Decisions

Archive for February, 2009

The publics and car critics previous conceptions that Kia only make cheap and uninteresting Korean cars has been dispelled with the launch of their Pro Ceed range last year.

The Pro Ceed offers exceptional quality, at very affordable prices. This 3 door hatch is Kia’s sporty version of their popular 5 door Ceed. It is slightly longer and lower than the Ceed giving a sleek and streamlined look.

With the longer front doors access to the rear seats is very easy. The Pro Ceed provides plenty of headroom in the front and despite the sloping roof still allows taller people to sit comfortably in the back without brushing their heads on the roof. Rear leg room is also generous for a sporty car. Comfortably seating four, and at a squeeze five, the Pro Ceed offers an un-cramped interior.

The entire Pro Ceed range comes with alloy wheels as standard and useful iPod compatibility, with both USB and AUX sockets, as well as a CD player.

The luggage space is generous for a car in this class. With rear folding seats you would be hard pushed not to get all of your luggage safely stowed away. Kia have also utilised inside storage effectively, there are plenty of accessible storage spaces in all models.

Kia have included two petrol and three diesel engines in their Pro Ceed range. Four models were launched last year, the final diesel model was launched this February.

The Pro Ceed has a smart sporty look with black bezel lamps, body coloured door handles with a trendy metallic trim on the door inlays and console. A range of colours are available, including a very sassy white.

Each model in the range offers good overall road handling with sufficient power for driving in and out of town. With a top speed of over 100mph on all models, far more than the legal driving limits in the UK, the Pro Ceed offers comfort and driving control on smooth or rough road surfaces.

Well built and distinctive styling puts the Pro Ceed into a very favourable position for a car of this class. With an unrivalled 7 year or 100,000 mile warranty the Kia Pro Ceed offers exceptional quality and excellent value for money.

Inside the Pro Ceed is well equipped, nothing too flashy, but all controls are easy to access and operate. Six airbags are fitted as standard on the 1.6 CRDi 3 model, offering safety for both driver and passengers should the car be involved in an accident.

Artificial Intelligence air conditioning has been included to offer complete control for both front and rear seat passengers. Kia also boast that the air conditioning can be directed to the glove box to provide a mini cool box.

With over 58mpg and CO2 (tax) of only 126g/km the Pro Ceed is an economical and ecco-friendly car to run.

If you are looking for a sporty car which is easy to drive and well equipped the Kia Pro Ceed offers fierce competition to its rivals in the same class. Take one for a test drive and judge for yourself the exceptional quality and road handling the Kia Pro Ceed has to offer.

About the Author:
The sporty Kia Pro Ceed range is offered by http://www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk/special-offers/KIA/PRO+CEED

Keyword tags: Kia Pro Ceed

The sceptics who thought that Kia only made cheap cars will need to re-think. The newest range of Pro Ceed appears to have proven that the most critical will need re-consider their opinion.

Kia have produced a well made sporty looking 3 door hatch which offers exceptional quality for a car of this class. The Pro Ceed is said to be the sporty version of the already popular Ceed range. The new sleek look is in part due to the slightly longer body coloured doors. The door inlays have be given a stylish metallic finish which coordinates with the console of the car adding to the overall stylish appearance of the Pro Ceed.

The exterior style looks impressive. It is complimented by black bezel lamps and trendy alloy wheels which come as standard across the range. Pro Ceed is available in the latest bright colours which includes a very chic white, which is a real head turner.

Taller people will be pleased to know that the interior head room is very generous. Anyone would have to be well over six foot before their head brushed the roof. Back seat passengers are also offered generous head room even with the sloping of the roof. The longer doors enable easy access for rear seat passengers, four people can travel in comfort with the generous back seat leg room allowance.

Kia have given careful consideration to personal comfort. Seats have leather trim and are fully adjustable. The entire range includes air conditioning as standard along with USB and AUX sockets which are iPod compatible. Interior storage has been optimised, the rear seats fold to provide additional luggage space when needed.

The Pro Ceed is easy and relaxing to drive. Road handling is positive even on tight corners. With a six speed gear box the Pro Ceed handles well on both rough and smooth road surfaces. Although not designed as an off-road car, it can handle uneven surfaces pretty well for a car of this class.

Kia are in no doubt as to the quality of their cars, as such they offer an unrivalled 7 year or 100,000 mile warranty across the range. This in itself speaks volumes as to the precision manufacture and careful thought the designers have put into this sporty style car.

