Starting a New Business - Your Business Framework - What Scaffolding Do You Need

When starting a business of what ever kind, large or small, there is a always a require framework or scaffolding that you have to set up. Not only does this make your business much more effective, but it also saves you from a lot of embarrassing and costly problems. Here is your framework:

1. Business Name. Choose an appropriate name that sums up what your business stands for. It has to be unique – try and ensure that a suitable domain name is also available as you will probably want a web site as well. The owner of an established web site might cause problems if you give your brick based business the same name – so be careful in your choice.

2. Your Business Entity. Obtain professional advice as whether to the best way to set up your business as a limited company, partnership etc. Then register your company.

3. Patents and Trademarks. If you have unique products then you need to ensure that you have registered your patents before your start trading. Similarly any product names, mottos, selling tags etc should be trademarked. Take professional advice on how to do this..

4. Licenses and Permits. Ensure that you have all the licenses and permits that you are legally required to have.

5. Insurance. You may think that you don’t need this but you do and will. So take out property, business, vehicle liability, staff and disaster insurance. A good broker can advise you.

6. Taxes. A necessary evil I am afraid. Register with your local tax collector. Set up a good accounting system and hire a good accountant.

7. Employment Laws. Establish what you local employment laws are and ensure that you adhere to them. Set up employee guidelines and handbooks. Make sure you hire and fire legally.

8. Banking. Visit your local banks and find the best business bank account and credit card for you business. Always keep your business and personal spending separate.

9. Business Plan. This is your carefully written plan on how you want your company to operate, what you want to sell, where and to whom. It includes your business and marketing strategy as well as your financial standing and projections. This is the foundation of your business.

10. Liquid Cash. Ensure that you have enough money to carry your through the first few months of your business as well as any foreseeable troublesome times ahead.

When you start up your business, remember to tick off the 10 items above and you will have a very sound start to your business.

-------------------------------------------------

ฉ Copyright 2006 Biz Guru Services Ltd

Lee Lister writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites including her http://www.clikks.com where she sells her informational products. With over 20 year’s management and business consultancy experience with businesses large and small as well as being a serial entrepreneur, she now helps others set up, develop and market their businesses.

If you would like more help and assistance in setting up your new business then visit http://www.startmynewbusiness.com for advice and assistance.

This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

-------------------------------------------------

Seven Things Your Network Must Have

Small and medium businesses tend to use information technnology for what they percieve as being absolute necessities. That's not a bad approach but it can cause you to miss opportunities to grow your business and save money Without a budget that will support a chief technology office or experienced director of I.T. how do you know what you really need? We're here to help!

1. A reliable backup of your data

While it may seem obvious to most of the small and medium businesses we visit this is just not the case. Just having a tape drive and backup software is not enough. You should test your backup on at least a monthly basis. It doesn't need to be a complete restore all of the time, just pick out a few files and see if your I.T. staff can restore them. If you use outside consultants it's worth the money to have them come in and test your backup on a quarterly basis. It shouldn't take more than two or three hours and you'll sleep better.

2. Sales automation software

Not only does it allow your sales people to stay on top of potential leads, it helps you to stay on top of your sales people. For the SMB market there are dozens of applications that you can run locally on your network or you can use one of the on-line providers like salesforce.com.

3. A decent web site

It really doesn't matter if your business cuts grass or makes transmissions for tractors you should have a website. And don't let the secatary's sixteen year old son do it, get it done right. It doesn't have to be expensive. Sites like aliger.com have hundreds of templates specific to just about any business. They look great and they're easy to use.

4. Accouting software

Ok this is pretty much a no-brainer for any medium sized business and most small busineses. But even the really small businesses will benefit greatly from haveing an accounting package. Quickbooks is the old standard and still one of the best around. Your accountant will appreciate it too.

5. Computers less than three years old.

I know it may be running just fine but with the cost of new computers well below $1000 and the speed increases over the last few years you can't cost justify keeping around an old computer.

6. A document management process

This doesn't have to be a software application that costs thousands of dollars. But you should have a standard process for keeping critical or often used company documents in any easy to access location on your computer or preferably file server. It's one of the easiest ways there is to boost productivity and the bottom line. How many times have you spend searching for that old proposal to use as a template?

7. ERP Software

ERP is an acronym for Enterprise Resource Planning. What that really means is anybodies guess. For our purposes we're going to define it as software that is specific to your business and helps you to create and deliver your product or service. The reality of the situation is that it can be inventory management software, or a spreadsheet that shows the number of units shipped, or lawns cut. Be prepared to customize anything you buy off the shelf because it can be an aggravating process. But when you have it the amount of data available to you makes planning for the future a whole lot easier.

Eric Gurr
Senior Editor SMBresource
http://www.smbresource.com
To reach Mr. Gurr egurr@intralinkinc.com

Performance Measurement of your Businesses Suppliers

The question of how to manage and measure suppliers can be complex. An effective supplier can positively influence your bottom line whilst a bad supplier can cause manufacturing delays, impact on the customer and ultimately effect revenues. Supplier measurement doesn’t have to be difficult. By basing measurement around three basic principles businesses can begin to analyze their supplier base and begin to identify poorly performing suppliers that negatively impact their business. These measures are Quality, Cost and Delivery.

Quality.

Measuring the quality of a supplier refers to the quality of the goods or services supplied. For example how many rejections of products appear at goods receipt – are their consistent poor quality products received. Is the technical specification of your orders not met? Quality problems may be categorized depending on the nature of the problem, for example is the nature of the problem the goods themselves or accompanying paperwork?

