Understanding Archives - BOLLYWOOD SURKHIYAN

Understanding What a Well-Balanced SharePoint Intranet Solution Can Offer Your Business

Business organizations all over the globe choose to use SharePoint as their major collaboration tool hosting employees’ workplaces and corporate teams. Since great collaboration is the main source of successful business, it is also very important that startup companies use good collaborative tools. A good collaboration tool helps to maintain document management, records management or the web management very easily.

In simple language every intranet should offer two major groups that should help the employees to complete their daily tasks easily and enable to carry out the departments and team specific activities smoothly thereby contributing better performance of staffs.
Secondly, SharePoint development and intranet solutions often help to support the employee’s social life and make them feel a part of the company and to foster corporate values.

Some benefits from a well-balanced intranet solution and SharePoint development:

As a business organization, if you can manage to get the perfect balance between intranet solution and SharePoint, then you will be able to reach the 4 important goals.

Both formal and informal collaboration on a single platform:

It is true that SharePoint intranets often host work that are related to the content, while the users turn to any third party solutions in order to discuss any upcoming event of the organization. A well balanced intranet helps employees to find a place where both formal and informal collaborates, bringing in at least two major advantages.

Saves the time of the employees and prevents them from moving between various solutions and getting distracted.
Reduces the risk that employees will manage their working activities in some non-corporate messengers and share sensitive business data in an insecure environment.

Attract some rare visitors:

At times it becomes very difficult for an organization to provide all its users with job specific features of SharePoint. Let us take for example, if your procurement executives work on an ERP system, then they might not need task specific features of SharePoint. But in case they travel a lot, then it is likely that they become a frequent intranet visitor. Such balance often helps your people or team to remain updated with latest business news, updates and conversations.

Benefits from SharePoint capabilities:

Often it is seen that SharePoint is used by companies in a very limited manner like just as a document storage, support only a few collaborative sites or as a project management system for a specific team. But let’s be very clear of the fact that SharePoint is not a cheap solution. So any underuse mean wasting initial investments. Balancing various features will let you open up SharePoint’s full potential, thereby benefiting from your solution at the best.

Develop corporate identity:

Large organizations often struggle with developing the sense of belonging from their people. When the organization becomes too big, the teams often stop feeling a strong sense of place in the company. They often tend to jump for any better opportunity elsewhere and have reduced hunger to improve the business. SharePoint intranet solutions offer the ability to share company news and communications and help to develop a stronger corporate industry.

Managed workflows:

Workflows are the basis of most daily activities of employees. While they may have certain tasks to do without any dependency on others, but there are also activities that needs completion of task before it is passed to the next person. But in most corporations, the workflow often breaks. SharePoint helps here with some added third party tools.

Shantih, Shantih, Shantih – The Peace That Passeth All Understanding

Thomas Stearns Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948 for his outstanding contribution to the world of present-day poetry. One such pioneering work of his is The Wasteland. For Eliot, the wasteland symbolizes that area of human life where men exist without a guiding faith, where men have turned their backs on spiritual enlightenment, and the title points to this dilemma.

The poem, divided into five parts is thus fragmented, lacking in logical continuity and time sequence, and is a projection of the psychological oscillations and conflicts which raged in the soul of man in the early twentieth century (the situation is no different today). Eliot felt that Western civilization had become mechanical, dull and dehumanized. Corruption, degeneracy and stark materialism were rampant. In this broken fragmented world, nothing could be integrated.

Despite the poem being a patchy kaleidoscopic entity, it is held together only in the all-embracing prophetic vision of Tiresias, the bi-sexual blind seer of ancient Greek tragedy, and what Tiresias sees is the substance of the whole poem. Psychologically speaking, he is the conscious of humanity. As a symbol of the past still surviving in the present, the old Tiresias, “with his wrinkled female breast” has foresuffered all that is being enacted in the ugly stage of the contemporary world.

He transcends the barrier of time and place with swift flashes embracing with his empty gaze, now a scene in the present – the images of “the ruins of the falling London bridge”, a “taxi throbbing and waiting”, to epitomize the life of an immoral and wanton twentieth century typist, as also of the past – Dante’s inferno, the amorous sport of Cleopatra, Elizabeth, and brings out in our mental image the enormity of the sin committed by the mythical king Oedipus of Thebes – the drought-and-sin ridden land – in his sexual violation of his mother Jocasta, and of the necessity of purifying the sinner’s soul through suffering.

In The Wasteland, the images and symbols fall broadly into two categories: the images taken from the common aspects of urban life but raised to great intensity (the throbbing taxi image), and the symbols from myth, nature and religion – these being centred in the theme of death and rebirth. Thus drought is symbolic of spiritual dryness, and rain of spiritual fertility. However, certain objects may symbolize two opposite ideas based upon their functions. Thus, water is, on the one hand, a symbol of creation – of life and growth, of purification and transformation, in the form of a river or sea and, on the other hand, it is also destructive of life and property. Similarly, fire as a destructive agent, is a symbol of lust which consumes a person to a state of “living death”; but fire, as the sacred altar-flame, is also a symbol of inspiration, illumination and spiritual exaltation. Eliot constantly plays with ambivalent images.

