Archive for June, 2009
Joe Rancier began his home business the way many people do; with a good idea and a small, designated work space in his office. Joe had an idea to use Autocad, an architectural program, to design custom glassware for both art and practical purposes. Joe, an amateur glassblower himself, planned to contract out custom glass designs to a small network of highly talented glass workers. The workers would carry out Joe’s designs, take their profit cut, and then ship the finished product back to Joe where he could in turn deliver it to the client.
Jewel Cut Glass Design was incorporated in February of 2002. Business was slow at first. Joe and his wife Marnie worked the phones for sometimes ten hours a day, trying to find prospective clients for his business. They approached everybody from local houseware boutiques to pre-existing business contacts, and even national department store chains. The first two years were brutally slow. But after a time, a few small retailers liked Joe’s glassware designs and believed in him enough to order a few sugar bowl and decanter designs. The third year saw Jewel Cut take in $9300 in accounts receivable. The resulting profits weren’t nearly enough for the couple to quit their full time jobs, but from this modest success Joe and Marnie became convinced that they could succeed.
Jewel Cut Glass Design’s big break came when they attracted the interest of Chimera Interiors, a large Pennsylvania based houseware chain. Chimera wanted to contract Jewel Cut for two different lines of glassware gift sets as well as a small table top design. The entire contract was valued at almost four hundred thousand dollars. Joe and Marie gleefully jumped at the opportunity and began production of the pieces even before the contract was signed. One evening, the husband and wife team were out celebrating their business breakthrough when the call came in. The news was bad. The legal department at Chimera Interiors deemed the work order could not be honored due to the face that Joe and Marnie did not have a merchant number. In order to contract business with Jewel Cut Glass, the company needed to have a merchant number and be able to accept electronic payments. Joe and Marnie could not honor this requirement and lost the contract. It was a horrible blow not only to their business, but to their morale as well.
Joe researched the issue and learned that many large companies have similar requirements. Joe quickly signed up with Electronic Payment Services, a credit card processing outfit that enabled Joe’s business to be paid with one convenient swipe of a credit card. The following year Joe rekindled his relationship with Chimera Interiors and won a small contract . That same year Jewel Cut also secured a deal with Mordecai Holdings; a Canadian houseware company. Mordecai had the same rule as Chimera; they could only work with vendors that had a merchant number. But now, Jewel Cut was prepared. Jewel Cut’s accounts receivable went from $9300 in 2005, to $120,000 in 2007. That’s a profit growth of over 1200 percent.
Joe and Marnie not only viewed their switch to electronic payment processing as a big success, but they also recommended that all their small suppliers convert to credit card processing as well. Six months later, all of Jewel Cuts contributing artisans had converted to electronic payment processing. The result was a smoother workflow that left an electronic paper trail for easy accounting and record keeping, as well as less time and energy spent going to and from a bank, worrying about writing and cashing checks.
Credit card processing was the critical element that enabled Joe and Marnie Rancier’s Jewel Cut Glass Design to get well on the road to becoming a multi million dollar company.
About the Author:
This article was written by Dwayne Cassidy. Dwayne is a small business owner who got his merchant account from http://www.americardpayment.com/ and wrote this article after researching business success stories to encourage other aspiring entrepreneurs.
Keyword tags: Credit Card Processing, Merchant Card Processing, electronic processing
If you or a friend has ever been pulled over for a traffic violation or suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you may have been asked to submit to a breathalyzer test. The breathalyzer test consists of breathing into a small plastic tube that is attached to a device that can measure the levels of alcohol in the lungs and bloodstream. This is called the “blood alcohol limit” (BAC) and it is how the authorities can tell if you have had too much to drink and may be breaking the law by driving yourself home from that party. The breathalyzer has been an invaluable tool for law enforcement for many years, however if it is determined that your BAC is above legal limits, how important is this evidence when dealing with the actual DUI court case?
Breathalyzer tests are generally the fastest and most effective way to determine if a driver has had too much to drink, so that the law enforcement officers can act quickly to arrest and get that person off the street. This prevents countless numbers of DUI related accidents and deaths every year. If a suspect refuses to submit to the breathalyzer test, they can be arrested and detained for a blood test based on suspicion of DUI, so in most cases they will agree to be tested on the spot. Then this evidence is used when it comes time for them to report to the judge in court to answer for their actions. It’s very hard to argue against scientific evidence that the breathalyzer tests provide, similar to DNA evidence, there’s no denying it once it is submitted to the court.
The breathalyzer saves countless lives. Sometimes even knowing they could be tested with a breathalyzer will deter drinkers from getting behind the wheel, so there’s no way to tell how many lives are saved by programs like this in addition to designated driver campaigns. Breathalyzers are cost effective ways to prevent a very expensive hazard on the roads as well, costing on average only $97 per unit. That’s fairly insignificant as it concerns life saving equipment and other tools that the law enforcement division has to work with. And it’s much less costly than a human life by any measure.