With low CO2 emissions and an average 58mpg, the Pro Ceed offers exceptional economy, along with trendy styling and a very competitive pricing. The Kia Pro Ceed range includes two petrol and three diesel engines.

The price range also takes some beating. Approved Kia dealerships are also offering some very tempting special offers, combined with the reduction in VAT, the Pro Ceed offers outstanding value for money.

The Kia Pro Ceed is definitely worth giving serious consideration to for anyone looking to buy a new car with sleek lines and a sporty style. Arrange for a test drive to dispel any doubts you may have had about the quality, road handling and style of a car manufactured by Kia.

About the Author:
The sporty Kia Pro Ceed ranage is available from http://www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk/special-offers/KIA/PRO+CEED

Keyword tags: Kia Pro Ceed

Kia have redesigned their latest innovative range of cars the Pro Ceed to provide flair and style in a sporty 3 door hatch back. Only sharing the front wings and bonnet with its already popular 5 door Ceed cousin.

Quality engineering is backed by a 7 year or 100,000 mile warranty, which no other car manufacturer has managed to rival to date.

Kia have launched their latest edition to the Pro Ceed range with some very tempting short TV advertising. A clever and intuitive way to impact their intentions of offering affordable sports coupe styling to a European audience.

With sporty steel exhaust, colour coordinated bumpers, door mirrors, door handles, rear spoiler and a contoured front grille, the Pro Ceed is an impressive looking car, set to rival others manufactures in this class of car.

An impressive average fuel consumption of over 58mpg and CO2 of only 126g/km, this sports style car offers exceptional value for money. Some approved Kia dealerships are also offering some very generous special offers on the new Pro Ceed range which could save hundreds of pounds off the already very competitive list price.

Depending which model you choose 16 or 17 inch alloy wheels are included with the price, along with essential locking wheel nuts. Tinted glass, without shade band also comes as standard on three models. The top of the range has privacy glass fitted on the rear door, rear quarter and back-lite.

Inside the Pro Ceed all models have RDS radio with CD audio with MP3 player, along with six speaker audio system. USB and AUX sockets and iPod cable also come as standard across the range. For safe and easy operating the models all have steering mounted audio controls. An impressive list to suit all personal audio preferences.

The Pro Ceed offers comfortable and generous seating for four people. With plenty of head room and leg space, complete with fully adjustable driver and front passenger seats and a multitude of storage space this car offers style and comfort effortlessly.

Head room is also generous in the rear, with slightly longer doors than the Ceed, climbing in and out of the back is far easier than in other 3 door hatch models in this class.

The boot size is generous for the size of the car. The rear seats fold to provide additional luggage space when needed.

The Pro Ceed offers a comfortable ride on both uneven and smooth surfaces with easy and relaxed driving.

The car critics are finding it hard to find any disadvantages at all with the Pro Ceed, most agree that the car has style and panache and all the latest mod cons you would expect to find in a sports style car. One thing they do all agree on is the exceptional quality and outstanding value for money the Kia Pro Ceed offers.
Demand for the latest Kia Pro Ceed is expected to be high. Visit your nearest approved Kia dealerships and take a Pro Ceed for a test drive to see for yourself the remarkable qualities of this very affordable sports style car.

About the Author:
The sporty Kia Pro Ceed range is available from http://www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk/special-offers/KIA/PRO+CEED

Keyword tags: Kia Pro Ceed

Regardless of other responsibilities, and you have plenty, the management of employees in a hotel setting is the most crucial and the most difficult. Knowing how to care for your employee leads to excellent care of customers, and these hotel management tips for general managers will help to steer you in the right direction to care for your employees needs properly.

Your education and experience provided you with a structured picture of what the business end of your hotel requires, and you continue to enrich yourself through additional training, seminars and workshops.

Employee needs are much more basic, and while your first idea may be to give your employees raises and benefits to make them happy, employees expect only respect, honesty, recognition, job enrichment, and feedback to feel fulfilled. Employee morale is emotion based. Here are some management tips to help you as general manager.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #1:
Get out of your office. Employees need to feel connected to their managers, and it is difficult to create this connection and trust with someone who is always behind closed doors. It is important to be visible!