Of the post-war European society, its spiritual sterility is conveyed by the symbol of a stony and barren soil. The idea of a stalemate, of life come to a dead end, is conveyed by the symbol of the “game of chess”. The idea of life as meaningless, dull and languid movement in a narrow circle is conveyed by the image “we are living in a rat’s alley where dead men lost their bones”. The idea is reinforced by the images of squalor and vulgarity, as for instance, the river sweats oil and tar and carries along its current the dirty freight of empty bottles, cigarette ends, silk-handkerchiefs and other testimonials of summer parties and sexual encounters between city-nymphs and their chance paramours.

The theme of barrenness, decay and death is woven with the quest for life and resurrection which Eliot found in the legend of the Holy Grail and other anthropological myths, with a sprinkling of Christian, Buddhist and Hindu religious analogies, and the sense of release from this state and of freedom is conveyed by the image of a boat gliding smoothly under the expert hand, God, who brings to balance all the reverses that man has done in the stupid belief of his superiority, and thus, of self aggrandizement.

The Wasteland is Eliot’s spiritual autobiography, his search through the junkheap of modern culture for an integrating principle just as you would have a Pilgrim’s Progress (From this world to that which is to come, by John Bunyan). Eliot’s vision moves backwards and forwards with a relentless shuttling movement over legend, belief and symbol. And, in the end, the pilgrim, now seemingly a solitary figure, walks on. The grass is “singing” and there comes a damp gust bring rain”, symbolic of rejuvenation, of resurrection. Three claps of thunder are heard, and the voice of the thunder, in Sanskrit, offers three words of advice: “Give, Sympathize and Control” – “Shantih, Shantih, Shantih”, the peace that passeth all understanding. Eliot sees the solution to human situation in Hindu religious term.

Eliot forces the problem of the wasteland on us because we, whether we know it or not, are the citizens of the “unreal city” and we must find our Grail – the platter used by Jesus at the Last Supper and in which one of his followers is said to have received His blood at the Crucifixion.

Understanding Entrepreneurialism and Its Relevance to Nigerian Society

Entrepreneurialism is an important factor in the development of any nation. Entrepreneurs are responsible for taking calculated risks that open up doors to progressively higher levels of economic growth. If it weren’t for them, the world would never have knows such marvels as the wheel, electricity or the Internet, to name just a few.

Entrepreneurs are the veritable backbone on which the world and modern ideas continue to develop. The magnitude and reach of their contributions, however, extend much beyond the world of business and economy, and to them goes irrefutable credit for the growth and evolution of societies at large. Developed nations across the world owe their current prosperity to the collective effort of intrepid entrepreneurs, on whose innovation also rests the future prosperity of much of the developing world.

The larger rewards of risk-taking, starting an enterprise and developing it into a successful business venture extend well past its immediate beneficiaries. The scope of financial freedom and flexibility that entrepreneurialism allows is a means to simultaneous individual and national prosperity. If this holds true for economies around the world, it has especially relevance for Nigeria, which is at the cusp of a new era of progress.

History of Nigerian Entrepreneurship

Nigeria is home to people of the Ibo culture, an extremely resourceful ethnic group that is known for its traditional entrepreneurial prowess. Consequently, this well-endowed sub-Saharan nation has a strong undercurrent of enterprise running through its veins, which has helped it survive and emerge out a long and difficult history.

Inheriting a fortune in oil and gas reserves after ceding from British colonial rule in 1960, Nigeria’s early regimes banked heavily on non-renewable resources to generate rich returns. The oil boom of the 70’s marked a period of tremendous national profit – an aggregate of more than $600 billion over four decades. However, civil strife and political uncertainty spawned an atmosphere of disregard for inclusive growth, eventually brining about a steady decline of agriculture and traditional industries. The outcome was the creation of the ‘Nigerian Paradox’, a situation of huge economic disparities that drove most of this resource-abundant country’s population into desperate poverty.

Traditional Nigerian entrepreneurship began in a climate of economic stagnation and as a purely survivalist endeavour. Dismal human development indices, unemployment and infrastructure deficits resulted in the evolution of a massive informal economy that depended almost exclusively on personal initiative and hazardous risk-taking capacity. This vast, unorganised sector, covering a wide range of products and services, quickly filled the gap left by subsequent decades of misrule and failed economic policies. It is ironic, to say the least, that the Nigerian informal economy has now grown to a stage where it contributes over 65% of Gross National Product, and by the government’s own admission, accounts for 90% of all new jobs in the country.

