Presenteeism: The Hidden Costs of Business (13 Jun 2006) Presenteeism is the complement of Absenteeism. It is defined as the measure of lost productivity cost due to employees actually showing up for work, but not being fully productive because of health and life issue distractions. Beware, it may be costing your business an enormous amount of money each year.
Pricing Strategy for Retail Flower Shops (13 Jun 2006) How you set your prices may be one of the most important management decisions you make as an owner or manager of a retail flower shop. A tremendous amount of work goes in to running a flower shop, wouldn't it be a shame to under price your products and not be able to make ends meet? On the other hand, over pricing and putting yourself out of the market before you even begin would also prove to be disastrous. Market conditions and your competition will, in large part, determine your pricing. Bear in mind, though, that depending upon these items only, without analyzing the actual cost of the products you are selling could cause you to loose your shirt. Pricing strategy can be a complicated thing in a retail flower shop. This is because there are perishable items and skilled labor to be factored in along with the raw cost of goods.
Print Buying Consultant (13 Jun 2006) Ten Money Saving Tips for Print Managers Despite their stated desire to realize savings from streamlining the various components associated with the print buying process, it's been my experience over...
Prioritise Your Day - Keep Focus - Win! (13 Jun 2006) It's such an easy thing to say, "Prioritise", yet many of us find it very
challenging, especially in the moment, when the chips are down and everything is going wrong. So what can be done to make the difference to you and your business?
Problem Solving (13 Jun 2006) When problem solving, many confuse the symptom with the problem, which is a costly waste of time. Learn what questions to ask before taking any definite action. Also learn how a systematic procedure is essential for a successful plan of attack.
Problem Solving - Think Cleopatras Ass (13 Jun 2006) Today's problems are all around us. In our day to day lives, both at work and at home, we have challenges which require solutions all the time. Yet there are also many things we take for granted. Things which once upon a time weren't quite so easy to solve. Take Cleopatra's ass, for one thing.
Problem Solving the Problem Solving Meeting (13 Jun 2006) The most common and best reason for a meeting though is to solve a problem. A meeting is a great place to do this - you get a variety of people with a variety of experiences, knowledge and perspectives together to ensure that the best possible solution is identified and that all of the important considerations have been taken into account. The problem is that while the venue and the people might be correct, often the process is flawed. It is flawed because one question hasn't clearly been asked and answered.
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Avoid Bug Mentality (13 Jun 2006) Fixing bugs fixes symptoms: like taking aspirin for a headache, it may provide temporary relief but does nothing to prevent the next headache. It's ok, and often necessary, to relieve the symptoms but you have to dig deeper if you're going to prevent problems from recurring.
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First (13 Jun 2006) It seems obvious, but how many times have we gone to a problem-solving meeting and the discussion started with either whose fault was it or an assertion about the proper solution? Find out how to avoid this trap.
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Look For Sponsors And Solution Owners (13 Jun 2006) Look for sponsors and solution owners rather than problem owners. Find out why the common practice of assigning problem owners gets in the way of problem-solving and how to avoid two common problem-solving traps.
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Measure (13 Jun 2006) You've just given a member of your staff responsibility for solving an important business problem--so important that your job depends on it. How will you and she both know when it's solved?
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Measure the Right Things. (13 Jun 2006) It's not enough just to measure—you have to measure the right things. Don't waste time and money measuring the wrong stuff. This problem-solving tip will help you focus on the right metrics to make sure you solve the problem completely and don't get distracted.
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Test Your Assumptions About Everything (13 Jun 2006) Assumptions have a way of creeping into all parts of a problem-solving project. They're often wrong, which can lead to a lot of wasted effort and even cause a problem-solving project to fail entirely. It's very easy to take a strongly stated assertion as true, especially if it's the boss who makes it.
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Use Your Project Management Skills (13 Jun 2006) Solving a big problem is a project: you're far more likely to solve it successfully if you treat it like one. That means you'll need to identify tasks, make and adjust assignments, and keep track of what is due when.
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Whatever You Do, Do It on Purpose (13 Jun 2006) Making decisions can be difficult and unpopular, so it's very tempting to procrastinate and hope maybe the problem will go away. Imitating an ostrich, however, is a wimpy way to decide not to change anything—and is quite likely to leave you making awkward explanations later. This problem-solving tip provides some ideas to help you avoid this trap.
Process and Procedures Investments - How to Get Money Back (13 Jun 2006) In September 2004, President Bush signed the $146 billion tax cut bill restoring the recently expired business Research & Experimentation Tax Credit. The 18-month renewal of the research and experimentation tax credit, which expired June 30 2004, was the most expensive item with an expected $7.6 billion cost through 2014.
