The Dream Life: Resource Book

admin    Twitter Marketing     Book, Dream, Life, Resource

The Dream Life: Resource Book
Most professional site on Cb. Best self-help resource book 2 sell or buy. It literally sells itself!!Affiliates, this gives great conversion rates accompanied by low refund rates. Easy 2 sell. Make Money Now!! www.dreamlifebook.com Change your life now!!!
The Dream Life: Resource Book

Feng Shui Pearls of Wisdom Info Package – Wealth, Romance and More!
Your prospects will love this! Make 75% commission and easy sales in a growing market of buyers hungry for information on Feng Shui! Pro-level salescopy – 141 beautifully illustrated ebook plus 3 irresistible bonuses make prospects want to buy now!!
Feng Shui Pearls of Wisdom Info Package – Wealth, Romance and More!

The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide Volume 2

admin    Twitter Marketing     Aspergers, Guide, Parenting, Resource, Volume

A few Get Twitter Followers products I can recommend:

The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide Volume 2
The much awaited follow to The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide. It covers the 7 Most Common Problem Areas for Children with Aspergers and How To Cope with Them.
The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide Volume 2

Nuclear Affiliate – Get paid across 4 products for promoting 1!
Earn 50% Commissions on hot new converting product about Affiliate Marketing by Andrew Fox. Go to http://nuclearaffiliate.com/affiliate.html
Nuclear Affiliate – Get paid across 4 products for promoting 1!

A short primer on Twitter as a powerful social media resource

admin    Social Media Marketing     Media, Powerful, Primer, Resource, Short, Social, Twitter

Twitter was founded in 2006 by American software architect and business person Jack Dorsey. Since its creation, it has quickly gained a cult following and has grown exponentially in terms of notability and popularity on a global scale.

Twitter is best described as a free social networking and micro-blogging site; amalgamating the convenience of short text messaging and the ease at which information flow is facilitated instantly online. One can set up an account based on a niche or topic of interest, follow immediate friends and family for a start, scour the network for like-minded enthusiasts, begin with a tweet and they are away; it’s that simple!   Jack described his product name as “a short burst of inconsequential information,” and “chirps from birds” and this fitted Twitter’s essence like a hand-in-glove.

One of the most impressive stand-outs of the platform is its applicability to a myriad of situations, including:

1) Education: Language teaching where students are asked to send tweets and also responses in the new language as a tool to train proficiency and cultural assimilation. Twitter has also been used in student evaluations, facilitating the delivery of course curricula and also to improve communication skills.

2) Politics: Twitter was used extensively by US electoral candidates during the 2008 presidential campaign as a means to create closeness and approachability between voters and leaders.

3) Space Exploration: NASA astronauts Mike Massimino, Nicole Scott and Jeff Williams were pioneers in employing Twitter as a social media/marketing tool to send real-time tweets and updates from their space stations.

4)  Emergencies: This is arguably one of the most powerful and direct ways in which Twitter could be used to reach the masses instantly at low cost with time critical information. The social network actually does a much better job of getting information out during emergencies than either the traditional news media or government emergency services. During the forest fires in California in October 2007, people kept their followers (who were often friends and neighbours) informed of their whereabouts and of the location of various fires in real-time speed. Relief support organisations also massively engage Twitter. The American Red Cross started using Twitter to exchange minute-to-minute information about local disasters including statistics and directions.

The 2008 Mumbai attacks led to the proliferation of Twitter to unprecedented levels; eyewitnesses sent an estimated 80 tweets every 5 seconds. Twitter users on the ground helped compile a list of the dead and injured. Furthermore, users sent out critical information such as emergency phone numbers and the location of hospitals needing blood donations. CNN heralded this as “the day social media appeared to come of age” since many different groups made significant use of Twitter to gather news and coordinate responses.

5) Public Relations:  UK’s Department of Business, NGOs, fire departments and even the US Army intelligence use Twitter as a means to develop communication strategies, incident reporting, counter-terrorist tools and even to hold worldwide conferences and webinars.

…and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Twitter ‘s practicality extends to many other innumerable situations.

Some implied applications about Twitter, what they mean and how they can help one spread his/her/organisational reach so that valuable insights and vital information and be conveyed literally at the click of a button:

Networking: The opportunities are endless. Individuals and institutions alike can search Twitter for like-minded professionals, organisations and enthusiasts. Once located, free communication without strings attached or identities can be formed with concrete relationships and synergies easily achievable thereafter.

Traffic generation: Twitter can be used as a network marketing tool that enables individuals or organisations to generate free traffic to their websites. Followers can be cross-followed and links promoted via informative updates. Third party websites also provide banners, badges, direct links and widgets which could also be implicitly accessed through tweets mentioning the primary web-page.

