Corporate Intranet

The only online opportunity to associate with millions of potential customers is creating an effective website. In today's business environment an effective and appropriate website design has a crucial role; website reflects the visual representation of a business. Therefore, it is quite important to build up your professional image in the online market.

Realizing the importance of designing a winning website, there are several web development companies that offer exclusive web designing services. However, with so many options available it is quite difficult to choose the right one. Whether your business delivers services for selling products, business applications etc for all of these you need to take assistance of professional and reliable web Development Company.

Some Benefits of professional web developers are been listed below-

• Professional firms develop the website in accordance with the latest online market trends; they take the overview of the content of your business and then set the designing into action.
• Adept website designing companies concentrate on developing the website which is search engine friendly and also congenial with the users and visitors.
• The website is developed with browser compatibility, in order to have varied resolution the website needs to support the browser.
• In order to create basic designs, there are several we-design programs. Use of basic templates for pages and limit the customization that can be done.
• Professional tools like NET, CSS, ASP, HTML, Java-script is utilized to design a website. Professional web Development Company applies all the latest development tools in order to build a credible website.
• Web development solutions are offered in a customized packaged deal, mostly the companies offer an affordable price range.
• Work that has been through a professional delivers assured precision, having an expertise of the work, they release all your worries and tension regarding the web development.

After the professional web designers are through with the process of designing, the web development companies go to the next level, which is known as web development. Web site design and development firms also deliver consultation services under the guidance of design specialists who works upon your project to get the best design. Adept graphic designers make use of their training, experience and skills and make sure the site is not only visually pleasing but also easy to navigate. Leading firms like 'designgenies' has developed an enviable image; they deal in affordable web development services.

Still there are some people who disregard the importance of an effective web design, well, it can just save their spending and efforts, but a great website design can make your business an evergreen profitable affair.

The requirement to save paper and control the management of workflow documents and images continues to be driven by two main methods: managing costs through efficiency and managing environmental concerns through technology. The need is therefore continuous and ongoing, to ensure the correct acquisition of document scanning software with functions which fit the purpose. This summary highlights some important considerations when buying such software.

Categories of Document Scanning Software

Document scanning solutions fall in to one or more of the following categories by function. These are

1) Ad-hoc scanning of individual documents into computer files

2) Desktop batch scanning of documents to network files or to a document management system

3) High-volume, multi-user scanning of documents to document management system

4) Automated indexing of documents from multifunctional printers, network scanners or distributed capture

5) Applications which automate data entry tasks using handprint recognition and dynamic Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to capture data from images

Which Scanning Software Features?

The key to the best practice and most efficient document scanning is to specify as many automation features as possible to eliminate manual indexing and at the same time make all documents fully searchable.

An excellent way to achieve this is with barcodes. Barcodes can be recognised with a very high rate of speed and accuracy and a minimal possibility of false positives.

Another way is via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) which can be used to read indexes from machine print on scanned images. It's not as quick as barcodes, and the recognition rate is not as high, but it has the advantage with documents that were not designed with scanning in mind.

An efficient user-friendly interface design will also save you time in setting up, training staff and supporting the document scanning application. Clearly, staff will respond better to any work pattern changes with a more efficient interface for their daily work. For this reason the user experience must be a paramount consideration..

Other Key Scanning Software Features

Features and areas requiring attention and comparison between software brands are:

License Type: Is the license server or workstation based? Do any monthly page limits apply?

Platforms: Presently, almost all batch scanning system is limited to the Windows user environment.

Export Capabilities: How is index data exported? Keywords can be used to organize images into logical folders and filenames on a network, for example. Alternatively it can be exported to delimited text files for import into other software systems. Or again, it can be added directly to an ODBC or OleDB database.

Scanner Support: Almost all scanners support TWAIN drivers. These days, ISIS drivers are also supplied with most document scanners available. Real-time image enhancement on scanned images is supplied by Kofax - native support for Adrenaline image processing boards.

Multifunctional Printer (MFP) support is provided by automatically processing images from a drop folder operating in the background. Any networked MFP, digital copier, scanner or fax machine can scan images to a network folder. These applications process these images without any user intervention. Usual practice is to use printed barcode coversheets to index documents prior to scanning. This means more flexibility, in that any user can scan and index files.

File Type Support: PDF is an overall standard, but it is useful to specify additional file types, and check what is supported by the software. It is useful to know that PDFs can create a hidden text layer that is overlaid on the scanned image, letting the viewer search, highlight and copy the OCR text while viewing the image. This function is very desirable.

Document Scanning Costs

All pricing options depend of course on the selected optional features and page count limitations, if any. Setup cost depends very much on the desired level of service. It is possible for knowledgeable users to install and configure most scanning software systems. However there are many advantages to having experts to guide you through the process to ensure the fullest available automation and workflow efficiency. The biggest cost in batch scanning is without doubt the indexing process, and proper automation is vital to getting the most return from your investment document scanning software.

Website performance is a hot topic these days. Research has shown that by decreasing your page load time users will spend more time on your site.

Here's some tips on speeding up your website:

Decrease the number of requests on a page

You can do this by using sprites which are basically large, well compressed images that contain lots of other images. You then use offsets in CSS to address the individual images.

Use a third party content delivery service

This one can be hard unless you're a large corporation but it doesn't need to be difficult. Try hosting your photos on flickr for example.

Set to the Expires header on static content

The Apache documentation for mod_expire and other resources on setting content expiry can be handy for this.

Gzip images, CSS, script

Once again you will need to look at which web server you are using to modify this. That being said on html, CSS and js it can dramatically decrease page load time.

Load unnecessary components after page load

Examples are images that won't be used until someone hovers their mouse over them or content that can be retrieved by AJAX.

Simplify your html

If you only need one div to display a piece of content then only use one. Brush up on your HTML skills in this area.

Don't use iframes unless necessary

Iframes are like a whole new browser window. Imagine opening 10 or 20 of them on your web page. It really slows down the user's experience.

Try to avoid cookies, or at least keep them to a minimum

Most sites won't need to use cookies but if you do try to keep the number and size of the cookies at a minimum as each request back to the server involves sending the cookie as well.

Don't use CSS filters

Don't use work arounds for old browsers like IE6. Either let them suffer or give them a message asking to upgrade.

In the second part of this article we'll cover some more ways to get a better result out of your website.

E-learning can benefit a company's web site by providing compelling, sticky content.

Companies can use e-learning to train employees, customers, and business partners.

The benefit of e-learning to companies is that students can take a class anytime form anywhere. Companies can ensure that the material delivered is up-to-the minute, since the content is served from a central location. Serving training to employee's desktops can be a very efficient use of resources, saving a company time and money while increasing employee skills.

E-learning can be used by human resources, traditional trainers, marketing, and sales. Specifically, marketing can use e-learning to train salespeople, distributors, and customers, while support can provide e-learning courses to lower support costs by better educating customers.

New technologies such as the Internet and changing business practices such as the use of more consultants are modifying the way we work. Our current low unemployment rate is making hiring a challenge at every level. Companies, especially those in competitive sectors, will need to use training as one of their most powerful tools. Training increases employee productivity, builds stronger and more effective relationships with business partners, and creates greater brand awareness/preference with customers. Training has moved to a critical role because companies need to maintain their competitive edge.

Training needs in the corporate world are definitely growing, and companies need to find ways to make their training more efficient. Traditional classroom training is still a very effective method, primarily because it is interactive and it provides a structured environment that encourages students to complete the courses. However, classroom training has several drawbacks: high cost and difficulty of student access. Arranging for employees located in different facilities to be in the same room at the same time can be very difficult and expensive.

To get around these negatives, companies have provided employees with books and CD-based courses. Books are easy to use, but it is nearly impossible to keep buys employees focused on learning from them - books do not provide any interactivity or methods to force the student to complete the course. It is also very difficult to maintain a book's timeliness. CD-based courses are better because they can include interactive exercises. However, just like books, they are difficult to keep current and provide low impetus for course completion. Both CDs and books are also expensive to distribute. These limitations force companies to look for methods that are low cost, effective, interactive, accessible, and motivational. E-learning has stepped in as the latest approach to solve the employee training problem.

E-learning is best defined as the category that consists of training and learning over the web. E-learning is training that can be delivered over an Intranet, extranet, or the Internet. Since courses can be centrally administrated, it is easy to track students (thereby providing motivation to complete courses), control content (for easy updates as material changes), and keep costs down (since distribution of media is not an issue). Students can access training from their desktop.

There are two popular forms of e-learning: asynchronous and synchronous learning. Asynchronous consists of learning that is stand-alone. Asynchronous e-learning can be delivered through the web, via an Intranet, or by way of an extranet. The main feature is that the student takes courses when it is convenient for her. In contrast, synchronous e-learning is carried out at designated dates and times. Delivery is through the web, so that an instructor can take advantage of new technologies such as electronic presentation delivery, chat sessions, and collaborative electronic blackboards. Essentially, the concept of classroom training is extended to distance learning through the use of technology.

