Latest Management Articles

Galvanized steel pipes and its use in manufacturing products

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:20:03 -0700

Galvanized steel pipe: Galvanized steel pipe is a steel pipe which is commonly used for outdoor construction like fences. It is also used for some interior plumbing. Galvanized steel pipe is coated with zinc which protects the steel from corrosion. The galvanized steel pipe is created by placing steel materials into a molten bath of zinc. This process of placing this steel material is commonly known as hot dip galvanization.In this process, the two metals are chemically bound to one another and never separate, resulting in a more resistant and longer lasting version of steel.

The steel pipe is connected by threads on either end of a length of pipe and small amount of adhesive is placed on the thread before sewing them together treinforce the connection between two. In the modern era, galvanized steel pipes are mostly used in outdoor applications. It is most likely to be seen on handrails, support pipes for metal fences, canopies and awnings or chain link fences. These pipes are highly resistant to corrosin which makes it a perfect choice for materials that will be exposed to the elements on a regular basis.

Uses of Galvanized steel pipes: Galvanized steel is used for manufacturing products exposed to adverse weather condition. It can come in form of pipes, sheets, tubes and also is available in variety of thickness and strengths. Galvanized steel pipes or tubes are used in building houses, automobiles, fencing etc. Galvanized steel pipes or tubes are used by:

1. The houses that are built in climates which experience large amounts of snow are more likely to have gutters made from galvanized steel than any other alternative materials because galvanized steel gutters are stronger and more durable, making them less likely to break from the weight of winter precipitation. Those buildings which are made of galvanized steel are lower-cost construction options. They are strong, and are much lighter in weight than traditional building materials and so have a lower foundation load.

2. Other large consumers of this material are automobile and aircraft manufacturing industries. Sheets of hot dipped steel are used for the seats, oil pans, roofs, parking brakes, and spring housings. One of the advantages of this lightweight material is that it can be easily cut and shaped by during the manufacturing process.

3. The construction industry is the greatest consumer of galvanized steel products. The industry used this material for support piping, handrails, beams, heating and air conditioning duct work, and barriers.

Galvanized steel pipe is not suited to gas lines, but was very commonly used for in-home plumbing in earlier days. In those days, homes used galvanized steel pipes for water lines. It is still sometimes used indoors for plumbing, especially for the replacement of small areas of pipe. These pipes are available in a variety of sizes and can have serrated, smooth slip-resistant surfaces. These are frequently used for road grate covers and industrial walkways. Galvanized steel sheets are also used in computers instrument, and in electronic appliances.

A short introduction to the role of the project manager and its importance for business management

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:12:39 -0800

For those eager to study degree-level business management or to enter into the world of business even sooner, project management is becoming an increasingly important specialist skill, and a subject of study in its own right. So what is the role of the project manager in the 21st Century business place?

Today any large or mid-sized business will likely have one or a number of project managers working full time to plan and organize workloads against resources, staff and time. Typically, the primary aim of the project manager is to meet the necessary project goals within the confines of certain limitations such as cost and time - being sure to allocate work sensibly and efficiently, and with consideration of the staff around them.

There are numerous approaches to project management which vary in degrees of complexity. Perhaps the most simple (sometimes known as traditional) approach by which a project manager will take would involve five stages of development, including: initiation, planning and design, execution/production, monitoring or controlling, and completion. In recent years, other well known project management methods have arisen in order to adapt to developments in business. PRINCE2 is one such method, and has a defined framework with close controls in place as well as back-up plans if the project needs to be amended during its lifetime.

It is project control which is perhaps the most important purpose for a project manager to understand and take charge of. Once any project is underway it is a given that it needs to be kept on track, on time and within budget and the project manager will be accountable if the project strays in any way. At the outset, the project manager will need to ascertain how much control is needed over certain aspects - a challenge which is something of a balancing act as any control which is over-zealous may take too much time while little control may be a major risk to its development.

Aside from the project manager's role within their respective company, they will often be seen as the face of the business in regards to dealing with external clients. This role calls for significant communication skills alongside time management and development control. At its heart, project management seeks to keep clients satisfied - and this means being upfront and transparent in the face of adversity.

The importance of management studies courses for budding managers

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:22:37 -0800

It is estimated that the future shape of business after the global economic crisis will see a trend towards smaller entrepreneurial affairs as opposed to huge corporate entities. This notion has not only been stimulated by the recent collapse of major high street stores such as Woolworths and the emergence of highly successful start-ups like Twitter, but also by the popularity of business-orientated courses at colleges and universities.

