Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

You may be wondering if higher education is right for you. In this recession, many are pondering the value of higher education. Though it’s expensive, the overall return on investment is pretty high. Those who have a higher degree, like a traditional bachelors or online master degree, can open up many doors leading to a better life. Many fields benefit greatly from having applicants with a higher education than high school, including nursing and sociology.

Nursing is a very in-demand field. For those who are interested in getting out of their dead-end-jobs, nursing is a good start. You can begin working in the field after just two years of school as a Licensed Practical Nurse. LPNs often continue their schooling online to work towards becoming a Registered Nurse, which is an additional two years of schooling. Either way, becoming a registered nurse can be a very gratifying field for those who are interested in helping people.

For those of you who are registered nurses, in order to take on more advanced practices, a master’s degree is required. Advanced practices include clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners.

Sociology is the study of society; the study of people and their interactions with each other. As a job in itself, there are none. However, this isn’t to say that the degree is useless. The applications for sociology are many. They include rural sociology, criminology, cultural studies, area studies, child development, cognitive sciences, communication studies, community counseling, peace studies and social work. Think of the degree as almost a jack-of-all-trades type of degree. However, the most successful applicants take a special interest in one of these niche studies. Students who do this will prepare themselves for one of the many career fields out there for sociology. These include international relations, health care, business consultation, urban social work, criminal justice, seminar and workshop consultations, education and administration, state agencies, evaluation research and law.
Sociology is a growing field. It may not be as in-demand as nursing, however with continents creating easier ways to communicate with one another, sociology will be creating new fields including the changes in interaction and culture through mediums such as Facebook and Twitter. This field is still developing, but as of now there are plenty of applications to land a job in the public and state sector.

For those who already have a job, higher education isn’t just for fresh out of high school students. If you are employed and are looking to improve your future, higher education can help you too. Online schools fit any time budget. They are designed to work around you instead of you working around them. For example if a registered nurse wants to complete their education for a more advanced practice, online education would be best for them. Because nurses are very busy, they would have to use online education, which can be completed at the student’s pace, no matter how long it takes.

Online education can also be utilized by entire companies to bring their already experienced employees up to date with more modern techniques. As business models change, the older businesses struggle to compete with younger businesses that are using nonconventional techniques in order to gain business—techniques that are proving to be more successful in the new era. If more companies invested in online education in order to improve their employees, they would see a significant change in productivity and new ideas coming into the business.

Higher education is really just as valuable for those emerging from high school and those who have been in the work force for a while. The benefits typically outweigh the expense and most graduates gain higher job satisfaction. Whether choosing a traditional or online school, either is a safe vehicle to pursuing a higher standard of living in this bunk economy.

Staying on top of the latest technological developments is important for most businesses. Regularly upgrading older equipment and adding new devices has been a normal part of business for years, but cloud computing is set to change the status quo. Businesses are starting to realize that the cloud can offer cost-effective alternatives to costly server upgrades. A business should first determine the future need for storage and other resources and the cost to fill that need coupled with the expected lifecycle of purchased equipment. Then the company should determine the amount of available resources that will be used during normal and peak usage and take into consideration what types of services will be provided by the hardware. After all of these aspects have been considered, the decision for purchasing dedicated hardware versus a cloud solution can be made confidently.
What Kind of Growth Is Expected?

Making a dedicated hardware purchase locks a company into that hardware, meaning that if they need to expand more they will have to purchase additional hardware to compensate. Cloud hosts that provide online file storage, web hosting, data processing and Software as a Service have the ability to scale individual clients’ resources to match their current and future needs. When a company expects rapid growth in usage, they can reconfigure their services to match their projected needs.

How Much Will It Cost?

The cost of regular hardware upgrades can be prohibitive, particularly to smaller businesses. The efficacy of purchasing new hardware versus what is essentially renting the necessary resources from a cloud provider can be difficult to determine without proper investigation. A cloud service provides its clients with a recurring monthly bill while the cost of dedicated, in-house equipment is spread out among several areas. The cost of the physical equipment must be taken into consideration, but it doesn’t end there. The time and money spent managing the hardware, the resources expended on providing adequate space for servers and the cost of powering the equipment can add up and should be taken into consideration when deciding between an upgrade and a shift to the cloud.