Opt-in and feedback evaluation: Individuals and organisations can set up hash-tag groups following clients or interested personnel so feedback/evaluation can be done in an informal and very quick manner. This is very similar in function to distributing online feedback forms post campaigns or product launches bar the hassle of design and distribution costs. Subscription lists can grow to millions through time, FREE!

Content: This could be disseminated literally in seconds to a targeted and relevant audience. Without the platform that Twitter has, this could take ages and cost a whole lot more. Events timelines, schedules and locations could also be translated and conveyed via Twitter easily and accurately.

Media and news: Access to important pieces of news and media portals could never have been made easier with tweets searchable through Twitter search and trends observable via Twitter’s front page.

Internet Marketing: Just imagine a world where you get rewarded for your reach! Back links and re-directs can be encompassed within informative tweets where Twitterers can click and be led to a site/s for more content.  One can actually in plain terms make money using Twitter!

Advertising: This allows the use of repeated but content novel and rich tweets to invoke branding. Stand-out logos and tag lines could also be promoted for free!

 Twitter status: One’s online status message.

Tweet: A short update of what one is doing limited to 140 characters.

Followers: People who are subscribers of one’s updates or tweets.

Following: People whom an individual is interested in following by subscribing to their tweets.

Direct Message (DM): A Direct Message sent to one’s followers which will appear on Twitter search in about 10 minutes post sending.

At (@): One can use this when one is referring to a third party in their updates (also known as @replies). This is done by prefixing the third party’s username with @ to display his/her Twitter account in the update.

Re-Tweet (RT): A repetition of a tweet by a third party because of good quality and usefulness of content.

Hash (#): When one wants to tell something specific about some issue or subject, one can prefix the subject with #. Hashtags can then be used to create ”groupings” on Twitter, without having to change the basic service. Hashtags.org delievers real-time tracking of Twitter hashtags; one can join by following @hashtags.

Tweet – Up: When a group of Twitterers  arrange a gathering for a social interaction purposes or for some bloggers meet and etc.

Blocking/Spam: Some users spam others through Twitter; they can blocked in two ways namely directly from the User’s Twitter page or through one’s Followers list . Just hit Block and Twitter will action.          

In conclusion, Twitter is an extremely useful social media innovation where information flow – personal, casual or mass broadcast during time critical circumstances – can easily be transmitted and received. It also allows institutions to reach the public and relevant stakeholders about updates, developments, strategy and outlook. Brands can be built and images enhanced via content-rich and informative tweets. The ease of set-up and use also implies that anyone can be up and running within minutes. If one thinks out-of-the-box a little, making money through Twitter back-linking and free marketing via good tweets should also be easily achieved. All in all, Twitter is the epitome of social media innovation and its uses and implementations one can safely say, far extends beyond pure social net-working.

Usability Resource Says Microsoft Fluent User Interface is not so Fluent

admin    Misc     Fluent, Interface, Microsoft, Resource, Says, Usability, User

I do not have emotional reactions to the software applications I use on a daily basis.  They are necessary tools which I use to accomplish my job and produce documentation that is of benefit to my team members and to the client. I neither love nor hate them; they are merely a fact of my life.

Until Microsoft Office 2007.

Trying to use the new Fluent User Interface (aka the ribbon) illicit feelings of confusion, frustration, and depending how quickly I need to get something done and am unable to find where it is hiding, anger. 

And I know I am not alone.  Where there is demand, someone is willing to program a solution, and sell it. There are at least two applications that will provide the simple and easy menu system I love (yes, I discovered I harbored feelings of attraction for those classic gray text menus, only realizing the depth of my amour when they had disappeared from my life). Interestingly enough, these third party add-ons are also available on the Microsoft Office Marketplace.

Am I just a technological curmudgeon, unwilling to embrace the new wave of UI? Or is the wholesale change of a twenty-four year-old interface with no inherent option for backward-customization not in the user’s best interest?

What makes something simple? Easy? Intuitive?

Simple is defined as “not elaborate; plain”.  Point for the classic menus; desktop or laptop, they used a minimal amount of space to get things done.  The ribbon’s overabundance of icons, which still need text to explain what they are, crowd my work area.

Easy is defined as “not hard or difficult; requiring no great labor or effort”.  This is a tie.  For those accustomed to the classic menus, they were not difficult to use. Click on a tab and the options appear in a menu list.  Arrows indicated more options with fly-out menus.  The ribbon presents a lot of common, useful tasks right from the start, and other commands are available by clicking on the text heading of the tab.