The breathalyzer test has come up against some scrutiny when it comes to how well they accurately test for the presence of alcohol in the bloodstream. Research shows that in a very small number of cases, the breathalyzer results can show a higher BAC percent, leaving doubts as to the validity of the tests or the testing devices themselves. A false positive on a breathalyzer can result in an innocent person being convicted of a DUI when they were actually within legal limits for alcohol consumption. That opens up a can of worms when considering the personal, legal and financial costs this can cause. A false positive can occur if the breathalyzer unit is defective or tampered with, something that law enforcement agencies do their best to avoid. The benefits of the breathalyzer test far outweigh any possible negatives. The evidence provided by the breathalyzer test is considered very important evidence that is very hard to dispute therefore it is likely that the offender will place a guilty plea and they will pay the price for their lack of responsibility.
In conclusion, the breathalyzer test is a valuable and important test, with evidence that’s nearly impossible to dispute in a court of law. Most of all, it saves lives.
About the Author:
Criminal attorney Fort Lauderdale can help you if you have been charged with a felony or misdemeanor offense. Criminal lawyer Fort Lauderdale defends individuals charged with white collar crimes, domestic violence, drug-related offenses and motor vehicle related offenses.
http://www.lyonssnyder.com
Keyword tags: criminal lawyer Ft. Lauderdale,criminal attorney ft. lauderdale,white collar crimes
Long leather gloves: Gloves were very popular during the late 16th and 17th centuries and especially the long leather gloves were the favorites of most people of the period. While the following periods experience less usage of gloves the introduction of long sleeves clothing held the prevalence of long gloves for a long period of time. Gloves were the most essential part of the 1950s fashion and the period is often referred to the golden age of gloves. Popular celebrities of the period like Audrey Hepburn, Gina Lollobrigida and the legendary Marilyn Monroe were widely known for popularizing the long gloves. Today, the era of the long gloves has returned and every woman could again enjoy the elegant and the polished style of long leather gloves design. One of the most amazing qualities of long leather gloves is that they are the perfect accessory for various types of formal occasions.
Long leather gloves are usually very long and they extend above the elbows of the hands. In most case, they are often worn in combination with formal dresses however they look great with any outfit that matches with the gloves. Over hundreds of long leather gloves design is available in the market and one could easily get the design of their choice. Moreover, you could find long leather gloves in a wide range of colors including black, dark tan, brown, red, maroon, gold, violet, blue, green, yellow, grey, and many other color design. The three quarter long leather glove is a popular design that falls below the elbows and they offer a stunning look when accompanied with strapless, sleeveless and off the shoulder evening gowns. Almost every occasion that has dress requirement like white tie is good for wearing long leather gloves. You could wear them on formal weddings, formal musical events, operas, formal parties, dinners, dances, theatrical productions, other social and charity events.
Formal Long leather gloves are made from high quality leathers like Nappa leather and they are designed to provide comfort and gorgeous look. A full range of long leather gloves are available with either unlined or lined with silk or cashmere. They may be found with buttons or slips and a number of styles are available. Some of the popular styles of long leather gloves include finished edge gloves, lace-up gloves, ruched gloves, straight or unhemmed fitted gloves and slightly flared arm designs. Black or white are still considered as the classic colors and a good number of wearers prefer them. On the other hand long leather gloves can be more than just stylish and comfortable. Long leather winter gloves are one the best accessories for protecting the hands from cold weather conditions. Long weather gloves are very practical at the same time they are highly stylish. Long leather weather gloves are usually lined and they are insulated to provide extra protection from cold condition.
If you are looking to buy some long leather gloves then there are many online shops where you can get a wide range of long gloves design without facing any hassle. You will be able to locate a reliable online shop by making some research on the Internet and make your purchase by just sitting at your home. All you have to do is select your desired model and place your order to get it in quick time.
About the Author:
This article on popularity of gloves is presented by http://www.handandglove.com/
Keyword tags: long leather gloves, Motorcycle Gloves, Gloves, Hand Gloves
Sermoneta gloves
Gloves are the best mediums to provide comfort as well as protect hands against physical damage or rough weather. Apart shielding hands gloves are also worn as a fashion accessory, to glamorize a dress or compliment an event. Gloves come in different styles and designs and in various kinds of materials.