The consequence of this business shift, however, is that there is an increase in the number of people quickly finding themselves in charge of a small group of people, often without the necessary management skills to ensure things run as smoothly as they could. Therefore, specialist management courses available at further education institutions and online are becoming more and more integral to prospective managers and young entrepreneurs.

In the 21st Century there are a number of published ideas of how to manage a team, yet the core management basics are usually centred around planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Of course, these are the focal points of any management course with planning being studied in terms of the business as a whole, as well as how best to utilize your team.

The basics of leadership and being an inspiration to your team is something that is often criticized of managers who haven't been trained in this area. Each organization, company, and team within it will have a different ‘culture' - and this diversity will be something that is studied to ensure that each student is best suited to be able to incite enthusiasm, as well as being able to make key decisions at the right time.

Yet, business management courses also go into more depth beyond the basics. The fundamentals of marketing - including branding and consumer behaviour - are a vital subject to study, especially for anyone running a small business without the aid of a marketing manager. Additionally, management courses typically involve some focus on financial management in order to gain skills integral to tight budget decision-making for start-ups.

Five Reasons Why Your Data is a Mess

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:28:13 -0800

CEOs don't need more data to make good decisions - just better data.
That's what CEOs revealed in the 2009 PriceWaterhouseCoopers' CEO Report, which reported more than 70 percent of CEOs say they aren't getting the data they need to make good choices; with 74 percent say they lack the information necessary to anticipate customer needs.

The problem, according to Arkady Kleyner, Co-Founder of Intricity, LLC, a leading provider of Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing services and solutions, is actually not just one problem. There are at least five of them.

"C-level executives lack information not data. It is far too easy today to provide data dumps to the business and have them search for that proverbial needle in a haystack. Our assumptions of business value have to change," he said. "Anyone who attends management meetings to review sales, inventory, or costs, knows the issues all too well. The most common question asked - ‘why are your numbers different than my numbers?'". By fixing the data mess, companies can achieve a single version of the truth."

The key problems can be boiled down to six basic statements that should resonate with just about every corporate executive. They include:

1. There is one special spreadsheet on your computer that, if lost, it would make you cry - Aside from the issue of accessibility, these spreadsheets usually become outdated very quickly, and are very time consuming to update because the task of updating them is largely manual. They are also subject to errors and typos and lacking in security.
2. You hope an auditor never asks you how you calculated the numbers in your financial reports - When reports are the result of data that has been manually aggregated and consolidated from disparate sources, tracing the reported numbers back to their origins can be a horrendous task.
3. You have Acme Corporation in your customer database three times. Acme, Acme Inc, Acme Incorporated, and Acme Corp - When data is entered in different ways through different systems by different people, the task of bringing it together into a single picture can be a real challenge. This inevitably complicates the task of answering simple questions such as,"How much business have we done with Acme?" or "Is Acme a profitable account?". Can you answer these questions today?
4. The only role whose level of performance is quantified in your organization is sales - In trying to calculate Return on Investment (ROI), it's sometimes difficult to assign a dollar value to company functions that don't plug directly into revenue. Therefore, the sales team will always have hardcore data regarding their activities, while every other department gets to exist in a vacuum without any sort of metrics. However, good performance management practices supported by near real-time data that can help quantify every department's impact on the bottom line - positive and negative.
5. You don't request the report you want from IT because, the information will be irrelevant by the time you get it - Too many company executives under estimate the effort required across the organization to produce accurate reporting. It's not uncommon for monthly reports to actually take 30 days to produce. Better information management affords everyone across the business information that is timely and relevant.

"Regardless of company size, or complexity," Kleyner added. "These solutions apply to anyone looking to do more with less. Effective data integration and business intelligence delivers a 360° view of business performance by bringing disparate data together, correlating it logically, and then presenting it in a way that drives the organization to action."

Using Vehicle Tracker Systems to prevent Fleet Misuse

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:47:34 -0800

If you're running a fleet of vehicles, it can be all too easy for your employees and yourself to adopt a casual ‘out of sight, out of mind' approach to business. You have to be able to trust your employees to do the job that they're paid to do. But that doesn't always constitute a sound business model, and vehicle tracking systems offer you an extra layer of security, just to be sure.