Intuitive is defined as “spontaneously derived from or prompted by a natural tendency”. Ah, there’s the rub.  Because my natural tendency when wanting to save a file is to click the “File” menu. Not an option in the ribbon.  My natural tendency to find and replace a word is to click the “Edit” menu. Not an option in the ribbon. In fact, one of my most frustrating interactions with the Fluent User Interface was trying to locate the “Replace” command. The Help system in Excel was anything but.   I understand what the task “replace” entails, I didn’t know it is now located on the far right side of the Home toolbar. I guess it was user error that I didn’t try the Help system in Word first, since that had exactly the information I needed.

For those whose first interaction with the suite of Microsoft products is the ribbon, no doubt they will find it simple and easy.  I am curious how much of that UI is truly intuitive, compared to learned.  Driving a car is not intuitive; it is a learned skill that once accomplished, is simple and easy.

At least until they replace my dashboard with a ribbon.

by Heidi Berthiaume, Usability/Information ArchitectureMarketNet

 

need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our florida web design company homepage

Google Adwords: an Untapped Resource?

admin    Google Optimization     Adwords, google, Resource, Untapped

As almost everyone knows, Google is the most popular Internet search engine ever created. Besides being the world’s best search engine, Google is also a calculator, an interactive mapping tool, and, in recent years, the most popular place for small to mid-sized businesses to advertise online. Why? Because they have devised an ingenious method of making online advertising extremely affordable and easily accessible to the small business community (defined here as businesses with 500 employees or less).

Google’s unique advertising tool, Google Adwords, has taken the Internet by storm. It may be particularly useful if your firm is in a traditional business where your closest competitors are not early adopters of Internet technology. Consider the following set of questions to determine if Google Adwords could help your business get more qualified sales leads:

Is your firm in a traditional industry where you have the opportunity to be an “early adopter” of new Internet technologies? Many traditional industries, like manufacturing and food services, for instance, are notoriously late adopters of Internet technologies. There is still a significant percentage of firms in traditional sectors that barely have a Web presence at all. Depending on your industry and your geographic reach (in terms of sales) you may still have a window of opportunity where you can get the jump on your competitors.

Are your closest competitors fully explioting their Internet marketing potential? If you’re curious about the number of incoming links you or your competitors have (links to your site from other sites), simply type “link.yourwebaddress.com” into Google. Don’t use the quotes, and type in your actual Web address. If you want to do a little corporate spying you can do the same for your competitors’ sites. The link information Google provides is part of the public domain and is available to anyone who knows how to access it. Also, visit your competitors’ Web sites. Compare theirs to yours. Are they better, worse, similar? Is their content relevant and current? Is the site easy to navigate? Is there some interactive feature/online client service you could offer that would help to set you apart?

If you think of something interactive you’d like to offer email us at info@nurelm.com and we’ll give you a ballpark figure of what you can expect to pay. You may be surprised at the low cost of some interactive features, and they could make all the difference in your Web traffic/sales leads generated.

Do you offer a specialized product or service? The more specialized it is, the better you will do advertising with Google Adwords, or with any other form of online advertising, since there are already less competitors out there. The Web is perfect for highly specialized products/services because you may not have enough clients in one geographic region, but if you sell nationally or internationally, you may find that you have hit upon a very lucrative niche, since your target market will grow exponentially as your geographic service region is expanded.

Do you have an established relationship with nationally/internationally known firms that have a large, well respected position on the Internet? If you do and you can get them to place a link to your company Web site from their Web site(s) this will significantly increase your general Google rankings, and place you in a better position to take advantage of Google Adwords. The Google search engine algorithm now ranks you based on QUALITY of incoming links, rather than quantity. A “quality” link is defined by Google as a large, popular, high -traffic Web site.

Is your current Web site consumer-driven or does it simply tout how great you are? Many smaller businesses make this mistake. They build Web sites based on what they want them to say/do, rather than on what their consumers want. Hire a professional Web design firm whose core focus is designing effective, high-traffic, consumer-driven Web sites. If you have done that, you’ve won half the battle.

If you’re not sure if your Web site is a “consumer-driven” site, fill out NuRelm’s online Web assessment form and one of our online marketing experts will give you free advice on how to make your site more consumer-driven. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing the wording or adding more text. Small intiiatives that sometimes cost little or nothing to implement can make a significant difference in your Web site’s popularity/sales leads generated.

Is your Web site information -intensive? The day of barking dogs, waving flags, and animated intro pages is over. Now Internet savvy consumers are interested in one thing; up-to-date, useful, free information. If you give them the content they want they will reward you with sales leads and referrals.

Does your site offer the right kind of information (information your clients and prospects are most interested in)? Note: The right kind of information is not necessarily detailed information about your specific industry or what you are trying to sell. Example: Even though NuRelm is primarily a Web site software and services firm our clients and prospects are extremely interested in not just how to launch an attractive interactive Web site,,but in how to market it once it is out there. Once we understood what most interested our clients/prospects we began offering a monthly online newsletter with detailed, timely information on online marketing. We also launched our online marketing workshops.