Cost

Do your suppliers constantly increase their prices – are they inline with the volume of goods purchased. Are there any discounts received. How do their costs relate to the marketplace. Monitoring cost can be difficult – for example lots or batches purchased may vary, services may be subtly different. Monitoring costs however, is an important indicator of supplier performance.

Delivery

Do the suppliers always deliver on time – are you always having to hasten delivery? One quick way of measuring suppliers is to review their Delivery Schedule Adherence. Divide the number of on-time deliveries by the total number of deliveries in a period to obtain the Delivery Schedule Adherence percentage. Analyzing this figure across your supply chain will give you an average figure – how do individual suppliers compare – who are the worst suppliers? How can they be improved?

These are three simple ways to measure suppliers. Monitoring these elements over time will enable you to form a basic supplier measurement system that overtime will produce trends. Different organizations may apply different weighting to each measure – no business is the same but these three areas should form the basis for most supplier measurement systems.

Bizbodz.com provides articles, resources and tools to help your business. From General Management to Supply Chain bizbodz is there to help. Business Best Practice at your fingertips.

Succesful Management of a Diverse Workforce

Employees of the modern era consist of a community with different ethnic backgrounds which has led to new techniques for managing a diverse workforce. Not too long ago, the high profile projects were reserved for a select few people from a common background. Today, both men and women are equally represented and today’s new corporate employees are from places all over the world. New management techniques must be learned in order to ensure success. Ross Perot's old company, EDS, talks of using its experience in handling workplace diversity as a way of better understanding a globally diverse marketplace, and sees its CCI as part of such successful management (Grayson, 1993).

A manager in the modern corporate world must be skilled in knowing how to deal with the issues of a diverse workplace. In a small group, each employee may be from a different background so communication can be difficult. Communication is the essential tool to create and build a work team that can carry out both the values and instructions of your organization. Translating materials to include this employee population is not just good business, its essential to success. Cultural differences could lead to miscommunication. For example, looking at a person from an Asian cultural background directly in the eye is disrespectful, and therefore the Asian person will look and focus at a different point or object other than your face. (multilangual planet, 2006) A manager in today’s workplace must be skilled in knowing how to communicate with employees who are from different parts of the world. This form of effective communication is valuable because a department may have different employees from all over the world. Making a mistake in understanding communication could prove to be disasterous to the employee-manager relationship.

The specific word, diversity, was rarely used when people described their best, favorite, or most effective manager. However, fairness, respect, objectiveness, and listening recurred frequently. These attributes describe an effective manager and leader (Harris, 2006). Learning the professional goals of all your team members, creating opportunism for your employees to be exposed to corporate leaders they may not often get a chance to work with, fair delegation and objective performance evaluations are a few essential management practices. Some other excellent practices include making time to talk privately with each of your employees, asking your staff in private how they would like to be managed and spending some recreational time to talk to your staff during their lunch break. Taking some time to have a friendly exchange with an employee who may be under your supervision is a key element to building a succesful relationship between the manager and employee. These small interactons over a period of time shows the employee that the manager is interested in his life of a personal level. It is also importanat to know that it is not necessary to go out after work with the employees but a simple friendly exchange during the day will still go a long way to building a succesful department.

Working in a diverse workplace also has its fair share of pitfalls. Many of today’s companies will make sure that they have a person on staff that speaks another language in addition to English. Sometimes people that are descendents of foreign nationals have not had formal training in the language they have grown up speaking in their homes. They have learned the language in their house speaking with their parents, brothers and sisters but they do not have a formal education in that language in order to have good linguistic skills for reading and writing. This is not meant to imply that everybody who learns a language at home is not an adequate interpreter, but this is meant to raise awareness of this possibility. (multilangual planet, 2006) This is just one example of a pitfall that many organizations succumb to in the modern era.

There are a wide number of sources of barriers that can enter into the communication process. This can occur when people don’t know each other very well. In a work setting, it is even more common since interactions involve people who not only don't have years of experience with each other, but communication is complicated by the complex and often confliction relationships that exist at work. (interperator, 2006) It is important for a manager to understand when two or more employees may not be suitable to work in the same department or team together. This does not mean that one employee has to be let go because both may be of equal value to the organization. In most cases, good employees who may not be amiable towards each other at first will still understand to have a respect towards each other after some time. Howerver, understanding that there maybe a cultural or personality difference between different groups of employees is important to the health of the organization.

In order to have a successful workplace, management should ensure that these techniques are practiced. One important quality of management success is being a person that others want to follow. Every action you take during your career in an organization helps determine whether people will one day want to follow you. The key to successful managing is effective communication. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success at any level. It is critical to understand and be aware of the potential sources of errors and constantly counteract these tendencies by making an effort to make sure there is a minimal loss of meaning in your conversation.
It is also very important to understand that a majoring of communication is non-verbal. Mastering some of these techniques will make it easier for successful management in a diverse workplace.
www.theeasynetwork.com

Sources:

1. CCI: The Strategic Management Tool, Grayson, David. Management Development Review. Bradford: 1993.Vol.6, Iss. 3; pg. 3, 4 pgs

2. Leadership & Management in Engineering; Oct2002, Vol. 2 Issue 4, p28, 3p

3. Public Personnel Management; Summer98, Vol. 27 Issue 2, p187, 14p, 2 charts

4. http://www.sideroad.com/Diversity_in_the_Workplace/managing-diversity-in-the-workplace.html

5. http://www.multilingualplanet.com/legal_resources.htm

6. http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm

http://www.theeasynetwork.com

Viral Mehta

Presenting a New Technology to a Venture Capitalist

When presenting a Business Plan for a new Startup Technology Company to a Venture Capitalist you need to understand that they are looking for a one to three year kill. In other words they wish to fund a company that can be sold for 10 times or more their investment in three years.