Using vehicle tracking isn't just a way of keeping tabs on your fleet drivers and preventing fleet misuse. They can also represent a sound investment into your business and a way of optimising fleet efficiency, as well as stopping unauthorised usage of company vehicles outside working hours. GPS tracking uses a triangulating algorithm to give the precise location of any vehicle it is fitted to. GPS devices are small, lightweight and easily fitted to your fleet vehicles. The information the vehicle tracker sends back to your control centre can not only tell you exactly where your vehicles are at any one time - they can also provide you with detailed information about the use of the vehicle, speed, fuel usage and a wealth of other information. This can all be incorporated into your fleet management plan to maximise efficiency, plan the most effective routes for collections and deliveries and actually reduce costs in the long term.

But for preventing the misuse of company vehicles, vehicle tracking systems give you an ‘eye in the cab' of every vehicle. Apart from unauthorised usage (which can be easily traced as the GPS devices will tell you if the vehicles are being used out of normal working hours), GPS tracking can also give you information about the speed of vehicles. Not only does speeding use up more fuel and subsequently increase your costs, but it is also dangerous and illegal. Despite the ‘How's my driving' stickers on the back of many company vehicles, the public is often reluctant to report dangerous driving or excessive speeding. By incorporating GPS tracking into your fleet management programme, you can get this data direct from the vehicles themselves. This gives you the ability to talk to drivers who are constantly speeding or driving in a manner that may cause concern. Remember; your drivers represent your company. If your drivers are misusing the vehicles, it will ultimately reflect badly on your company's reputation as a responsible organisation. The cost element is also important - major fleets that have used GPS tracking systems have been able to reduce their annual fuel bill by up to 40%, thanks to the information provided by vehicle tracking systems.

Fitting GPS tracking to your fleet vehicles can also help to recover stolen vehicles much more quickly, minimising the impact to your business. GPS tracking will be able to notify you of any unauthorised movement outside working hours, allowing you to inform the Police far earlier of stolen vehicles and maximising the chances of recovering the vehicle undamaged. It also benefits your company financially, as insurance brokers often offer substantial insurance discounts for fleets fitted with what are considered to be anti-theft devices such as GPS tracking systems.

Incorporating vehicle tracking systems into your fleet management is an excellent way to protect the company's substantial investment in its fleet, minimise inappropriate usage and maximise efficiency at the same time.

How to save money using Fleet Management Systems

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:01:35 -0800

The cost of running, maintaining and operating a fleet of vehicles can eat up a large part of a company's budget. Managing that fleet efficiently is an absolute priority - particularly during an economic recession or period of financial hardship. Fleet management isn't just about incorporating a vehicle tracking system or real time GPS tracking into vehicles. It's about vehicle financing, fuel management, vehicle telematics (tracking and diagnostics), driver management and a whole host of other aspects. With all that responsibility, any tool that makes a fleet manager's life easier has to be a bonus.

Fleet management can be dealt with in-house, or alternatively it can be outsourced to a fleet management provider. Whether you choose to go down the self-management route or bring in a third party to do your fleet management for you, there are a number of tools at your disposal to help you save money. The most obvious is the inclusion of a GPS vehicle tracking system that relays real-time information to a central control, telling you exactly where all your fleet vehicles are at any time. Vehicle tracking systems don't just tell you where your vehicles are - they can also give you diagnostic information regarding speed, fuel consumption and other operational aspects. By analysing this data, fleet managers can work out the most cost-effective routes, reduce fuel consumption due to excessive use of speed and streamline the operation making it more efficient.

Collating the data from the onboard computer and from data fed back to the base station also gives fleet managers the ability to ‘profile' their drivers. If a driver is constantly speeding, a fleet manager will be able to chart this behaviour and find out the reason for it. If the driver is rushing to meet deadlines then the manager has the chance to re-plan the driver's route, allowing him or her more time to meet deadlines and reduce fuel consumption as a result. Where fleet management systems have been incorporated into large organisations, a saving of up to 40% on annual fuel bills have been achieved - particularly important when you consider the constantly rising price of fuel.

Vehicle trackers can also help to reduce your fleet's annual insurance costs. Insurance providers reward any attempts by fleet managers to minimise the chances of vehicles being stolen or used inappropriately, so by fitting a vehicle tracking system to your fleet vehicles you can also make considerable savings on your insurance premiums. Real time tracking also means faster recovery of stolen vehicles, minimising the impact to your daily operations and costing less in repairs or even replacing stolen and damaged vehicles.