How Long Will It Be Useful?

Dedicated servers require upgrades or replacements every few years to keep up with a company’s growing demands. When the time comes to replace equipment a company not only has to pay for the new hardware, but also determine what to do with their old hardware. Sometimes the cost of the new equipment can be offset by selling the old or the company can gain tax benefits from donating certain parts to non-profit organizations, but the up-front cost remains high. By switching to a cloud provider, however, a company gains the benefit of nearly immediate upgrades while only having to pay a monthly fee. Furthermore, there is no down time or low availability during a cloud upgrade, which helps keep productivity high.

How Often Will It Be Used?

Successful businesses tend to upgrade and expand their IT equipment when they perceive an upcoming need rather than when they have reached their limits. Every company needs to have room to grow with their current server solution and must have the resources available to deal with usage spikes. When purchasing dedicated equipment, this can lead to purchasing equipment that can meet these peak needs, but that spend most of their time idling. When a company makes use of a cloud computing environment, however, they can easily scale back their resources during off-peak times and requisition more power when required, eliminating the underutilization of their servers.

What Services Will It Host?

Some services are best kept in-house, whether for low latency or security. Sensitive customer data, for instance, should remain internal and be closely guarded. For other uses, such as app development or file synchronization, a cloud solution will provide flexibility and accessibility.

While I was writing an article last week about Google and Apple’s hearings before Congress—regarding the nature and functionality of location tracking in smartphones—I speculated about what movement profiles of smartphone subscribers would be useful for: Targeting consumers in real time based on their location. Making love connections between supply and demand on the fly, capturing and locking in demand for ‘by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ deals available that night, while rush-hour traffic was still in flux. I thought: “Wow, that would make markets so efficient. It would totally revolutionize the way that retailers and restaurants do business—just for starters.”

Last week, I was speculating about developments along these lines launching sometime this year. This week, it’s already happening. Groupon Now launched on Friday, May 20^th. I hadn’t been paying attention to developments over at Groupon it turns out.

This is the speed of recycle, ideation and recombinance in the tech world in 2011: gratification of demand-side desire and the exploitation and filling of almost any potential white space by the supply side happens almost instantaneously. Tuned to the tech news every morning, I sometimes marvel. It seems like we’re moving at light speed.

Groupon Now came out the day after LinkedIn’s public stock debut prompted commentators to proclaim: “The tech boom is back.”

Groupon’s CEO says that Groupon Now, “has been designed to promote serendipitous discovery of new experiences.” It is roughly the storefront equivalent of painting coming off the walls. Stores, restaurants, and other businesses will promote themselves directly to consumers who happen to be in the area by offering up-to-the-minute deals, rather than relying on the customers to walk through their front door.

Andrew Mason explains the impetus behind creating a service like Groupon Now. He points out that there’s a white space in the marketing arena; no marketing platform can help to create spontaneous experiences in real time. People default to doing what they know—they go to bars, or go to the movies. Consumers are hungry for a greater diversity of entertainment but are not willing or able to do the kinds of research to help connect them to these different experiences. “Right now, when people are bored, their brains tend to go toward a handful of safe activities…People have a limited vocabulary of things they do.” Groupon Now is designed to get around consumer recalcitrance and reluctance to explore.

It’s odd—isn’t it?—that Apple and Google are in so much trouble for owning databases that would potentially allow them to reach out to highly geo-targeted traffic in the same way that Groupon Now is already doing. Consumer engagement with Groupon Now will be voluntary, however, and that seems to make all the difference.

