Month: July 2023

Records Management in Government Agencies in Sierra Leone

Introduction

Records Management is the systematic control of all records from their creation or receipt, through their processing, distribution, organization, storage and retrieval to their ultimate disposition. Because information is such an important resource to organization, the records management function also includes information management. Therefore, records management is also known as Records and Information Management or RIM (Magnus, 2006).

Records management may also be used to define as the way official records (correspondence files, information) are organized in such a way that they have a meaning, and can be used continuously by the users such as managers, records professionals, educational institutions,

Importance of Records Management in Government Agencies

Establishing a records management programme, in government agencies for example, the Meteorological Department may result in both immediate and long-term importance to the department. Below are stated some of the importance of records management in the government agencies, civil service, companies and businesses as a whole:

• Records management reduces lost or misplaced records. Because the human element is always with us, even the best system in the world will occasionally have misplaced records. But properly designed document management systems can gradually reduce misfiles. Most often misfiled records can cost the clerical staff a huge wastage of time in searching for records;

• Records management act as evidence in the time of dispute. It is important for the settlement of dispute because it can be shown as proof in court;

• It helps in evaluating progress of organization. It helps in the preservation of history of the organization. The past records shows direction to organization. It helps in finding out the weaknesses and strength of organization. Records management gives the account of progress and direction in which organization is giving on;

• Records management is the memory of business. It is useful for future decision making process. The study of past records shows direction for future. It supplies information to organization whenever it is needed therefore, it helps in taking decision;

• Records management helps to evaluate business progress and performance. It helps in comparison between one period of time and another or between sometime of businesses;

• Records management helps in management and control of important records. It helps to protect necessary records with care and disposes useless records;

• To minimize litigation risks. Organization implement records management programmes in order to reduce the risks associated with litigation and potential penalties. This can be equally true in government agencies. A consistency applied records management programme can reduce the liabilities associated with document disposal by providing for their systematic, routine disposal in a normal course of business;

• It increases accountability. A records management will put in place a system for tracking actions on each record, therefore increasing accountability and providing access reports; and

• To improve working environment. Implementing records management programme improves the working environment through the organization of records and storage offsite. Organized working environment can then improve the perception of the business by clients and potential employees. New employees are also easily trained to manage the company’s records when an efficient records management programme is in place (Jackson, 2008).

The Historical Background of the Meteorological Department Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone was the headquarter (HQ) of the West African Meteorological services which was established in 1923.Meterological services were provided for four West African countries namely Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria and The Gambia respectively. The Sierra Leone Meteorological department is an offshoot of the British West African Meteorological services founded on the 27th April 1961. Since the establishment, the department has been governed by series of directors and the presently director is Alpha Bockari who has served in this capacity from 2012-to date. The headquarter is located at F18 Charlotte street Freetown.

The Meteorological Department exist to provide cost effective weather and climate services by collecting, processing, archiving and disseminating meteorological and climatological information and services to support end user contributing to the management of Sierra Leone’s economy with special regard to protection of lives and property and safeguarding of the environment and recovering the costs of the services so rendered so that it expenditure will not exceed it income.

As a department under the ministry of Transport and Aviation, they are charged with the following mandates /responsibilities:

• Safety and well being of citizen and their protection against severe weather situation and devastation from natural disasters;

• Provision of reliable climate data to facilitates project design for agricultural planning and implement, water supply systems, infrastructure, and tourism;

• Contributing to the socio- economic (including providing end user services for agricultural activities, marine) development of the country;

• Carryout weather and climate related activities e.g. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Climate Change Services (CCS), Reduction of Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), and National Communication (NCS) (Meteorological Department, 2014).

Objectives of the Meteorological Department Sierra Leone

The overarching objective of the Meteorological Department established as the sole authority, which issues weather and climatological warnings and services are, to:

• Forecast, plan and deliver meteorological and climatological services which meet national socio- economic development needs.

• Collect, process, store and disseminate meteorological and climatological information both nationally and internationally in accordance with rules and practices and procedures established under the WMO Convention of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), etc and other relevant conventions of the United Nations systems such as the Frame work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), and Convention to Combat Desertification, Drought etc.

• Provide a range of customer/ sector specific operational meteorological services to such major sub sector as those for aviation, water resources, agriculture, defense, marine, tourism, sports and recreation, and construction;

• Provides advice on meteorological and climatological matters to the national community and other governmental and non- governmental agencies.

• Develop adequate manpower to enhance functional effectiveness and efficiency of agencies.

• Reduce its reliance on the national budget and generate its own revenue by charging for services rendered to other clients;

• Arrange for and manage surface and upper air observation networks and accurately and effectively record the weather and climate condition for Sierra Leone’s economic development;

• Provides meteorological services for search and rescue operations during disaster and relief operations as well as during national emergencies; and

• Participate on behalf of Sierra Leone in the activities of relevance international organizations to which its belongs, in particular the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), World Weather Watch (WWW), Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW), Inter- Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Developments (ACMAD), United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) etc role in all climate change activities of the country (Meteorological Department, 2014).

Methods of Managing Records at the Meteorological Department

Records keeping are of great importance to any institution. One of the most crucial decision managers, directors or heads of organization have to make is to choose the suitable methods of managing their organization’s records. There of two methods that is significantly used. These include centralized and decentralized methods of managing records.

Centralized Methods

A Centralized method of managing records is the one in which all physical documents are located in one central location or office. The location is controlled by the records management office staff. The number of employees in the records department will depend on the size of the organization. In a centralized method, end users have the comfort of knowing all physical documents relating to a particular case are held in the same location. If for instance, end user needs to reference a file he/she would be required to contact the records office staff. The file would then be checked out to the end user. A complete claim of custody of file is captured, so the location of file is known at all times.

A centralized method has a heightened level of security. For example, the entrance is locked so only the records staff has access to the files in the records office. This process yields much more control over physical document than the decentralized methods. For efficiency of purpose, uniform office procedures are documented and circulated to all end user. These procedures address topics such as hours or operation, file request and delivery times.

Decentralized Method

A Decentralized method is one in which the physical documents are located across the entire office. This may mean they can be found in every staff offices or other work room space. Unlike centralized methods, where the files are controlled exclusively by the records office. A decentralized method is controlled by the staff that created the file. The physical files are stored at the employee’s desk not in a centralized location for all to access. Thus, the method would not require a full time record staff.

Employees would have access to their files at all times and would be responsible for maintaining accuracy. The decentralized method of managing records has its demerits. For instance, suppose group of employees are working on the same case at the same time suddenly, the employee who is responsible for maintaining the file is absent. The rest of the group may have trouble in locating the file if the organization does not have claim of custody procedure in place. Along the same lines, a decentralized method of managing records will have little or no security over files. This can prove problematic especially if an organization handles high sensitive cases.

However, in the meteorological department, a centralized method of managing the department’s records is adopted. That is to say, both physical and electronic or other records are centrally managed by the department’s office clerk. Although, there are challenges with regards to the keeping and managing of records, nevertheless the method is well utilized. (Meteorological Department, 2014).

Types of Records generated by Meteorological Department

The records generated by the meteorological department office plays a vital role in managing the operations of the department. The department documents past activities, phenomenon and events that serves the basis for further actions. The records are both manual and electronic in nature. Examples of manual records include:

• Office administrative records;

• Human resource records;

• Financial/ fiscal records;

• Meteorological data/ records;

• Material records;

• Public information records;

• Conference/seminar service records; and

• General programs.

Electronic Records: These electronic or machine readable records are data in a form that can be read and processed by a computer and that satisfies the legal definition of a record. At the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone these are records relating to divisions and out stations in the department and these include:

• Electronic mail and messages;

• Electronic spreadsheet;

• Primary data files and data bases;

• Machines readable indexes; and

• Word processing files.