Fleet management systems are designed to streamline operations, cut costs and increase efficiency. All of these will result in long-term savings to the company as a whole, and while the initial outlay of installing GPS tracking or fleet management system may seem high, the long-term benefits to the company far outweigh the initial expense. It also means that the company is more likely to be fully compliant with any legislation, the duty of care to employees and prove to be a worthwhile investment, no matter how big or small your fleet.

Deciding between the Fleet Management Vehicle Tracking Systems available

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:07:58 -0800

Vehicle tracking systems have revolutionised fleet management. Managers are now able to track every vehicle in their fleet in real time, with data on fuel consumption, route efficiency, vehicle diagnostics and even driver profiling available to them on a daily basis. GPS tracking has transformed the way fleets operate, making maps almost a thing of the past and linking every driver to a central control point. But when looking at vehicle tracking systems, what should the savvy fleet manager consider?

The primary concern initially is the cost. Comprehensive fleet management systems don't come cheap, but the initial financial outlay has to be considered against the long-term potential savings to the company as a whole. Some operators have seen their fuel bills alone reduced by up to 40% per annum - a considerable and ongoing saving, particularly during a time when oil prices are driving up costs at the pump. Savings in fuel costs alone can often justify the initial cost of a vehicle tracking system.

However, there are free options available. Google and Locatea.net both offer a free GPS tracking system. Google's ‘Latitude' is a free access system showing participants their exact location on the planet and the location of their friends and family who have also signed up to the system. Locatea.net works in a very similar way, giving an accurate location of everyone that wants to be involved in the network. But therein lies the weakness of both systems - they are not designed for business users. Rather, their appeal lies more in the ‘social networking' aspect of online communications - basically, they're a bit of fun that you can join if you want to. It's just as easy to opt out of the system. For accurate, useable information that can make a real difference to your business, fleet managers are better off steering clear of the free packages and looking for more specialised adaptations of GPS tracking software.

Paid vehicle tracking is different. It is specifically designed for business users and allows fleet managers to monitor and control exactly how their fleet operates. Putting aside the obvious benefits of paid tracking systems - real time locations, diagnostics and fuel consumption data etc - paid for tracking also guarantees the end-user a far more comprehensive aftercare service. With some ‘plug and play' systems, software updates, patches or general aftercare maintenance of the system can be an expensive extra, with the additional extras being limited to maps, for example. Fully comprehensive services offer this invaluable extra as part of the package, ensuring that your system is kept up to date with not only the latest maps, but also the most up to date diagnostic capabilities, general maintenance and repair in the event of anything going wrong. Updates, hardware and software are also covered by a manufacturer's warranty, which means that your system is always working at maximum efficiency. Free systems tend to rely on generic updates, which may not have the additional features included as part of the package.

Like any other product, vehicle tracking systems are a product that is designed to fulfil a particular niche in the market. There are plenty of systems to choose from, so the fleet manager's first step is to do a bit of in-house research, decide exactly what they want their GPS tracking system to achieve and weigh up the benefits of each system individually in relation to their own business needs. Vehicle tracking systems provide fleet managers with a powerful tool in their business strategy to maximise efficiency and maintain a well run, cost-effective fleet. It should be a considered business decision and one that takes into account the long-term benefits as well as the short-term initial outlay.

Whether It's Recovery or Recession, It's Time to Re-evaluate Your Business Values

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:36:54 -0700

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, has been trumpeting the end of the recession and the emergence of economic recovery in this country - but Americans and business people are still unsettled and simply aren't buying it.

Eighty-six percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey said they think the United States is still in a recession, with 13 percent saying the nation's economic downturn has ended. According to the survey, 42 percent say the country is in a serious recession, 35 percent call it a moderate recession, and one in 10 characterize it as a mild recession.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, according to one business expert. The practice of not "poaching" - stealing clients or customers from a competitor - used to exist as a gentlemen's agreement among many business people. To do so was, at least, impolite, and at worst, unethical. With conflicting economic indicators, however, all bets are off.

"My definition of unethical is this: Failing to do anything and everything within my power, and without breaking the law, to provide for my loved ones, my employees, and my employees' families," said Don Farrell, author of Ethical Theft, How to Steal Business from Your Competition, from Brio Publishing (www.freshrevenues.com).