Groupon Now marks a shift in Groupon’s overall strategy, reach and potential. It changes the dynamic and relationship between the platform, the businesses utilizing it, and the consumer. They are moving from what was essentially a very complex, elegant, highly stylized series of email marketing campaigns to a richer and more interactive interface. Mason sums up this shift succinctly, saying that, “With daily deals [we were] pushing deals to people. With Groupon Now, we’re intercepting intent.” Having declined Google’s $6 billion buy-out last December, many commentators believed that Groupon’s growth potential was already reaching its ceiling and that competition from bigger companies (e.g. Facebook Deals, Google Offers) would quickly dismantle their momentum. With Groupon Now, Groupon is taking a quantum leap past their encroaching competitors, securing their lead over Deals, Offers and Living Social for some time to come.

In their top 100 brands report this year, Brand Z said that in 2010, “‘Engaging’ replaced ‘targeting’ in the marketing lexicon.” Groupon’s new strategies seem to be taking this cultural shift to heart.

All’s fair in love and war.  But what about branding?

We know that Facebook and Google are becoming increasingly competitive, jousting for control of increasingly overlapping markets. In mid-May, Facebook has confessed to hiring a PR firm to leak bad press about Google’s privacy policies.  None of the information that they were promoting—primarily about the types of information that could be potentially be harvested by Social Circles—was false or misleading, and in reasonably tech-savvy circles it was common knowledge.  Apparently, Facebook just wanted to create more buzz about it.

For anyone interested in the email chain that was leaked by a contact of Burston Marsteiller, starting the whole controversy, you can check it out here.

Anything that Google might have learned about users through Social Circles, Facebook already knew about their users.  And most people—especially industry people—were already well aware of these practices.  So what’s the big deal?

On the one hand, this leaves a mildly bad taste about Facebook in potential investors mouths at a time when the company may be preparing for a public stock debut.  On the other hand, their campaign may have accomplished its intended purpose.  According Brand Z’s brand valuation report, released last week, Google’s brand value slid by -2% this year, while Facebook’s brand value grew by 246%.

So the question is: was this a good idea or not?

Companies and politicians release bad press about their competitors all the time—this strategy is considered totally ethical as long as the information being released is true.  With new vulnerabilities opened up by online reviews, people seem more jittery about bad press than ever.  But aren’t negative ads as much a part of the marketing system as positive ones (albeit only as a complement)?

Aspirin advertisements, for example, will  generally list number of other products and explain why these “other products” are not effective, hoping people will buy “better” products instead(such as their own). Sleeping aid advertisements often allege that their competitors products are “habit forming” and advertise their own products as the one that isn’t. Automotive ads are all about comparing their brands to other “inferior” products.  See for example the Chevy ads from a few years ago whose message was that—due to the fact that Chevy had the best GPS system at the time– owners of other inferior vehicles would end up Chevy owners for directions.  There is the constant infighting among companies like Fedex and UPS over whose shipping services are more effective and so forth.  All of this is part of a healthy market, but it can be one of the more painful aspects of competition.

This video (which is rather naïve but very well-produced) gives, a pretty good overview of negative branding: it talks about how negative ads can be stimulating and therefore memorable.  Their idealistic vision to ‘ban negative advertising’ at the tail end strikes me as somewhat dystopian, not to mention daft, but it’s worth watching all the same.

By and large research suggests that people are more ready to believe negative advertising than positive advertising.  For that reason it is very effective.  However, it frequently has an obvious and unwanted: it generates a vicious cycle of retribution.  This is transparent and up-front in political campaigns, but we see it playing out in the recent Facebook debacle as well.  Revelations that Facebook had paid for a campaign to remind people that Google compromises their privacy ended up reminding people that Facebook compromises their privacy as well.

However, taking a hard look at the numbers in the Brand Z report, I think we have to admit that, of the two, Google came out of the last few quarters the worse for wear.



You have a group of highly knowledgeable and experienced people at your organization. You have a huge project at hand and you utilize this human resource to achieve success. While every individual was efficient and capable, the project fails. Here is a classic example of what an organization may face without adequate team building.

Just getting a few individuals to work on a single project and report to the same boss is not enough to create a team. You need to help all units of the group understand and work towards achieving the same goal – only then it would be able to operate as a team.

It is very important to determine the goals of a team. It is the first step in all team workshops. However, this is not all. Sometimes, a team aware of its goals fails to achieve success. What is the reason for this failure? The reason is simple – you fail to identify the impediments that make team building difficult.