Users of the Records at the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone

The users of the Meteorological Department records in Sierra Leone include:

• Administrative personnel;

• Research/ external users;

• Human Resource Management Office (HRMO);

• Government ministries and agencies;

• International organizations e.g. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Meteorological Organization (WMO); and

• Clients to which Meteorological Department information is given. For example, the media in Sierra Leone such as: Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), African Young Voices (AYV), and Star Television).

Filing System at the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone

Filing System in Records Management is the process of classifying, arranging, sorting and storing records so they may be easily located and retrieved when needed. It is the classification and control of basic file groups, material collection procedures, file preparation, sorting, indexing, maintenance and cross referencing. A well defined and maintained filing system allows vital information to be accessed quickly and saves company money by saving time. Business, schools, government agencies and even every day, people use filing systems to keep their affairs organized. Thus, the following various types of filing systems may enable agency to carry out proper filing system efficiently.

Alphabetical Filing System

In the alphabetical filing system, records are arranged according to name that is from A-Z either the name of a person, company or subject in accordance with the letters of the alphabet. There are two methods involve in alphabetical filing system.The topical alphabetic filing system, also known as a dictionary system. In this system files, individual record are in alphabetical order. This filing system works well when storing a small number of records. It proves to be problematic when individual has a lot of client sharing the same name.The other method is the geographical filing system; also know as encyclopedia or classification system. This system is used to organize larger volume of records. It groups subject together under broad categories based on a location such as a city, country or state. The categories and the files within each category are arranged alphabetically.

Numerical Filing System

In the numeric filing system, numbers are assigned to each file and arranged the numbers in segmented order. Files of people with the same name won’t have duplicate headings as with the alphabetical system. This system also offers better filing confidentiality since names are displayed in the files and work well when handing a large volume of files.

Terminal Filing System

In the terminal digit filing system also, numbers of assigned files are in sequential order but filed according to the last two digits. For example. If an individual is filing number 18547; first the individual go to 47 section of the filing system then look for the 85 area of the section and finally look for the number one (1).

Alphanumeric Filing System

The alphanumeric filing system, both letters and numbers are used to organized files. For example, two letters are used to signify the client files in, followed by a number to denote his account number.

The meteorological department filing system, have adopted the alphanumeric filing system. In that record, they use the end-tab folder and pockets that simply stand on shelves and filing cabinets. No hanging pocks with a use of office space. The meteorological department has some challenges but the filing system is organized and use efficiently.

Records Storage Systems

Record should be kept in good order, in a secure location. Those containing confidential or personal data such as staff files must be stored in lockable units and should not be left on desks overnight or view of visitors. Only records which are required frequently should be stored in the office. Those which need to be retained for legal or other reasons should be stored offsite with the records office offsite, while those which have outlived their usefulness should be destroyed. However, records which are less than one year will not be stored offsite.

Storage systems used in records office most provide appropriate protection for records based on format and volume of records, how frequently they are used, how quickly they need to be accessed and security requirement. The main types of records storage systems used include:

Vertical Filing Cabinets

These are adequate for small filing systems, but are less suitable for large runs of records and records that require frequent access. Access is slow, since drawers have to be opened, and these can significant impact where there is a high volume of records activity. The cabinets require large amount of space and drawer space is often not use to full capacity.

Book Shelves

These are suitable for books or files that are stored upright, such as box files and lever arch files.

Lateral Filing Units

These have long drawer for storing files laterally and use space more efficiently than their vertical counterparts. Alternatively, static unit without drawer can be use, where files are stored in hanging pocket or cradles. Where prompt filing and retrieval are required open unit will be the most efficient. If file access is to be restricted, units with lockable doors or shutters can be used.

Mobile Shelving

This may be suitable where a large volume of records need to be stored near at hand, as it reduces the number of access aisles require. It is the most expensive type of shelving, and is very heavy. The floor must have sufficient structural capacity to support these shelves.

Open Shelving System

This usually found in large offices and in central file rooms, it allows for rapid retrieval and refilling. This type of lateral file, which resemble open book shelves allows files to be retrieved horizontally. It also offers full viewing of the folder tabs, which makes for rapid retrieval. And there is an estimated 50 percent saving space when files are moved from vertical system to an open shelve system. This unit usually requires professional installation, which can be negotiated with the vendor is an inclusion in the cost of the equipment. These are the most efficient kinds of files available. They also have doors and can be locked. Some of those with doors have flush backs and can be used as attractive room dividers with a built-in advantage of providing a good deal of sound- proofing. These doors and 6 openings are easily accessed over 200 inches of filing. Those without doors provide even more filing capacity and should be consider, even if there is a perceived need to lock them.

Records Storage Systems at the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone

The main types of records storage systems used at the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone is the open Shelve System which is mentioned above where files contacting records are usually found in large offices and in central file rooms which allows for the rapid retrieval and refilling. This type of lateral file, which resemble open book shelves allows files to be retrieved horizontally.

Records Retrieval at the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone

Retrieval is the process of locating and removing a record or file from storage. It is also the action of recovering information on a given subject from stored data. It deals with standards and procedures in retrieving paper, electronic and image records. For example, finding a name and telephone number in a telephone directory or data base is a common storage and retrieval activity. Records or information can be retrieve in three ways:

Manually: people go to a storage container and remove by hand a record wanted or make a note of information requested from it.

Mechanically: a person uses some mechanical means, such as pressing the correct buttons to rotate movable shelves to correct location of a record, remove the record manually, or record information requested from it.

Electronically: a person uses some means, such as a computer, to locate a record. The physical record may not need to be removed from storage. The requester is informed as to where it can be found, or the information requested is showed to the requester in some way, perhaps on a screen in a data base or electronic mail file.

Request for stored records may be made orally over the telephone or by a messenger or in writing memo, letter etc. The request may be delivered in person, sent by mechanical, such as a conveyor system, or sent electronically by email. The record must be retrieved from storage and given to the requester quickly. Every minute of delay in finding a record is costly in user or requester wasting time and in filers searching time and could possibly lead to loss of money for the business (Stephens, 2009).

However, manual and mechanical procedures are normally utilized in retrieving records at the Meteorological Department since majority of their records are in paper based form.

Challenges facing Records Management at the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone

The Sierra Leone situation in business of record keeping and management especially in the Meteorological Department system has not been too successful because of the lack of management component. Writing in support of the above finding, I have noted that many years of neglect had done great damage to meteorological sector and record keeping is not an exemption. The following are some of the challenges of proper records management faced by the Meteorological department in Sierra Leone:

Inadequate Funding

The problem of inadequate funding of records office in the meteorological department is more intensive than the other departments. This is a problem that was not only experienced during the colonial era but has passed on even to today’s records management programs. Payment of employee’s salaries, purchase of modern preservation equipment and chemicals among the other day- today activities that facilitates records preservation are vital activities that call for proper adequate funding to enable the institution to achieve its objectives are not quite seen. For this reason, the meteorological records office practice is abandoned with unqualified personnel thus suffering from inefficiency and ineffectiveness.

Inadequacy of Space and Equipment

The records office at the Meteorological Department is rather too small to contain current and non- current records. The equipment used is somehow crude in nature and also of inadequate capacity. The record staff do not have access to modern equipment due to combine problem of inadequate funding and know- how technology.

Problematic Nature of Format

Most record materials are still organic nature, most of them been paper based. This means they are capable of aging, advancing, deteriorating with time. For this reason, they need equipment to be treated and handled with for the purpose of preserving them. For such a country like Sierra Leone which lies within the tropics such conditions are worsen by high level of humidity in the atmosphere and high temperature all around the year. All these conditions combine work to hasten the nature chemical process of decaying records. Furthermore, records keeping facilities in the Meteorological Department do not have weather control preservative where all weather conditions can be controlled to enhance record preservation thus, making the whole preservation process even more difficult.