When it comes to appropriating new clients, Farrell's advice is simple:

1. Know your competition: List active/subtle market similarities and differences you can build on. What makes you different should always make you a better choice.
2. Make it personal: Show your clients that you are concerned about them, not just their business.
3. Find the facts: Know what their wants and needs are so you can tell them how you will address them.
4. Show your clients the big picture: Map out how you can meet their specific wants/needs and what makes you their best partner to do the job.
5. Ask about the client's processes and timelines: This is the best way to find out who makes the final decisions.
6. Pick and use the right approach: Find out what their personality type is and gear your pitch to that.
7. Create a follow-up plan and follow up sooner than the client expects.
8. Seek to improve: Find out from the client what it would take for you to do better.

According to Farrell, there are times when you won't be able to pirate a customer from your competition. This is the time to start asking the client questions. Ask them what their competitor is supplying that they are not. The answer here is usually service-based: Provide what the client needs better, faster and more personally. Go beyond delivering satisfaction and instead look to deliver what will drive loyalty.

"Create loyalty in your sales staff and you have a recipe for success," he said. "If your competition does not use this tactic, they are primed for you to ‘steal' their best employees. It's in their better interests to work for a better company where they are challenged and rewarded to be their best. Keep and eye out to acquire people you can ultimately trust. Be careful of someone coming to you with your competition's business plan. They will also be capable of doing the same to you."

Farrell believes that loyal employees can extend a genuine loyalty culture to your clients. If they deliver what the clients want, when they want it and always go beyond expectations, companies can successfully steal both staff and business from their competitors - and keep it.

"If businesses did a better job of stealing employees and business from their competition then we, as consumers, would be getting better service," he added.

London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland: Not All Professional Speakers are necessarily "Professional"

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:16:22 -0700

Not all professional speakers speaking in London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland are necessarily "professional". In this context, what do we mean by "professional"? It refers not only to way they conduct their current personal business, but also to their relevant previous experience. Any executive wish for their direct reports to have an inward look at their own behaviours and attitudes when listening to professional speakers. The rhetorical question that always remains is if the so-called "professional" speakers have what it takes, not just in delivering speeches but applicable practical experience on the topic. No-one wants to book professional speakers addressing a sales conference on "Success in Sales", but has never held sales positions themselves.

Who would like to invite a financial guru to speak at a company function, who never even had accounting at high school or who has never worked in the financial world? Select your international professional speakers well with astute determination and the ability to boost mindsets in times of misfortune. Ever booked professional speakers who speak about wildlife in their presentations? The astonishing advantage of these speakers is that simple comparisons are at times just what the doctor ordered for depressed staff members. The pre-eminence is on wild animals and by the virtue of colourful depictions, funny jokes and A-1 comparisons, your audience's buy-in factor is sky-high. One of the professional speakers to seriously discuss for your future congress is Estienne de Beer, who discloses the secrets of crafty Meerkats in the African wild and why their case-in-point can guide companies to corporate success...

Business Today: The importance of learning project management

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:45:00 -0700

The recession and subsequent competitive job market has caused many individuals to question the skills and subjects they learned at university, and to consider whether it would be worth embarking on another course of study to make themselves more employable. Many are looking at the prospect of business or management courses as a means to better prepare themselves for tomorrow's career opportunities. So what exactly is project management? And why is it such an important skill to learn?

Project management, at least in business terms, is the undertaking of planning and organizing of resources, staff and time with the aim of successfully completing the goals of a project. Of course this can vary from company to company, but project management is usually discussed in terms of manufacturing and/or selling a certain product, or ensuring that a business's services are marketed and promoted in a given time. Over the past 20 or so years efficient project management has become more and more integral to businesses or companies dealing with a large staff and a time frame.

Consequently, many business and management courses at both degree and foundation level involve a certain amount of study devoted to project management - and there are even training courses unique to specific types of project management, such as PRINCE2 in the UK. Like PRINCE2, many project management methods and systems have become established in alongside the gradual growth of IT-dependent companies who store more of their data digitally and work in close proximity to networked computer systems.

Courses that deal with project management, therefore, not only teach you how to use the latest technology for the job, but also focus on the more consistent aspects such as how to work with clients and stakeholders and how to manage small and larger teams. Unsurprisingly, mathematical and budgeting skills will likely be developed in order to manage costs in relation to quality, time and the scope of the project.

Project management will also likely cover aspects of business that can be utilized in other areas and throughout life. This includes such skills as communications - in regards to representing yourself and the company in front of prospective clients and customers, and risk assessment in terms of finances and the well-being of those involved.