What are the chances of you not hearing about Drupal? I'd say minimal. For the simple reason that Drupal of today has grown in leaps and bounds from what it was earlier, today the technology has revolutionized the way websites are designed. Drupal is a free to use and open-source Content Management system which offers a wide variety of advantages to its users. Drupal is robust, secure, evolving, scalable and a technology which is being adopted by the top websites of today.

To the core of Drupal lies its LAMP heap in the form of Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP which is very robust, secure and scalable in itself. Also, Drupal is being constantly enhanced by its growing community of developers. Today, Drupal is being used extensively to launch any type of website including corporate websites, personal websites, community portals, discussion forums, blogs, e-commerce platforms, etc. Having explained the immense benefits of this ace technology let me now come to another important and related aspect which is Drupal consulting.

Despite the fact that Drupal is a free to use software, Drupal consulting makes sense for the simple reason that to explore the best of Drupal functionalities and incorporate those neatly into your dream design would require the expertise of a professional web design and development company with years of experience and specialization in Drupal technology. Drupal consulting is an important investment and key factors such as the following must be carefully weighed in before engaging a Drupal consultancy company: Cost-effective services, proven track record, array of services, client references and contributions of the company towards the online Drupal community which is the backbone of Drupal. A confident and smart Drupal consultancy company would definitely give back what it takes from the community in order for it to develop further.

Great websites don't just happen overnight. Why experiment and loose the plot? Go for an expert Drupal consultancy company now.

In many small as well as large organizations, employees are heard complaining that they have no idea of whats going on in the organization. This clearly indicates that the organization has failed to implement effective modules to help cascade the information downwards. Effective communication helps inculcate sense of unity and infuses clarity of organizational structure and function amongst employees.

Effective communication is a meaningful indicator of the fact that decisions taken from the top have percolated and successfully reached every employee. On similar lines it also means data and information is flowing in the reverse that is towards the top in the organizational hierarchy. Furthermore effective communication conveys that organization considers every employee as an asset and encourages their participation in decision making.

Communication is the application of various tools besides skills of speaking and writing to fill gaps in information between two or more individuals. Effective exchange of information helps update ones existing knowledge on whats happening latest in the organization. Most of the times we see managers talking; sometimes over telephone or chatting with other people in the organization or rushing to attend meeting. Often it is difficult to comprehend what special are these guys doing that we cannot do; and is this that they are being paid for so handsomely. Well the answer to this is yes.

For managers are not merely talking but whilst their process of interaction they are collecting data which can be verbal as well nonverbal. This data is processed into suitable information which is subsequently used to get much work done. Many of the future policies and strategies are formulated and executed based on this information. Effective communication is thus instrumental in decision making. Gossiping and rumors are juicy ways of disseminating of information across the organization.

In order to execute any formal project successfully it is important to bear a few points:

1. The road map of the content to be communicated should be well planned in advance and preferably documented in writing to mitigate any ambiguity. It helps maintain standing for future references.

2. In this age of information technology, its spread is undertaken by way of e-mails, office circulars, intranet and intercom, mobiles and phones besides of course the traditional means like news on bulletins boards, magazines, office meetings etc.

3. Effective communication also ensures that understanding of content is well taken care of. What needs to be communicated and what actually is communicated across are two different aspects. It is not necessary what ever is being conveyed is actually understood the way it is expected to be.

4. Content to be communicated should be meaningful and authentic. It should be capable of calming the natural queries demanded from it as pertaining to ifs and buts and whens and how’s satisfactorily.

5. Identify the chosen format for the information exchange of a particular content. If it is by way of speaking. Then tone, volume and accent of the speaker should be clear and understandable. The speaker can cross check if he is being understood by asking the audience to repeat to what he said. Best way to cross check is ask the listeners to write down what ever has been communicated. Most projects often fail for the simple reason of miscommunication.

6. Ideas can also be put across effectively by way of employing visual aids as diagrams, charts etc.

Openness and effective information exchange between the supervisor and subordinate, management and staff besides others dispels many of the myths and confusions allowing for greater flow of intelligence in the organization.

We cheer for our favorite teams in sports, communities, schools and even families. So why don't we see workplace teams in the same rah-rah way?

For all the big talk, matching T-shirts and off-site strategy sessions, calling a group of people a team doesn't make it one. These groups are usually just a collection of individuals from the same department who meet periodically.

Few of us have been lucky enough to participate in a strong, united team. These groups rise to ever higher levels of performance and make all of us better than any one of us.

Laying ground rules, setting goals and dealing with naysayers are just a few of the guidelines that can help your team reach its goals, whether they be improvements in productivity, customer service, quality, process management, innovation, cost effectiveness, job satisfaction, morale or financial performance.

Why many groups aren't teams

Here are some of the reasons that many groups aren't effective teams:

Lack of focus: If members don't have a shared picture of what success would look like, they will pull against each other. They also should have an emotional commitment to what they're doing.

Confusion between team building and team development: Giving everyone a T-shirt may produce short term warm and fuzzy feelings but it rarely leads to a powerful, united team unless root issues are addressed. An example of a root issue might be chronic animosity between managers working with the team.

Too much attention on the team itself: Some teams are so busy sailing the ship they have gone off course. They confuse their frantic activity for progress.

Lack of priority setting: If everything is urgent, group members will feel overwhelmed.

Poor processes: Typical team members often have little training in such basic skills as meetings, conflict resolution, planning, follow up and problem solving. They may not even be aware of them.

Misuse of e-mail: It's a great way to share information but a poor way to communicate. Weak groups spend more time interacting with their computer screens than with each other.

Victim mentality: Less effective groups that feel powerless will point fingers at senior management, customers, shareholders, suppliers, governments or other departments. Instead of re-setting their sails and navigating through their problems they curse the wind and wait to be dashed upon the rocks.

Forming effective teams

What does it take to create a high-performing team? Here are a few suggestions:

Run meetings well: Meetings are more important than ever in our increasingly complex and interconnected workplaces. Research shows that when meetings are run effectively, teams make better decisions than individuals.

Among the basics are establishing an agenda that outlines the meeting's purpose. Are you solving a problem, seeking input or distributing information? Meeting leaders should choose decision-making processes -- among them are command, consultative and consensus -- and time allocated for each agenda item.

Later, they should summarize and document actions to be taken, and ensure follow-through. High performing teams also should frequently review and improve their meeting processes.

Agree on ground rules: Rules for debating issues, making decisions and resolving conflicts should be clear about unacceptable behavior. Anyone who violates a ground rule is called to account by team members.

Focus on the big picture: The old adage says that "it's hard to see the picture when you're inside the frame." Team members build more excitement about the work they are doing if they can see how it plays an important part in a bigger effort. For example, a team working to improve processes in a health-care organization would benefit from learning how their work would benefit patients and caregivers.

Ask each team member to imagine the team's ideal future state in a few years from now. Listen to each person's vision, and then summarize the key themes that have emerged. Some groups also use drawings, cutouts of pictures, symbols, metaphors or success stories to paint a picture of what everyone sees in the future.

Another variation on this exercise is to imagine that each of you is being interviewed by a prestigious trade publication or major newspaper about your accomplishments. What have you done that is noteworthy? What principles guided your success? Where do most people feel your team has made the biggest difference?

Set priorities and review them frequently: Effective teams navigate their way through setbacks, misdirection and negativity that cloud most organizations in mediocrity or low morale. They refuse to be victims of weak senior leadership, cynical colleagues, flawed organizational processes, demanding customers or poor suppliers.

One way to counteract naysayers, for instance, is to challenge them with deeper involvement or problem-solving. Don't allow the cynics to set the team's emotional tone.

Brainstorm a list of the biggest issues to be addressed by asking for ideas on the "dumbest things we do around here," "biggest barriers to reaching our goals," "major implementation issues we need to address," "pet peeves," "dumb rules and forms" and "things that drive you crazy."

Cluster the similar points until there are five to seven major groups.

Then divide them into things the team directly controls, can influence, and can't control at all. Prioritize the things you control and make plans to address them. Do the same for things you can influence. Agree on ways to stop fixating on the issues that the team can do nothing about.

If senior management does a poor job of setting priorities, the better the team must be at doing this.

Team leaders should establish a process to reset goals and priorities as conditions and demands change.

Keep highly visible scoreboards, big thermometers (for a fundraising campaign), bulletin boards, Intranet sites, voice-mail messages and newsletters to update everyone on the team's progress.

Build around strong members, and balance the team for strengths: Strong teams add people because of their strengths, not for their absence of weakness. To balance a team for strengths, the leader of a well-balanced team might assign a person with strong technical abilities and weak people skills to work alongside another member with weak analytical skills and strong communications abilities.

Celebrate and laugh: Strong teams have fun. They care deeply about their work but don't take themselves too seriously. Use humor to diffuse tension or keep things light. You could appoint a Director of Fun, take joke breaks, show humorous video clips or schedule dress-up theme days.

