Do Business Well

First, their feedback was constant. They varied the frequency according to the preferences or the needs of the individual employee. But whether the meetings happened for twenty minutes every month or for an hour every quarter, these performance feedback meetings were, nonetheless, a constant part of their interaction with each employee throughoutthe year. How much of a time commitment did this represent? According to the managers in Gallup’s study, the total time spent discussing each employee’s style and performance was roughly four hours per employee per year. And as one front-line supervisor said, “If you can’t spend four hours a year with each of your people, then you’ve either got too many people, or you shouldn’t be a manager.” Continue Reading »

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“He was so pissed off, he looked like he was going to punch me.’You haven’t given me enough time. You got to let me have another shot.’ All that kind of stuff. But I know my people, sometimes better than they know themselves. I knew that Simon wasn’t a team person. I knew that he would never be able to build the total experience I wanted. Better to pull the trigger now, I thought, rather than letting things drag on, with him beginning to feel more invested and me getting more disappointed. Continue Reading »

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To increase the effectiveness of your presentation, allow your audience to get involved: to question, clarify, or to redirect what you are saying. You can allow questions before, during, or after your presentation; each time has certain advantages.

Taking Questions at the Beginnings

This assumes your audience knows a good deal about your subject and has questions before you begin. By getting these questions out ahead of time, you get an idea of what people want to know and can reassure them that their questions will be answered during your presentation. It allows you to tailor your material to the needs of a particular group. Continue Reading »

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Most of the suggestions offered to the manager/chairperson are aplicable to you as a group member. You just can’t be as directive.

1. First, be a good group member. One positive, helpful person in a meeting can do a lot of good. You can offer process suggestions to your group like “Why don’t we figure out how we are going to deal with this issue before we rush off in different directions?”

Continue Reading »

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So open up your heart and hear this.

The whole business world needs a good slap around the back of the head. Someone holding its head down shouting, ‘What is that? What do you think about that?’

There is no joy to be found in doing a half a job and there’s very little money either. You need to get into the mind of the real e-customer. And he’s legion, multiple, distinctive, and ever-changing. Continue Reading »

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Retirement is a joy to some and a misery to others. The reaction for the latter group can be so extreme that retirement can almost be seen as a death sentence. Without getting too moribund, let me say that retirement is a concern which all too often is put on the shelf until the retirement period arrives. If not sufficient forethought has been given to this important period of one’s life, the retired individual can sit perplexed and despondent, wondering how to occupy each day.

The ideal preparation for retirement is performed during the working years when the vigour is there to establish hobbies and interests and make productive plans. Continue Reading »

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Companies can increase profit either by cost reduction or by margin improvements. Margin improvement or improvement in the gross profit can be achieved either by increasing unit selling prices or by increasing sales volume (this includes the possibility of reducing unit selling prices in order to be more competitive and increase sales volume).

Selling prices are affected by supply, demand and cost conditions. All companies need to ensure that their pricing policy gives the best opportunity for maximising sales and profits.

1. Keep pace with inflation

The inflation rate is the percentage rate per period that prices are increasing and should provide a guideline to the level of price increases generally. Continue Reading »

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What greeted you when you arrived in your office this morning? Those reports, notes, letters and memos that I just have been discussing. By the time you have waded through it all, it’s nearly lunch break.

Did you know that the average person spends 45 minutes a day aimlessly searching for something lost on a desk? Moreover, an untidy desk may well cost you a contract, a new client or a project missed because you fail to react soon enough.

How did you fare? Did you find that you’re losing the battle? If so, you will need to implement all the ideas below to get on top of things. Continue Reading »

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As I write this at the beginning of the year, there are ten taxicabs in San Francisco that are painted bright purple and yellow and sport a big Yahoo! logo. Each has a computer onboard that offers customers wireless Internet access. For no extra charge you can browse the Web, check your email, trade stocks, order your groceries, look up directions to a restaurant or bar you’ll be patronizing that evening, and so on. Within a couple of years, every cab in San Francisco will have Internet access.

Otis Elevators recently announced that it would begin equipping elevators with Internet access. As passengers ride up and down to their offices, hotel rooms, or meetings, they will be able to read the latest news, check the stock market, or take a quick look at the web- site of the company they’re about to visit. Continue Reading »

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Assuming a meeting is necessary, here are some guidelines for running meetings in an intelligent and decisive manner.

Practical arrangements

If you are elected as either chairperson or secretary, you will be involved in the pre-meeting arrangements. The secretary makes most of these practical arrangements. But he or she should do this in consultation with the chairperson, who needs to be kept fully informed of developments.

Let’s take a look at the when, where and how of an effective meeting: Continue Reading »

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