Among all kinds of gloves, the Sermoneta gloves are the most preferred types of gloves worn by gloves lovers. The Sermoneta gloves further comes in numerous shapes and sizes so that it fits people of all ages with different choices. Few of the Sermoneta gloves types include:
Sermoneta leather w Stitching
The Sermoneta Ladies Leather gloves are particularly designed to ensure that on wearing them you are looking completely stylish. These Sermoneta leather w Stitching are the kinds of gloves that you certainly cannot ignore them. These gloves are of stunning fit as well as fashionable colors. The various types of colors that are available in these gloves are black w red stitching, chocolate w tan stitching and black w white stitching. However, the carmel w white stitching is the most preferred color. When it comes to fit, these gloves come in numerous sizes to suit all hand sizes. The available sizes of these gloves are 6.5, 7.5, 7 and 8.
Sermoneta black leather belt 4
The Sermoneta black leather belt 4 gloves with matching stitching as well as a belt on the glove’s top add a dash of elegance and style to it. These cashmere lined gloves simply looks amazing. The leather black gloves are really the saucy gloves. These leather belt gloves looks truly fabulous with the sweater, which has the bell sleeves. The coats that are of ¾ length will also look great and will take you on a new fashion high. These are the incredible gloves and you will love to own one. Availability of the leather belt gloves in different colors makes the gloves all the more favorite and in demand. The most preferred color of these gloves is chocolate brown with panna stitching as well as piping. In addition, these gloves come in different sizes, including 6.5, 7.5, 7 and 8.
Sermoneta 3 button length
The Sermoneta 3 button length gloves for women come in some appealing colors, including black, natural and brown. These ladies gloves designed by Italy’s Sermoneta are the highly comfortable gloves accessible in the world of gloves. These gloves include three button lengths, which provide added style and warmth plus fits hands of all sizes. Aspects like deer skin and cashmere lining further enhances the beauty of the gloves. These are the wonderful gloves that are fashionable and study warm.
Sermoneta brown buckle gloves
The Sermoneta women leather gloves are elegantly designed and lined with the silk that is beautifully enhanced with buckle and wrist belt. These gloves are extremely fun to wear, as they fit flawlessly and give a new style statement to your personality. These gloves come in chocolate brown color with tan stitching and gold buckle along with tan zig zag stitching. The various sizes in which these gloves are available include 6.5, 7.5, 7 and 8.
About the Author:
Get the finest Sermoneta black leather belt at http://www.handandglove.com/
Keyword tags: Sermoneta Gloves, Gloves, Hand Gloves
Opera length gloves: The opera length gloves are formal gloves that are specifically designed for ladies and extend beyond the elbow. These full-length gloves reach the biceps and sometimes extend to full arm length depending on the dress of the lady. The length of the opera length gloves depend on the length of the sleeves, wrist and neckline. The popular varieties of opera length gloves that are mass-produced include satin and stretch satin materials.
Mousquetaire is a popular variety of opera glove that opens at wrist level so the wearer can easily take out her hand from the glove without taking whole glove off. After having the meal the wearer can again put her hand back in the glove and enjoy rest of the evening while keeping the hands clean and tidy. The glove gets closed by three snap closures that are made of pearl and look alike material. One can easily fold the finger section of the gloves while doing any movement.
The Nordstrom Opera Length Gloves are fingerless warmers that look great with bracelet length coats and cardigans. The McQ Wool Fingerless Gloves are made of 100% cashmere so look simple and feel soft. The Portolano Gloves are the dotted fingerless gloves that are worn with solid sweater or coat . The wrist-length fingerless gloves in satin look good with a purple feather trim. Another good option can be long black gloves with a red fringe.
The opera length gloves give a sleek look to the arms that matches well with the evening outfit of the lady. The gloves come in different colors and fabrics so depending on the dress and the climate respectively one can opt the best for wearing. One should try contrasting the colors of gloves with the dress as that give a prettier look to the overall personality. One can contrast an A-line black satin ball gown with elegant white gloves and other then these dark brown ones also look good. As far as a wedding gown is concerned the gauntlet-styled, delicate fingerless gloves will go well with the dress. The fingerless dainty laced gloves give a playful vibe so preferred by the brides. The bridal gloves should be selected on the basis of personal style and the theme of the day. One can also add beads and trimmed laces on the gloves to get a different look.
The 16 button opera length gloves have incredible quality and designed by ladies Long opera gloves. The 16 button opera length white gloves are made of cotton blend fabric that looks great after wearing. The wool jersey long gloves with 3 buttons look great with sweater especially the ones with bell sleeves as the hand look great whenever the wind blew up the sleeve. Even in parties when ladies avoid wearing sweater then in such condition these gloves look seductive with scarf and cap. The black or grey colored gloves are available in only one size. The teal wool 8 button gloves have a lime green band at the top that comes exactly below your elbow. The gloves are available in one size with color option of teal with lime.
About the Author:
This article on Formal Gloves is presented by http://www.handandglove.com/
Keyword tags: Opera length Gloves, Gloves, Hand Gloves
Managing change in today’s organizations is not getting any easier. However, doing it well is the new imperative. How are organizations faring with moving their people and systems in new directions? IBM Global Business Services researched change management practices across the globe. Their extensive Making Change Work Study quizzed over 1,500 project leaders, sponsors, project managers and change managers from many of the world’s leading organizations, ranging from small to very large in size.