Entrepreneurial resurgence

The return of democracy in 1999 ushered in a period of economic reforms and a renewed focus on enterprise development as the only viable means to sustainable growth. Nigerian leaders initiated a massive programme of disinvestment and financial deregulation aimed at boosting business development across the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) space. Progress has been hampered by institutional deficiencies and widespread bureaucratic and political corruption, although it is still too early to comment on the long-term accomplishments of Abuja’s renewed efforts at jumpstarting the economy.

One of the primary reasons why the country struggles to keep up with the developed world despite its considerable human and natural resources is a lack of progressive and holistic policies. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of education. However, in pursuance of the Millennium Development Goals and its indigenous 2020 target, the Nigerian government has in recent years made tangible efforts to enforce universal basic education and mass adult-literacy programmes that it hopes will allow Nigerians to compete in the business world. The focus on education, particularly on vocational training and skills-development, is a conscious effort to engender entrepreneurial vigour among its substantial population of 148 million, more than half of which lives in extreme poverty. Private and international aid agencies have collaborated and extended support in this direction: the United Nations Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals scheme, for instance. Educating potential entrepreneurs and equipping them with the skills necessary for success remains a key priority.

The final aspect of Nigerian entrepreneurship is export, which has primarily been limited to non-renewable resources. However, export in the non-oil sector is an equally vital instrument for accelerated growth, and a significant area for emerging entrepreneurs to get involved in. Trade with countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas is a potential boom sector, more so in light of a new tax regime that is intended to promote emerging businesses.

Challenges Facing Enterprise Development

Despite recent achievements that prove Nigeria’s potential for entrepreneurial triumph, there is little doubt about the severity of constraint on the road ahead.

One of the principal problems is very simply the fact that Nigeria is not perceived as a promising business destination. The high cost of doing business, corruption and systemic flaws in the country’s economic policies have cumulatively succeeded in keeping off potential investors. Massive infrastructural deficits, particularly with regards to roads and electricity, are further turn-offs. The most significant aspect of the problem, however, is Nigeria’s nascent and shaky polity, constantly under threat from civil intolerance and rising religious extremism.

Social problems, growing out of deplorable human development indicators in the absence of inclusive growth, form the second significant obstacle for Nigeria. The status of women and their traditionally limited involvement in entrepreneurial activities is a significant drawback from the perspective of rapid social and economic growth. The issue is further compounded by a catastrophic divide in the condition of rural and urban populations.

Entrepreneurialism is the foundations of any developed nation. For Nigeria to reap the full benefits of a dynamic and evolving economy however requires the overcoming of entrenched social, financial and political hurdles. Informed government policy, education and international participation are crucial for Nigeria to shake off its third world heritage and achieve the full breadth of its economic potential.

Understanding the Unemployment Cycle of Loss/Grief

Introduction

You have probably heard of the Cycle of Grief that occurs with a significant change in your life, such as the death of someone close. Swiss-American Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first introduced the Cycle in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. The Kübler-Ross model, or what has become known as the five stages of grief, is a series of emotional stages experienced when faced with death or the impending death of someone close. Kübler-Ross originally developed this model based on her observations of people suffering from terminal illness, although she later expanded her theory to apply to any form of catastrophic personal loss. The five stages she identified are

• Denial

• Anger

• Bargaining

• Depression

• Acceptance

A similar and very real Cycle of Loss occurs when someone loses their job. After applying this model to the business world, and specifically unemployment, I feel the steps between the Kübler-Ross stages are too large. Although now retired, I have years of experience in several segments of the business world, including self-employment, corporate experience as an employee, and government employment, and most recently, full-time volunteer service as an employment advisor in a church-sponsored employment resource center. Therefore, I would expand upon the Kübler-Ross model with the following stages.

• Shock

• False Confidence or Denial

• Frustration and/or Anger

• Guilt and Decreased Self-Worth

• Depression

• Coping

• Acceptance

• Hope

• Desire

• Involvement

• Rebuilding

• Real Confidence

• Growth

As the stages are discussed in this treatise, you will see that they fall into three distinct areas. I identify these three areas as, first, the fear stages; second, the coping and acceptance stages; and finally, the faith stages. If our goal is to achieve real confidence and measurable personal growth, as it should be, we have to move as quickly as possible through the early stages, which I have identified as the fear stages. Furthermore, it is almost universally recognized that individuals, while in these early fear stages, should not make major decisions, and perhaps even some minor decisions should be postponed.

Moreover, it’s possible for you to feel like you are on a roller-coaster because of the back-and-forth nature of one’s journey through the process. You will eventually turn your back on fear and turn toward faith, resulting in real confidence and growth. The time required to accomplish that turn away from fear and toward faith varies widely by individual and circumstances. But it must be accomplished to make real progress.

Let’s briefly examine each stage.