Learn to improve: The final component that continues to strengthen a team and take it to higher levels is a strong feedback and learning loop. Effective teams eagerly look at their processes and behaviors to streamline and improve them. Team members should regularly reflect on what they should keep doing, stop doing, and start doing for continuous improvement.

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Team ground rules

Every team should have ground rules. Here are a few:

Start meetings on time, with all the right participants present.

Focus on the problem, issue or behavior -- not people. No one should make personal put-downs and judgmental statements about others. If you have an issue with another team member, talk to him or her privately and resolve it.

When discussions involve some but not all participants, encourage them to discuss the issue at another time.

Don't cut each other off, finish another person's sentence or engage in side conversations.

Practice "cabinet solidarity" by keeping disagreements and debates inside the meeting room. Don't continue them elsewhere.

Don't discuss sensitive or emotional issues by e-mail. Talk to each other instead.

Look for opportunities to celebrate the team's successes.

Encourage team members to vent frustrations but avoid blaming, whining and wishing for the past. Focus discussions on the present and future.

Saving time and money are one of the most cherished aspects of our lives today. In business, it's not any different. Calculating old fashioned time cards can be a costly headache for companies of any size. And since employees are a very important piece of business, making their lives easier will be an even bigger advantage to using a more modern approach to time keeping.

Using a proper Time Clock System helps automate time consuming, personnel related processes in business. It helps organizations eliminate the paperwork and manual processes associated with outdated attendance systems. It willl actually save your business money, time, and make your employees satisfied. Why wouldn't you want to use a better system?

Here are some positive points to consider for managing your business...

Using a proper Time Clock System benefits your business in many ways:

1. High level of functionality

2. Accurate payroll data ( Eliminates "Time Theft")

3. Cost saving

4. Provides numerous reporting options

5. Increases efficiency

6. Eliminates paperwork

Using a proper Time Clock System also benefits your employees:

1. It makes paperwork easier for them (there's no timesheets to hand in)

2. They can expect that their checks /payments are more accurate

3. Employees can verify their hours easier

4. They have the ability to provide multiple clock out reasons (increases employee accountability)

5. Time off requests will be more streamlined

Modern time and attendance software can make you wonder how you ever got by with your old fashioned time clock. Many companies achieve positive ROI within a few months of their initial investment with Time Clock Software.

Document management systems let businesses store and search digital documents, whether they are scanned images or MS Office documents, PDF files or CAD drawings. Some have a web-based interface to let you view files online, while others have an installed client application for better speed and functionality. All of these solutions require a central database and storage server to hold the files and index information used for searching.

These document management systems require a few days in planning, installation, configuring and training. This is definitely time well spent, ensuring that a correct and optimal implementation at the outset will revolutionise the way in which any company works with its records.

This review highlights a range of proprietary document scanning and document management software, with key functions which they offer.

Systems to Store, Search and View Documents

PaperVision by DigiTech and CompuThink's ViewWise both provide fully featured, HIPAA-compliant (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) document management systems. Both of these systems can grow with company needs, and are affordable enough for small businesses yet powerful enough for large corporations too. Each offers some benefits that the other does not.

To take PaperVision first: this software suite includes a customisable application for searching and viewing, as well as a web interface. PaperVision also has workflow and report management modules which boost any return on investment by allowing the automation of document processes and eliminating pre-printed forms.

A "lite" version called PaperVision XPress offers a similar search interface as PaperVision Enterprise, but comes in at a lower cost, without the extra scalability, security and options.

The other fully featured in-house system featured here is ViewWise. This system is unique in that it is Java-based and can run on Windows/SQL Server as well as Novell, UNIX and Linux operating systems and Oracle database servers. ViewWise also has several key differences in the layout of its user-interface that many users prefer. This includes a folder view for browsing documents.

For a simple, low cost scanning front end for these document storage and retrieval systems, an interesting product is SimpleIndex - which complements both. SimpleIndex is designed to interface directly with both PaperVision and ViewWise, and so provides a simple, low-cost automatic scanning front-end.

In fact, SimpleIndex also includes its own low-cost searching and viewing application that can be used for basic document management tasks, and so SimpleIndex can be used as a standalone document management system, or added to allow the search and viewing of documents on other workstations.

Another document management product is DocuLex WebSearch. This system is a different in that it can automatically index all documents folder contents, similar to the way in which Google Desktop operates. Networked users are able to search on values in filenames, file properties or document contents. Additionally, users can access files via a website - a big advantage for remote workers operating outside the confines of the office building.

Web Hosted Document Management Solutions

The choice in products to allow web access to searchable document storage is wide.to give access to documents via the Internet. A reasonably priced system is Ricoh's DocumentMall which is based on EMC Documentum's Enterprise Content Management platform.

Digitech PaperVision described above, also provides a web interface with its document management server. This allows businesses to store its documents for access online. But an alternative from the same stable is to go for their ImageSilo dedicated hosted solution. ImageSilo has more features than Ricoh's DocumentMall, and so the monthly cost is higher..

DocuLex WebSearch has a small office (10 user) and unlimited user versions that provides web-based access to documents using your in-house servers and a Google Desktop style search interface.

CompuThink ViewWise web clients are also available, giving you full access to document management functions over the web. No hosted solution is available for ViewWise.

Batch-Scanning for Importing into a Document Management System

SimpleIndex enable users to export files directly to the PaperVision and ViewWise batch import format, by means a 1-click scanning interface and powerful dynamic Optical Character Recognition to these systems. Meanwhile, Digitech PaperFlow is the recommended scanning interface for PaperVision. It too has built-in exports - but these also allow exports to almost any document management system, so it can be used no matter which one you choose. PaperFlow is more suitable for multi-user scanning and indexing configurations, while SimpleIndex is better for desktop or distributed capture scenarios.

Systems for Use with Multifunctional Printers and Copiers

Amongst software designed for use with network-attached multifunctional printer and copiers are DocuLex Goby and SimpleIndex., Additionally, the all-embracing scanning and storage system INVU is a simple to use document scanning, storage and retrieval system preferred by many business equipment owners looking to maximise their document handling workflow efficiency.

The architecture of INVU software makes it a big hit with IT Managers. It integrates seamlessly with legacy systems, appearing as an icon in the toolbar and dovetailing neatly with complex packages like Sage or ACT.

For many business owners and prospective business owners, there often comes a time when you consider the possibility of forming a partnership with another entity. This entity may be another business, an individual, or group of individuals. This article discusses the issues of forming a partnership with another individual. Whether you are an existing business owner, or are thinking of starting a new business, at some stage, consideration is often given to going it alone, or forming a partnership. There are many reasons people form partnerships; generally there is a shared goal, or shared recognition of the potential of a particular opportunity. For a partnership to be successful there has to be more than a shared goal for those involved. An important component is trust on both sides, in conjunction with sound communication between the parties. Below is a list of the advantages of forming a partnership.

Advantages

Financial - investment and loans can be spread
Workload - workload is reduced by sharing between two
Planning - planning can be improved by having two heads looking at ideas
Stress reduction - stress of running a business can be reduced
Focus - better focus can be provided by separating responsibility for different areas
Opportunity - better position to look at opportunities
Growth - business can grow faster as a result of the above advantages

While each of the points in the above list has merit, the last three, which I like to call FOG provide the greatest advantage to the success of the business and should be a primary consideration when forming a partnership. In relation to FOG and a potential partnership, these are the questions you need to ask yourself.

Questions

Will the partnership allow me to focus on specific areas of the business, thus improving the operation of these areas?
Will the partnership enhance the ability to identify and move on new opportunities?
Will the partnership provide opportunities for greater growth then is presently possible?

If you cannot answer yes to each of these questions, I would suggest that you do not proceed with any potential partnership, as it would not be providing any advantage for the ongoing success of your business. In an ideal scenario, a successful partnership can provide far greater opportunities and a faster realization of both business and financial growth. There are however disadvantages to forming a partnership and it is worth being aware of some of the pitfalls before embarking on a joint venture. You will notice that the points listed as an advantage also form the disadvantages list.

Disadvantages

Financial - partners may not agree on financial matters, such as level of investment and remuneration
Workload - may not be evenly spread between the partners
Planning - partners may not agree on the direction of the business
Stress - can increase due to differences mentioned above
Focus - lack of focus and completion of tasks by a partner
Opportunity - as with focus, one partner may always be chasing the next big thing rather then the tasks at hand
Growth - business lacks growth due to the above issues

So why are the two lists the same? There is a dichotomy between the advantages and disadvantages in partnerships. What can be an advantage on one hand, can, if not implemented correctly become a disadvantage.