Here are a few common problems that every workshop needs to focus on, and work towards eradicating, for team building success.

Lack of clarity regarding objectives: If the members of a team were not quite clear about the specific goals towards which they need to progress, no team activity or workshop would be of any use.

Lack of support, trust, and cooperation: In the absence of these three elements between the individuals in a department or different departments, as well as between the individuals and the management, it is difficult to work as a team.

Lack of communication: If individuals do not want to confront issues and speak up, there would be no clarity in the functioning. The workshop must aim to rectify this if it needs to succeed.

Lack of proper leadership: Is the leader and the leadership style appropriate? Is the leader apt at handling problems the right way? Does his/her approach make matters better or worse? Understanding this helps assess the situation.

Lack of scope for individual excellence: Every team-building workshop must incorporate two elements – group and individual development. If this goes off balance, things do not work out well.

Lack of proper procedures: Many a times, the use of inappropriate procedures makes it difficult for a team to succeed. Before using any program, you need to find out whether a certain organizational procedure is causing more harm than good.

Lack of regular review: If you do not monitor progress on a regular basis, it is difficult to assess whether there is any problem with a group that you are trying to transform into a successful team.

Mahasweta Bhattacharya, a corporate training consultant, offers valuable guidance to individuals seeking to enhance their leadership skills. If you are looking for team workshop programs, she suggests you to visit http://www.learningtouch.co.in/

When you’re deciding whether to wear jeans to work, you weigh the advantages of being comfortable throughout the day with the disadvantages of looking less professional. When you decide whether to take a sick day, you weigh the advantages of taking a day off to get better against the disadvantages of falling behind at work. Whether you realize it or not, you are taking into account the opportunity cost of each of these decisions.

Opportunity cost is the value of the thing you’re giving up in order to make a certain decision. This economic idea is based on scarcity. You only have so much time, and using it to do something inherently means you can’t use it for something else. Opportunity cost is the value of the thing you’re giving up. In business, that cost is often monetary. And that’s why opportunity cost should always influence your business decisions and planning.

For example, you may have to choose between laying off personnel and charging more for your products. Firing employees would hurt morale but help your budget without disappointing customers. Charging your customers more will increase your income without hurting employee morale. Choosing either option means you lose the advantages of the other, so you must determine the value of each alternative.

This principle can be applied to every aspect of business. If you buy a stock for $2,000 and lose half of your investment, you initially think that decision cost you $1,000. However, you could have used that same $2,000 to buy a stock that tripled in value. In that way, the investment cost you $6,000 in opportunity cost, bringing total cost to $7,000. This concept helps you see your decisions more clearly and can help you determine which choices are best for you and your business.

Sometimes opportunity costs are monetary, and sometimes they are more difficult to define. But they will always affect your decisions, and learning to properly identify and understand opportunity cost will help you make better decisions now and help you succeed in the future.

The best workers are always looking for a competitive edge. Some come in early to get a jumpstart on the day. Others work on weekends to get ahead for the coming week. Maybe you attend seminars or subscribe to publications in your niche to help you learn and get ahead of the competition.

But there’s one less obvious thing you can do to get ahead that others might overlook. Eating a healthy diet can make you more productive. While your colleagues are drinking their morning coffee and grabbing potato chips for an afternoon snack, your better food choices can help you be more productive.

Caffeine, sugar and fat are definitely sources of energy, but that energy is often short-lived and followed by a crash after the effects wear off. Foods that are high in protein, natural sugars and healthy oils offer lasting energy and won’t leave you feeling tired. Instead of donuts and soda, try oatmeal for breakfast. Drink natural fruit juices to keep your energy up and trade your AlmondJoy for plain almonds. These healthier foods will help you feel full and give you sustainable energy over time.

Maintaining a healthy diet can also decrease your risk of certain long-term diseases, like diabetes and heart disease. You increase future productivity by doing what you can to prevent these diseases now. Long-term sicknesses require much care and usually result in a lot of missed work time. In this way, a healthy diet drastically increases productivity over time.