Shock

There is always an element of shock when job loss occurs. It doesn’t matter if you knew it was coming or not, shock is always the first emotion you feel. For some, this can have a substantial effect on the individual. So much so, in fact, that some companies always assign a co-worker to be with you in the office while you process the initial news of your job loss. Others simply take their box of personal belongings to their car and drive right to the employment center to look for a new job.

Don’t fail to consider the shock that will be felt by your family. Don’t wait for the children to ask their mother why daddy is staring at the television – and it’s not even turned on! Recognize that family members will go through the same Cycle of Loss stages you will. It is likely, however, that you will not all be at the same stage at the same time. Be patient with each other. You will need to let them know where you are in the Cycle of Loss, so they can use your progress to validate their own progress.

False Confidence or Denial

Anger and denial come next, but not always in the same order for everyone. How you react to the shock of job loss also determines how long you remain in this stage. Denial and false confidence often manifest themselves through pride or ego, leading to statements such as

• “I don’t need help.”

• “I can do this on my own.”

• “I don’t want anyone to know.”

• “I don’t need help redoing my resume; it got me a job last time.”

• “I know how to interview; I don’t need to practice.”

You must let go of pride and vanity and accept help in order to gain real confidence. Remember, real confidence and personal growth are our goal. Yes, I know, a new job is your goal! But that new job (your real new job, not a “tide-me-over” job) typically comes after you have moved through all the stages in this Cycle of Loss. The help I refer to can be self-help, help from family, friends and neighbors, or a combination of all.

I once met with an individual who insisted the manager who let him go must have been wrong, so he was working on visiting with the company president, who had an open door policy. He was so much into denial that as we were meeting to discuss his next steps in his new job search, he was emailing the company president. He finally left without finishing our meeting, because he was certain he would be back to work on Monday.

Frustration and Anger

Frustration, which can lead to anger, can be thought of as a state of insecurity caused by unfulfilled needs. Anger is generally about lack of control. Self-control is easier when there is no stress in our life. But unless you are independently wealthy, or have high self-esteem based on something other than your employment, job loss can be pretty stressful!

While not everyone initially feels angry about his or her job loss, the longer unemployment lasts the more likely the emotion of anger will be felt. If you do feel angry, I offer a caution. Don’t let this stage in your job loss cycle result in anger with those you love. Instead, let them grieve with you. You will all be better off.

Keep in mind that while in these early stages, you may be more vulnerable to impulsive, impatient, or intolerant behavior, so talking with a spouse, a friend, a job coach, etc. can keep you properly grounded.

Guilt and Decreased Self-Worth

Guilt occurs because of our inability to fulfill our obligations. Even simple pleasures, such as a trip to the ice cream store with the children, are now examined in light of a decreased family income. That’s why it is important to gather your family around you as soon as you can, and explain that you’ve been given an opportunity to explore other options for employment. Complex explanations are self-defeating, so keep it simple! Your department was downsized and you are looking for a new opportunity, is often all you need to say. Ask your family for suggestions on how expenses can be reduced; help them be part of your team!

Another way to diminish feelings of guilt during job loss is to always, and I mean always, save while you work. You may not be able to save much each week, but it adds up quickly. You never know when an extra $100 will come in handy. Remember, your savings account is not a spending account; you are saving for a rainy day. If you never have a rainy day, you have a great summer vacation fund!

If you have identified yourself as a clerk, a driver, a bookkeeper, an accountant, a whatever, being unemployed does not change your value. Think of a $20 bill. Whether it is crisp and new or old and crumpled, it is still worth $20! Whether you are working for XYZ Company or not, you are still valuable. So pass through the stage of decreased self-worth as quickly as you can. You are still as valuable today as you were yesterday!

Depression

If you linger in this stage of guilt and decreased self-worth, and leave it unchecked, you may fall into depression. While I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, I do have personal experience with individuals who have been or are chronically depressed. Depression can be defined as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. While it may be okay to feel sad about an event, if you don’t move on, depression will obstruct everything you want to do. If not dealt with quickly, it may require the help of a professional to enable you to move on.

When you experience a loss of interest in your own well-being, the job search comes to a screeching halt. No employer will hire you if you convey no interest in your life. Employers want to hire vibrant, exciting and well-balanced individuals. So move through this stage even more quickly than the previous stage!

Another observation about these early stages is that you don’t pass through these emotions just one time – in the course of a job search, you may visit them often, especially as you let fear rule what you do. Fear immobilizes us and keeps us from the ultimate growth and progress the Lord intends for us to gain from the experience. Don’t let fear take over! Acknowledge where you are and move on! This is why good friends are so valuable. They can help us remember our self-worth.

By the way, if you have some friends who constantly ask if you are still unemployed, you may want to limit your time around them for a while. Please don’t misunderstand me here; I’m not saying you should unceremoniously dump your friends and family, it’s just that you should maximize the time you spend around optimistic people, not glass-half-empty people.

