Business articles
Showing page 27 of 79 - There are 2359 Business articles
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Problem-solving success tip: look for sponsors and solution owners
- Look for sponsors and solution owners rather than problem owners.Everyone participating in the situation owns the problem, like it or not-and nobody likes it. However, if one person is designated as the problem owner, that gives everyone else involved implicit permission to step away and essentially pretend that they don't have an ownership role in the problem. In other words, appoin...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Poor employee performance: how to deal
- KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS: "Document !Document! Document!" Keep a record of periodic performance reviews, incidents of unsatisfactory performance, conferences where warnings are administered or terminations are announced. Issue warnings and terminations in writing as well as verbally. When dealing with a particularly unstable or vindictive employee, request that the employee sign a written su...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The how-tos of firing incompetent employees
- CATEGORIES OF OFFENSES: Most organizations have two categories of offenses in their policies. One category is for flagrant actions which are cause for immediate termination. Cited as examples of such offenses were theft of company property, gross negligence, and being intoxicated on the job. The second category comprises all other offenses for which some prior notification to the employee is requi...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Budgets!
- Budgets! There I've said it. For some the most hated and feared word in business. But it doesn't have to be that way. As a matter of fact, a well thought out and constructed budget can be the small business owners best friend. After all, a budget is just a laid out plan to produce profits and profits is what we are all after.Instead of feeling overwhelmed by looking at a 13 column budget sp...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Assertiveness helps accomplish everything
- When trying to get something accomplished, assertive behavior is the most effective. Although other methods may accomplish the intended ends, the alternatives imperil our own rights or those of others, creating conflict and building mistrust into relationships. One of the keys to effectiveness is learning how to communicate thoughts and feelings without jeopardizing yourself or others, and this ab...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Pricing strategy for retail flower shops
- When you create your profit and loss statement to assess the health of your business, you will see:Sales minus Cost of Goods Sold equals Gross Profit.You pay for all of your expenses with the gross profit. If you are finding that your gross profit is not enough to cover your expenses, you have two options, you can either raise gross profit by increasing sales or lowering cost of good...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Supervisor-employee relations: tips for managers
- Supervisor-employee relations are a critical part of a work place atmosphere and promoting productivity and cohesiveness. The following tips address these issues:1. Don't ask or expect your employees to do things you wouldn't do. Giving consideration to job assignments shows you have respect for the employee. Think about whether the assignment is fair before you give it.2. Be availab...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Important communication tips for managers
- The following tips will help you communicate more effectively with your employees:1. Let employees know that having feelings is okay. Feelings are facts and need to be dealt with.2. Praise in public, criticize in private. Nothing improves a person's behavior better than well-timed, sincere, and justified praise. Nothing builds resentment faster than being yelled at in front of others...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How your feelings and those of your employees can make the difference
- How we feel is really more important than what we know. This is because how we feel plays a bigger role in our behavior than knowing what we should or should not do. For instance, we "know" smoking is bad for us. We see research that tell us auto accident injuries and deaths can be greatly reduced by using seat belts. We "know" that brushing our teeth after each meal fights too...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The changing boss-secretary relationship
- THE CHANGING BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: Imagine a partnership at work. One member is outlining the agenda for the annual stockholders' meeting, the other is managing the logistics. The last decade has brought many changes to the traditional boss/secretary relationship. We now see powers and responsibilities delegated to "executive assistants" that only ten years ago would have been the...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How bad communication can hold you back and how to break free of it
- The reason jobs are often not done right and employees are fired is because of lack of skill. Right? Wrong! Poor communication and ineffective human relations are the major causes. Remember: Communication is a "meeting of meanings." It's getting through to the other person what you mean in a way that they understand. In fact, you want them to do more than understand, you want them to act...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Using an appraisal to benefit your organization
- PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS BENEFIT THE ORGANIZATION:Appraisals help spot employees with potential for advancement. Appraisals bring attention to the so-called high-potentials - people who have both the will and the ability to excel in the organization. Appraisals can also aid in the human resource planning of the organization. --Appraisals provide management with a profile of the supervisor. On...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Improved communication to improve results
- Facilitating good communication can make the difference between a well oiled, effective team and disorganization and ambiguity. By following the tips below, you, the supervisor, can take steps toward improving communication with your employees:1.Sure you're their boss, but people listen better when you show respect and consideration. Remember how you felt in school when the teacher talked d...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Todays employees and their new needs: what you need to know
- Today's employees are not only interested in security or in pay and fringe benefits. They are often placing increased value on being recognized and involved in reaching personal growth goals. As a supervisor you must be aware of these new values. Keeping your employees' interests and priorities will help you better motivate them to work well.Employees' interests and values are changing. Mor...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Help your employees prepare for a performance appraisal
- PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to give some thought to the purpose of performance appraisal: it is a means to learn from the past, plan for the future, and improve effectiveness and work satisfaction. The performance appraisal discussion is an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and reward your employee. It is a time for you and your employee to shar...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Communication, feedback, and participation: three easy tidbits for smarter business
- On communication: One of the biggest strains on the communication process occurs when the sender or receiver is experiencing stress, anger, or frustration either at work or at home. When a situation is emotionally charged, it is difficult to express yourself clearly and maintain a positive communication relationship. How we communicate can be as important as what we say. Using "I" statem...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Conference calling can save your sales organizationtime and money!