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #2:
What are you good at? Focusing on your strengths will make your job fulfilling and give you the recognition you deserve. Putting a primary focus on your weakness will only take the pleasure out of your job. No one looks forward to doing things they aren’t great at.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #3:
Don’t wait. Don’t put off important discussions, meetings, or the elimination of employees. The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes to face the challenges that you’ve been putting off.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #4:
The right qualities make the right hires. Do not hire employees who do not suit the job you are hiring for. It becomes a waste of your time and theirs and can jeopardize the morale of others.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #5:
Problems are opportunities! Every obstacle you face can lead to amazing breakthroughs, so never see issues as a problem. Looking for the opportunity to learn and grow from it.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #6:
When employees feel challenged to produce, you will get the best results. Create fun competition to encourage your employees to excel better than where your numbers currently are.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #7:
Quality service is what customers expect, so caring for your employees will ensure that your customers are well taken care of. Happy employees provide quality in their work.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #8:
Don’t gloat about your success. As a General Manager, it is important to know that your success comes directly from the success of your employees and the way they handle the customers. Praise your employees when you’re doing exceptionally well and it will show that you appreciate working with them.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #9:
Mistakes shouldn’t just be cleaned up. The proper management of your hotel should include eliminating as many mistakes as possible to ensure that your hotel is running to the best of its ability.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #10:
Listening and communication is key! As General Manager, it is important to listen and communicate effectively with employees, associates and customers in order to foresee any challenges and find solutions.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #11:
How are you caring for your employees? Listen to your employees needs, give them feedback on what they can do to improve their production, and provide them with training to help them grow.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #12:
Attention to the details creates success. As General Manager, it is important to pay attention to the details that go into the daily maintenance of the hotel environment. When you pay attention to details, you can catch any obstacles as they occur.

Hotel Management Tips for General Managers #13:
“Reprimand in private, praise in public.” Employees want respect most of all, and calling out your employees mistakes in front of their co-workers belittles them and takes down their respect.

Building this appreciation in your employees is priceless.

About the Author:
Nick Nikolis is living and working in Rhodos Greece and writing about Self help, Business, Hospitality Industry and destinations. http://www.atlanticahotels.com/ http://www.olivegardenhouses.com/rhodes.html

Keyword tags: Hotel Management,Tips,General Managers,Employees,hotel

Creating Sustainable Benefits in Lean Six Sigma using Change Management Process
Using Change Management Process to achieve sustainable benefits in a Lean Six Sigma deployment
Many companies struggle to get good traction with their Lean Six Sigma deployments. They spend time training Six Sigma Green Belts and Six Sigma Black Belts and launch an initial set of projects only to find that very few of the projects actually get completed, and that even fewer are able to create truly sustainable benefits. Why is this and how can it be prevented?

The main reason for these issues of traction is that those responsible for the deployment (or perhaps the General Leadership within the Company) fail to take account of the fact that introducing Lean Six Sigma is a major change for a Company, and that to be successful Change Management techniques need to be employed.

Jack Welch, who introduced Lean Six Sigma into General Electric (GE), was well aware of this fact and utilized a GE programme called ‘Change Acceleration Process’, or CAP for short, to manage the Change Management side of the deployment.

One of the key concepts of CAP is the E=Q*A equation, where ‘E’ stands for ‘The effectiveness of any change programme’, ‘Q’ stands for the ‘Technical Quality’ of the programme, and ‘A’ stands for the ‘Organisational Acceptance’ of the programme.

Now imagine we were to mark both the ‘Q’ side and the ‘A’ side of a deployment with scores ranging between 1 and 10. Since the overall effectiveness of the programme ‘E’ is the product of both ‘Q’ and ‘A’, then it is clear that we need to get good scores for both to be truly effective (a score of at least 60), and obtain the traction required to achieve a sustainable Lean Six Sigma programme.

Most of us in the Lean Six Sigma community, being the type of people that we are, will ensure that the ‘Technical Quality’ of our Lean Six Sigma training is high. This can be achieved by utilizing a recognized deployment model from a selection of the well known consultancy companies, and so we should easily obtain an 8 or more score for the ‘Q’ side of the equation. How many of us could put our hand on our hearts and say, however, that we deserve such a high score for the ‘A’ side of the equation? Thus if we can only truly deserve a 2 or 3 for ‘Organisational Acceptance’ then it is not surprising that we struggle to get traction (as the equation would predict – 8*3=24).

