Objectives and Functions of Human Resource Management

Human Resources Management

"HRM is the function performed in organization that facilitates the most effective use of people to achieve organizational and individual goals". This article explores the objectives and functions of HRM and also it tells about the activities of HR.

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HR, along with financial and materials resources, contribute to the production if goods and services in an organization. Physical and monetary resources, by themselves, cannot improve efficiency or contribute to an increased rate of return on investment. It is through the combined and concerned efforts of people monetary and material resources are harnessed to achieve organizational goals. But these efforts, attitudes and skills have to be sharpened from time to time optimize the effectiveness of human resources and to enable them to meet greater challenges. This is where HRM plays a crucial role. Corporate, Professional, Social and National are the four levels of significant Human Resources Management

Objectives of HRM:

Objectives of HRM are given below

To improve the service rendered by the enterprise to society through building better employee morale, which leads to more efficient individual and group performance. Thus, HRM seeks to manage change to the mutual advantage of individuals, groups, the organization and society.
To establish in the mind of those associated with the enterprise - employees, shareholders, creditors, customers and the enterprise is rendering the best service of which it is capable and distributing the benefits derived fairly and contributing to the success of the enterprise.
Thus an organization can identify and satisfy individual and group goals by offering appropriate monetary and non-monetary incentives.
To employ the skill and knowledge of employee efficiently and effectively that is to utilize human resources effectively for the achievement of organizational goals.
To enhance job satisfaction and self actualization of employees, by encouraging and assisting every employee to realize full potential.
To provides facility and condition of work and creation of favorable atmosphere for maintaining stability of employment.
To develop and maintain a quality of work life which makes employment in the organization a desirable and social situation.

Functions of HRM:

Functions of HRM are given below

Training and development Organization development Human resource planning Selection and staffing Personnel research and information system Compensation/Benefits Employee assistance Union/ Labor relations

Activities of Human Resource:

The HR activities are given below

High performance work practices Equal employment opportunity Staffing Job Description Job Analysis Human Resource Development Job training Leadership Performance Compensation and Benefits Health, Safety, Security Employee and Labor Relation

Objectives and Functions of Human Resource Management

Panasonic Panaboards - Goodbye Note Taking!

In a multi-person learning environment, establishing a mode of communication and administration of participation is crucial to streamline learning for the audience. The dawn of interactive communication not just revolutionized people to people communication, but it also transfigured human interaction with digital content - empowering teachers, trainers, speakers, and presenters to be more resourceful, more creative, and capable of arousing more interest. Interactive Communication solutions such as electronic whiteboards, interactive panels, and digital displays allow progressive learning activities including manipulation of digital text, sharing of Web pages in a group, and real-time demonstration of software applications, etc.

Panasonic is a market leader in manufacturing interactive whiteboards, electronic whiteboard, digital displays, and other communication and collaboration equipments. Panasonic Interactive whiteboards improve learning and knowledge sharing. Panasonic electronic whiteboards influence learning in a number of mores, including but not limited to encouraging and advancing students enthusiasm for learning while elevating the level of engagement in a classroom. Panasonic Whiteboard supports a variety of modes and presentation environments. These intuitive boards allow teachers to present information in a more meaningful manner without comprising their approach.

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To extend the use of digital content sharing and making learning even more engaging, Panasonic introduced Panasonic Panaboard. Panasonic Panaboards are designed to take learning ahead and match the performance of interactive whiteboards while providing even more!

A methodical research conducted in various parts of the world including US, UK, and Australia suggested that "notes taken on an interactive whiteboard can play a key role in the student review process, leading to higher levels of student attendance." The inclusive and scrupulous research on improving learning outcomes and streamlining lesson planning also emphasized the necessity of setting classroom culture to entrench learning deeper and farther.

Panasonic Panaboards are innovative and futuristic whiteboards that are designed to augment the effectiveness of classroom lectures, boardroom meetings, corporate trainings, and presentations. Panasonic Panaboard allows organization to share information without constraints between presenters, participants, and even with people who cannot attend. The benefits of Panasonic Panaboards bring remarkable improvement to the organization-wide communication, learning, and collaboration incorporating features such as recording of information written on the board during a classroom lecture or meeting and intuitive PC linking.

The ultimate recording of board content makes Panaboard presentations stress-free for students. It saves them from furious note taking and gives them the option to review and revise recorded Panasonic Panaboard content after the lecture or presentation is over. The elimination of note taking invites more interest and allows audience to focus on the discussion, presented content, and lecture. Panaboard also prevents the problem from mistakes in capturing notes. The recorded content can be distributed online via emails or Web publishing or built-in printer can be used to print-out notes for manual distribution.