Absence of Records Management Laws

The National Records act of 1964 is outdated and is no longer serving its usefulness. Records do not have legal description, backing or definition of their service. Legal laws provide for authenticity, which serves to promote and also provides confidence to the public and those practicing in the profession about the service being offered. These are the very important elements that the Meteorological Department’s record keeping facility lacks.

Lack of Understanding and Appreciation

The records management program in the Meteorological Department is rarely appreciated and its role in the provision and management of information understood by only a handful of staff. This is also true as it is the culture in many other public and private sectors that generate vital records on a daily basis have no basic understanding of records life cycle and requirement of the records disposal act. They are extremely ignorant of the vital role that can be played by the records office to help them properly managed and preserve record both at the current and semi- current stages. Staff is totally uninformed about the records activities and for this reason it is recommended that the records office should engage in programs that will help to educate staff and other users in the requirement and content of the activities.

Conclusively,Record keeping in an organization set up is very important and cannot be over emphasized. This is because continuity depends on availability of useful records of the past activities. In a complex organization like that of the Meteorological Department, it is not possible to keep every single information in the brain, because the volume of information is heavy, therefore records must be kept. In Sierra Leone, meteorological laws demand that every meteorological station should keep certain meteorological records such as weather fore cast data, personnel records, visitor’s book, inventory book, account book. Record keeping occupies a strategic position in the efficient and effective management of meteorological system. In fact, it is central in the administration of institution of learning because it document the planning and implementation of appropriate course of service allowing monitoring of work.

Unfortunately, the Sierra Leone situation in business of record keeping and management especially in the Meteorological Department system has not been too successful because of the lack of management component. Giving credence to this assertion, records management practice in the Meteorological Department has a number of problems as indicated above. By paying close attention to all these problems and addressing them one at a time we help solve the problems and enhance good management of records in the Meteorological Department in Sierra Leone.

CV Writing Hints and Tips

“We stole a pig, but it was a really small pig, and other things you shouldn’t put in your CV.

“My sister once won a strawberry-eating contest.”

“I work well in the nude.”

“Organised the office lottery entry for five years.”

“Was sent on an anger management course.”

Other bad ideas include printing your CV on blue paper with teddy bears round the edge, pink paper with a Hello Kitty watermark or indeed, almost anything except plain white or buff paper.

How bad can CVs really be?

A recent survey by fish4jobs reported that 73 per cent of employers were more irritated by badly written CVs than by applicants who arrived late, wore inappropriate clothes or swore during an interview.

And what constituted badly written CVs?

  • 89% cited grammatical errors
  • 67% hated bad spelling, especially of key words such as their company names
  • 65% were annoyed by irrelevant information
  • 63% mentioned inappropriate email addresses.

Simply by avoiding these problems, you will have an advantage over other job seekers.

  • Regarding spelling, too many people rely on the spell checker – it’s no good for words like their/they’re/there or manger/manager. All our course handbooks have a list at the back of many of the most frequently confused words and their meanings.
  • What not to include?
  • Secondary school results if you’ve been to university
  • Negative opinions of current or former employers
  • A letter from your mum (no, we’re not kidding) 
  • The intensity of your religious views
  • ‘References available on request’ – this is assumed and just sounds old-fashioned.

And what’s an inappropriate email address anyway? Well, how would you feel about hiring lazydaisy@anymail.com or minesapint@somethingmail.com?

You’re much better off using your name: FredBloggs@anymail.com. If necessary, create an email address just for your job search and if your name is already taken, use a variation such as FredBloggs123@anymail.com

Be specific about what you’ve done and include details

Include any statistics you can:

–  saved company money by reducing expenditure on widgets 

–  reduced widget expenditure by 14% over eight months      

–  Account Manager, Sept 05 – present

  Managed company’s key accountsu  Account Manager, Sept 05 – present 

 Managing key accounts worth 3.7m       

Relate your experience to the job you’re applying for

Read the advert carefully and tailor your CV using the terms, definitions and descriptions the employer uses. Remember that the first sorting of CVs may be done by somebody who is not familiar with the job. They may simply go through a pile of applications and select those that match key terms. If you refer to an essential skill or experience using different words, they may not know enough to realise you’re talking about the same thing.

Don’t lie, even by omission

At time of writing, a council is suing a former manager for over a million pounds. The manager had put on her CV that she was in good health, but then took a lot of time off work for a pre-existing condition and eventually retired on the grounds of ill-health, with a generous pension. The court case is on the grounds of ‘fraudulent or negligent misrepresentation’ in answers to questions about the manager’s medical history, and, if the council wins, may have far-reaching repercussions for other job applicants.

Although we hope neither you nor anyone you know will be needing to brush up your CV any time soon, it never hurts to be prepared.

QNet Review – Is It a Legitimate Business?

When you go online and search for the phrase “definition of scam”, these are some of the results you’re going to get;

  • victimize: deprive of by deceit
  • a stratagem for gain; a swindle
  • to swindle (someone) by means of a trick
  • obtaining money by means of deception including fake personalities, fake photos, fake template letters, non-existent addresses and phone numbers
  • a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation

We can now say that a scam company is the one which usually represents itself to the people in a way that is deceiving (not it’s true image) and end up obtaining money through the process.

Now the question is, is QNet a legitimate company or just another SCAM? Should you get involved with QNet? Are you going to receive what you have been promised by QNet, or will you be deceived? Can your dreams really come true by you participating in QNet?

Before I answer the above questions, you have to understand that QNet is just one out of thousands of other Network Marketing companies out there. You should also understand that out of all those companies, some are legitimate companies and some aren’t. Some are Network Marketing Companies and others are just pyramid schemes. Some are there for the short-term (to rip you off and/or bad management), and some will be there for many decades and centuries to come. So before you decide to get involved in any company, you should understand where the company stands.

7 Things to look for in a Network Marketing Company before you get involved

  1. Age of the Company: It is known that 90% of all start-up Companies fail in the first 5 years in business. 90% of the remaining 10% also fail in the next 5 years in business. This also applies to all Network Marketing companies. So before joining any Network Marketing company, it is good if the company at least has lasted more than 5 years. 10 years is even much better.
  2. Credibility of the Company The credibility of the company is very important. You should ask these questions to yourself. Does the company have any history of taking advantage to their customers or business partners? Does the company have any history of any illegal activities? Is it legally registered? Who has the company worked with? How has the company contributed into society?
  3. Size and Growth of the Company Knowing how big the company is, is very important. Where are the offices operating? How many offices they have? In how many countries? How many independent representatives/distributors are with the company? That’s all important. It shows how stable the company is. But an even more important question to ask is, how fast is the company growing? Growths is more important than the size. There are companies which have been in business since 1970’s and they have 7,000,000 Independent distributors and there are companies which have started in the late 90’s and they have 6,000,000 Independent distributors. Now which company should you get involved in? It’s smart to get involved with the 2nd Company.
  4. Products The type of products the company sells is also important. You should understand that Network Marketing is all about having a large group of distributors promoting and marketing a product to the market place and sharing the profits from the sale of those products. That’s how the company survives and distributors earn a living. We all have to admit that not all products sell the same. When we look at most successful Network Marketing companies out there, the products they promote are in either of the following niche:
    1. Health and Wellness Products (80% of all Network Marketing Companies)
    2. Telecommunication services
    3. Vacation
    4. Gold and Silver numismatics and jewelery (It’s a growing trend)
    5. Education (Self improvement, Financial education, marketing etc – a growing trend)

    So it’s really important to look at which products the company has before you embark into the opportunity. It also has to be a product that you like and that you’re passionate about.When it comes to selling emotions are more powerful than logic. The more emotional you are to your product, the more you sell.

