puzzle method, though, there were some definite oddities and idiosyncrasies that distinguished Robotic
Chromosomes from other companies.
through a series of logic puzzles in order to determine if those engineers were qualified.
There is, in fact, no actual correlation between programming ability and the ability to solve logic puzzles.This did not stop the folks at Robotic Chromosomes, who were convinced of the validity of their methods and were not interested in allowing facts to get in the way.
Even within the logic puzzle method, though, there were some definite oddities and idiosyncrasies that distinguished Robotic
Chromosomes from other companies.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
What Human Business And the Social Web Are About
I want to share my take on how human business works, and what the social web is all about. When I talk about these things, they might not line up with what you’ve thought about, but that’s okay. We see things differently. To me, this is a large tapestry and we’re weaving the fabric of new stories together a little at a time. It’s okay if you don’t see it this way yet. I just want to share my perspective, if only to give you a fuzzy squint into what I believe is here, and what I think is coming with all this. Your thoughts and additions to this are welcome. Or this might not resonate at all. I’m open to your ideas, either way.
How to Recognize Your Green Business Deficits and Solve The
Sustainability is here to stay as a central business issue, yet many corporations do not have the right resources or organization to comply with the new demands efficiently or, more importantly, to turn them to business advantage. I have found that companies not ready for this challenge typically show one or more of these five traits:
* Responsibility for sustainability issues is fragmented. Many organizations scatter responsibility for sustainability so thoroughly — in operations, legal, compliance, government affairs, corporate communications — that it only comes together at the CEO level (or, worse, in an ad hoc group set up by the CEO).
* No one at the top understands the potential for competitive advantage in sustainability. The company's leaders view sustainability as a set of technical compliance issues (for energy systems or smokestack scrubbers, for example) and delegate them to lower levels to execute.
* There is no sustainability tab in the business plan binder. There are no explicit processes making sustainability a business issue, leaving no one responsible for pursuing such a strategy. Sustainability, if it makes the business plan at all, is an add-on issue.
* Responsibility for sustainability issues is fragmented. Many organizations scatter responsibility for sustainability so thoroughly — in operations, legal, compliance, government affairs, corporate communications — that it only comes together at the CEO level (or, worse, in an ad hoc group set up by the CEO).
* No one at the top understands the potential for competitive advantage in sustainability. The company's leaders view sustainability as a set of technical compliance issues (for energy systems or smokestack scrubbers, for example) and delegate them to lower levels to execute.
* There is no sustainability tab in the business plan binder. There are no explicit processes making sustainability a business issue, leaving no one responsible for pursuing such a strategy. Sustainability, if it makes the business plan at all, is an add-on issue.
How to Cite Sources in a Business Plan
A business plan must be grounded in solid research that is verifiable by the lenders and investors who will read it. Additionally, you'll often use the process of writing the business plan as a tool to help you better understand your own business and product. Citing your sources is critical to establishing your credibility and for remembering how you arrived at the conclusions and figures you present in your plan.
Read more: How to Cite Sources in a Business Plan | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5827432_cite-sources-business-plan.html#ixzz10ObApHGp
Read more: How to Cite Sources in a Business Plan | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5827432_cite-sources-business-plan.html#ixzz10ObApHGp
Monday, September 20, 2010
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