The IBM survey was fairly representative, covering a wide range of small to large projects designed to implement strategic, organizational, operational and technology based change. Project objectives included improving customer satisfaction, sales and revenue growth, reducing costs, innovating processes, implementing technology and entering new markets.
The stand out feature of the IBM study is its solid reinforcement of the business imperative: for companies to survive and strive in today’s competitive environment, they will need to change quickly and successfully. Managing change is now a core competence that can no longer be considered a discretionary “nice to have”. Yet most organizations are falling short in the race to adapt. The accelerating pace of change coupled with increasing uncertainty and complexity has pushed up this skills gap to what is now a major area of concern.
The IBM study reveals that the percentage of CEOs expecting substantial change has risen from 65% in 2006 to 83% in 2008. However, CEOs reporting that they had managed change well in past projects climbed from 57% in 2006 to only 61% in 2008. This constitutes a more than tripling in the size of the gap between actual change capability and needed capability. The costs to organizations are real and sizeable. Failed change initiatives bring in their wake budget overruns, disgruntled customers and demoralized employees.
How successful are organizations at implementing change? The IBM study reports most CEOs considering themselves and their organizations largely ineffective at bringing about change. The change practitioners themselves reported the following change program success rates:
41% fully met objectives
44% missed at least one objective
15% missed all objectives or aborted
In all, 59% of change initiatives failed to meet their objectives. This is quite a sobering result as we set about entering the second decade of the 21st century. Another sobering thought is the stark contrast between those organizations getting change management right and those that are struggling. The top 20% of organizations, the study reveals, are successful 80% of the time. Conversely, the bottom 20% of organizations only manage to achieve their change objectives 8% of the time. The top 20% of companies are ten times more likely to lead a successful change initiative than the bottom 20%.
Clearly, underachieving organizations can draw important lessons from the top achievers. What are the barriers to successful change and what are the key success factors that poor performers can leverage to their competitive advantage? The IBM study provides valuable insights into what poorly performing organizations can do to emulate the success of their better performing competitors. What are these lessons?
Through their research study, IBM revealed these key barriers to successful change:
58% Changing mindsets and attitudes
49% Corporate culture
35% Complexity is underestimated
33% Shortage of resources
32% Lack of commitment of higher management
20% Lack of change know how
18% Lack of transparency because of missing or wrong information
16% Lack of motivation of involved employees
15% Change of process
12% Change of IT systems
8% Technology barriers
Note how people factors account for the top three challenges and for four out of the top five. Getting the “soft” stuff right turns out harder to do than getting the traditional “hard” stuff, such as resources and technology, correctly aligned. What was once considered the unimportant “soft and fuzzy” aspect of organizational life turns out to be what makes or breaks change projects. This picture of what enables successful change is highlighted again in IBM’s uncovering of the key success factors. These key ingredients for successful change, as revealed by the top performers in the study, are:
92% Top management sponsorship
72% Employee involvement
70% Honest and timely communication
65% Corporate culture that motivates and promotes change
55% Change agents (pioneers of change)
48% Change supported by culture
38% Efficient training programs
36% Adjustment of performance measures
33% Efficient organization structure
19% Monetary and non-monetary incentives
Once again, tuning in to the “soft” factors makes up for the top six key aspects for successful change. How does your organization measure up on its change management scorecard?
Pull out a blank sheet of paper and place a line down the middle of the sheet, from top to bottom. On the left hand side of the sheet, enter all of the above key barriers. At the top of the sheet, label this list with “Forces Against Change”. On the right hand side of the sheet, list the above key success factors and label the list “Forces For Change”.
Now place a line under each factor pointing to your center line. Make the length of each line proportional to the strength of each force; either for or against the planned change. You have now an instant picture of the current health of your change program. Work with your team to develop strategies for leveraging the predominant forces for change and for mitigating the strongest forces against change.
Find out all you can about how to weaken the barriers against change and strengthen the key success factors. Respect and develop your own skills as a change leader and invest in the skill development of your change team. All the while, keep uppermost in your considerations the central learning from this IBM study: that people matter the most.
References:
IBM Corporation, (2008) Making Change Work Study
www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/bus/pdf/gbe03100-usen-03-making-change-work.pdf
© Leslie Allan. All rights reserved.
About the Author:
Leslie Allan is Managing Director of Business Performance Pty Ltd, a company providing practical online information, tools and resources in a range of business areas. Download their change management guide and free checklist from their website at http://www.businessperform.com/html/change_management.html
Keyword tags: organization,change,management,leader,sponsor,project,objective,capability,culture,planning,employee
