Small Business Management

What are the benefits and disadvantages of telecommuting?

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With gas prices rising and employee demands at home increasing, more and more employers are offering telecommuting as a flexible work option.  Flexibility at work helps employees maintain a reasonable work-life balance and contributes to improved recruitment, retention and employee engagement.  So what is the definition of telecommuting?  The term telecommuting was coined by Jack [...]

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US Job Growth – 5 Ways To Help US Job Growth

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An article in the McKinsey Quarterly report suggests that job recovery from the 2008-09 recession will take longer than any recession in recent memory and it may take until 2016 to replace the estimated 7 million jobs lost during the recent recession.  This is coupled with the fact that an estimated 15 million more Americans [...]

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Revised 2011 Federal Standard Mileage Rates

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Great news for people who use their automobile for business use.  The IRS announced an increase in the 2011 federal standard mileage rate due to the recent increase in automobile fuel.  Effective July 1, 2011, the new rates will increase by 4.5 cents to 55.5 cents per mile for business expenses and 23.5 cents for [...]

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How to Protect Your Organization in the Event of a Disaster

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I was awoken last week at 3:30 am by a minor earthquake that occurred several hundred miles from my home.  When I woke up, the house was shaking and I momentarily feared that what I was feeling was an earthquake.  The morning news confirmed my fear and I was suddenly reminded of the importance of [...]

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Corporate Volunteerism – Why Corporate Volunteer Programs Are Important

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I have spent most of my career working for nonprofit organizations that rely heavily on volunteerism.  Because of this, I understand the importance of everyone getting involved in helping our communities and the nonprofits of the world fulfill their mission. Volunteers help bridge the gap in human capital and bring valuable skills to the community. [...]

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Personal Finance Education – Does Your Organization Teach Employees Personal Finance Skills?

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The recent economic downturn has affected employees on many levels and the stress that is associated with it inadvertently comes to work with them.  Financial stresses affect every area of an employee’s life, including work productivity, so many organizations are incorporating financial education into an employee’s training.  The goal is to help employees get a [...]

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The Ronald McDonald House Charities

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Toyota has launched a new campaign called “100 Cars for Good” and will be awarding 100 new vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 nonprofits.  These deserving charities will all be given a chance to win a new car.  One of the participating charities that I am familiar with is the Ronald McDonald [...]

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Health Care Costs – What Can We All Do To Control Health Care Costs

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The United States spent over 2.3 trillion dollars on health care related costs in 2008, which translates to about $7,681 per resident!  Those numbers are staggering and rising rapidly.  An estimated 8 out of 10 dollars spent on health care is on diseases that are preventable. There is much heated debate on this issue in [...]

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Corporate Sponsorships – What are the 6 Advantages of Corporate Sponsorships

Many successful organizations understand the importance of giving back to the communities in which they operate.  These organizations, both large and small, recognize their responsibility to support their communities and those living within them.According to the foundation center, 76,000 grant-making foundations gave an estimated $45.7 billion in 2010 alone!Corporate sponsorships can be substantial for large [...]

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QT Model – What We Can Learn From QuickTrip

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Because of what I do for a living, I am constantly looking for organizations that “have it figured out” and try to glean wisdom from what they do and how they do it.  My approach is to “experience” an organization many times and look for consistency in practice and excellence in performance.  I am not [...]

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Sears Customer Service – What You Can Learn

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Its spring and that means its time to drag out the lawnmower and cut the grass.  My husband pulled the lawnmower out of the garage only to find that the eight year old mower had finally bit the dust.  We talked about sending it for repair but didn’t want to spend money repairing a machine [...]

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Setting Goals – 9 Common Mistakes When Setting Goals

I was asked by a reader what are some of the mistakes organizations make with goals and goal setting.  I think that is a great question!Let’s start with answering the question of why organizations set goals.  Goals are basically an avenue for organizations to get to where they want to go.  This road map helps [...]

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