  5. Compensation Plan You are into Network Marketing to make money. Serious money! Period! If the company you get involved in doesn’t pay you good money for you building the business, I seriously think you should look somewhere else. You have bills to be paid and send your children to the best schools. How many dollars can you make when one person gets involved into your Network Marketing Opportunity? $5, $10, $30, $100, $1000? I know companies which pay up to $1700 when you recruit a single person into the business. Off course he has to buy a product which is much worth more than $1700, but hey! people have money to buy expensive things. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really think it’s worth getting involved in a company where I have to recruit many people to get small amount of dollars while I can make ten times more with a single person. This is a secret I found in marketing, if the consumer sees much value to the product, even if it’s $1000 product he/she would gladly would love to buy the product and sometimes even beg you (a car is a good example).

  6. Training: It is a known fact that best business trainings are found in Network Marketing Companies and not in a Business School. I suggest you buy Robert Kiyosaki’s book,” Business School ” to understand more. It’s only in Network Marketing where you can find a dishwasher with not even a college degree becoming a Millionaire in less than 5 years. It is really important that the company you get involved in has that training to raise you from where you are to where you want to go.

  7. YOU: This is the MOST important factor for success in Network Marketing. If YOU want to make it BIG in Network Marketing, go look at the person in the mirror. Do you really want to do it? Do you have what it takes? Are willing to put your heart and soul into your business? The answer to all your success lies within you. Stop looking somewhere else. Only 10% of people in Network Marketing make good money and live the life of their dreams. The rest just occupy space and complain about everything but themselves. “You can’t fly with the eagles when you’re down scratching your back with the turkeys.” You’ve got to choose either be an eagle or a turkey. You can’t be both!

Now the question still remains. Is QNet legit or just another Scam? I’ll answer this question by going through my 7 points.

  1. Age of the Company: QNet has been in existence since 1998 (headquarters based in Hong Kong) so that makes the company stable and it qualifies for 10% of companies which have survived in 10+ years.
  2. Credibility: Is QNet credible? Lets see –
    1. 2000 & 2002 – Worked closely with Vatican making a Commemorative Coin for John Paul II- Worked with the government of Indonesia and received the endorsement of the Bung Hatta Commemorative Coin from HE Megawati Sukanoputri – The former President of Indonesia
    2. 2001 – FAO/UN appointed QNet as exclusive distributor for its gold coin programme to create awareness against world hunger among the public
    3. 2003 – Title sponsor for International Badminton Federation (IBF) World Cup held at Birmingham UK.
    4. 2006 – Worked with FIFA becoming the official distributors of FIFA 2006 World Cup Coin Programme and FIFA Centennial Coin Programme – Sponsored the Brazilian Soccer team in 2006 World Cup – Title sponsor for International Badminton Federation (IBF) World Cup held at Madrid, Spain.

    And many more. The Company has been involved in many things, sponsoring sports, Government meetings, giving away donations to many countries in Asia and Africa. It’s beyond the scope of this article to mention all. This clearly shows that the company qualifies for my 2nd important thing you need to look at in a Network Marketing company.

  3. Size and Growth of the Company: QNet now has 6 Million Independent Representatives and has expanded to more than 180 countries worldwide. The company is just 12 years old. 6 Million in 12 years, that’s a great number. That clearly shows that the growth of the company is extremely good.

  4. Product: QNet promote products of wellness, telecommunication, jewelery, numismatics (gold and silver coins) and vacation. As you can see these products are the hottest trends. They have captured a great audience which makes their products sell like CRAZY!.

  5. Compensation Plan: Very few companies pay BIG money when it comes to their compensation. When I say BIG money I mean up to $1000 per every person you recruit. Well QNet pays from $30 to $1700 whenever you recruit a person depending on which product he/she bought. I don’t know about you but If you ask me, $1700 per every person I recruit is good money. How many companies pays that good? Very few. Another BIG advantage about QNet is that when you buy a product once, you have a business for life. The only money you pay is $10 for you virtual office annually.

  6. Training: QNet has a sister company called The V. The purpose of the V is to nurture, support and train the whole QNet Network of 6 Million plus. They have offices in different parts of the world offering training and training materials. They produces very powerful video trainings and they host various conventions in different parts of the world. In June this year, they hosted a Convention that had more 8000 people from 70 different countries who attended making it one of the largest business gathering ever held in Malaysia. That’s a good sign. I can assure you with such a training, life would never be the same.

  7. YOU!: Now the question is can you be successful in QNet? Do you have what it takes? Are you willing to pay the price for success. It is said even winning a lottery requires you to get out of the house to go buy the lottery ticket. You can be in the perfect company which has the perfect compensation plan, but if you don’t take that ACTION, nothing will happen. I hope by now you have the answer whether QNet is Legit or Scam. Only you can decide which answer to give yourself. I did my part. Your part is for your brain to process this and decide. Legit or Scam?

I hope this article was informative. Feel free to comment down below. Tell me what you think. QNet – Legit or Scam? If you liked this information please share it with all your friends.

I wish you good luck in your journey,

Your Online Marketing and Business Coach,

Dr. Said Said – See you at the Bank!

A Dozen Tips for Starting an Import/Export Business

Thinking of starting an import/export business? Jennifer Henzel, a Certified Import/Export Trade Professional offers these tips for getting started:

1. Many countries have set up offices (Consulates or Embassies) in foreign countries to promote the exporting of their goods. The Consulates will supply you with industry directories and more. Embassies are located in a nation’s capital and Consulates in different cities. In many cases, the Embassy web site will contain directories and manufacturer lists, as well as an email link that you can use for sourcing

2. To import goods, communicate with that country’s Consulate situated in your own country. If you are uncertain what products the other country wants, you can obtain catalogues and lists of manufacturers.

3. Contact your country’s taxation department to ask about registration numbers or other procedures that you must follow. For example, if you are Canadian, you will require a Registration Number, issued by Canada Customs and Taxation Agency (CATA). When you inform CCTA of your plans to import or export, they issue an extension to your business number. This number is used on all related documents.

4. Find out about licensing requirements, if any. Many countries do not have licensing requirements for most products. However, if you are importing or exporting high-risk products (pharmaceuticals, liquor, chemicals, arms, certain food items and certain articles of apparel), you might need a license. “I strongly recommend that people start out with low risk items that can be easily traded and have fewer barriers­ like giftware and consumer items,” said Henzel. “Certain industries, like dairy, are guarded by lobby groups in some countries. You will be faced with quotas and restrictions.”

5. Embargoes are trade barriers set up against other countries. Many countries have embargoes against Cuba, for example. First, contact your own government to determine whether there are restrictions or embargoes against the country you are considering. Next, contact that country’s Consulate or Embassy to see if there are restrictions against goods from your country.

6. Participate in the local Boards of Trades (or Chambers of Commerce if there is no local Board of Trade). In addition to networking, you have access to research libraries and other resources that will offer good trade information.

7. Use customs brokers. “Small businesses attempting their own paperwork can run into delays at borders. If you make a mistake, you can be fined,” said Henzel. “A custom broker’s service is well worth the fee you pay.”

8. When exporting, understand that there is no one solution to shipping and customs handling that will work in every situation. Every deal is different. Each company and each set of products will require a different set of services, or a combination of services. Engaging the services of a freight forwarder is one possibility. Freight forwarders arrange shipping and customs for goods going to other countries. “You have to shop for these services and do your research,” Henzel explained. “Ask a lot of questions. It’s no different than buying a piece of furniture. You shop around first.”