NuRelm’s newsletters and workshops are designed to better address our clients’ online marketing questions and to help them get the most bang for the buck for their Internet dollar. Even though online marketing is not NuRelm’s core profit center we have extensive knowldege in this area. In order to build effective, high-traffic Web sites, NuRelm staff members must keep up-to-date on the latest Internet marketing trends and technologies. You must KNOW YOUR CLIENTS and prospects and understand what is it they want want, even if it means offering information in a complimentary area that is not your core profit center.

Focus in on the area that most interests your target market. Do a telephone survey if you’re not sure, or ask your clients when you go out on service calls, or send a mass email (although email blasts may get low response rates if they’re not done right – like offering to be entered in to some sort of drawing if they fill out the survey).

To summarize, your small traditional business will thrive on the Web if you take the right steps. Bottom line: Know your target market well, give them the information they want, and present it in a friendly, nonthreatening, easy-to find manner. Learning to market online in the most effective way is always a challenge, but one well worth researching. If you consider the above points and you had positive answers to most or all of the above questions, then you should go to Google and learn more about Google Adwords. NuRelm will also be conducting in-depth workshops on how to win with Google Adwords (coming this Fall). Call (877)268-7356, ext.204 if you’re interested in finding out more about NuRelm’s popular online marketing workshop series.

need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our florida web design company homepage

Resource Management Using Microsoft Project

admin    Misc     Management, Microsoft, Project, Resource, Using

Resource Management using Microsoft Project

Management of resources is a key aspect of project management. Microsoft Project is able to assist in the complex issue of managing resources by tracking their progress, highlighting allocation issues and relating all this information to the overall status of the project.Defining resources

In simple terms, resources can be separated into three groups: work, material and cost. A work resource is anyone or anything that works on a task and is tracked according to time spent. A material resource refers to things that are consumed by a task. Microsoft Project assumes that material resources are available in unlimited supplies. Cost resources refer to ancillary costs that are not directly associated with work and materials, such as expenses. When inputting resource data into Microsoft Project, there are several other resource categories to consider. Enterprise resources refer to those resources at the disposal of an organisation and can therefore be used in multiple projects. Non-enterprise resources, or local resources, are only available for use within a specific project. Generic resources are used to identify specific skills that are required for a project when the specific details of the resource are as yet unknown.Assigning Resources

Microsoft Project offers two methods for entering resource data directly: the Resource Sheet or the Resource Information dialog box. The next step is to assign resources to a specific task. The benefit of this step is that it is possible to see how long it will take to complete a task, how much it will cost and who is responsible for completing that task. One resource can be assigned to several different tasks and one task can be assigned several different resources. Microsoft Project is able to estimate the duration of a task based on the availability of each resource. If additional resources are assigned to a particular task, Microsoft Project can calculate how much less time is required for task completion. This is referred to as effort-driven scheduling and is the default option. There are occasions where it is not appropriate to use effort-driven scheduling for a task. For example, a meeting will take the same amount of time to complete (as long as it stays focussed) regardless of the number of individuals attending.Resource Allocation Problems

It is important to ensure that all resources have been appropriately assigned to tasks to ensure a successful outcome. Microsoft Project provides several ways of doing this. By looking at the Resource Sheet it is possible to identify whether resources have been under allocated or over allocated for a specific time period. An alternative way of seeing the same information but in a graphical format is to select the Resource Graph option.

By attending Microsoft Project training it is possible to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of resource allocation and how best to use this software to achieve successful outcomes.

need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our florida web design company homepage

Inspire Smart Solutions Partners With Microsoft to Provide Enterprise Resource Planning Tool, Microsoft Dynamics Nav

admin    Misc     Dynamics, Enterprise, Inspire, Microsoft, Partners, Planning, Provide, Resource, Smart, Solutions, Tool

Denver, CO – August 26, 2008 – Inspire Smart Solutions announced today they are offering a new adaptable business management solution for their clients with  Microsoft Dynamics NAV, an enterprise resource planning tool (ERP).

As a Microsoft partner, Inspire Smart Solutions offers Microsoft Dynamics NAV, one of the top five ERP systems in the world for small to mid-sized businesses.

Inspire Smart Solutions’ rationale for offering Microsoft Dynamics NAV to their clients was simple: It is a powerful solution designed to help growing organizations streamline their processes, reduce operational costs, manage compliance and drive informed decision-making.