The ambivalence one feels while in these early stages can push you into taking ineffective or inappropriate action, or even no action at all. You need to build upon small successes as a means of moving away from these fear stages. Even making your bed in the morning can give you strength and courage for the rest of the day.

Coping

The next stage is where you take over! As you learn to cope with your situation, you finally leave the worst part of your journey behind. Coping is a conscious effort to solve problems, and seeking to master, minimize or tolerate stress or conflict. Develop a plan of action, and stick to your plan. Write it down and then get your family, friends, and significant others to support you as you follow your plan. When your plan needs updated, cheerfully change it! But be sure to write your plan down and then follow it. The alternative is to leave your worries churning in your stomach and head and heart, all of which are susceptible to their own forms of ulcer.

Coping is often easier when you acquire additional skills. Attending a workshop on improving your resume or a workshop on how to interview properly can be immensely helpful. Practice interviews are also enormously helpful. Learning how to better use Microsoft Office products or Apple/Mac products, for example, can give you useful office skills and at the same time, boost your self-esteem.

When money is really tight, coping may also require you to take one of those “get-by-for-now” jobs, like delivering pizza in the evening. But don’t forget your primary “job” is looking for a new and meaningful job.

Acceptance

If you are coping with your situation, then the next step, Acceptance, is an easy one. You wake up one morning and suddenly realize you are a brilliant job seeker! You say to yourself, “okay, I’m out of work right now, but what does the future hold?” You are able to admit where you are, and rather than looking behind, you can cheerfully look ahead. You take a deep breath, and take the next step!

I have a friend who says about his situation, “It is what it is, but I’m working on it!” Which leads us directly to the next stage.

Hope

Now you are filled with Hope, the next stage. Hope is defined by Merriam-Webster as “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.” Hope is that feeling we get that says all is not lost! Once you can accept your situation, it becomes much easier to look to and prepare for the future. You no longer define yourself as “unemployed” but rather as a talented individual looking for the next great opportunity!

This is the right place for me to mention my belief in the Almighty, and His role in our lives. We are not alone. Although it may seem that you are alone, you are not. God is aware of you and your hopes, dreams, and desires. When they match His plan for you, great things will happen – in His time, of course. In my opinion, faith in the Almighty will produce a better end result, and is thus a requirement in this process.

Desire

Wow, the stages are moving along rather quickly now. This is a good thing!

Filled with hope, you now have a real desire to improve your job search skills, and as they are developed, you discover real joy in your search. You may find opportunities you never thought of before. The job search becomes exciting.

However, another caution here. It is easy to become frustrated (all the way back to stage 3) when you get interviews but no job offers. Just remember, this is part of the job search process. Think of it this way, interview number 1 is practice for interview number 2, and so on. You should plan to learn something from every interview which make you a better you.

Remember, the interview is not to determine if you can do the job, as much as it is to see if you will do the job they want done, and perhaps more importantly, to see if you and the company are a good fit. Desire plays a big role in determining fit. Do you know what your real desires are? It may prove difficult, but you should resist the temptation to take a job you really don’t want.

Involvement

This is where you acknowledge that you must be fully involved in this part of your life. Just like an old building that must be demolished before a new building can be constructed in the same spot, you must clear away the debris of your past to move on to your future. Remember this though; your past was not a failure! It was simply prologue to your future. The debris I refer to is caused by fear. Fear is not your friend! Clear away fears, doubts, worries, uncertainties, and such glass-half-empty thoughts. Then you can rebuild!

Another thought about staying involved. While you worked, did you eat regular meals? Did you have an exercise plan? Did you do things with your family? Well, don’t stop! You cannot afford to get sick from poor eating habits, and you cannot afford to get out of shape (whatever shape that was!). And you certainly cannot afford to alienate your family. Get up in the morning at your regular time. Dress for work (okay, maybe not the tie and jacket every day!) and be prepared to go to an interview at the drop of a hat. Yes, I realize you may need to consider not eating out as much as before, but maybe that is not a bad thing.

Rebuilding

The next substantial stage is that of rebuilding; not rebuilding your life, because, admit it, you have had a great life to this point! We are referring to rebuilding your job search skills. You know what I mean, those skills that got rusty while you were working. You may even want to consider additional education, acquiring additional certifications, and even reading the latest book in your field of endeavor. As you improve your resume, practice your interviewing skills, strengthen your networking skills, and truly become a salesman of yourself, you will find that you enhance (rebuild?) your self-confidence as you do so.

Rebuilding may also include reviewing why you lost your last job. If it was truly the result of downsizing, you may want to examine your skill sets, to see if you can become more valuable to your next employer by learning new skills. If your job loss was for cause, you will want to examine what led up to that decision and what you can do to keep it from happening in the future. This review may only be effective after you’ve reached this stage; you have to be strong enough to face the realities of the situation.

Real Confidence

Confidence is a feeling or belief that you can do something well. After passing through all the previous stages, you are now ready to look a prospective employer right in the eye! Real confidence is acquired through adequate preparation and practice.