They are not interested in a long-term investments, but rather a short-term three-year maximum turnaround. They will plan on selling their shares or their percentage of the company whether you like it or not. If you are an entrepreneur who has fallen in love with your own idea and wants to do this for the rest of your life then perhaps Venture Capital Cash is not a good idea for you.

When presenting your business plan you must also understand that the technology you are wishing to refine and bring to market needs to be 99% complete. They are not interested in research and development funding for anything that will take over five years. It is best to have technology that you have patents for and potential clients lined up.

Venture Capitalists are also looking for businesses in new technologies, which are desirable to large corporations so they can sell this technology along with the startup company. You should have prepared a two or three paragraph executive summary to pitch your idea to the venture capitalists if they seem interested then you should have a two-page executive summary and a non-compete clause that you can send along with it. Once they sign that and if they are still interested then you can see in your entire business plan to them and follow up in one week. Please consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Stopping Locust Swarms; Warren Powers Technology and Concept

Can we stop the Locust Plagues in Africa, which continually threaten crop production in and around the Lake Victorian region? Can we use sound waves to disrupt these swarms? Is it possible to either get these locusts to stop or defeat them in flight?

Well one researcher and gentleman believes it is and his concept appears to be sound. Sound indeed is exactly what Warren Powers is suggesting. Using specially designed harmonic and acoustic systems to direct sound waves into the Locust Plagues.

Fact is with Warren Powers’ concept; we maybe able to be ready for the next big Locust Plague in Africa near Lake Victoria and put this problem behind mankind once and for all? Now then with Mr. Powers’ concept along with other technologies there is a good chance we can defeat the Locusts;

http://www.regional.org.au/au/gia/12/361deveson.htm

http://www.fao.org/news/2001/010601-e.htm

http://www.cnes.fr/html/_455_463_1545_4222_.php

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4128/is_200505/ai_n13636968

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000E5E98-FBF6-1C5A-B882809EC588ED9F

They say that the Bio-pesticides work as they kill many locusts. Of course the natives eat them too. Meaning we end up poisoning Africans, who eat them. The problem is after the crops are devastating there is little to eat and thus the Africans eat them due to food supplies. Plus it is somewhat of a tradition, makes sense as they are high in protein?

http://www.ento.csiro.au/newssheet/0024newssheet/com0024.htm

There are lots of problems with crop failures in Africa and the birth rates are also too high. With droughts, wildfires and locust swarms feeding the continent is a real problem indeed.

http://home.att.net/~thehessians/newcropreport.html

So the answer appears to form a virtual sound swarming affect around a swarm of locusts to stop them, make them quit or kill them in route at a place and time of our choosing. Mr. Powers is definitely on to something and my question to the human race is two-fold. Are we willing to commit the necessary funds to dealing with the locust plagues here and now and develop Mr. Powers concept and technology. And are we as a species willing to commit to a full-scale military style delivery system to stopping an ominous locust plague while in route? Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Technological Determinism

Technological determinism is a theoretical and methodological set according to which the level of development of science, technology, information and technology of big scale production defines social and economical development as a whole. It is also defined as any large scale technological measurement that leads to any social change.

The main role in social and economical developments belongs to technology according to this concept. This definition appeared about a hundred years ago after great success in science and technology developments and their growing effectiveness in mass usage and production.

The term ‘Technological Determinism’ was first coined by Thorstein Veblen, an American economist and sociologist who lived from 1857 to 1929. Broken down into its constituents, “technology” means the practical application of science to commerce or industry, whilst “determinism” refers to a philosophical doctrine holding that all events are inevitable consequences of antecedent sufficient causes; often understood as denying the possibility of free will.

Theories related to determinism, for example: linguistic, genetic, biological and environmental determinism, have been around for a few centuries. But it was until the Industrial Revolution that scholars and sociologists started noticing the implications of technology on society. Technological Determinism has been often dismissed in the past, but in the society of the present, it has a gained newfound accreditation with the introduction of modern technology.

In 1950, the great Canadian economic historian, Harold Innis, wrote a book titled “Empire and Communications”. Innis noted that “the subject of communications… occupies a crucial position in the organization and administration of government and in turn of empires and western civilization” Beneath his discourse on various world chapters, Innis concealed the basics of a model showing how different communications technologies have affected cultures.

In another of his famous works, “Bias of Communication”, Innis writes that each civilization that has developed across history takes its form from a "bias" created by the prevalence of a type of communication.

Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) served on the faculty at Toronto with Harold Innis, and acknowledged Innis's contribution to his theory, but the two had little direct contact. McLuhan believed that the new electronic media have radically altered the way people think, feel, and act. He is probably best known for his phrase which he turned into the book title, “The Medium is the Massage” (now more widely quoted as the medium is the message).

His notion is that the message is greatly impacted by the system in which the message is delivered. What we say is of much lesser importance than how we choose to deliver it. His belief in technological determinism is obvious by his phrase, "we shape our tools and they in turn shape us".

It is Innis and especially Marshall who gave credence to the concept of technological determinism.
It is perhaps the evolution of technology after the invention of the telegraph which is especially fitting to the argument of technological determinism. The 20th century had impacts on the societal structure with every new technological advancement that took place. The inventions of the telephone, followed by the radio, then the television, have made uncountable changes in the ways society interact. The rate at which technology evolved in the last century had far exceeded that of any century before it, and just as accordingly, the rate at which the society had changed in the last century was unprecedented.