9. Be familiar with Incoterms, as posted to the International Chamber of Commerce Web Site (http://www.iccwbo.org/index_incoterms.asp). Incoterms are standard trade definitions that dictate the shipping and payment responsibilities of each party. The two companies involved negotiate Incoterms for each deal. The best known Incoterms include EXW (Ex works), FOB (Free on Board), CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight), DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid), and CPT (Carriage Paid To). “You negotiate according to the Incoterms,” Henzel said. “You decide who pays for shipping, who pays for insurance, etc.”

10. Consult your bank for information about Letters of Credit, the most common form of payment when trading internationally. With a Letter of Credit, you minimize your risk because the banks assure that the goods are delivered before the money is exchanged. As an importer, a Letter of Credit reduces the risk of having to pay in advance for goods, or of paying for goods that are inconsistent with the product description in the Letter. As an exporter, you have the buyer’s bank’s assurance that you will receive payment provided you ship the goods as specified within an agreed-upon time.

11. Participate in Trade Missions. Consult your Board of Trade or local Chamber of Commerce to discover what is available.

12. Finally, look to the Web for information about international trade. Many web sites offer an array of information that you can access for no charge, including Henzel’s site (www.importexportcoach.com).

Technical Writing – About Flowcharts

“A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects.” – Milan Kundera, 1929-, Czech Author, Critic

What’s a flowchart?

A flowchart can be defined as a graphical representation of a sequence of operations or steps. In other words, it’s an illustration of the various steps involved in a project or process.

Typically, a flowchart consists of a number of boxes, arrows, and text that combine to form a sequence.

Why create a flowchart?

The purpose of a flowchart is to show the various steps of a process in a snapshot. By looking at the flowchart, the viewer should be able to identify the various steps involved in the process.

Flowcharts can be very useful for a technical writer. If you’re working on a complex process, a flowchart can show you the various steps involved in that process. For example, you could be working on a manual on how to troubleshoot the Autopilot Flight Director system for the Boeing 747 aircraft. There are various steps involved in troubleshooting this system. Each step has multiple sub-steps. By creating a flowchart, you can quickly see which step takes place at what stage in the process.

How to create a flowchart

When you’re working on a complex project, creating the flowchart itself may be a time-consuming task. Here are six simple steps you can follow to create even complex flowcharts:

1. Start by defining the end result of the process or project. The end result could be anything such as completing a user manual, writing a complex software process, installing a new part, or performing a test.

2. List the various steps involved to achieve the end result. This will take some research. In complex processes, each step could have a series of sub steps. The steps involved to create a user manual could be:

a. Meet with SME

b. Research existing documentation

c. Videotape the procedure

d. Take photographs

e. Create illustrations

f. Develop the user guide

g. Test the user guide

h. Make changes/adjustments

i. Deliver final product

3. Define the starting point of the process of project. This is the first step that starts of the process. For example, the first step could be project planning or research.

4. Write down the starting point and the end result. Both of these should be in boxes with some space in between them. Adjust this space according to the number of steps and sub-steps involved in the process.

5. Draw an arrow from the starting point to the end result.

6. Along this arrow, list the various steps in order that are needed to go from the starting point to the end result. Include any sub-steps as needed.

Some processes may have multiple branches of steps involved. For example, to get from Step 1 to Step 2, there could be three options. You would illustrate this on the flowchart as three separate arrows going from Step 1 to Step 2.

A flowchart is like a roadmap. It has a starting point (A) and an ending point (B). Your objective is to get from Point A to Point B. The flowchart tells you what’s involved in the process.

For a technical writer a flowchart can be a very useful tool to illustrate various operations and processes. Before you start your next project, see if you can illustrate the process via a flowchart. It will make life easier for you and your manager or client. The end result will be a better project which is good for your target audience.

Note: Microsoft Visio is a good software for creating flowcharts.

Business Requirements – What Is The Difference Between Good And Bad?

What is a ‘Good’ Requirement?

Many customers have asked us to give them examples of ‘good’ business requirements. Some of the braver have even asked for ‘bad’ requirements for comparison. Presumably the bravest by far are those who have presented us with samples of their requirements and requested an evaluation of the ‘quality’ of the requirements. After much hair pulling, brain thrashing, and pouring ashes on our heads, we have decided to approach this topic head-on (don’t even get me started with that ad!). Since the topic is, however rather humongous (i.e., too big to consider in a single article), we have decided to break it down.

‘Good’, Albeit Young and Immature Requirements

First off, we need to point out that the ‘goodness’ of a business requirement depends on where it is in its evolution. For convenience’s sake, we divide the requirements determination process into three major stages, ‘Capturing’, ‘Clarifying’, and ‘Confirming’.

Our basic philosophy is that business requirements may exist in the wilds of corporate America, we don’t know for sure. The reason we don’t know is that we can’t tell whether something is a requirement or not until we have captured them. What we as business analysts (a.k.a. those responsible for capturing business requirements) need to do first is plan the hunt. We need to study requirements in their natural habitat to try to learn as much about them as we can. Anything we can learn about their habits, their behaviors and their preferences will aid us in the upcoming hunt to ensure that we can snare as many of them as possible in the time allotted. ‘Capturing’ it is all about getting the requirement any which way you can – through interviewing, observation, analysis, blue-skying, brainstorming, brainwashing, butt-kicking, or whatever-works-for-you.

In this formative stage of its life, a ‘good’ requirement is a statement that:

  • starts with the words ‘I (or We, or Our Department, or My people, or a specific role) need (or don’t need or want or don’t want or should or should not or will or will not)’ OR it defines some dimension of a specific component of the future solution;
  • names a single component/feature/behavior/state that whoever has the authority in the business community to make the decision decides is an outcome of the project worth funding;
  • focuses on the business outcome, not the technology to be used; and
  • can be traced back to the individual with the authority to ‘own’ and ‘fund’ this requirement.

A Couple of Fine (IONSHO – in our not-so-humble opinion) Examples:

  1. Sales needs to be able to see which contracts will be expiring within the upcoming 90 days.
  2. I want the system to automatically calculate sales taxes based on relevant sales tax laws.
  3. The website visitor won’t need to click more than once to get to the order page from any other page on the site.
  4. We need to be able to respond to a code red incident anywhere on the planet within 24 hours.
  5. The sales tax will be localized by the zip code of the ship-to address.

On Clarifying Requirements

Requirements clarification is really all about making sure that more than one person (i.e., the author) fully understands what the requirement means. Requirements are, after all, a means of communication, so unless both the creator and the reader of the requirement agree on what it actually means, it can not call itself a clear requirement.

Just as a good for instance, let’s take the first requirement from the set above:

“Sales needs to be able to see which contracts will be expiring within the upcoming 90 days.”

Makes perfect sense to me, after all, I wrote it. What does it mean to the developers (whether they are sitting in a third world country or a cube next to me, whether or not they speak English as their native tongue, and whether or not they share a cultural background with me)? What kinds of questions could those developers have?

An Exercise in Clarity

As an exercise in your analytic abilities, you might at this point want to take two minutes to see how many questions you can think of that you would like answered to make sure that you understand my intent and not just your interpretation of my words. Whether you write them down or not, count them. In this case, quantity counts.

All right, here is my two-minute list:

  1. Who or what are “Sales”? What can they do? What will they do with whatever I give them?
  2. What does “to see” mean? Do they need the physical contracts or just a list?
  3. What constitutes a contract?
  4. What makes a contract “expire” and why do they care?
  5. Upcoming 90 days? Starting from when? Does this view change day-by-day or weekly or monthly or hourly or what?
  6. Come to think of it, what constitutes a day in this context, 24 hours (a day in a single location) or the global day (and is that 47 hours or how does that work, anyway)?