Why Partnerships Fail

It is a well known fact that many partnerships fail, even ones that are successful. The reasons for the failure are as numerous as the number of failures, but I'll give you one here that I think is the primary reason for the majority of partnership failure;

Perception 

When things are going well, perception is not such an issue, but when problems arise, even little ones, there is the perception that the other party is at fault. One or both partners may feel that the other partner is not pulling their weight, is not committed enough, has lost interest, has lost the hunger, is holding them back, etc, resulting in a breakdown of trust. As I said the reasons are numerous, but the perception is the key.

How To Avoid Failure

There is no simple answer to this, but to avoid the problems of perception, the key component is communication. There needs to be clear and open channels between both parties so that issues can be addressed before they fester into something far more damaging.

Why do we resist change?

As the saying goes, the only people who like change are busy cashiers and wet babies. We find change disorienting, creating within us an anxiety similar to culture shock, the unease visitors to an alien land feel because of the absence of the familiar cues they took for granted back home. With an established routine, we don't have to think! And thinking is hard work.

Change is a business fact of life

Is your company is currently undergoing major changes that will affect the lives of all of its employees? These changes are probably in response to the evolving needs of your customers. They are made possible because of improvements in telecommunications and digital technology. They are likely guided by accepted principles and practices of total quality management. And you can expect that they will result in significant improvements profitability--a success that all employees will share. Because our customers' needs are NOW, we must make changes swiftly, which means that all of us must cooperate with the changes, rather than resist them.

How do we resist change?

We tend to respond to change the same way we respond to anything we perceive as a threat: by flight or fight. Our first reaction is flight--we try to avoid change if we can. We do what futurist Faith Popcorn calls "cocooning": we seal ourselves off from those around us and try to ignore what is happening. This can happen in the workplace just by being passive. We don't volunteer for teams or committees; we don't make suggestions, ask questions, or offer constructive criticism. But the changes ahead are inescapable. Those who "cocoon" themselves will be left behind.

Even worse is to fight, to actively resist change. Resistance tactics might include negativity, destructive criticism, and even sabotage. If this seldom happens at your company, you are fortunate.

Take a different approach to change

Rejecting both alternatives of flight or flight, we seek a better option--one that neither avoids change nor resists it, but harnesses and guides it.

Change can be the means to your goals, not a barrier to them.
Both fight and flight are reactions to perceiving change as a threat. But if we can change our perceptions, we can avoid those reactions. An old proverb goes, "Every change brings an opportunity." In other words, we must learn to see change as a means of achieving our goals, not a barrier preventing us from reaching them.

Another way of expressing the same thought is: A change in my external circumstances provides me with an opportunity to grow as a human being. The greater the change is, the greater and faster I can grow. If we can perceive change along these lines, we will find it exciting and energizing, rather than depressing and debilitating.

Yet this restructuring of our perspective on change can take some time. In fact, coping with change follows the same steps as the grieving process.1 The steps are shock and denial that the old routine must be left behind, then anger that change is inevitable, then despair and a longing for the old ways, eventually replaced by acceptance of the new and a brighter view of the future. Everyone works through this process; for some, the transition is lightning fast, for others painfully slow.

Realize your capacity to adapt.

As one writer put it recently:

Our foreparents lived through sea changes, upheavals so cataclysmic, so devastating we may never appreciate the fortitude and resilience required to survive them. The next time you feel resistant, think about them and about what they faced--and about what they fashioned from a fraction of the options we have. They blended old and new worlds, creating family, language, cuisine and new life-affirming rhythms, and they encouraged their children to keep on stepping toward an unknown but malleable future.2

Human beings are created remarkably flexible, capable of adapting to a wide variety of environments and situations. Realizing this can help you to embrace and guide change rather than resisting or avoiding it.

Develop a coping strategy based on who you are.

Corporate employees typically follow one of four decision-making styles: analytical, directive, conceptual, and behavioral. These four styles, described in a book by Alan J. Rowe and Richard O. Mason,3 have the following characteristics:

Analytical Style – technical, logical, careful, methodical, needs much data, likes order, enjoys problem-solving, enjoys structure, enjoys scientific study, and enjoys working alone.

Conceptual Style – creative and artistic, future oriented, likes to brainstorm, wants independence, uses judgment, optimistic, uses ideas vs. data, looks at the big picture, rebellious and opinionated, and committed to principles or a vision.

Behavioral Style – supportive of others, empathetic, wants affiliation, nurtures others, communicates easily, uses instinct, avoids stress, avoids conflict, relies on feelings instead of data, and enjoys team/group efforts.

Directive Style – aggressive, acts rapidly, takes charge, persuasive and/or is manipulative, uses rules, needs power/status, impatient, productive, single-minded, and enjoys individual achievements.

Read once more through these descriptions and identify which style best describes you. Then find and study the strategy people who share your style follow to cope with change:

Analytical coping strategy – You see change as a challenging puzzle to be solved. You need plenty of time to gather information, analyze data, and draw conclusions. You will resist change if you are not given enough time to think it through.

Conceptual coping strategy – You are interested in how change fits into the big picture. You want to be involved in defining what needs to change and why. You will resist change if you feel excluded from participating in the change process.

Behavioral coping strategy – You want to know how everyone feels about the changes ahead. You work best when you know that the whole group is supportive of each other and that everyone champions the change process. If the change adversely affects someone in the group, you will perceive change as a crisis.

Directive coping strategy – You want specifics on how the change will affect you and what your own role will be during the change process. If you know the rules of the change process and the desired outcome, you will act rapidly and aggressively to achieve change goals. You resist change if the rules or anticipated results are not clearly defined.

Realizing what our normal decision-making style is, can enable us to develop personal change-coping tactics.

How can we cope with change?

1. Get the big picture. – Sometimes, not only do we miss the forest because of the trees, but we don't even see the tree because we're focused on the wood. Attaining a larger perspective can help all of us to cope with change, not just the conceptualists. The changes underway at my company are clearly following at least four important trends, which I believe are probably reflective of businesses in general:

Away from localized work toward network-based work,

Away from a feast-or-famine working environment toward a routinely busy working environment,

Away from site-limited approaches toward approaches that are consistent company-wide, and

Away from vertical, top-down management toward a more horizontal management structure, with shared accountability.

Getting at least this much comprehension of the big picture will help us to understand where each of us fits.

2. Do some anchoring. – When everything around you is in a state of flux, it sure helps to find something stable that isn't going to change, no matter what. Your company's values (whether articulated or not) can provide that kind of stability for you. Ours include the Company Family, Focus on the Customer, Be Committed to Quality, and Maintain Mutual Respect. These values are rock-solid; they are not going to disappear or rearrange themselves into something else. Plus, each of us has personal values that perhaps are even more significant and permanent. Such immovables can serve as anchors to help us ride out the storm.

3. Keep your expectations realistic. – A big part of taking control of the change you experience is to set your expectations. You can still maintain an optimistic outlook, but aim for what is realistically attainable. That way, the negatives that come along won't be so overwhelming, and the positives will be an adrenaline rush. Here are some examples:

There will be some bumps along the road. We shouldn't expect all of the changes ahead to be painless, demanding only minimal sacrifice, cost, or effort. In fact, we should expect some dead ends, some breakdowns in communications, and some misunderstandings, despite our best efforts to avoid them. We may not be able to anticipate all of the problems ahead, but we can map out in general terms how we will deal with them.

Not everyone will change at the same rate. The learning rates of any employees will distribute themselves along a bell curve. A few will adapt rapidly, most will take more time, and a few will adjust gradually. Also, many younger employees may find change, especially technological innovations, easier than those older. The reason may be, as one observer explains, "Older people's hard disks are fuller."4 On the other hand, you may find some younger ones surprisingly reluctant to take on a new challenge.

The results of change may come more slowly than we would want. As participants in an "instant society," conditioned by the media to expect complex problems to reach resolution in a 60-minute time frame, we may find the positive results of change slow to arrive from the distant horizon. If we are aware of this, we won't be so disappointed if tomorrow's results seem so similar to today's.

4. Develop your own, personal change tactics. Get plenty of exercise, plenty of rest, and watch your diet. Even if you take all the right steps and follow the best advice, undergoing change creates stress in your life, and stress takes energy. Aware of this, you can compensate by taking special care of your body.

Invest time and energy in training. Sharpen your skills so that you can meet the challenges ahead with confidence. If the training you need is not available through Bowne, get it somewhere else, such as the community college or adult education program in your area.

Get help when you need it. If you are confused or overwhelmed with the changes swirling around you, ask for help. Your supervisor, manager, or coworkers may be able to assist you in adjusting to the changes taking place. Your human resources department and any company-provided counseling services are other resources available to you.

Make sure the change does not compromise either your company values or your personal ones. If you are not careful, the technological advances jostling each other for your attention and adoption will tend to isolate you from personal contact with your coworkers and customers. E-mail, teleconference, voice-mail, and Intranet can make us more in touch with each other, or they can keep us antiseptically detached, removed from an awareness that the digital signals we are sending reach and influence another flesh-and-blood human being.