Some organizations don’t help the Belts with really good Six Sigma Champions and Process Owners, fail to free them up to spend the time they need on their projects, don’t ensure that the correct systems and structures are in place to support them, and then complain when the belts fail to deliver!

So important was Change Management to Jack Welch that he urged those engaged in change within his company to spend 50% of their time on ‘A’ side activities. Yes – you did hear that right – 50%. Now GE’s CAP programme had a whole bunch of propriety tools to assist the change agents achieve a good ‘A’ score, but there are many other tool sets you can use.

Where:

Goals – define and communicate a common vision and objective for the programme

Process – develop an implementation plan, tools, milestones, and determine how to measure results

Organisation – implement an organizational structure to support people/skills as mapped to processes and goals

People – training, motivation, career planning & communication

Rewards – plans to recognize success and learn from failure

Such a model will help ensure you consider all the vital elements, but never underestimate the time and effort that will be required to ensure you obtain the high ‘A’ score vital for a successful deployment.
What if you are already within a deployment and suffering from a lack of traction? Well it’s never too late to start addressing the Organisational Acceptance element of a deployment. Take a sounding of the gripes of the Belts, the workers and the management and put a plan together to address the issues.

And remember that sending out a bunch of unsupported BB’s and GB’s into an environment that has not been property prepared is about as effective as sending the troops into ‘no mans land’ to face the machine guns. Always consider the need for ‘Change Management’ unless you’re happy to risk your Belts being shot down.

About the Author:
Mike is a highly experienced MBB and has worked in both manufacturing and financial services industries, teaching all Six Sigma courses including http://www.sigmapro.co.uk/sixsigma/training/lean-six-sigma-yellow-belt.php Six Sigma Yellow Belt and http://www.sigmapro.co.uk/sixsigma/training/lean-six-sigma-green-belt.php Six Sigma Green Belt. Mike also works with many individuals on Six Sigma Certification

The latest range of sports style cars from Kia, the Pro Ceed, are expected to be in high demand due to their competitive pricing, style and performance. In addition to the existing value for money Kia offer, approved Kia dealerships have some very tempting special offers across the Pro Ceed range which reduce the cost even lower.

Kia have not compromised on quality. All models come with alloy wheels, colour coordinated bumpers, door handles, rear spoiler, contoured front grille, and sleek black bezel lamps. To complete the trendy style tinted windows are also fitted as standard.

The interior has air conditioning and includes a host of interior audio applications, making the Pro Ceed range one of the most competitive cars in its class.

Fuel economy plays a large part in the popularity of the Kia Pro Ceed. With a very cost effective 58mpg and low CO2 emissions the Pro Ceed fits well within the budget and price range of most people who are looking for excellent value and style in a car.

The Pro Ceed offers generous head and leg room for the driver, front seat passenger and rear seat passengers. Even people over six feet tall can comfortably drive or be a passenger in a Pro Ceed without brushing their head on the interior roof. Extra long doors make access to the rear seats easy. With stylish leather trim on the seats, the Pro Ceed offers a comfortable ride over both rough and smooth road surfaces for all onboard.

The boot offers ample storage space for a car of this size and style. The rear seats fold to provide additional space when needed.

Those who still regard Kia has only manufacturing cheap looking cars should take a look at the new Pro Ceed range. If the badge were removed it may even be difficult to guess that this sassy sports style car was Korean. The Kia Pro Ceed is a real head turner which offers comfort and style across the range. It is the ideal car for singles, couples and families who are looking for value for money and panache in a new car.

The Kia Pro Ceed has been designed for the European market, as such the Pro Ceed can only be purchased within Europe. Kia are not expected to alter their decision not to export further a field in the global market, they are concentrating on filling the gap of affordable cars which offer precision engineering, flair and style at very competitive prices.

Kia are so confident in the manufacture of the Kia Pro Ceed all models come with an unrivalled 7 year or 100,000 mile warranty. This in itself speaks volumes as to the confidence they have in the manufacture and reliability of the Pro Ceed.

Approved Kia dealership are also offering a range of attractive and affordable repayment methods to anyone wanting to buy a new Kia Pro Ceed. Go online to see the special offers and the finance arrangements the dealerships are currently offering. Arrange to take a Kia pro Ceed for a test drive either online, by phone or by calling into your local Approved Kia dealership.

About the Author:
Book a test drive in a sporty Kia Pro Ceed with http://www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk/special-offers/KIA/PRO+CEED

Keyword tags: Kia Pro Ceed