Long-term benefits aren’t much of a selling point when you’re feeling snacky, but eating a healthy diet can keep you from frequently feeling hungry as well. Stay on top of your hunger by bringing healthy snacks to work. If you’re hungry, you’ll settle for whatever is available, no matter how unhealthy it is. If you bring your own snacks you will be less tempted to choose unhealthy ones as the afternoon wears on.

Image by Clearly Ambiguous

Sometimes doing the same thing over and over again works; just look at the Hershey’s Chocolate Bar or General Mills’ original Cheerios, which have remained unchanged for decades. But in most businesses, variety, change, and progress are necessary for improvement and success. So by establishing a culture that embraces creativity, you’ll be able to stay at the cutting-edge of the industry.

Here are some ways to make sure you do just that:

• Don’t make a habit of shooting down people’s ideas. It’s easy to find reasons not to listen to somebody, so make an effort to listen to what others have to say.
• If someone tries something new and different – or perhaps even risky – and fails, handle the situation appropriately. A harsh overreaction will discourage future creativity.
• Allow an appropriate amount of flexibility. This depends on the industry, of course; but allowing employees to try new things, decorate their office spaces, etc. will help promote creativity.
• Realize that it’s okay to take the gut feelings of you and others into account. The analytical side is important, but sometimes decisions come down to what feels right.
• Host (or send employees to) seminars and conferences that focus on the need for creativity in the workplace.
• When you have brainstorming sessions, make them enjoyable. Prime the pump by playing a quick game, having employees tell a story or two, and get the creative juices flowing.
• Openly reward those who do push the envelope and think outside the box.

Encouraging everyone within your company – from top to bottom – to adopt a culture of creativity can have a huge impact on your bottom line. And not only will it help your business grow, but it will create an enjoyable workplace where employees will want to thrive. So do what you can to promote creativity in the workplace, even if it’s something you just do on your own. Creativity can be contagious.

Image by Andrew*

When you’ve got a lot on your plate, it’s easy to put your physical wellbeing on the backburner. When you’re exhausted from working long hours to build your business, getting to the gym is usually the last thing on your mind. But staying healthy doesn’t necessarily take a gym membership or even fancy running shoes. There are plenty of simple things you can do to make sure your business isn’t causing your physical health to suffer.

• Eat – We’ve all had those days or nights where we’re working so hard that we forget to eat. Or, if we do eat, we’re having a handful of potato chips and a soda. Don’t allow yourself to go all day without eating, and when you do eat make yourself a real meal. When it comes to snacks, choose the healthy ones – fruits, vegetables, etc.
• Sleep – You may not be able to get eight hours each night, but you should try to get as much as you can. Your body needs to be able to rest and rejuvenate. And you may even find that after some sleep you’ll actually be able to accomplish more than you would in the comatose, groggy state of exhaustion.
• Take Breaks – It’s very easy to be so focused on your work that hours and hours will go by without realizing it. Set a timer, probably for between 60 and 90 minutes. When that timer goes off – even if you’re in the middle of something – stand up, walk away from your computer, and take a 10 or 15 minute break.
• Exercise – It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Schedule 30 minutes each day to walk up and down a flight of stairs, or just go for a walk around your neighborhood. Get the blood pumping and your cardiovascular system working.

You can’t allow your business to get in the way of your physical health. Life is busy, but do the little things to make sure you’re alive long enough to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

The type of people that start businesses are usually the kind of people that like to be in control. They want to control the quality of their products, how the money is budgeted, the way they market, how they sell, and all of the logistics in between. Not only is all of this work impossible for one person to do, it’s impossible for one person to be good at. And, chances are, it’s impossible for all of them to be enjoyable to any one person.

I, for one, can’t stand selling. I will never hold a job as a cold-calling salesperson, despite the good pay, because I would probably want to jump off a cliff after a week calling strangers on the phone. If you want to keep your business running for a long time, you need to make it enjoyable for yourself. Pick out the tasks that you excel at or enjoy at and delegate or outsource what you don’t.