Messages were distributed farther, faster, and with less effort. News was packaged differently, and had a new emphasis, as did popular entertainment. These developments were paralleled and influenced by a century-long transition to a predominantly industrial economy, with its accompanying urbanization. One result was the emergence of “mass society”. This same period also saw the bicycle, automobile, and airplane emerge as significant modes of transportation. The sense of space they fostered, coupled with the increased speed of railway and steamship travel, led to World Standard Time via the creation of time zones, further shifting cultural identification away from the immediate and local.

The above is the basis for the technological determinism argument. Its basis is in the belief that technology is at the root of our social change. When technology advances, society follows in its shadow.

Technological determinism is a controversial concept. There are those who agree with it, and those who strongly oppose it as well. Even amongst those who agree with it, their views on the concept vary greatly.

It is true that technological determinism is a dominant force that shapes and changes society. It can either be seen as a threat to our own free will, or it can be seen as a guiding tool that leads us to more effective ways of communicating. It is a force that cannot be overlooked.

Nevertheless, it is impossible to justify the insistence that technology or media is the fundamental factor which propels society. But it must be admitted that the evolvement of technology has widespread consequences which cannot be denied. Any technological change which is large enough is likely to produce some social change.

Technology is just one of the many mediating factors in human behavior and social change. In the face of the evidence which can be drawn from the past century, I am compelled to believe in the theory of technological determinism. But as mentioned, there are different modes of determinism for this theory, and it is the “Soft technological determinism” which makes the most sense to me. It is less extreme and allows the possibilities of other factors to determine the trend of the future. It is my belief that after technology has permeated every section of our society, other factors will play a much bigger role than technology in the influence of our society.

Mary Anne Winslow is a member of Essay Writing Servicecounselling department team and a dissertation writing consultant. Contact her to get free counselling on custom essay writing.

Learn Technical English Fast Use ESP Workshops to Promote Reading Comprehension in LEP Learners

With the continuing expansion of English as an integral communications tool for education, science, technology, business and commerce, post-secondary education technical students are increasingly finding themselves in positions requiring them to manage high-technology studies in technical English. If you teach EFL, technical or business English, or teach a technical subject in English, you can use ESP workshops to successfully promote enhanced reading and comprehension in LEP learners.

A group of my Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students studying an Electronic Engineering class on antenna design had an American textbook in English, so it was necessary for me to convert chapters of the text into a series of ESP reading and comprehension workshops designed to allow the students to practice strategies for de-constructing the written text as an aid to understanding it.

A Series of Workshops

When my LEP Spanish-speaking Law faculty students were required to study aspects of Capital Punishment used in the USA, I again produced a series of materials as both written workshops and full multi-media presentations.

For my LEP Economics students to do comparative population studies of Colombia (population 44,222,000) with:

• South Korea (population 47,700,000)

• Poland (population 38,587,000)

• Argentina (population 38,428,000)

• South Africa (population 45,026,000)

• Ukraine (population 48,523,000)

A series of ESP workshops and multi-media presentations proved to be invaluable in promoting their reading and comprehension of their program’s technical materials in English. The process of creating effective ESP written workshops is not easy, but is well worth the effort required. It both benefits the learners in reading and comprehension of difficult written material and develops the resourcefulness and skills of the EFL teacher.

Preparing the Workshop

In preparing an ESP written workshop, the reading text is broken down into manageable segments which can be more readily understood by LEP learners. Students are taught to identify in context such elements as:

• Cognates - words which look the same in different languages; True Cognates have the same or similar meanings, usage and connotation in different languages while False Cognates have different meanings, usage and connotation in different languages

• Connectors - words that join simple and complex sentences with others. Examples of connectors are: and, but, or, so. They can be of different types, depending on their function. There are connectors which express addition, contrast, time sequence, choice, cause or result

• Referents - words that refer to others that have been used before. They are used to avoid word repetition. Commonly used ones include such parts of speech (words) as: pronouns, determiners, quantifiers and proper nouns

• Affixes – consist of prefixes and suffixes. A prefix is a syllable added to the front of a root word to make another word with a different grammatical function. A suffix is a syllable added to the end root of a word to make another word with a different grammatical function

In addition, a list of key, high-frequency vocabulary is prepared along with a glossary of technical terms which may prove to be difficult for the learners. Pre-reading activities, while-reading and post-reading activities are incorporated into the written workshop to complement and round out the total package. A variety of exercise types are used to provide in-context practice with the lexis and grammatical elements of the reading. Comprehensive support in the form of graphics, photos, diagrams and pictures are included, as are video, animation and sound files when reading and comprehension workshops are produced online in websites, blogs or class pages.

ESP written reading and comprehension workshops can be an invaluable aid for LEP learners who need to understand and apply technical material related to their field or study or employment. A good workshop may take from three to five hours to prepare, but is timeless and can be used and re-used for years. With regular and frequent practice in ESP workshop preparation, teachers can often reduce preparation time significantly. The benefits to the learners are uncountable.

If you’d like some examples of complete, prepared ESP written workshops, feel free to e-mail me for an immediate reply with samples.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a certified English language teacher / trainer, bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He teaches at a university in Cali, Colombia. To read more or get additional original, exclusive language education based articles and content for your class room, news letter, blog or website contact him at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com.

Reverse Gears Functions and the Evolution of New Technology

Gears are an integral component of most mechanical devices that are in use today. Gears have wide ranging functions, but they are used for transmitting motion between two shafts. Moreover, they provide torque to a device that a fast spinning small motor cannot provide. Another important feature of gears is that they give direction to the process of rotation. This article provides information about just these types of gears, specifically reverse gears.