Subodh Gupta, President of Inspire Smart Solutions says, “We saw many of our clients going through internal struggles as they grew and we wanted to help them solve their growing pains. We believe Microsoft Dynamics NAV is that answer – it’s the best solution for the growth-related challenges small to mid-sized businesses face.”

Specifically, Inspire Smart Solutions offers Microsoft Dynamics NAV because it provides:

“We saw immense value in offering Microsoft Dynamics NAV as an integrated business service to help our clients successfully take their businesses to the next level,” says Gupta, President of Inspire Smart Solutions.

As a certified Microsoft partner, Inspire Smart Solutions utilizes Microsoft Dynamics NAV to help their clients accelerate growth through customized processes such as manufacturing, distribution, financial management, sales and marketing, human resources, warehouse management, customer relationship and much more. 

As a leading business solutions provider, Microsoft Dynamics NAV is the most recent technology-based service Inspire Smart Solutions has made available for their clients.

For more information please visit www.inspiresmart.com

###

About Inspire Smart Solutions

InspireSmart Solutions is a premiere business solutions provider offering cutting-edge, customized and affordable web-based services and IT solutions for small to mid-sized businesses in all industries around the globe.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and supply chain management solutions that helps businesses work more effectively. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialized services, these integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like and with familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire business.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our florida web design company homepage

Human Resource Management at Microsoft

admin    Misc     Human, Management, Microsoft, Resource

Microsoft is one of the wealthiest and most successful companies in the world. Even more important, from a human resource perspective, is the fact that Microsoft is an employee-driven organization. While other organizations base their success on better manufacturing techniques, or better technology, Microsoft’s success is based on the effectiveness of their employees. Essentially, Microsoft value their staff and realize the importance of their staff. This focus on employees may, in the future, expand to all organizations. Microsoft then, is worth studying as an example of best practice in human resource management.

This study will focus on Microsoft’s employee management methods including how they recruit and how they retain their staff. By looking at how Microsoft operate, there is opportunity for other organizations to consider how they manage their employees and to consider whether their staff are also valued.

Firstly, the study will present information on the human resource practices at Microsoft. Secondly, the study will analyse these practices with a view to showing why they are effective.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AT MICROSOFT

Recruitment and Selection – In the Beginning

Bill Gates is the driving force for Microsoft and from the beginning of the company he believed in recruiting extremely intelligent staff, favoring intelligence over experience, “his preference for hiring extremely intelligent, not necessarily experienced, new college graduates dated from Microsoft’s start-up days, when he and cofounder Paul Allen recruited the brightest people they knew from school – their ‘smart friends’” (Bartlett 1).

From the beginning Gates realized that his employees were his greatest assets, shown by his quotes including “it’s the effectiveness of our developers that determines our success” and “take our 20 best people away, and I will tell you that Microsoft will become an unimportant company” (Bartlett 2).

Microsoft’s recruitment strategies reflect their philosophy. They sought the smartest and the most driven people and did so aggressively, as Steve Ballmer says “whenever you meet a kick-ass guy, get him” (Bartlett 2).

The recruitment strategies in the beginning included sourcing people from the elite educational facilities such as Harvard, Yale, MIT, Carnegie-Melon and Stanford. Microsoft recruiters would visit these universities “in search of the most brilliant, driven students” (Bartlett 2). Experience was not required and it was in fact, preferred that new employees had no experience.

Once selected, these students had to undergo a thorough selection process. The first stage was an interview “by at least 3, and sometimes up to 10, Microsoft employees” (Bartlett 2).

These interviews were designed not to test knowledge, but to test “thought processes, problem-solving abilities, and work habits” (Bartlett 2). Technical interviews are described as being focused mainly on problem-solving, with interviewers posing problem scenarios. To test the composure of the candidate and also their creative problem-solving skills, unexpected questions were also included. Two examples of these questions given are “how many times does the person use the word ‘the’ in a day” and “describe the perfect TV remote control” (Bartlett 2).

After the interview, interviewers would e-mail their decision on the interviewee with the words ‘Hire’ or ‘No Hire’ and comments on the problem area, the future interviewers would then use these comments to further investigate whatever issues there were with the interviewee (Bartlett 3). This interviewing process was essentially a ‘make or break’ one, where interviewees were pushed to their limits, if they thrived and survived this meant they would also thrive and survive in the Microsoft working environment.

After this series of interviews, if the majority of interviewers were favorable the interviewee would finally meet with their manager and this manager would make a final hire/no hire decision. The very last step is an interview by someone outside the hiring group, this person is independent and so unbiased in their opinion. This person is meant as a final check that the person is a good Microsoft person and also to prevent managers from hiring the wrong people because they have a need to fill a certain position (Bartlett 3).