• In this stage, you already know your resume is a great resume,

• You have already practiced interviews multiple times so you know that you interview well, and

• You hold your head high and don’t worry about the pebbles at your feet.

Growth

As you look back at each of the stages you passed through, you now see that each was a necessary part of your growth. You are now stronger and more confident in yourself.

Now when the interview takes place and you don’t get the job, you have the self-confidence and courage to go to the next interview with a smile on your face. And if you do get the job, you have the self-confidence to start the job with high energy. Every employer loves an employee with a strong work ethic.

Conclusion

When you understand the Cycle of Loss and its impact on you mentally, emotionally, and physically, and the importance of moving through each stage as quickly and positively as you can, you begin to make real progress toward defeating fear.

Faith occurs when we finally accept our situation. We are provided with hope through our network of friends and family, and subsequently have a desire to become more involved in the productive work or action that it takes to rebuild.

Fear and Faith cannot exist in the same body at the same time. Just as we suggested above, you must turn your back on your fears and face forward with faith in yourself. With renewed self-esteem, you are now ready to make real progress in your job search.

Look forward with faith and with confidence in the new and stronger you!

Understanding H2O At Home: Can You Really Make Money With H2O At Home?

H2O At Home is a direct sales company founded in 1997. They started off in France and opened shop in the USA in 2009. They offer clean, non-toxic, eco-friendly related products for a variety of purposes. Additionally, they offer a business opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to making an income marketing their company or its products.

The Thing:

H2O At Home offers natural home care, organic personal care, and natural home fragrance. They provide products using their “3 E Concepts”, Efficient, Eco-Friendly, and Easy To Use. Their products are not only designed to be effective, but more importantly safe! Therefore, no more fretting over your child potentially being able to get a hold of the harmful chemicals in your household!

Natural Home Care – They have several home care related products in this category but overall it is designed to save you money, ban toxic-chemicals, give you the ability to clean with water and their non-toxic chemicals, use less product to get the job done, make the cleaning process faster and easier, and includes only natural ingredients. Such items included are their Cleaning Clay Kit for things like ceramic or ovens, Lime-scale remover, Purifying Laundry Power, and many others.

Organic Personal Care – This category includes Facial Care, Body and Hair Care, and Microfiber Bath Towels and Accessories all with 100% natural and organic ingredients.

Natural Home Fragrance – All the products in this category are made with 100% natural essential oils to provide a safer home while saving you money. Items included are Aroma-therapy, Scented Extracts, Essential Oil Diffusers, and many others!

The Opportunity:

The question still remains; can you really make money with H2O At Home? In order to answer this question accurately, we need to look into their Compensation Plan, which is awesome fun and exciting!

It appears that there are 4 ways you could start making money with H2O At Home such as Personal Sales, Team Members Sales, Bonuses, and Rewards. I will briefly explain them below!

Personal Sales – You are able to profit 25% to 40% commission from all of your personal sales.
Team Members Sales – With this payout, you can receive 10% of your personally enrolled down-line members’ sales.
Bonuses – They offer a Fast Start Bonus, eligible for new members for their first 60 days to earn up to $400 in rewards or personally enrolling someone into your team.
Rewards – This isn’t necessarily a payout, however, you could earn 10% to 15% of your product sales in free product. That’s right, free!

To Conclude, Yes, You Can Make Money With H2O At Home!

The Cost:

For some, this is the most important question before joining H2O At Home or any company like this! It’s important to remember, however, that all businesses require some type of start-up fee! However, in this industry, it is generally much cheaper to get started then it is in a traditional business that could cost around $30,000 to start!

In order to get started with H20 you need to purchase one of their Business Starter Kit!

Business Kit – $99.00
Executive Business Kit – $230.00

With both kits you are able to get a Personal Website to help market and grow your business online for free the first three months and then $13.00 thereafter.

Final Thoughts:

The products this company offers are decent and seem to be great for those wanting non-toxic cleaning and personal use chemicals! However, their prices for certain items are rather pricey and could damage your budget quickly!

The opportunity is weak sauce! They only have four payouts and all four are low percentages. Also, finding a pdf of their compensation plan is difficult to do, for whatever reason, which is never a good sign. You are, certainly, able to make an income from marketing this company, however, it doesn’t appear like you will become rich any time soon and for most of us, that’s the goal! To make money while helping others receive a better standard of living!

The cost is affordable but for a company founded in 1997, they should have more options to choose from! However, both kits come with enough business materials, sample products, and training to get your business going and growing immediately! Also, the personal website for the first three months is nice and the upkeep cost for it is not bad at all! However, if you know how to properly grow a business like this, a personal company website is a total waste of money!

*Dustin Hale is NOT affiliated with H2O At Home or their business/income opportunity!