A pair of gears, one present on the counter shaft and the other on the output shaft are used to implement the process of ‘reverse’. As opposed to forward gears that are meshed together, there is some amount of space between the reverse gears. Another point of differentiation from forward gears is that reverse gears are joined to their shafts. There is no free rotation around the shaft. There might develop a scenario when a small gear that is known as the reverse idler is slid between the two gears. The function of this gear also called the idler gear is to mesh the two gears together. This enables it to change the direction of the rotation, but it does not hamper the gear ration in any way.

The method of working of reverse gears is not as complex as it seems. When the reverse gear is selected, the gear teeth of these gears are meshed. There is absolutely no aid from the mechanism that seeks to synchronize these gears. This is one of the primary reasons why the output shaft must now move, once a reverse is selected. That mean a car must be stopped when you want to select the reverse gear. Many automobiles have a mechanism wherein the input shaft also stops spinning when reverse gears are selected. This decreases the grinding that accompanies the selection of reverse when there is an inertial spinning of the input shaft.

Car companies do not necessarily uses the same reverse technologies across all makes. Advanced technologies make possible the use of sophisticated reverse gears in modern cars. Of course, these cars come with a hefty price tag. But, more often than not a mechanism is used which stop the transmission of the input shaft. If this is not done the vehicle produces a whining sound. This is why all car manufacturers use the idler that, as aforementioned, can be inserted between the two gears. This procedure reduces the accompanying noise to a great extent and in the service manual of many companies; you can find a mention of this system as a “noise reduction system”.

A new kind of reverse technology has entered the market in the recent times, called ‘spur reverse technology’. This technology has made a few improvements to the one that have been listed above. But, it has compromised on a few aspects like, robustness, engagements, and noise. But it has found acceptability because there is limited driving that takes place in reverse.

Trish is the author for http://www.sterndrive.info , Get more information on reverse gears.

Starting Information Technology Consultant Projects

The first step in information technology consultant projects is initial client contact. The client's first impression of you will help him decide if he is going to sign a contract, so the beginning consultations are critical.

The Beginning

Each projects starts well before the contract is signed. You need to figure out what your goals are during initial contact with the client, and plan out the first meeting with this prospect should be well planned so that a decision can be reached quickly and favorably.

Contacting the Client

Typically a client will make first contact with an information technology consultant by phone or e-mail. This moment is the first impression for the prospect of you and your company and should be treated carefully. If you can't make a connection during this time, there will never be a first meeting.

During this first contact period, an information technology consultant is also interviewing the client; if he can't meet his needs, he shouldn't pursue the project. If the project seems feasible, the information technology consultant can get all the information required for the first meeting. You need to start to determine the problem and the reason the client is coming to you to determine an initially short plan.

First Meeting

The ultimate goal of a first client meeting is to build a relationship, which will require open and honest communication. You are not giving a presentation, rather listening to your client's needs and responding with the best plan for you as an information technology consultant based on the details you receive. Make sure the client knows he is of the utmost importance in this process.

This meeting also requires the presence of the major decision makers in the company. While this is not always possible, you should encourage it in future meetings to ease the process.

The final goal of the first meeting between a business and you as an information technology consultant is to get a decision about the project. You might not be needed at this time, or the client might want to move forward. A client might also need to meet again with decision makers on his own to make a final decision. Regardless, you need to get a solid commitment and, if necessary a scheduled meeting out of the client before you leave.

Preparing for the initial contact with a client will assure that the steps in the process towards signing a contract go as smoothly as possible.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting business owners get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for your free access to field-tested, proven computer consulting secrets at Computer Consulting 101.

Influence of New Technology on Communication

We are living in the fast changing world where new technologies are being introduced regularly and new inventions amaze world society on the everyday basis. Although sometimes it seems that it is hard to astonish or surprise the new generation of technological miracles with anything. Most of us do not pay time or attention to how much influence these inventions and technologies have on our life, even though we all are regular users of them. New technologies are various and have different nature, and thus bear different impact on diverse spheres and aspect of our life. In the given essay one of such impacts will be discussed in detail.

New technology such as the Internet has impacted communication practices both ethically and unethically. There is not yet a common standard of ethical communication, however, Bretag suggested ethic as to “determine how right or wrong an action is by finding out how much actual good or harm it produces”. In line with this definition, White suggested the “Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics”, which is based on the Christian ethical code of conducts, to help guide ethical usage of computers in communication practices. This essay will discuss the impact of Internet on ethical of communication practices, particularly in the areas of security of communication, integrity of information, the exposure of corrupt information to minors, plagiarism in published materials on the Internet and the rights to privacy.

The Internet has transformed social and business ways of communication. Baase defines the Internet as the expansion of global communication information networks that allows computers to share information worldwide in many areas such as business, education and government sectors. According to Andersen, “as of 1997, an estimate of about 19.5 million people has already subscribed to the Internet”; and the number is still growing to date. Evidence suggests that the Internet has strong impact on communication practices and will continue to be stronger as more and more people are subscribing to this communication channel.

With an increasing growth in the number of subscribers, the Internet has given opportunities for the emergence of businesses; offering products and services. Data gathered by Andersen shows that almost 30% of the total subscribers had spent more than $50,000 in spring 1997 alone, on purchases done via this channel. In other words, the Internet is becoming an essential and significant network at present.

It could be argued that the development of technology has become the cornerstone of business communication. Baase confirmed that through E-Commerce, business transactions can be done effectively and instantaneously through the use of security code called Cryptography. Baase explained that funds transaction is processed and confirmed electronically by converting information into algorithm to prevent unauthorised viewing or alteration of information. This form of transaction provides integrity, efficiency, reliability and credibility to parties involved in the transaction. This form of communication is in line with the ethical code of conduct proposed by White as reliable.