The importance of hiring the right people is also shown in Microsoft’s ‘n minus 1’ strategy which means less people are employed than are required. This policy reinforces that hiring the right people is more important than hiring just to fill a position.

Recruitment and Selection – Later Stages

Microsoft retained the same basic principles as they expanded but had to change their methods when the number of new employees required could no longer be sourced only from universities.

The recruiting practices continued to be active rather than passive, with Microsoft ‘head hunting’ the best staff. These staff were found, monitored and recruited from other companies by over 300 recruiting experts, “once someone had been identified as ‘hard core’ – Microsoft’s euphemism for the kind of highly talented and driven people they sought – the pursuit was relentless, if subtle. Regular telephone calls at discreet intervals, conversations at industry conventions, invitations to formal dinners – recruiting team members employed every means possible to keep the lines of communication open” (Bartlett 9).

Microsoft also took advantage of breaking opportunities such as company layoffs, one example is with the AOL down size, “when we heard AOL was downsizing Netscape’s operations in the valley, we assembled a team to identify the best talent and go knocking on doors” (Bartlett 10).

Employee Satisfaction and Loyalty

Microsoft attempted to cater to the needs of its employees from the beginning. Recognizing that the majority of employees were just out of college, the Microsoft company operated like a campus. The former director of human resources describes this saying, “how do you make young kids who had never been away from home – or only as far as college – comfortable? We wanted to keep the atmosphere at work one they were somewhat familiar with, and also make sure it gave them a sense of social belonging” (Bartlett 4). This environment also included every employee having their own office they were free to decorate as they please and the provision of subsidized food and drink (Bartlett 4).

Employee satisfaction was also afforded by the opportunity for growth, “development also occurred by encouraging horizontal transfers, and employees were encouraged to develop themselves by switching jobs” (Bartlett 6).

It is noted that few employees leave the organization by dismissal, with the majority leaving voluntarily (Bartlett 10). Concern over high attrition rates in the 1990s led to surveys to find the cause of the problem and for changes to be implemented. One of the major changes was the requirement for top management to coach lower levels, assisting in their development by doing so. This became known as ‘turning over the keys’ (Bartlett 11). This is important because it allows people an opportunity to develop further. Also critical to the changes was a new focus on empowering people and of defining clear goals. These changes were all designed to increase employee satisfaction and commitment to the organization, while maintaining the same spirit the small company began with.

Employee Rewards

In the early days Gates was a firm believer that employee ownership was critical in raising motivation and employee retention, in lieu of high salaries he offered employees equity (Bartlett 7). Once listed on the stock exchange, this continued, with the company offering stock options to employees based on performance.

Critical to this is the link between individual performance and reward, with semi-annual performance reviews linked to pay increases, bonus awards and stock options (Bartlett 7). Performance goals employees were measured against were specific measurable ones, these performance objectives shortened to SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-based, and Time-bound (Bartlett 2). This formal review system also included more common evaluations by managers to ensure no unexpected deviations. The system also included the process of employees evaluating themselves, these self-evaluations then being sent to the manager who does their own evaluation. The employee and manager then meet to discuss the review (Bartlett 8).

Stock options awards are based on whether the employee is considered a long-term asset of the company and awarded on this basis. This is an important symbol of Microsoft’s commitment to retaining good employees.

ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AT MICROSOFT

Recruitment and Selection

It is reported that companies must be aware of where they are going in the future and how the current configuration of human resources relates to this (Noe et al., Ch.5).

As we have seen, Microsoft employ different recruitment practices than many organizations based on their need for the very best people. Microsoft actively recruit suitable employs and focus on the right type of person rather than the right type of skill level. In ‘Human Resource Management: An Experiential Approach’ (Bernadin & Russell) human resources are described as an important source of competitive advantage. Microsoft use human resources for competitive advantage, basing their success on having the very best people in the industry and inspiring them to be the best. It is this that leads to Microsoft’s unique recruitment practices. Based on the importance placed on having the best people in the industry, their aggressive ‘head hunting’ techniques are justified.

What is most crucial here is that Microsoft’s recruitment practices meet their human resource needs. It is an important sign of the focused approach of Microsoft, with their actions always leading towards their ultimate goals.

Some important factors to be considered in recruiting staff include that the recruiter should be from the same functional area and that candidates should not be deceived about the negative elements of a job (Noe et al., Ch.5). The interview process at Microsoft reflects this with the new employee being interviewed by the manager. The recruitment process also goes further than just informing the employee about the negative aspects, instead the recruitment process actually tests the employee on the negative aspects, putting them under the same type of pressure they would be put under on the job. This is an effective method, as it can be ascertained, that if the employee is successful in the selection process, they will be successful within the organization.