OK, those are the first 6 (or however many you want to count) questions that hit my feeble mind, but remember, I am the author! You can probably do much better because you look at the world from your perspective. All of this indicates that, although the requirement was clear to me when I wrote it, it may just have some subjectivity that needs to be resolved lest it lead us to develop the wrong solution.

When Does It Ever Stop?

Let’s consider what we just did. We took one sentence and created a bunch of questions that will lead to who knows how many more sentences, each of which will consist of terms that need clarification. Sounds like a classic example of analysis paralysis to me. How does it end, when do we finally know enough to stop dithering around and start developing the solution?

Great question! Actually, quite possibly THE question for business analysts everywhere. The most expensive answer is, of course, to build the solution and then see whether or not you understood the requirements correctly (which could have a negative impact on your chances for a career in business analysis).

The best answer our industry has come up with to date is the old Chinese quote, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. In other words, draw a diagram or create a prototype of what you think works and test your understanding of it. If you and your counterparts (Subject Matter Experts, a.k.a. SMEs on the one side and the developers on the other) are versed in modeling techniques, a good exercise is to have each side draw a quick diagram (process model, data model, swimlane diagram, whatever) of what they understand the requirement to mean and then compare models. Models are, however, not the only method available to you.

Why Do We Not Clarify?

“Why do many of us skip the clarification process”, you ask? (At least, I think that’s what I heard you say in my head.) For starters, many people don’t like to ask questions for fear of appearing ignorant. (That’s my line — questions don’t show ignorance, they show interest!). Secondly, figuring out what to ask is hard work. (Of course, not as hard as being President, but still.) Even though a question shows interest, some questions at least SOUND stupid, so how can you be sure that YOUR questions are not the stupid kind? O.K., how many of you picked up on the preposterous use of parenthesis in this paragraph to “clarify” what was meant? Did it clarify or confuse? Ahhh, the conundrums we create by craving clarity.

This thinking and that pesky deadline that is looming lead you down the rosy path of, “Well, the subject matter expert must mean this, since that is the only thing that makes sense to me”; and another promising project goes kerplunk. There is a better way, there has to be.

The Decomposition Dilemma

Decomposing requirements statements probably has as many different definitions as there are letters in the name of the technique, but our take on it is the simplest (really, it is, trust me). All you need to think about are two things.

People and systems both do things. In our parlance, we call these things functions, activities, or processes. In doing things, both people and systems consume resources (such as data) and they create new resources (including new data). The primary purpose of information technology is to help us do things cheaper, better, faster and remember what we did by keeping track of the related data. Well, since requirements are supposed to define a future information technology, maybe we should just focus what the system will DO and what it has to KNOW for starters to see where it leads us.

Functional and Informational Components

In its simple form, decomposing a requirement statement consists of asking three questions, starting with “What does the requirement state or imply that the system (or a person) will need to DO?” Since doing anything requires some form of action, we are looking for answers in the form of verbs and objects (i.e., “calculate sales tax”, “deposit check”). Since the verbs indicate the action, the objects are typically data (or something that we need to have data about).

Once we have a list of all of the things that the system or the users need to DO, the second question for each item on the list is, “What data does the system have to KNOW in order to do that?” Since data is a thing, now we are looking for nouns or noun phrases (i.e., “sales tax”, “amount due”, issuing bank”).

The third question is “Where does that data come from?” and the answer here can only be another function or somewhere outside the system (i.e., the bank, the customer, the IRS – sorry bout that last one, but it is a valid source as well as a pain in the anatomy)

And So It Goes

O.K., you started out with a simple sentence that defined a future feature, state, or behavior of a component of the business system and now you have a couple of long lists of things the system has to do and things it has to know. The only significant question left standing is whether you know enough about each item on the list to communicate to the developers or assemblers of the solution. It might even be a good idea if you also knew how to recognize if these things are there and work the way you want them to once the solution is delivered.

Is everything clearer now?

Confirming before Coding

Confirming business requirements is really about making sure that the business community and the technical community understand the same thing under the requirements. It is also about ensuring that they both agree on relative priorities within the set of requirements so those requirements that are most important to the business community will be addressed first. Prioritization is not something that can be done unless it matters, so we are not going to delve here into the intricacies of this critical step at this time. Suffice it to say that unless your business requirements are confirmed and prioritized, they are not ready for prime time which, in our philosophy, means “Ready to be Managed”. In the end, the manageability, maintainability, and feasibility of your business requirements is what makes the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ business requirements.

May the best requirement win.

Top Ten Factors in Running a Successful Construction Contractor Business

It is not easy running a construction business. There are many pitfalls and ways to lose money but if you follow some basic steps you can not only make a living but become very wealthy. Many successful construction contractors have learned there are certain things you absolutely must do right all the time and certain skills you must have or acquire in order to make it in this very competitive industry. In this article I will summarize what it takes to be a successful construction contractor in their order of importance.

Most Important Factor: Hands On Experience

Do not even think about starting a construction contractor business unless you have at least five years of broad (meaning general, not specialized) construction experience. The only exception to this is if you intend on specializing in one area and one area only. We call this a niche. Niche’s can be very profitable, but they can also go away, change or be replaced by technology, new products, changes in the industry or societal changes. The best chance for success in the general contractor business is to gain experience doing everything. This general experience has many benefits. It gives you the ability to identify and hire competent individuals, fire incompetent ones, evaluate good work product and identify poor work product. Probably the most important thing it gives you is the ability to transition from being a technician to being a manager. The best experience comes from small to mid-sized construction companies that require you to be a jack of all trades. Larger companies have a tendency to pigeonhole you into niches. That is fine if your business model is a niche, but if you start a general contractor construction business with skills in only a few niche areas, you will fail unless you hire to your weaknesses.

Second Most Important Factor: Outstanding Accounting System

If you do not have a sound accounting system your construction business will eventually fail. This CPA has witnessed this too many times than I care to recount. Sound accounting systems allow you to evaluate whether or not you make a profit on a job by job basis. Going with gut instinct is dangerous and fraught with risk. A sound accounting system helps you identify those things you do right on each job as well as the mistakes you’ve made. Numbers don’t lie. Unfortunately, my experience has shown me that most construction contractors pay little attention to their system of accounting. There is a fear that proper accounting will set the business owner up for higher taxes. Thus, cash received on a job and cash disbursed go unreported in an effort to avoid tax. What a mistake. I don’t care how great your gut feeling is on each job, if you don’t have an accounting of every penny on each job, you can rest assured you are flying blind and losing money on each job. You will go out of business and your family life will suffer. If you decide to start your own business you need to act like a professional business owner and that means creating a sound accounting system. Failed accounting systems lead to litigation, failure and bankruptcy.

Third Most Important Factor: Effective Management

When you have hands on experience in the industry, forged by many years (at least five years) of working in every facet of the construction business, you are better able to make the transition from technician to manager. Effective management requires that you have sound procedures on many aspects of your business. Well-defined work product processes, along with accompanying task-specific checklists, allows you to drill your workers on every aspect of a task within a job. You should have a work product process with accompanying checklists for just about every major task within a job. This eliminates human error and allows you to make corrections before the task is officially completed. It is a construction company owners #1 management tool. You must develop a process for each job and each task. This process must be in writing and stored in a binder for each job, along with the task checklist. The task checklist should be calendarized. Your jobs binder should include the following:

Tab #1 – A copy of the signed contract and any change orders.

Tab #2 – Budget for the job. Budget for each change order.

Tab #3 – Accounting for income and expenses. The income portion would include the contract bid price, monies received either as deposits or as the stages of the project are completed and monies received for change orders.

Tab #4 – Task List Summary.

Tab #5 – Task #1 Process Summary and Checklist.