Understanding SWOT Weaknesses

A little about SWOT

SWOT…. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The SWOT analysis technique is typically used during strategic planning to provide a concise summary of a strategic analysis. Generally your strategic analysis will include an analysis of your three strategic environments, which are your

Internal Environment,
Industry Environment, and your
Macro Environment

In this article you will learn all about how to identify weaknesses and to help you to get started we have also provided you with a list of common weakness. We will also show you how to avoid the common mistakes that are often made when categorising weaknesses.

Now let’s start by defining the term weakness as it relates to your SWOT analysis.

Definition of a Weakness

Corporate Level Weakness Defined:A weakness is a core capability of your business where your competitor(s) have an advantage over your business, which your customers value i.e. you failed the better than your competitors test.

During your SWOT analysis you will consider a variety of weaknesses from within your business. It is important to note that these weaknesses will all be internal to your business and they are all found during your internal analysis.

The SWOT technique can also be used at divisional, departmental and team level. When completing a team level analysis, you should identify strengths and weaknesses from the eyes of your internal customers.

Understanding SWOT Weaknesses

Some Possible Weaknesses

There are two categories of weaknesses that you may identify in your business, both are equally valid and should have receive equal consideration, these two categories are

Tangible Weaknesses, these describe characteristics of your business that can be precisely identified, measured or realized. (Normally you can touch them)
Intangible Weaknesses, these describe characteristics of your business that can not be physically touched or physically measured (You can not touch them)

Now, that we have identified two categories of weaknesses let’s take a look at some common tangible and intangible weaknesses that maybe found in your business

Some possible tangible weaknesses that you may find in your business

Old or outdated plant and equipment. Old plant or equipment is generally supported by equipment reliability issues or a lack of general competitiveness.
Narrow product line
Insufficient financial resources to fund changes
High costs (Not high price, high costs specifically refers to the cost of brining your product or service to market)
Inferior technology or technology that does has not kept pace with customer or supplier preferred transaction methods.
Low volume or restricted in your ability to scale up

Some possible intangible weaknessesthat you may find in your business

Weak or unrecognizable brand
Weak or unrecognizable image
Poor relationships with your customers
Poor relationships with your suppliers
Poor relationships with your employees
Marketing failing to meet objectives
Manager inexperience
Low investment in research and development
Low industry knowledge
Low innovative skills

Where People often go wrong

The most frequent error we see in a SWOT analysis with the categorisation of environmental observations. This is particularly prevalent when identifying weaknesses.

It is common for weaknesses to be identified as an opportunity to resolve the weakness rather than as a weakness, and some times as a threat of the harm the weakness may cause.

For example

A weakness of poor relationship with your employee’s, could be written up as an opportunity to improve labour relations or as a threat of industrial action by militant employees. It is important to categorise it as a weakness. Why?

It is important to categorise your weaknesses correctly as later you will look to find opportunities that capitalise on your strengths as these are your greatest strategic opportunities and threats that are exacerbated by your weaknesses as these are your greatest strategic risks.

If you have worded a weakness as an opportunity there is a risk that you will not identify your strategic risks and appropriately prioritise action to mitigate these risks.

Another common issue with identifying a SWOT weakness is to allow personal preferences to come into play. For example, if you are a big fan of apple computers but the company who you work does not use them, it is not valid to claim the organisation has a weakness that they use inferior technology. It is only a weakness if the choice of technology platform is restricting your business from competing with your competitors.

And the final item is that managers are often reluctant to be open and honest about the weaknesses of the business that they are running. They see it as a failure on their part. It is best to encourage leaders to be open and transparent about the weaknesses in their business, only by be open can you ask for help.

SWOT Tip

By the virtue of its name the SWOT analysis technique is an analysis technique NOT a solution technique. It is hard to remain focused on analysis, but important to do so. A thorough analysis is the perfect foundation for making strategic decisions.

Once the SWOT analysis is complete the next stage of strategic planning is to develop alternative possible courses of action.

Understanding Business Development Ideas For Event Management Industry

What is Event Management?

Event management refers to methods of outsourcing business occasions, social occasions, or a combination of both. There is no limit to the business development ideas for an event management business. It is possible to organize every kind of event ranging from wedding to a political rally. An event management team can be retained for any type of business meeting.

500 Billion Dollar Industry:

Last 15 years have witnessed a tremendous growth in the field of event management. If we add the amount of money spent on event management all over the world in one year it comes to a whopping 500 billion dollars. Gone are the days when we could do with hiring only a small catering team that supplies the food for a business event. If you wish to make an impression on your potential clients today, hiring a meeting management company is a necessity.

Events of Any Range Can Be Managed:

If you wish to start an event management business and you are looking for business development ideas for it then you will be happy to know that you can start this business for any range. It is possible to manage an event for only a small group of people. On the other hand, you can manage mega events for five thousand people and more.