Aware of this tendency, we must actively counteract the drift in this direction by taking an interest in people and opening up ourselves to them in return. We have to remember to invest in people--all of those around us--not just in technology.

The "new normalcy"

Ultimately, we may discover that the current state of flux is permanent. After the events of September 11, Vice President Richard Cheney said we should accept the many resultant changes in daily life as permanent rather than temporary. "Think of them," he recommended, "as the 'new normalcy.'"

You should take the same approach to the changes happening at your workplace. These are not temporary adjustments until things get "back to normal." They are probably the "new normalcy" of your life as a company. The sooner you can accept that these changes are permanent, the better you can cope with them all--and enjoy their positive results.

Notes

1. Nancy J. Barger and Linda K. Kirby, The Challenge of Change in Organizations: Helping Employees Thrive in the New Frontier (Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publ., 1995). This source is summarized in Mary M. Witherspoon, "Coping with Change," Women in Business 52, 3 (May/June 2000): 22-25.

2. Susan Taylor, "Embracing Change," Essence (Feb. 2002): 5.

3. Alan J. Rowe and Richard O. Mason, Managing with Style: A Guide to Understanding, Assessing and Improving Decision-Making (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Management Series, 1987) cited in Witherspoon, "Coping with Change."

4. Emily Friedman, "Creature Comforts," Health Forum Journal 42, 3 (May/June 1999): 8-11. Futurist John Naisbitt has addressed this tendency in his book, High tech/high touch: Technology and our search for meaning (New York: Random House, 1999). Naisbitt co-wrote this book with his daughter Nana Naisbitt and Douglas Philips.

Simply put, an intranet application is a small internal website running within a secured business environment. Intranet is basically a network of computers in an organization that is used for sharing of data among the employees. An intranet application is also sometimes referred to as corporate portal or private business network. Depending on the requirements it needs to cater to, the application can be basic in structure or exhaustive with complex interlinks and data exchanges. Stephen Lawton, a technical editor, introduced the term Intranet in 1995.

A typical intranet application works on HTML and TCP/IP, similar to internet. However, the basic difference is that the entire setup runs on LAN (Local Area Network). Intranet application development involves use of hardware with networking capabilities and software technologies that include web servers, browsers, TCP/IP, Ethernet, and WiFi systems. When the organization uses internet on the same network, the application is usually configured behind a firewall through a gateway so that unauthorized access is restricted.

Intranet applications should ideally allow the employees at levels to access required information, take decisions, and perform in an effective manner. Thus, the intranet application development cycle must be carefully planned and accomplished. Following steps can be considered when designing an intranet application.

Define objectives - set the guidelines for which the intranet is being developed and will be used, and so on.



Prepare the intranet plan - chart out the structure of the intranet, hardware and software that will be used, number of users and their access rights, nature of the information available on it.



Design and implement intranet application - having acquired the necessary resources complete the intranet designing, deployment, and other implementation tasks.

Create awareness about the intranet - promote the intranet among the relevant users so that it is effectively used and the set objectives are fulfilled.

There are many advantages of intranet application, foremost being improved productivity and reduced costs.

Faster access to information and updates allows the employees to make quicker decisions and take actions, thus improving the overall productivity of the organization.



Intranet applications facilitate accurate flow of targeted information across verticals and horizontals, which could possibly reduce number of emails floating around in an organization.



Important policy documents, training materials, company knowledge documents can be maintained on the intranet application and can be accessed from a single source when required.



There is no need to maintain physical copies of information or other documents and hence intranet applications prove to be cost effective solutions.

Though intranets offer many advantages, it is required that intranet application development is robust enough to handle multiple users at a time, and at that same time ensure that corporate confidentiality is maintained.

With nearly 75% of all employees living paycheck-to-paycheck, personal finance issues can adversely affect the work performance. To combat this growing trend, employers are increasingly offering workplace personal financial education for their employees as part of their benefits program. They see this as a real need to help their employees. Further, they see this as an opportunity to fulfill obligations imposed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and recent Depart of Labor (DOL) guidelines. Since 1990, DOL has encouraged employers to provide financial education to help workers better understand their employer-sponsored retirement plans.

The top 10 reason why employers embrace workplace financial education includes:

1. To increase participation in and contributions to 401(K), 403(B), and other retirement plans.

2. To help workers improve their personal financial wellness.

3. To help workers remove obstacles to fully funding their retirement plans.

4. To increase employee loyalty and morale.

5. To improve workers’ chances to retire early or on time.

6. To reduce workers’ stress.

7. To increase workplace productivity.

8. To reduce the incidence of employee theft.

9. To help employers avoid lawsuits.

10. To remove limits on tax-deferred savings for highly compensated employees.


Previously, most workplace personal financial education programs were offered via face-to face training seminars and workshops. This delivery method can be costly and requires that everyone be present. As result of these constraints, this delivery method has not always proved to be the most successful. To address this issue, Strativia Software develops branded workplace personal financial education web portals and sites that seamlessly integrate into a company’s existing intranet or corporate website. These portals are filled with unbiased financial education content, surveys, assessments, calculators, and other tools and resources.

Employers are not alone in recognizing the benefits of financial education. Workers also want personal financial education provided through their employers. They feel this service is more valuable than some other less frequently used benefits provided by their employer.

If a company does not currently offer a workplace personal financial education program to their employees, they should look to implement such a program as soon as possible. A personal financial education web portal or website can yield huge benefits for the long and short term for both the organization and the people involved. Regardless of your specific need in the area of financial education, there is a solution. In fact, Strativia’s branded portals are creative and user-friendly with a focus on personal financial literacy, retirement planning and preparation, and investor education.

Do you only communicate with your employees when you have something to announce, like that new executive VP you just hired? How much do your employees know about your company, each other, and the industry they work in? Do you think that matters? How do you motivate your employees – with a carrot or a stick? Do you have a well designed systematic program for communicating with your employees? Do you know why you should?

You should have a well designed systematic program for communicating with your employees because you are all on the same team. You need that team to function at its peak performance for your business to succeed. How can it do that if it doesn’t know the rules of the game? How can it do it if you never give them any encouragement or direction as a good coach would do? How can it do it if they don’t know and trust each other? How can it do it if you don’t help them learn? How can it do it if you never listen to them?

Those questions suggest for us five key goals or purposes of an effective employee communication program. They are to:

1. Inform employees about important business developments at your company

2. Motivate employees by recognizing and celebrating successes and achievements

3. Build a community of employees by sharing best practices, ideas, and experiences

4. Teach employees on topics that will make them more effective in their jobs

5. Listen to and learn from employees so that their ideas can make a difference

Let’s take these goals one at a time. First, to inform employees about important business developments at your company. The more they know about what’s going in the company and your strategy, the easier it will be for them to make their own decisions and actions conform. This includes information, news, and updates about your strategy and direction, business goals and objectives, company mission and values, major project or task force updates, regular business status and operations updates, organizations changes, and – yes – announcements about executive changes. When? This type of information has a newsy aspect to it so the sooner the better. You really don’t want your employees to be forced to go elsewhere to find out what what’s going on in your (and their) company. How? This really depends on the magnitude of the news and how much it will impact them employees. Simple news updates can be sent out via email, but big changes in strategy or organizations that will affect everyone’s job will need to have as much face-to-face communication as possible. Whether you use town hall meetings, brown bag lunches, groups meetings in a park, employee newsletters, or video or web-broadcasts, making a direct personal connection with your employees to help them understand the change directly from you will go a long way to making it successful.

Motivate employees by recognizing and celebrating successes and achievements. Recognize individual employees, or a group of employees by personally congratulating them for their work in a very public way. By doing this you will add fuel to one of the most powerful motivating tools at your disposal. You’ll be making a direct connection with the employee to let them know that what they do is important to you, that you appreciate their contribution, and that their work should be viewed by everyone else in the company as an example to aspire to. The more specific and personal to an individual the better. Of course, overall company successes and achievements should be recognized as well. When? Frequently, and whenever you have an opportunity to address as many of your employees as possible in open communication, like monthly broadcasts or town hall meetings and newsletters.

Build a community of employees by sharing best practices, ideas, and experiences. If your employees turn to each other for ideas and sharing best practices they will also develop trust, improve team problem solving, and increase their sense of commitment and dedication to the success of your business as a whole. Encourage them to share amongst each other but also reward them for doing so in group sessions where one department or work group may share some new discovery or process with the rest of the organization. If they also share information about themselves and their personal interests or hobbies outside of work, they will find they have more in common than just their jobs, and that will strengthen the bonds between them. When? Use all your regular and frequent communications mechanisms including town hall meetings, newsletters, and intranet web site including electronic bulletin boards and internal web blogs.

Teach employees on topics that will make them more effective in their jobs. Keeping your employees current with the latest developments in your industry, new government regulations, new technology developments, competitive developments, and economic developments will empower them to do better work and provide better service to your customers. Knowledgeable employees are better able to make informed decisions with the confidence that they are making the right decision. They’ll be more productive and more motivated as well. When? On a continuous basis use both computerized self-paced training and classroom style sessions where appropriate.