Employee Motivation

McNamara says that “the key to supporting the motivation of your employee is understanding what motivates each of them.” The important thing about Microsoft is that they employ people who specifically will be motivated by the environment they provide. They do not employ skilled people and expect them to be motivated, they employ intelligent and driven individuals and give them the environment and the opportunity to develop beyond their current level. The fit between employee and organization is important to motivation and this is what Microsoft ensures.

A recent study reported in the Journal of Applied Psychology reports that employees working on projects are more efficient when their goals relate to the overall team goals rather than individual goals (Kristof-Brown). Microsoft ensures that the goals of the organization are understood via its strong culture and by employees being clearly aware of what is required of them.

Motivation can be described as providing a work environment in which individual needs become satisfied through efforts that also serve organizational objectives (Schermerhorn 395). Microsoft achieves this by incorporating their goals into their human resource management programs. The people recruited and the systems within the organization all serve to motivate the type of people that Microsoft values.

Employee motivation can also be related to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. This theory has the top level of the needs theory as self-actualization needs, which is a persons need to be self-fulfilled. It is described that the way to achieve this is to “provide people with opportunities to grow, be creative, and acquire training for challenging assignments and advancement” (Daft 530). This is exactly what Microsoft provides for its staff and also exactly what it expects, for them to be the very best they can be. One employee of Microsoft describes this saying “the only way to achieve here is to push the envelope of what you can do. Every day try to do better. Work smarter. Work harder. Innovate more. People are focused 100% on performing their job as successfully as possible (Bartlett 5). The link can also be seen here between the type of people that are employed and what is expected. Microsoft hires the very best people, for these people to achieve self-actualization they need to be pushed harder than most and given greater opportunity to achieve than most.

Employee Loyalty and Satisfaction

We have seen that empowering employees is one of the new approaches being utilized by Microsoft. It is noted that empowering employees requires a culture that reflects this (Billsberry 292). In the Microsoft case we see that a change of culture is actually the reasoning behind the introduction of empowerment, suggesting that the change is considered and will be successful.

Employee loyalty and satisfaction is also assisted by Microsoft’s consideration of its employees. We saw that in the early days, the company largely consisted of young graduates and the company built a culture around the needs of this group of young graduates. This process has continued, with Microsoft always attempting to cater for the needs of its employees.

The latest attempt is by providing greater opportunity for younger employees, by having older employees coach them.

Three aspects of tasks that affect job satisfaction are job complexity, degree of physical strain and perceived value of the task (Noe et al., Ch.10). Microsoft manages this by providing the high complexity high achievers require and by ensuring the perceived value of the task is high. This high value is communicated via the high-achieving culture the company maintains.

This issue can also be looked at in terms of an employee’s role. There are three factors associated with roles: role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload (Noe et al., Ch.10). Role ambiguity is kept low by Microsoft because of the consistency in the culture and in what is required, role conflict is also kept low. Role overload is kept high, with employees pushed to their limits. In most organizations this would be a concern, but Microsoft’s awareness of this means that they specifically seek employees who will react well with role overload.

Employee Rewards

In ‘Ideas That Will Shape the Future of Management Practice’ (Bohl, Luthans, Hodgetts & Slocum) human resources is described as being the way of the future with it being argued that we will see a more mature articulation of the importance of people as a firm’s only sustainable competitive advantage. The change is described as giving high reward for high performance with the focus on a partnership.

As we have seen, Gates recognized the importance of his people from the beginning and this is reflected in the reward systems, that not only rewards for current achievement but rewards stocks to those that are seen as valuable future assets of the company. This can be seen as a prime example of the focus on a partnership, those that are seen as being valuable to the company, are rewarded with shares that will increase in value even as that person assists in moving the company forward.

Important to the reward system is also the fact that there are two reward paths available, one for those following the technical path and one for those following the management path. The skills of employees can be divided into three areas: conceptual skills, human skills and technical skills. Typically, conceptual skills become more required and technical skills less required as one moves up the corporate ladder (Daft 15). Microsoft is a company valuing technical skills, due to the nature of its product. In most organizations, employees with conceptual skills would be rewarded by moving up the corporate ladder, while those with technical skills would not advance. Microsoft, however, offers two advancement path, allowing those with technical skills to advance as technical experts, just as those with conceptual skills advance as managers.

Reward systems are an important part of organizational culture, they communicate to employees what is valued by the organization (Robbins, Bergman & Stagg 84). By having these two reward systems, Microsoft effectively communicates that both sets of skills are valued. This is also an important sign of Microsoft’s consistency. They recruit people for technical ability and so not rewarding for it would be dissatisfying to employees.

need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our florida web design company homepage

Drive Traffic Via Article Marketing by Unlocking the Power of the Resource Box

admin    Website Marketing Resources     Article, Drive, marketing, Power, Resource, Traffic, Unlocking

In this episode of Project Traffic! I shall share with you tips on optimizing your Article Marketing Resource Box. As we mature in Internet years, a vast number of sites have seen the effects articles have done for the traffic of their sites. Some have even created sites devoted entirely to providing articles that could be read by their website visitors and have links that could lead to many sites that are related to the topics and subjects of the articles.