- Conference calling can save you money. There is no doubt that in the sales business, every second counts. Whether it be training, sales meetings, or other needs, pulling your employees away from the sales opportunities even for these important tasks, cuts down on the time they can be making you money. If you take the first step and try using conference calling, you may just find yourself saving mo...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Help for the meeting-weary manager
- Most of us have found ourselves working on a team at one time or another. That means we have been asked to attend, and even participate, in lots of meetings. Unfortunately, few of us found these meetings to be particularly effective. Many in fact are a complete waste of valuable time and resources.The difficulty with most meetings is that they are typically planned and run by extroverts, wh...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Try it out on your team first
- Wow! You're brilliant! You have a great idea. You've looked at it every possible way to find holes in your logic, fallacies in your assumptions. You know it will work and you can't wait to turn your new brainstorm loose then reap the rewards of your genius. I know you're excited but before you unleash your great idea, first try it out on those around you for analysis, discussion, improvements, and...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Project management, a forgotten perspective
- Effective project managers know how to get the job done, and get it done right. Success comes not only from wise selection of the team members and utilization of the best project management software tools; effective managers know how to lead, and how to encourage project team members to do their best. This includes clearly setting and communicating project goals, providing proper training and/or e...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Time management and team development - the yes and no of it
- Sometimes.In fact making some small changes to the circumstances when we use these two little words, can make all the difference. And it takes practice.Saying 'Yes' More......brings help when we are offered it. How often have you turned down support, because it felt easier to say 'No thanks. I'm fine'? How often have you rejected assistance in all sorts of...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - On the road to assertiveness
- Learning to be assertive takes time, courage and the ability to recognize the situation for what is really is.You want to get something done, and you need another's help. You can request it, you can demand it, or you can sit back and hope that it happens. The first behavior is an example of assertion, or standing up for your own rights without violating the rights of others. The second is a...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Are your marketing pieces up to date?
- The other day someone asked me for one of my informational brochures. As I was giving her the piece I stated that if I were printing these today it would be a little different. The piece was only about two months old and already the way I wanted to communicate things had changed slightly. Then I got to thinking. If I were to print informational brochures six months from now, they would probably be...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Hows your hub?
- Marketing gurus are always coming up with new lingo but oftentimes they are restating the old tried and true concepts in new terms. Marketing students from the 70's and 80's will be familiar with the acronym USP. USP stands for your "Unique Selling Position" and it should be the cornerstone of your marketing.Today they use a different acronym and talk about your HUB. HUB is a good one becau...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Performance management made easy
- Performance Management is a process that both employer and employee often fear!Why is this so!There is much misinformation about the performance management process and performance appraisals in management circles today. We often think that best practice demands that we must performance appraise 'no matter what'. This is not true. Best practice can involve many other mechanisms that e...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to manage your most valuable assets - people?
- People management and leadership has become a major topic of conversation in today's market place and have assumed mythical qualities. Managing you people is not that difficult if you are willing to invest one thing in their development; YOU.The emotional cost and some simple training and mentoring can see you be a successful leader and manager.As a previous CEO of companies (before ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Inspirational power ( part 1 )
- The Fundamentals of Strategic Marketing, Some Key Traits for Greater EffectivenessProbably, the greatest challenge to marketing management in the next five Years will be to change quick and fast enough, in order to keep pace with new technologies, new markets and new corporate values According to the definition of the AMA, "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Dissenion down on the cubicle farm
- How content and satisfied are American employees? Not very!According to Corinne Maier, a psychotherapist and author of "Bonjour Laziness," corporate cubicle inhabitants are anything but tranquil and joyous. These natives are truly restless.This French writer quotes a Gallup study of employed American professionals showing that:1. Some 17% claim to be "actively diseng...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to coach your emplyees and increase motivation
- It is easy to spot the difference between a work team that is "motivated" and one that just goes through the motions. The motivated team produces at or above the level expected by top management, has only occasional absences or tardiness, and low employee turnover. The second group has trouble meeting its goals, greater absenteeism, and higher turnover. In addition, members of the latter...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Performance evaluation: how to create change
- STEPS TOWARDS GIVING A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW: Give specific feedback. Statements such as, "You're doing a good job" and "You'd better shape up" are almost without value unless accompanied by specific feedback on what the employee is to continue doing or to stop doing. If you evaluate with the word "positive," describe how the employee manifests that characteristic....