Listen to and learn from employees so that their ideas can make a difference. If employees know that their ideas and suggestions will in fact be heard and can make a direct positive contribution to the business, they will become more engaged in their work and in the interests of making your company more productive. This is true even if a particular idea is not enacted. When? Constantly, and at every opportunity. How? Create reward mechanisms for employees who bring ideas forward that are implemented and result in significant benefits to your business. Reward people for submitting ideas by handing out a gift certificate randomly to people who submit ideas. Hold contests between departments. Use suggestion boxes, web based surveys, brown bag lunches, focus group meetings, and even one-on-one face to face meetings – just listen to them.

Some simple guiding principles to keep in mind as you develop and execute your employee communications plan. First, build direct and immediate feedback and measurement into all communication – listening is as important as talking when you’re trying to build a team. Second, engage and interact with employees so they are participating in the communication. Include their achievements, news, best practices, and so on, in their own words. Third, be honest and open and timely with all company news. And last, but not least, play. Lighten up with humor and games and you’ll find they trust you more, they will be more innovative, work together better, work harder, keep your customers happier, and serve as the lifeblood of your business when you need them the most.

Although it may seem like a new word, the term e-business was hatched back in 1997, making it no spring chicken. Considering the fact that it describes an entirely new way of conducting business, however, it is safe to say that it’s still in its early stages of use. With every turn of the page you’ll see the term defined in a different way, shape or form. Perhaps this is because it describes such a large scope of processes, ranging from sending out a newsletter to selling an Audi online. So, what exactly is e-business and what does it mean to the future of a business owner?

E-Business Defined

The United States Census Bureau defines e-business as "any process that a business organization conducts over a computer mediated network. Business organizations include any for profit, governmental, non-profit entity. Their processes include production-, customer-, and internal or management-focused business processes." In a shorter broader sense, e-business is the process of conducting business electronically or over the internet. Electronic mail is e-mail, electronic commerce is e-commerce, and following this formula, electronic business is e-business. Every time business is conducted over the internet, e-business takes place and as the internet grows, so grows e-business.

Where Does E-Business Take Place?

E-business is offered to all users via the internet, to internal users via an intranet (similar to the internet, an intranet is a smaller network of computers usually within a single organization), and to specified users via an extranet (an intranet partially accessible to specified users from outside an organization via a valid username and password).

Three Main Types of E-Business

1. Business to Consumer (B2C)

The most widely recognized form of e-business, B2C is the exchange of information, products or services taking place between a business and a consumer over the internet. As the internet develops, B2C is continually changing the way consumers acquire information, the way products are compared against one another and the way in which they are purchased.

An example of a B2C only site is amazon.com. Ae.com is an example of a B2C site housing a physical location as well.

2. Business to Business (B2B)

The largest form of e-business in terms of money spent is B2B. Business-to-business allows trading to take place between businesses, using a low-cost sales channel for the sale of goods and services and is responsible for constantly changing corporate buying habits.

An example of a B2B site would be a car part company selling parts to a car dealership, another company, rather than directly to consumers.

3. Business to Government (B2G)

B2G is the online exchange of information and transactions between businesses and government agencies, also known as e-government. B2G allows government agencies and businesses to use electronic means to conduct business and interact with each other over the internet.

An example of a B2G site would be one that offers electronic tax filing.

E-Commerce and its Relation to E-Business

The United States Census Bureau defines e-commerce as "any transaction completed over a computer mediated network that involves the transfer of ownership or rights to use goods and services. Transactions occur within selected e-business processes (eg. selling process) and are ‘completed’ when agreement is reached between buyer and seller to transfer ownership or rights to use goods or services." So while e-business covers the entire range of online business dealings (from customer service to selling), e-commerce refers specifically to one entity paying for goods or services from another entity via the internet. With this in mind, remember that e-commerce can relate to all types of e-business involved in the transfer of goods or services, including but not limited to B2C, B2B and B2G.

Click to Learn More about E-Business Solutions for Online Selling.

Knowledge management is a technique of methodical compilation, transfer, safekeeping and management of information inside organizations, along with systems designed to make the most of that knowledge. It refers particularly to tools and techniques developed to safeguard information and knowledge held by individuals who make up the organization. It is at once a software bazaar and a part of consultancy practice related to fields such as competitive intelligence. A key focus of knowledge management deals with knowledge that is not easy to digitally codify, such as individual experiences.

The process of knowledge management also goes by a few other terms in its various developmental stages. One is “corporate learning” and it has the following basic aims: recognizing, collecting and systematizing existing knowledge and facilitating the creation of new knowledge. Knowledge management has existed from time immemorial, either in the form of discussions, brainstorming sessions or in more formal ways such as apprenticeships and professional training tutoring programs.

However, it is only now that knowledge management is being incorporated as a business practice, and thus it has seen the introduction of certain knowledge and information technology practices, the establishment of intranets within corporate environments and so on. All this is part of a bid to establish knowledge management systems.

Knowledge management system is a widely circulated hypermedia technique for the management of knowledge, encouragement of creativity and the capturing, storing and distributing of that expertise and knowledge. The term hypermedia is used to describe a medium in which audio, video and plain text intersect to create a lateral mode of information storage and dissemination. In other words, the term “hypermedia” can be used as a plausible extension of the term “hypertext”.

For instance, the World Wide Web is a good example of hypermedia, whereas the same cannot be said of a movie on DVD. The World Wide Web is used as a space where global information is stored, accessed and transmitted through computers which are wired to the Internet. The web is a space that can be effectively used to implement knowledge management systems effectively, just as the office intranet facility can also be used. In itself, it is not a knowledge management system. However, it can be used to store and access a knowledge management system.

Setting up an intranet or extranet can be as easy as purchasing access
through an application service provider (ASP), purchasing and
installing third-party software, or building an extranet or intranet
internally. Here is a quick summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each approach:
1. Building it yourself

Advantages:

Complete control of user interface design
Ability to customize level of functionality for each client
Integration into internal systems
Direct access to user activity

Disadvantages:

High up-front development cost
Requires staff expertise in the development of intranets and extranets
Commitment of internal staff for 6 months to a year for planning, execution, review and implementation
An ongoing commitment of internal staff for internal and client support, hosting, maintenance and upgrades
2. Purchasing/installing third-party software
Advantages:

Proven track-record of packaged solution
Ability to choose functions and to customize user interface
More rapid implementation compared to building it yourself
Disadvantages:

High up-front purchase cost
Commitment of internal staff for customization and implementation
Ongoing commitment of internal staff for internal and client support, hosting, maintenance and upgrades
Extensive internal and client training
3. Using a Service Provider (ASP) Advantages:

Proven track-record, often with expertise in the
application of intranets and extranets in particular industries
Low cost of entry and predictable cost over time
Virtually immediate implementation
No commitment of internal staff for internal and client
support, hosting, or maintenance
Upgrades at no cost by extranet
experts
Savings on internal server use

Disadvantages:

Less freedom in user interface design
Fixed functionality
In the final analysis…
The approach you choose depends on how you work, the technical and
financial resources at your disposal, and how rapidly you need to move
forward.

Selecting a compare tool does not have to be all that difficult, despite the effort involved. Choosing a compare all be as easy as using the correct software and connecting a search on Google or another search engine for compare tools online. Selecting a compare tool can be a simple task, providing that the user has enough information to me correct decision and is not distracted by extraneous information. No software uses some type of compare tool as the heart of their antivirus and security efforts while many compare tools are used for judging software and comparing one file to another in an intranet setting. This includes comparing my SQL Server database libraries and other important files and software. The compare tool is an effective method of differentiating between different types of text, software and other documents and formats. Utilizing the correct compare tool means all the difference in the world to the software user as using the correct tool for the job can make every difference for the effectiveness and utilization of the perspectives software tool.

Considering the wide available options for compare tools available on the Internet, it is important that the user conduct a comprehensive search into the types and styles of compare tools available and choose the one that most closely since the user's needs. While many file compare tools offer effective solutions to the needs of the software user, it is important to choose the file compare tool that is effective and tailored to meet the needs of the individual user and their efforts to effectively implement a file compare tool solution into their network, enterprise or corporate network or data integration strategy. By utilizing the file compare tool, organizations and corporations alike can ensure that they are not wasting any time or space on duplicate backup material or duplicate content in their digital media and other storage devices. In the world of corporate storage, the amount of duplicate content is staggering when the file compare tool is not properly applied and utilized to reduce the tremendous amounts of space wastage. The file compare tool can save corporations a tremendous amount of money on wasted space, wasted productivity and wasted data cycles for backup machines that copy duplicate material endlessly on a regular schedule without the file compare tool.