What is The Resource Box?

For example, the sites may feature many articles about a wide range of topics. As a website visitor reads the articles, they will find at the end of the article a resource box that they can click on to link to the site owner. And of course, the article would be written in relation to the site theme as the key purpose of article marketing is to drive traffic to the site.

A resource box which you find at the end of an article will usually contain the name of the author, a brief description of the author, a brief description of the sponsoring site and a few links. If a reader likes what they read, they would have the tendency to find out where the article came from to read more. The resource box will be their link to the source of the article and this will entice them to go to the site and do some more reading or research for the subject or topic they are interested in

But like the article itself, the resource box must also be eye-catching to demand the attention and interest of the reader. While the resource box encompasses only a small space, providing the right keywords and content for your resource box will provide more impetus for the reader to go to your site.

Key Benefit Of The Resource Box

The key benefit is but Driving Traffic to your site of course! Many sites would allow articles to be placed in their sites because they can make use of the articles to fill their pages. They also get affiliation with other sites that can be beneficial for them as well. For the sponsoring site, when you get people to click on your resource box, you generate traffic that can be counted upon as potential customers.

Tips on What Makes a Good Resource Box

So what would be a good content for your resource box? Essentially, they are keywords, anchor text links, and URL links using allowable standard html. You only get limited space in your resource box to optimize your readers’ click through. so you better make the most of it.

A good resource box would read like this, “Grab you free abc report and to receive more free abc tips, visit http://www.yoursite.com where you will find much more information.”

There are contentions as to whether one should include a short commentary of achievements. I strongly believe that it depends on the topic of discussion. If your topic of discussion is instructional and academic or professional achievements are important to make an impression, you should include a brief one liner.

If you are writing on a hobby topic, you may wish to skip this step. Another tip is to use keywords that should be related to your site. Do not mislead your potential website visitors. Build your credibility so that more readers are enticed to visit your site and browse what you have to offer.

Never underestimate the power of the resource box. It may be small in size but they will provide a significant tool in driving traffic to your site. Create a lasting impression in your resource box content as you only get one chance to wow and woo them to your site. This is how you get backlinks.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Project Traffic! or visit my site for other traffic generation reads.

need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our website design company homepage

Online Stock Market Resource Provides Reviews for Investors and Stock Traders

admin    Website Marketing Resources     Investors, Market, Online, Provides, Resource, Reviews, Stock, Traders

The Wall Street in New York has always been the epitome of the American industry, but due to the usefulness and popularity of online resources, the internet is now, unofficially, the home of various stock trade tools and advice.

Bringing the Wall Street to the internet is stock market trading website, Daily-Stock-Tips.com. The website is not a newcomer to the stock marketing world and it has assisted stock traders in the past with its extensive listing of helpful and recommended stock trading tools and advice.

Daily-Stock-Tips.com features an updated list of recommended stock market tools as well as product reviews of recommended online resources for trading and the stock market. These tools and resources are certified tools used in the stock market today and are one of the most reliable tools today.

From the roots and definition of the Stock Market to its analysis, Daily-Stock-Tips.com never fails to provide the product reviews as well as online resources to better understand the trend and technical aspects of stock trading.

On the website, you will find an updated list of product reviews which are categorized for Stock Analysts, Stock Investors, Stock Sharing as well as Investing. The easy and detailed categories make it easier for visitors and users to find the product they need to further help them with their stock market trading needs.

FOREX reports and tools can also be found on the website along with Day Trading, predictions, and market charts as well as other stock market related necessities. The website also features a quick sidebar where tools and guides can be found. The website ensures the convenience of its visitors by bringing the tools and strategies straight to them. Simply put, investors and traders are a click away from the best tools and reviews used by traders, buyers and brokers across the globe.

Other than programs and advice, users may also find E-books and manuals on the website. Product reviews of these e-books and manuals are also provided for free on the website.

Although the website sports a fairly simple website design, the features of Daily-Stock-Tips.com are “vast, reliable and safe.” A significant number of stock traders within the country have made Daily-Stock-Tips.com a partner in their daily stock market affairs.

The website caters mostly to stock traders, buyers, and investors but it allows free access to anyone willing to learn the latest trends and predictions for the stock market. It can be accessed freely through its domain URL Daily-Stock-Tips.com and is open to all IP locations across the globe.

need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our website design company homepage