On the contrary, Baase added that E-Commerce is not perfect; there are hackers who will unethically try to decode the algorithm to steal information or funds, which violate White ethical code of conduct for stealing. Bower and Hout stated that business communication is of paramount importance to the global economy by providing lucrative source of revenue and a larger customer base. Through the capability of e-commerce, companies can close business deals online; hence, reducing overhead in term of workforce, and this translates to higher profitability. Therefore, due to economic reason, there is a need for security on the Internet.

Unfortunately, according to Jerrett the Internet does not have a governing body. Ironically, groups of individuals or commercial bodies are the ones who developed the so called “ethical communication standards”. Paradoxically, there are variations in standards, yet it has lured myriad corporate subscribers investing millions of dollars on marketing and communication channel on this weak foundation as explained by Andersen.

Due to the lack of a proper governing body on the Internet, many other ethical issues have been raised. White “Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics”, stated the rights to privacy, particularly referring to a business tactic called “spam”, where a person is constantly bombarded advertisements, while trying to close the “pop up” windows, more and more of these advertisements seemed to find their ways to the monitors. This is an example of unethical communication practice where an individual’s right to privacy is violated.
Some of these advertisements contain obscene materials, which are not suitable for minors. There have been concerns about minors being exposed to advertisements selling violence, pornography and illegal drugs. Such lack of business communication ethic should be condemned. In line with this matter, an article by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) entitled Censorship in Law and Practice has succeeded to pass a new bill targeting obscene materials that are “harmful to minors”. Unfortunately, South Australia did not pass this law due to protests in the beginning of year 2000.

In addition, communication can be done anonymously in “chat rooms”, popularly know as ICQ and IRC. In these “chat rooms”, a person can take on a fictitious identity to “chat” and make friends in the cyber space. Beyond the entertainment of making friends, according to Jerrett, there are some unethical people pretending to be the opposite gender to lure unknowing prey for sexual activity. This form of unethical communication should be condemned, according to White this practice violates a person’s right to trust. There is a need to be truthful about the information expressed on the Internet.

In line with the violation of a person’s rights to trust and the lack of governing body on the Internet, Jerrett further expressed that anyone can publish information on the Internet; which compromises the integrity of ethical communication practice. In other words, a person should be sceptical about obtaining information from the Internet. In addition, publishing information without acknowledging others intellectual property is unethical, according to White is plagiarism.

In conclusion, new technology such as the Internet has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of communication by eliminating distant and time barriers. The Internet has also provided additional source of revenue to companies which is beneficial economically. However, the Internet has led to a new set of ethical issues in communication practices, which has strong impact on social and business communication. Due to the lack of governing body, ethical communication issues such as the security of communication, integrity of information, minors exposed to corrupted information, plagiarism and the rights to privacy have been discussed. When ethical issues with regards to communication practices have been addressed, Internet technology can better enhance our lives economically and socially in responsible ways.

The article was produced by the member of masterpapers.com.
Sharon White is a senior writer and writers consultant at term papers. Get some useful tips for thesis and buy term papers .

Solar Rebates

American’s love rebates. Whether rebates are offered on computers, software, cars or whatever, we snatch them up. If your considering going solar, you’ll be happy to hear rebates are available.

Solar Rebates

As most people know, a rebate is a give back by a company in exchange for the purchase of their product. Rebates usually come in the form of money if you send in a coupon, but can also come in the form of upgrades and add-ons.

The solar technology industry is so thick with rebate programs it is hard to see the forest for the trees. You can expect to find rebates being issued by the manufacturer of a product, the federal government, your state government and possibly even your country and town or city. In many locations, the local utility company may also give you a rebate on your bill for going solar. No other source or product line has as many rebates as the solar industry. Why? Because solar represents one of the cleanest and cheapest energy sources in our country. The powers that be want to promote it for monetary and environmental reasons, not to mention providing some relief to our overtaxed national electric grid system.

Buy down rebates are the most voluminous in the solar industry. With a buy down, a government agency will pay for a percentage of the solar platform you purchase. The specific amount of the buy down depends on factors such as what the platform is used for and the amount of electricity it produces. Trust me, your local solar vendor will be able to tell you in detail about the rebate since it is a good sales technique.

When investigating rebates for your solar purchase, it is important that you don’t stop at the first program. If a state has one rebate program, it will often have as many as eight others. You can often qualify for three of four, which can cut your initial costs by as much as fifty percent.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and renewable energy.

E=mc2, Emotional ; Physical Gravity

The word "gravity" is a word coined by Sir Isaac Newton to describe an unseen force that attracts objects with mass to each other. As human beings living on planet earth we experience this force as one which constantly impedes us from floating away into the cosmos.

We have however heard of, and some of us may have even witnessed feats of levitation that appear to defy the "laws of gravity". How does one explain such violations of such a basic and fundamental "law" of the universe?

Well, as Einstein himself suggested, such anomalies often are the door to a more complete understanding of the reality we call our universe. In what follows I report on a case study with a new process called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP) which may begin to shed some light on this apparently "unusual" phenomenon of levitation and hopefully ignite research into
new areas of science that will help more fully elucidate our view of our reality.

I have described the MRP process in my book which one can find on my web site below and I have written extensively on it in other articles here hence I refer you to these resources for more information on the process itself.

In my work with MRP I generally assist individuals to release negative beliefs, memories, emotions, perceptions and behaviors from their bio-field. In this process a recurring experience of individuals is a feeling of lightness and buoyancy. Now although this is considered to be solely a feeling experience by most it has been my experience that in some cases this has been associated with a) rapid and seemingly unexplained weight loss and b) spontaneous experiences of levitation of body parts i.e. arms and hands.