As many file compare tools as there are on the Internet, some of them are simply not effective. While using a free file compare tool can leave you feeling like you have struck a bargain, the use of these file compare tools can be ineffective and leave you feeling that you are wasting your time. Use of the file compare tool software is critical for some industries that require file compare tools for critical tasks that are necessary to ensure the best efficiency and conservation of resources available in the corporate environment. In this manner the file compare tool serves as an effective method of reducing duplicated storage content as well as providing information on new and existing changes to the original document or file in question. By providing a usable data trail that the administrator can follow the file compare tool gives the user the ability to track changes in ongoing individual and global log events.

Public relations is about reputation management - getting a good reputation and keeping it so customers will find you and use your services or products. PR really does mean relationships with your publics.

Who are "your publics" anyway? Well, it's not just the public. A business benefits from good relationships with board and staff members, distributors, service providers, potential customers, present and past customers, businesses in close proximity to your office, businesses in an allied field, other business folks who can steer customers to you, sources of capital perhaps, and the media.

Strategies and Tactics

Public relations strategies and tactics - like commemorating your company's 25th anniversary or donating your staff members' time to clean up and plant shrubs in a pocket park in a blighted urban neighborhood - should be an integral part of your overall, ongoing marketing strategy.

Garnering good coverage by the media conveys credibility or endorsement. Therefore, an article about your business is remembered by readers more than an ad.

With today's diverse and fragmented media venues, it's difficult to know where to send your news - or, frankly, what about you may be newsworthy. More often than not, it's hard to convince busy media of the news worthiness of your story.

Don't have any real news right now? Consider informing reporters and editors about your expertise in your field - position yourself as a resource to be quoted - best timed in connection with hot national news or a new trend. For example, my wedding planner client did not have any particular news, but upon learning from her that many folks get engaged at Valentine's Day, I called area newspapers using that nugget and offering her up as a local expert. The effort resulted in an interview of her by her area newspaper!

Writing articles for publication is a strategy that elevates your reputation and may bring you business. For my clients who have written articles, I have placed these in national and regional magazines. Being published, furthermore, gave the author additional online presence as the articles are "picked up" by Web search engines.

Face-to-face networking is an important public relations strategy widely employed but not necessarily effectively by a lot of business people. In fact, many folks are uncomfortable meeting new people. One way to overcome the anxiety and maximize the business networking opportunity is to plan to employ listening skills and consider how to be of value to each person with whom you shake hands and exchange business cards. Giving gets!

You cannot physically appear everywhere. But you can virtually "be" everywhere. The advent of Web 2.0 has presented marketing and PR folks with new challenges as well as opportunities to reach a wider audience and receive comments and opinions. PR and marketing professionals alike get their company's or client's messages across via online resources such as ezines, presentations on YouTube or the firm's intranet, social and business networking sites, podcasts, webinars, RSS feeds, and other tactics.

10 Tactics

There are many avenues a potential customer may travel before contacting you, so consider integrating these 10 tactics into the PR/Marketing mix:

1. actively network face to face,
2. have a professional online presence
3. use examples and testimonials to illustrate your worth;
4. help a charity and share that news,
5. host or sponsor a special event,
6. optimize your web site for search,
7. make presentations about your industry,
8. post a video of your presentation on your web site and YouTube,
9. produce a "give away" item carrying your logo and telephone number.
10. Keep in contact periodically with your customers past and present and your business allies

Get Professional Help

If you don't have the means to employ a public relations professional, it's not hard to find talent to engage for projects. Ask your business network or check with the local chapter of Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa-ncc.org) or the Independent PR Alliance (www.ipra.org [http://www.ipra.org]).

Designed to be a great mobile phone offering all the benefits of UMTS including video calling, high-bandwidth multi-media downloads and the ability to browse the Internet with full HTML pages, the P990i takes effective communications to new heights. With the P990i, you have access to the internet everywhere, you can push email to get your email straight to your phone, and have video conferencing for communications.

The Sony Ericsson P990i is a vastly more capable handset than its predecessors with many major improvements. The Sony Ericsson P990 has multiple text input methods enabling it to support all users needs and preferences. You can do multi tasking, by being able to browse the internet, send and receive files at the same time as talking due to the enhanced capabilities of the new software platform. The combination of UMTS and WLAN features of the handset significantly improves the efficiency and flexibility of applications such as e-mail, browsing the internet/intranet and video telephony. WLAN acts as a complement to high speed 3G services, enabling widespread access to corporate network services.

The 2 Megapixel camera with autofocus, digital zoom, photo light plus the bright TFT screen and video recording provide a high quality imaging experience for the users of Sony Ericsson P990i. The other features include operating system - Symbian OS v9.1, size - 114 x 57 x 25, weight - 155g with battery and flip keyboard, screen - Large 2.8 inch QVGA (240 x 320) touch screen with 262 k colours that supports landscape view for camera, video imaging and browsing, bluetooth - Includes car handsfree profile, infrared, USB, FM Radio, Landscape view for camera, video imaging and browsing, autofocus for still pictures, video clip recording and video calls, video telephony and suport for Microsoft Excel. Word, Powerpoint and Adobe PDF.

Sony Ericsson P990i

Hotmail, Earthlink, Google, Yahoo, Comcast and other web-based email users have been giving up all their login details to phishers and current estimates are as many as 1 million accounts may have been compromised.

News of the scam broke when technology blog neowin.net reported an anonymous user had published confidential details on pastebin.com. Internet users are urged to change their passwords regularly and ensure anti-virus software is up to date to protect themselves from fraudsters.

While phishing emails keep pouring in, their methods are changing rapidly. Posing as a Nigerian prince is still common, but not as effective. Even posing as a known bank or Paypal, asking to update an account for various reasons and requesting a potential victim's user name and password is not as effective as it used to be.

Much of the phishing that occurs today is targeted "spear phishing," in which the spammers are after a localized target. Going after a CEO is called "whaling." Who better to take down than the biggest phish of them all? Most corporate websites offer plenty of data on the company officers and administrative contacts, which makes it relatively easy to create a sucker list. If scammers send an email blast to the entire company, eventually someone is likely to cough up enough data to allow the scammers to tap into the company's intranet. Once the scammers have accessed the intranet, all further phishing emails will appear to be coming from a trusted, internal source.

Perhaps the most insidious type of phishing occurs when a recipient clicks a link, either in the body of an email or on the spoofed website linked in the email, and a download begins. That download is almost always a virus with a remote control component , which gives the phisher full access to the user's data, including usernames and passwords, credit cards details, banking and Social Security numbers. Often, that same virus makes the victim's PC part of a botnet.

How to avoid becoming a victim? Delete.

Change passwords often. Combine uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and characters. Don't use consecutive letters or numbers, and never use names of pets, family members, or close friends. Instead use the first letters of phrases

Never click links in the body of an email that are coming from a bank, Paypal or any enterprise that may be leading to a request to enter data. Go to your favorites menu or manually type the address in.

Pay attention to phishing filters. Most updated browsers have built-in phish filters that toss up a red flag warning of a potential ruse.

1. Protecting yourself from new account fraud requires effort. You can attempt to protect your own identity, by getting yourself a credit freeze, or setting up your own fraud alerts. There are pros and cons to each.

2. Invest in Identity Protection and Prevention. Because when all else fails you'll have someone watching your back.

Ireland isn't going to be the next Calcutta or Mumbai. It isn't trying to be the back office customer care contact center Mecca of the Western world. Which is probably just as well.

What it does want to do is build its position as a leading European provider of the next business stage up from contact centers - contact center plus, if you like - offering serious technical support and a whole range of services way beyond giving simple solutions to straightforward customer inquiries. Some are operated by outsourced suppliers but most in Ireland are managed by the companies they serve.

Here, staff are dealing with the entire internal communications system for vast, multi-national operations. They are handling not only traditional Helpdesk calls, but providing technical support to their own staff and business-to-business, dealing with HR issues like recruitment and sick leave, payroll systems, company accounts as well as in-company communications about policy and strategy, staff and customer information and the intranet function.

In its now sophisticated telecoms sector, Ireland boasts 66 contact centres for a range of companies that include 3Com, American Airlines, AOL, Dell, eBay, GE Insurance, Google, Hewlett Packard, IBM, MBNA, Oracle, Starwood Hotels, Symantec and Xerox - and that's just an arbitrary sample.

These centres - Europeans call them Shared Services Centres, but most Americans will be more familiar with the term Managed Services - are where Ireland sees its growth potential, though the Irish have no intention of turning their backs on ordinary contact center investments serving banking and catalog customers for example.

Technology is changing the product. Just answering the phone isn't enough these days. To be successful, the centers need to serve the world in a host of functions.

A Customer Backlash May Boost Ireland's Efforts

A recent survey of 1,000 UK adults by contact center industry analysts ContactBabel found that 142 had switched supplier because their existing one used an offshore service, while three in four said they felt more negatively towards their supplier if they used offshore agents.