Tab #6 – Task #2 Process Summary and Checklist.

etc.

Last Tab – Customer sign off letter on completed work along with standard testimonial letter signed by customer, listing customer’s name and contact information along with permission to use the testimonial in marketing and as a reference for prospective customers. You will transfer copies of each testimonial letter to a separate binder that you will take with you to each prospect. This testimonial binder may be the only thing separating you from your competition. It gives assurance to prospects that you take customer satisfaction very seriously and may be the difference maker. It allows prospects an opportunity to reach out to previous customers in order to obtain references. It also shows the prospect your company is very organized and well run. Lastly, have a picture of the before and after on each job in this binder.

Fourth Most Important Factor: Strong Business Partnerships

A stable of competent subcontractors who have many years of experience working together is crucial to the success of a job. Each job is a team effort and having a strong network of competent individuals/businesses available to you for each job, and who understand your businesses processes, will make each job run much more efficiently. Efficiency and competency = profit on each job.

Fifth Most Important Factor: Project Bidding Process

You can be the most skilled, best managed construction company, with a stable of talented subcontractors and still go out of business if you do not have a strong process in place on bidding for each job. You can lose your shirt if you underbid a job. How does this happen? The most common cause of underbidding is not doing your homework and relying on your gut or unverified estimates rather than a fail safe process of checking and double checking each cost within each task. The devil in any construction job is in the details. The bidding process is very much like your business plan for each job. It must identify every task, every cost and each cost must be checked and double checked before bidding on the job. Where many construction contractors go wrong is in estimating the cost of tasks incorrectly. These incorrect estimates are caused by flawed assumptions on the tasks and the associated costs, which is the result of not accurately verifying and then re-verifying every task and every cost. It is a painstaking process but you must get the bid right. Your assumptions on each task must be vetted not once but at least twice. You know the rule: measure twice cut once. This adage is particularly true in the bidding process.

Sixth Most Important Factor: Marketing

Everyone in the construction business understands the importance of referrals. Most of your prospective customers come by way of referral. But referrals are not enough. What should be part of your marketing tool belt?

1. You should have an active web site that includes customer testimonials front and center.

2. You should join a networking group.

3. You should join a civic organization.

4. You should provide valuable assistance to local community non-profit groups (one or two will suffice nicely).

5. You should have a regular process of bidding jobs that are not referral-based

6. You should have a process for direct mailings very week.

7. You should have business cards, stationary, job site signs.

8. You should advertise in the yellow pages or local newspapers.

9. Customer Testimonial Binder (referenced above).

10. You should have brochures.

Seventh Most Important Factor: Stay Current With Technology and Replace Old Equipment/Tools

You must upgrade your equipment and tools to stay current with technological changes. This will not only improve efficiency but also the quality of each job. You must also replace old equipment and tools in order to get each job completed efficiently and on time. You will know when it is time for new equipment and tools when the old equipment and tools begin breaking down at a rate that causes recurring delays. When equipment/tools breakdown it can cause cost overruns and result in late completions. No matter how good the quality of your work is, missing completion dates harms your reputation.

Eighth Most Important Factor: Hire To Your Weaknesses

No matter how much experience you have and how skilled you may be there are certain things each one of us does well and certain things we do badly. More often than not, the things we do well are the things we enjoy doing and the things we do badly are the things we hate doing. A skilled business owner will hire people who do have strengths in areas the business owner has weaknesses. As an example, one of my clients nearly went out of business because he did not like having to make calls to collect receivables. My advise to him? Hire someone who is expert in collections. He took me up on my advise and eventually, his collections expert, became his partner. His business is thriving now. Hire to your weakness and watch your business boom.

Ninth Most Important Factor: Document Mistakes and Failures

This should be incorporated into your Job Process/Task List Binder. You must learn from your mistakes. Mistakes should not be considered anything other than an experience learned. Document those bad experiences and incorporate them into your job process and task list binder so as to never repeat them again.

Tenth Most Important Factor: Change Orders

Most contracts include language regarding change orders. Change orders are caused by many factors, which is beyond the scope of this article, but let me be clear in saying that you must cost out every change order as if you were costing out the job. You must then process the change order (list each task and assign a date of completion for each task) and attach a task checklist for each new task resulting from the change order. Lastly, you must get the customer to understand and sign off on the change order or you will not collect your full price for the job. Many construction contractors unfortunately do a poor job in addressing change orders. They are reluctant to highlight it with the customer and gloss over it in an effort to avoid confrontation. The reason? The reality of change orders are not addressed up front when you are bidding on the job. Customers only see the price you gave them and that is in the contract. You must address the reality of a change order occurring at the outset of the bidding process and before the contract is signed. If a customer understands from the very beginning that change orders do occur often and that a change order will increase the price of the job, you will be less shy about confronting the customer when it does occur.

Hedge Fund Jobs – 3 Easy Methods For Securing a Hedge Fund Job

Getting a job with a hedge fund is the goal of many recent college graduates and young financial professionals. Like investment banking jobs with Goldman Sachs or consulting positions with Bain or McKinsey, jobs with top hedge funds like Citadel in Chicago, or Farallon in San Francisco, are highly coveted. Some of the brightest financial minds battle for the opportunity just to interview with these top funds.

Of course not all intelligent young financial professionals attended Ivy League universities or have the financial experience typical of successful applicants at high powered hedge funds like Citadel. However, there are over 5000 hedge funds in the United States of varying sizes and specialties. The hundred largest of these are the target of a disproportionate amount of attention from job applicants. The competition for junior analyst positions is extremely competitive. Meanwhile thousands of smaller hedge funds remain relatively under the radar, in part because many hedge funds are hard to locate and choose to keep a low-profile. Getting a job with these lesser-known hedge funds is far more likely for the typical candidate.

The Three Best Methods for Obtaining an Interview with a Hedge Fund:

Personal Connections: It is somewhat unfortunate that this method likely remains the best method of getting a hedge fund interview. However, the definition of “personal connections” varies. For the lucky few, this might be a family friend who manages a fund in CT or NY. For others this may be a college classmate who is now an analyst at a hedge fund. These types of connections can get you an interview when your resume alone may not be enough. Do not forget about online networking and sites like LinkedIn for expanding your larger network of contacts.

Financial Recruiters: Because large hedge funds are often hesitant to post open positions on job boards, they rely heavily on financial recruiting firms/headhunters. Using headhunters and recruiters is advised for candidates with several years of experience and a substantial resume. Less experienced applicants may find themselves at the bottom of the totem pole. However, it is often worth working with a large recruiter like GloCap as it requires minimal effort (you will probably interview personally with the recruiter and fill out some forms and submit a resume).

Direct Contact: One of the most overlooked methods of obtaining an interview with a hedge fund is to contact hedge funds directly. The vast majority of hedge funds have less than ten employees and don’t maintain a human resources manager. With these smaller funds, send a well-written cover letter and your resume to the CEO or MD. Because hedge funds, particularly the thousands of smaller firms, maintain a low-profile it is well worth getting a list of hedge funds with contact information.

Remember, the most important characteristic of successful hedge fund analysts is their intelligence and determination. Searching for a hedge fund job can at times be a test of your determination, but the right attitude and a few tools can help put you a step ahead of your competitors.

Leading Diversity: A Comparative Analysis

Grounds for Diversity

Creating successful, diverse and dynamic learning organizations involves developing processes to ensure that the differences of employees, customers, and community are taken into account. Diversity management is an active process that requires an investment in time and resources. It is a paradigm shift from intentional exclusion to an intentional full utilization of resources. Valuing and managing diversity requires policies, relationships, procedures, and practices that will ensure fairness and equity.