I must qualify by saying that in none of this is there any hypnotic suggestion given or implied and the clients are always fully conscious. As some may know supposed feats of levitation are apparently the result of hypnotic suggestion. These however appear to be related more to mind control of peripheral muscle systems and can therefore be easily accounted for.

With MRP clients also experience a sense of "emotional lightness". What this means is that the "grave" feelings that are associated with the negativity they previously carried in their bio-fields and hence in their bodies gave them a feeling of being "weighted down"! When this negativity is released they spontaneously feel "lighter" both emotionally and physically!

Additionally they almost regularly report a sense inner radiance, which is apparent to others as well, and a feeling of increased energy or vibration in their bodies.

In summary what appears to be happening according to these accounts is a conversion of matter into energy. Now I know that this will be met with skepticism and I accept that. I do however wish to ask that you notice how you feel inside as a result of my having said what I have said so far and notice whether at a feeling level you resonate with what has been said?

So in summary what appears to be happening through the MRP process is the following:

1. Negativity is released from the bio-field and the body.

2. This negativity accounts for feelings of "emotional gravity" which essentially feels similar to the sensation of "physical gravity" i.e. the former is associated with feelings of being weighted down, feeling de-energized or drained, feeling immobilized and feeling heavy.

3. As the negativity is released with MRP, the feelings of emotional gravity disappear.

4. Individuals also report feeling "lighter" both emotionally and physically.

5. Occasional reports of levitation and significant weight loss (i.e. up to 45 lbs in one week in one case in a client who was on no special diet, exercise program or weight loss prescription)

My hypotheses are as follows:

1. Emotional gravity and physical gravity are one and the same thing.

2. Physical gravity is the result of the sum total effect of all negativity stored in the collective human bio-field on this planet.

3. As an individual experiences the MRP process what actually happens is that their physical density decreases and their energy density increases. This would account for the observations noted above.

4. It is my feeling that there is no limit to the amount of negativity that an individual can release from their bio-field. In other words, I feel that "all" matter in the physical body can be converted into energy and hence the state of our bodies can be "re-converted" into what I feel is their natural state; an energy body.

On closing I ask you to notice how you feel inside at this moment. I think that if you are in tune with your heart you will almost certainly feel a deep resonance with what has been said.

If you would like to know more feel free to visit the web sites below:

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called "Spirituality And Science" (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of "Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation" (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.

Business URL #1: http://www.telecoaching4u.com

Personal URL: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/Spirituality_And_Science.htm

Product Positioning for Enterprise Software and Information Technology Companies

Good marketing positioning is like good lying. No, we’re not suggesting that you lie when creating your company and product positioning. Anything but, in fact. But, it’s remarkable how much the properties of good positioning resemble the properties of a good lie.

Like an effective lie, an effective positioning statement should be:

1. Believable. A lie that no one believes is rather pointless, isn’t it? Well, the same is true of your company or product’s positioning. If it’s not believable, then it’s useless. Ensure that the key elements of your positioning statement are rooted in truth, and that the assertions that you’re making about your company’s or product’s capabilities will pass the sniff test of a jaded observer who has seen it all before when it comes to the outlandish statements that a lot of software and information technology companies insist on making.

2. Consistent. A weak lie won’t stand up to scrutiny when judged on its consistency. Internal consistency – that is, ensuring that the various elements of the lie, or positioning statement, are not in direct conflict with one another - is very important to making sure that the listener won’t just turn off their eyes and ears to your message.

3. Simple. Remember being a kid and trying to tell a lie your Mom? You’d concocted a story so convoluted and complex that it was impossible to remember as you recounted it. A positioning statement is the same way. If it’s so complicated that even you and your sales reps can’t remember it, you’re guaranteed that your customers won’t either.

4. Compelling. What’s the point in telling someone something that isn’t interesting and doesn’t apply to them? If you’re taking the risk of lying, tell a lie that is at least somewhat captivating to the listener. In the case of your company or product’s positioning, it should mean something to your target audience. Which means you better have done your homework into their hot buttons beforehand. What’s important to them? What’s not? What benefits can they not do without? Find out, and ensure that your positioning hits those notes.

Keep these caveats in mind when it comes time to position or reposition your company or product, and we can assure you that your audience will sit up and take notice.

Ash Seha is a partner at The Launch Factory LLP, a consultancy specializing in marketing, sales, and product management strategy for software and IT companies. Their expertise, garnered from such IT highflyers as i2, webMethods, SAP, and Baan, is focused on breaking the growth bariers that stand between high-growth software and IT companies and their revenue and marketshare goals.

Science Can't Explain Everything!

You will know that if you have spent at least some time reflecting on the world around you, some things cannot be explained in purely scientific terms. Armies of scientists and researchers swarm in labs around the world trying to take the mystery out of every bit of wonder we witness.

What is it that attracts us to a future partner? Scientists will say...tiny, odour sensors in our noses!

What causes shimmering lights in the night sky? Scientists say...sun spots affecting the earth's electromagnetic field.

It is true (I guess) that those things come about due to some sort of cause and effect from physical laws we have devised.

But it takes so much of the magic and mystery out of our lives.

Maybe it's a sunspot...but can I see a sunspot and predict the result? No I can't...All I can see is the mystery and beauty of the results. Can't I just spend some time enjoying the wonder of it?

If I managed to see my future partner across a crowded room and feel an instant 'twinge' does it make it any less magic? Is it worth reflecting on how, despite being born at opposite ends of the earth, we found ourselves in the same place and time at a random event that saw two worlds collide? I think it is. Because no event is a result of just one other event. It is always a combination of physical law and mysterious circumstance.