Steve Morrell, principal analyst at ContactBabel said in the report: "If UK businesses do not address the concerns of their customers, the level of customer defection will increase and their profits will decline further. "

Therein lies a problem - and for Ireland, an opportunity. In India, university graduates, attracted by the prestige of contact center jobs, earn perhaps ten times the average wage but still cost their employers only a tenth of a European or US-based operation.

Hypothetically, that means a typical bank with 12 million customers and revenues of $400 per customer each year would save over $17 million by replacing 1,000 of its expensive call centre staff with 1,000 in India. The downside is that same hypothetical bank would need only about one per cent of its customers to defect to another bank in protest to have lost all those savings instantly.

"Ireland is the only native English-speaking member of the Eurozone," points out Brendan Haplin, International Media Manager at the IDA, the Irish government agency which seeks inward investment from around the globe. "Ireland offers a first class advanced telecommunications infrastructure that includes vital bandwidth and hosting capacity, and we back this all with solid IDA support, both financial and practical."

The Appeal? Language and Low Taxes?

The landscape in Ireland - corporate and cultural - has attracted far more than its fair share of not only European but US business as well. "Ireland has changed radically from 10 or 20 years ago," Haplin says. "We now have between 60 and 70 shared services centers that are multi-lingual, pan-European and trans-Atlantic."

We're talking about major companies the size and scale of IBM or Dell. On the whole, these organisations are extremely happy with the quality of staff, the quality of life and the delivery of service they have found in Ireland. They bring in selected technical experts from the States and then use locally selected personnel to develop and expand the skills base.

These big operators are evidence of success, not only because they stay there but because they can point to significant cost reduction, increased efficiencies, better quality customer service and a real drive in sales which ultimately delivers better returns to shareholders.

Ireland, adds Haplin, offers an appealing package, complete with low corporate tax of just 12.5% It works hard to minimise bureaucracy and instead to engineer a low-risk, quick start-up, high-performance knowledge economy. "We have a well developed environment for call center and shared services operations because we have all the basic ingredients in place: the skills and knowledge, the experience and availability of IT-literate and multi-lingual staff and the global strategic fit that provides facilities for companies to 'follow the sun' on a 24-hour model."

A Population Increase Bodes Well for Employers

While Ireland may merit a spot on a company's shortlist of potential offshore locations today, what about tomorrow? Will the right talent - an enough of it - be available? According to Dr William Harris, Director General of the Science Foundation of Ireland, the answer is a resounding 'yes.' "The key element in creating knowledge is intangible assets such as expertise, insight, talent, passion, imagination and persistence.

”Investing in such abilities, we believe, is the best predictor of success Ireland could have,” Harris adds. “Ireland has a wealth of young talent ready to make science and engineering the next great wave of Irish innovation."

Ireland is one of very few European countries showing an increase in its population, and some 260,000 people, 12.6% of the total workforce, are employed in business services. While the population of workers declines in other countries, boding real problems up ahead, Ireland looks to growing a youthful talent pool on a par with that of the US.

[SIDEBAR] The Irish Landscape: Poised To Compete

Ireland has changed and changed dramatically. Gone are those sad depictions of lovelorn girls waving their tearful goodbyes to men who were set for a life in the New Worlds of America or Australia? They'd make their fortunes and return to build a castle and raise a family in Kilkenny.

In the last couple of decades the Celtic Tiger has been thrusting its way through the jungles of the world economy. He's getting plumper, healthier and more voracious with every paw print he makes.

The Environment Is Hospitable

The quality of life is a fabulous balance of stunning scenery and great leisure options. Golf courses, angling, cycling, camping, hiking and finding deserted bays along the rugged coastline are just a few possibilities to ponder.

Real estate is cheap (except in central Dublin) and land plentiful. Gasoline is about half the price it is in the UK and corporate tax of 12.5% sits alongside the US's 39.5% or the UK's 30% Though Value Added Tax runs at 21 per cent, it won't have much of an impact on companies whose profits are based on export outside the EU and the government has simplified the paperwork. If 85 per cent of your goods or services are for export, then you will be exempted, so you don't have to fill in forms to reclaim VAT.

The Irish are renowned - and rightly - for their warm welcome, and that extends not only to a pint of Guinness with a passing stranger but to those who have come to stay longer.

Unlike some of their European neighbours, the Irish don't resent the arrival of migrant workers but welcome them with open arms as a real and useful addition to the native skills base.

Location and Politics Provide a Counterbalance

Air travel is reasonable but needs more development. The main airport is close to Dublin and offers about 100 direct destinations worldwide. There is a second international airport at Shannon and smaller mostly short-haul facilities at Cork, Belfast and Londonderry. Most international flights are out of Dublin or Shannon.

In terms of moving goods, ferry services are strong but the distance from mainland Europe makes them slow. Although a crossing from Dublin to Holyhead on the Welsh coast is less than two hours, Normandy is 19 hours away. From Belfast and Larne in the north, there are faster crossings to Scotland and England.

A long history of a sluggish, agricultural economy meant Ireland was slow to move into the 20th, never mind the 21st, century. Outside of a few main cities, it remains a wonderfully unspoilt but also under-developed rural society.

Ireland came into the European Union with Objective One status, meaning that its under-developed economic state entitled it to a whole package of major infrastructure grants to help it move forward rapidly. Its heavy rural culture saw the benefits of the Common Agricultural Policy, instantly enabling farmers to access guaranteed markets and guaranteed prices for their produce, even if a lot of it did end up dumped on butter mountains and in milk lakes. Almost half of the EU's entire 44.5 billion Euro budget is spent on agricultural subsidies of one kind or another.

The maze of minor country roads lend Ireland much of its charm but aren't much use for heavy lorries carrying large loads of produce to marketplaces across the world. European Union money helped extend a main road and motorway infrastructure that was essential for economic growth.

All of this helped encourage new investors from other countries to set up facilities in Ireland. The government encouraged them with appealing packages that drew in the likes of Dell, Xerox, Baxter International, Hertz and a host of others before they even got onto contact centers.

But all that Eurozone assistance has gone now. The surge of the Celtic Tiger, the reality of economic growth, has forced Ireland to move from being subsidised by the European Union to being a subsidy provider to other emerging nations, including some of the 10 new countries whose joining has taken the European bloc to 25 in total.

For too many workers, their get-up and go has gotten up and left, and it's not coming back any time soon. Let's take a look at a three-part process of inspiring your staff to higher productivity.

First, we want our staff to get inspired. How do you inspire someone more than appreciate them for being alive and showing up. We have to care enough to know more about them. If we don't know, we have to ask. We only have to ask if we want results. If you don't want results, don't finish reading this article.

You can ask employees to list of what they like about being alive. Ask them to identify what they believe is their individual purpose in being alive .Ask them what they believe they are here to contribute in this lifetime to the world, to the community, to their families, and to themselves.

Here's a clue: If you find out that your employee is not happy about being alive, take immediate intervention and get them help or fired. This is a huge problem. When you identify the positives, go deeper to find out what motivates them and what they believe they have to offer to the world , your company, and themselves. You can't help people be happy or get happier if you have no idea what it would take to make them happy or why?

Energy, attitude, movement, and beliefs are so important. You want to find the positives in people. Where is the energy and inspiration possible for them. Identify these attitudes, energies, and beliefs.
Find out if people feel lethargic or energized. Those who are lethargic, down, or depressed, identify the source of their problems and try to find out what's holding them down or back. Get professional help if deemed necessary by what you find out.

Determine what makes an employee energized and enthusiastic. Find out what a person likes most about his or her job. Find out what the employee doesn't like. Ask about special hobbies, talents, and goals for personal and business success.

Extremely negative employees with bad attitudes and habits can destroy more of the other workers , themselves, and the company. Unhappy people who are negative in all areas of their life are not going to provide the happiest customer service to your customers. This can destroy the business or hurt the bottom line if not identified and stopped.

Once you find out more about what would be inspiring professionally and personally, identify how these match or conflict with the person's job and responsibility. For example, what if you have a secretary who tells you that her talent and happiness comes from drawing. Drawing is not part of her job typing for you and you're confused about how to help her be inspired.

Create a project that will benefit the company that will allow the secretary to use her artistic talent. This could include creating a bulletin board with something she has drawn, it could be to create some personalized cards whether for thank-you or other needed business purpose that would include some drawings. You could even allow her to make a drawing for a newsletter or flyer that is posted.

It's absolutely amazing what will happen when her talent gets used and noticed. Employees who use their gifts and talents to benefit the work environment are happier and tend to stay around longer. Just
imagine, the health benefits to your company or more satisfied workers who produce more.

The third part of this process is to "Stay Inspired." Once you find out what will inspire people, you help them to be inspired, and then you follow the process through of maintaining satisfaction, not just opening the door and shutting it after you start the process. Keeping people inspired means that you continually seek out avenues to recognize, involve, promote, and sustain positive possibilities for your employees. You continue to inspire your staff through involvement, projects, events, seminars, and recognition. With your help they will get inspired, be inspired, and stay inspired.