It means more than increasing awareness, but also changing the system to support differences for the benefit of all. This comparative analysis compares the diversity strategy of the Monitor Company and IBM. It identifies how individuals are motivated to become change agents for diversity by evaluating how the individuals in each case defined diversity and discern conflicts that arise from the varying definitions. Finally, I outlines how the Monitor and IBM cases accommodate diverse learning styles.

Organizational Dimensions of Diversity

Diversity is a simple word that contains many human variables. As simple as it is, it represents the distinctions that exist between individuals that sometimes include culture, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomics, age, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, religion, language, appearance, personality, learning and thinking styles, communication and conflict styles, family status, geography, military status, education, life and work experiences, functional responsibility in a given organization. Diversity management in organizations involves understanding and leveraging similarities and differences of all people involved in accomplishing the organization’s mission. The individuals in both the Monitor Company and IBM defined diversity based on their differences and uniqueness. According to Lieberman (2003), “Diversity looks at the differences that shape people’s thinking and behavior.” (p. 24).

Jonathan Rotenberg, who happens to be Jewish consultant at Monitor, began to realize that “he held an educationally strategic position bridging the gulf between the often misunderstood gay world and the corporate world.” Nick Basden, an African-American consultant at Monitor, stated “I feel black [at Monitor]. I feel different because I am black.” (Gentile and Gant, p. 3-4). The initiative created by IBM was designed to improve the understanding of the differences. “Rather than attempt to eliminate discrimination by deliberately ignoring differences among employees, IBM created eight task forces, each focused on different groups such as Asians, gays and lesbians, and women.” (Thomas, 2004, p. 1).

The Learning Organization

Though the individual reasons for diversity were similar, the organizational motivations that drove the change were slightly different. The Monitor Company was concerned with how inclusion affected the individual’s growth, development and quality of life. Monitor wanted to learn how the company might be different “if the workforce were more diverse, and what barriers might exist to the success of nonwhite and female consultants.” (Gentile and Gant, 1994, p. 2). IBM’s driving force behind their diversity initiative was an extension of Monitor’s inclusion for individual growth. IBM, according to Thomas (2004), believed that “…greater diversity in the workplace could help IBM attract a more diverse customer set.” (p. 4).

While Monitor was concerned about the human factor and IBM was concerned about the bottom line. It is possible that diversity influences both. Many organizations have come to realize that diversity is a resource that should be leveraged to increase performance as well as improve human relations. Lieberman (2003) identified three capital resources of diversity that every business must manage successfully: financial capital, human capital, and material capital. Financial Capital, profit, “keeps an organization in existence, motivates its stakeholders, and enables it to invest in its future.” Human Capital, people, “makes an organization live and work, no matter how technical or automated it may be. People are our managers, our employees, our customers, and our communities.” Material capital, physical resources, “provides the energy and resources to produce goods and services.” (p. 3). Diversity management is a process that allows groups of people to maximize productivity, creativity, and enjoyment to reach their full potentials.

Accommodating Diversity Styles

Monitor and IBM cultures and value systems can accommodate diverse styles without sacrificing their distinctive identity. Values drive beliefs, attitudes, actions, and are culturally derived. Therefore a leader who understands others’ cultural background is better able to understand why those people act, think, and speak the way they do, and is better able to predict how those people will react to his or her own words and actions. “Understanding diversity means moving into the box all these ideas and the ones that others make you aware of, so that you start thinking of diversity as many differences, not just the most apparent ones.” (Lieberman, 2003. p 25). When working with people of different cultures, leaders are “able to apply common sense and good will to act and respond accordingly when they understand the forces driving behavior.” (Scarborough, 1998, p. 11). In both cases, the diversity initiative was about more than just education or awareness but rather an understanding of the differences of the stakeholders.

The Impact of Culture

High-performing organizations consciously create their desired corporate culture, rather than simply letting one develop. Unfortunately, organizational culture change efforts often attempt to “abolish” differences by imposing a pre-defined culture while ignoring the existing values, beliefs, visions, and behaviors. Diversity management is the process of creating a culture that is flexible enough to promote, support, respect, and value the multiple differences that exist in the organization as an asset to be valued and sought after. “The impact of culture is omnipresent; it has both a conscious and an unconscious influence on human behavior.” (Zachary, 2005, p. 15). It is recognized that group intelligence and performance is higher when systems and skills are in place that create an environment of inclusion, trust, collaboration, and respect and the ability for each to reach full potential.

Leading Diversity

Diversity is rapidly gaining ground as an asset of businesses as a means of widen their market. This dramatic shift to a highly diverse work force is part of the organizations’ efforts to understand, accept, and capitalize on differences. “The demand for new customer-focused products, the desire to reach global markets, and the need to tap a diverse workforce for talented employees drives this trend.” (Lieberman, 2003, p. 13). However, the primary objective of diversity is to unify the entire organization and deepen the cultural change within the institution so that processes, communication and actions align with institutional beliefs, values and priorities. In his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul reminds us that the distinctions that separate us are no longer significant. “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free…” (Colossians 3:11). Organizations that desire to reach their full potential must transcend all barriers and engage all people, from all cultures, races, and backgrounds.

References

Gentile, Mary and Gant, Sara B. (1994). Monitor Co.: Personal Leadership on Diversity. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press Case 395049.

Lieberman, Simma. (2003). Putting Diversity to Work: How to Successful Lead a Diverse Workforce. Menlo Park, CA: Course Technology Crisp.

Scarborough, Jack. (1998). Origins of Cultural Differences and Their Impact on Management. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated.

Thomas, David A. (2004). Diversity As Strategy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.

Zachary, Lois J. (2005). Creating a Mentoring Culture: The Organization’s Guide. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Construction Resume Writing Services for Project Managers of All Levels of Experience

Whether you are a new or experienced project manager in the construction, engineering, or real estate field, this article is for you. Sure, the job market is not as strong as it used to be, and career prospects are lean, but there are still thousands of construction projects happening each day, on a global scale, and every single one of them requires one or several project managers.

A project manager has lots of different definitions and responsibilities depending on several factors, including: what your experience level is, are you a General or Specific Project Manager? Are you PMP certified, etc. Nevertheless, almost all project management positions have one tie that binds – you MUST be able to simultaneously manage several projects in various stages of completion, as well as various employees of ranging experience levels and proficiencies. Depending on your level of experience and focus, you may lean more toward one or the other, but both skills are required to be successful.

With that said, all you have to do is drive 20 miles in any direction of your house and chances are you will find new homes being built, older buildings being renovated, streets being repaved, and/or shopping centers receiving a badly needed facelift or touch-up. Unlike days past when all you needed was a friend or connection at a construction company and a pretty good reputation, today’s construction job market is different. You need an effective construction resume to help get you through the door and into the position you want.

So what is the best strategy for success? Here it is – be proactive. What does this mean for you? Try this strategy on for size: Take a drive and find 3 different projects that interest you. Once you have these 3 projects, find as much information as you can about the position. This includes the owner of Construction Company, the general contractor, the sub contractor, engineering firm, etc. and write the information down in a pad you designate solely for this task.

Then when you get home take a look at your resume. I mean a good look at this document and ask yourself, “Does this resume reflect me?” Is the resume updated, have you reviewed the information carefully, does it bolster and highlight your achievements, has it been spell-checked and grammar-checked? In other words, is this the one document you want someone to look at as the first representation of you, for the position?

If the answer is yes, then do your best to locate the company’s fax or email, be sure you are sending your resume and cover letter from a professional email address (not: Beerbongparty@ partydude. com ) and send the resume and cover letter attention HR or Ladies and Gentlemen. If your resume is not in a good shape, do NOT waste the opportunity, rather secure the services of a certified professional construction resume writer or writing service to assist you in getting your resume into fighting shape!

Good Luck!

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