So is it so surprising that we can divine mysterious things in our gardens?

Take the case of companion planting, particularly in a vegetable garden. Companion planting is when the health and yields of particular plants can be improved by planting specific other plants near them. For instance, peas love being near beans, corn, carrots and cucumbers, but really hate being near onions. Potatoes enjoy the company of beans, peas and cabbage but are unhappy near tomatoes.

Any number of botanists will tell you that there are 'reasons' for this. Some attract the sort of bugs another needs, some have a scent that disturbs the progress of others. But wait a second...doesn't this sound just a little bit like personality?

Is it not possible that some plants just generally get along better with others because... what? They get what they need from them? They enjoy their company? Sound like another species you might be familiar with??

Companion planting is not considered 'scientific' because the results are not consistent and not always provable. Companion guidelines are based on observation and anecdote. Some combinations work better in the northern hemisphere than the southern hemisphere (True! Well, at least, anecdotally it's true). Some plants react contrary to expectations. But could that be due to something else??

The difference between male, female and neutral plants can be startling. You will know yourself that sometimes, two plants started at the same time or from the same magnificent parent plant will turn out completely differently. So now, not only do we have to contend with personality, we have to contend with the sex of a plant.

I know what you're thinking. Well, I think I know what you're thinking...how do you tell the sex of a plant? It's very unscientific, but so far, pretty reliable in its results. Hold a pendulum over the plant. This can be a needle on a thread, a seashell on fishing tackle, a necklace, whatever. The pendulum will move of it's own accord to indicate the sex of the plant.

Try it. The really healthy plants will be female (positive). They will make the pendulum move in a clockwise circle over the top of it. The male (negative) plant will make the pendulum move from side to side. If the pendulum doesn't move at all, the plant is neutral or the soil is lifeless. Forget it. Nothing is going to come out of that.

It's called dowsing and is the same method that has people finding water using a Y shaped pointed stick. Scientific? Nope. Does that mean it doesn't work? Not at all.

So here we are with two startling propositions. That your vegetable plants have both a sex and a personality that will determine at least in part, how they turn out despite your input. Geez, that's starting to sound a lot like my kids! (who will turn out very different from me, despite the magnificent parenting stock!!)

What does it mean for you as a gardener? The same thing it means for you as a parent.

Nurture your plants. Give them everything you think they will need to succeed.

Read advice books as required, but understand that observation will be your best guide.

Do not despair. Do not give up. It's about the journey, not the destination.

Understand that not all things can be understood. Sometimes, it's just the wonder of nature.
Enjoy yourself.

Judy Williams (http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com) splits her time between being a big time media executive and alternative lifestyle earth mother. This accurately reflects her split 'Gemini' nature. She refuses to give up on the notion she can have it all.

Science For Kids Is there a Doctor in the House

From a young age, children are curious about their bodies. As they learn to talk, toddlers find joy in being able to point to, and identify, their own various parts. Teaching kids about their anatomy is a fun and easy activity that can be done in the home with very accessible materials - themselves!
Not only does this become an educational endeavor, but, in the event of an accident, a child will be able to describe where he/she has been hurt.

Pre-school children probably have a pretty good idea of what makes up their outsides. Because of repeated quizzing by parents -Where are Luke’s teeth? Where’s his nose?, etc., three year olds are well versed in their overall make up. There are songs that can help with this, too. One very popular tune for toddlers and pre-schoolers: "Head and shoulders, knees and toes...eyes, ears, mouth and nose," calls attention to the total body and to its facial components.

Lessons in joints, like elbows, ankles and wrists can also be absorbed by the pre-school set. As your child gets a little more capable with more complex vocabulary, try substituting the real anatomical names for these body parts in the song: "Cranium, humerus, patella, phalanges", etc. It’s silly, but you can all get a laugh and learn at the same time.

Inside your child, there is another world worth exploring! Children 3-5 years of age can appreciate that their brain, the part that makes them smart, sits inside their head and looks something like a cauliflower.

In their chest to the left, they will note, is found their heart which makes an interesting beating sound. Inexpensive stethoscopes, that really work, can be purchased in most finer toy stores and children love to listen to everybody’s heart with these.

Older children can appreciate that they breathe with help from two sacks, in their chest, called lungs.

Also, tap on your five year old child's knees, elbows, skull and so on, and explain that those hard things are called ‘bones’ and that they help in standing up straight. Remind them to drink lots of milk to keep these bones strong.
You get the idea. Even if your own education did not include a course in anatomy, you’ll find that you know more about it than you think! So, pass it on to your children. They’ll love learning what makes them tick!

ฉ 2003 -2008 Science With Meฎ LLC. All rights reserved.

You are free to use this article, in whole or in part, as long as you include the complete contribution, including a live web site link. Also, please send and email notifying me (Elva O'Sullivan at elva@sciencewithme.com) where and when the material will appear. Thanks.

Visit our website =>http://www.sciencewithme.com

Starting Reactions that Last a Lifetime!

Dr. Elva O'Sullivan's education includes a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from University College Dublin, Ireland and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Clarkson University, New York. In addition to her broad teaching experience she has extensive applied industrial experience and has worked at W. R. Grace, Wyeth, American Cyanamid Company and BASF Corporation, the world's leading chemical company.

She is a certified RESULTSฎ coach and a graduate of Corporate Coach University. Her professional memberships include the American Chemical Society (ACS), the National Science Teachers Association, Coachville and the Graduate School of Coaching. She is currently the CEO of Science With Me! LLC.