People prefer to choose an event management team that is known for its expertise in this field. When you plan an event, it not only consumes your valuable time but also produces much stress. Event management business owners have contacts in this field and they can offer you the best possible services at the most competitive prices.

Manage Accommodation and Entertainment:

As an event management business, when you organize an event involving five thousand people for a whole day, you should not assume that catering is the most difficult thing to manage. Accommodation and entertainment are also very important for managing such large events. You also require sufficient and efficient staff for the event. Moreover, you also have to plan about the size of the room, seating arrangements, and the total budget of the event. If you do not have enough expertise to deal with all of these factors, you may face difficulties in running event management business successfully.

External Factors Affecting Event Management Business:

Several external factors also affect the growth of the event management industry. Some of these factors are the rate of the growth of economy, lifestyle, and changing characteristics of the people living in the area. Tourism and branding activities like festivals and corporate activities such as conferences, product launches, award ceremonies, and gala dinners are under the scope of event management business. Key factors for the success of an event management business are reputation, network, service promotion, links with the suppliers, and high quality managerial skills.

Understanding The Android And iOS Applications

People have been dependent on their cell phones for different purposes, and they get all the required solutions of their problems through the applications of mobile phones. It is also primarily used for paying bills, accumulating different information about various factors which are dispersed on the internet, get in touch with friends anywhere around the world, solving every glitch, playing new and modern games, others.

Presently, the market is booming with the new invention of Smartphones which is capable of offering every facility that is equivalent to a desktop or laptop. It is to be noted that it requires the assistance of a special software program to give the proper efficacy and ensure the appropriate use of its hardware. Everyone is accustomed to the factor that there are two kinds of operating systems available which work as an operating system for these modern, innovative mobile phone, i.e., the Android and iOS.

We all are informed about the fact that iOS is the exclusive OS which runs only on Apple’s supporting mobile platform. It has transformed the world with its new, innovative, inbuilt, and user-friendly operations and loads of useful apps. Presently, it has been found that they are renowned for providing every app which satisfies each and every necessity of people. Approximately more than 800 million devices are functioning on iOS, and in the near future, as estimated, it will cover up nearly 1 billion devices which will be working on iOS.

There has been a huge decrease in the sales of computer, and it is all due to the proficiency offered by the hand-held devices. The research says that millions of apps are downloaded and in them lies the presence of games as well, that is liked and preferred by youths and kids. They are also well aware of the same. It is a proof which shows peoples dependency on Apple’s operating system and the efficiency provided by its apps which are being frequently used.

It is the leading cause which assures you that anyone can go ahead and shape an iOS app and can earn millions of dollars. If you have required knowledge of programming and have a brief understanding of it, then you can focus on learning programming of Apple iOS. In this way, you will not only be capable of developing an app but also will be able to handle Apple app development.

However, if you focus on the Android application then it should be the priority as the present market of smartphone users throughout the world are filled with Android dealers. There is no significant difference in these two operating systems. However, both of them have made human life quite easier, and every work which requires the assistance of a machine to get accomplished can be done with such defined systems.

4 Points to Consider When Understanding the Role of a Digital Agency in Business Success

According to some studies the internet has been used by people to learn about available products. There is a continuous increase of online advertising that comes along with the increase in the number of internet users. Because of this, businessmen should be able to guard their website’s quality ensuring that it is appealing to internet users. That is why web designers today are truly in demand. However, previously not everyone knew about the existence of a digital agency. The significance of this agency is progressing being recognized as a significant mechanism for excellent and proper sales and advertising.

What is a Digital Marketing Agency For?

This form of agency basically designs a website ensuring is appeal to attract genuine visits. It is imperative for the designer to make use of the right keywords and design. He needs to have an understanding of the business, products and its use. He is expected to create a layout and design the site. For future expansions, the agency must have enough provisions. A digital agency serves as the web designer, online marketer and web developer.

The Agency Works with Search Engines

Without a digital agency, there is a need for advertisers to separately work with three separate agencies for web designing, web developing and online marketing purposes. While dealing with these agencies, it is likely for the manager to lose thread and end up with the unexpected result. However, with the help of a digital agency, the job of the manager is made easier as he only has to coordinate with a single agency.

It Pays to Work with a Reputable Agency

It is imperative for advertisers to work with an agency that will not let them down or rush the project and provide less quality results. The agency is expected to provide the highest quality of online services and it should make itself available for possible future changes. Advertisers must be advised about how to make use of effective keywords. Before hiring a digital agency, the business owners must conduct research first and learn about the agency and its background. He should be able to know that the agency he is about to hire is known for delivering services at the right time.

Appoint a Digital Agency or Not?

Definitely, it is a smart move to appoint the agency. However, this will depend on the business’ size. For a fairly huge business, it is not right to appoint such agency as this will minimize the business’ overall costs. The reason for this is that the digital agency will eliminate the need for a company to employ a web designer, online marketer or web developer.