Panasonic Panaboards - Goodbye Note Taking!

8 Strategies Every PT Should Use to Protect Practice Revenue

Focus on a Complete Solution, not Just Software

Typically, PTs begin a technology initiative by calling a list of selected vendors. Usually, their first question is, "Do you offer scheduling or documentation?" This leads to a discussion about the features and before you know it, the process becomes a scavenger hunt. To find a comprehensive solution, ask questions like, "How can you help me manage my practice?" or "What can you do to help me reduce my claim denials?" Asking these types of questions will focus the search on real practice solutions.

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Identify and Leverage Growth Opportunities

Physician referrals are one of the keys to success in private practice. Here are a few steps to help make you a more attractive option to referring physicians:

• Market your niche - When marketing yourself to physicians, hone in on your area of expertise, such as sports medicine or knee rehabilitation.

• Communicate with referring physicians - Keep the lines of communication open by leveraging electronic communication. This demonstrates your responsiveness and professionalism to the physician.

• Get online - Many patients research their therapy options online on evenings and weekends. Having a website for your practice and even a patient portal gives you an edge over the competition.

Reduce Appointment No-shows and Cancellations

The ultimate solution to the no-shows problem requires a practice-wide commitment. In today's busy world, people need constant reminders. Everyone organizes their personal calendar in their own way. Some prefer a reminder letter while others respond best to phone messages and many prefer electronic reminders via text or email. A multi-channel reminder program can work wonders in lowering your no-show rate.

Deliver all Authorized Care

When a patient receives an authorization for a set number of visits and you fail to complete those visits, the patient loses out on care and you lose out on revenue. Having a comprehensive patient compliance program in place is essential to your success. A crucial component of that program is the multi-channel reminder program discussed above.

Once you have the patient there, it's important to make sure you get paid for the care you deliver. The most efficient way of keeping track of authorized visits is to use a system that can automatically track the number of remaining authorized visits and deducts each visit against the correct authorization.

Incorporate Technology at the Point of Care

In recent years, electronic medical record (EMR) systems have been proven to help physical therapy providers enhance care, rather than hinder the interaction with the patient. For example, automated documentation prompts users for measures during an evaluation so they can focus more on the patient without having to remember the next steps in the documentation process.

Having a physical therapy EMR that prompts users for specific measures at the point of care can actually help providers work faster, raise the quality of care, collect more revenue and eliminate the human errors that can easily occur during documentation.

Avoid the Payer Reimbursement Downward Trend

Politics, budget shortfalls and skyrocketing healthcare costs are all driving public and private payers to take an aim at providers. In addition to focusing your management attention and resources on ways to increase payer reimbursement, here are a couple of ways you can make improvements in your practice:

• Make co-pay collection automatic - Incorporate a system that automatically reminds front desk staff to collect patient co-pays so they don't fall through the cracks.

• Speed up Physical Therapy Documentation - Use an EMR system for documentation to help dramatically speed up the documentation process, improve accuracy, decrease the time it takes to submit claims and receive payer reimbursement.

Understand the Difference Between Billing and Revenue

Many physical therapists tend to look at billing as the "moneymaker" of the practice and build their office technology around whatever comes with the system. However, even the best billing system can only submit the claims for the work you've done. The real revenue comes from building a solid referral network, retaining patients, reducing appointment no-shows, accurately capturing and coding every treatment you provide and increasing staff productivity. All this can be accomplished with a physical therapy management solution in place.

Don't let Paper and Cumbersome Process Take over Your Practice

Many private practice owners don't realize the cost involved with paper processes. Consider all the costs associated with paper documentation - the time it takes to manually document, the human errors that result in claim denials, filing time, the floor space needed to store files and the cost of paper and files. It all adds up to a fortune! This can all be prevented with electronic documentation.

To thrive in today's challenging environment, physical therapy providers need to respond to both what payers are doing, and what they can do to drive efficiency in their practice. The challenge is you don't have many chances to get it right. Today, many practices and hospitals rely on innovative technology. There are many resources available in the market. However, going with a physical therapy EMR will be the best option for an all-encompassing practice management solution.

8 Strategies Every PT Should Use to Protect Practice Revenue

Dynamics AX Customization and Development

Microsoft Dynamics AX accounting software or Axapta is a complete package that has the abilities for managing a company's financial information, from middle to large size companies. It comes with many modules like General Ledger, Production, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory Management, Human Resources, Cost Accounting, Bank, CRM, Service, Master Planning, Product Builder, Project, and other accounting modules. It has many features that usually will work for a company with basic needs, but for a company that requires special functions, forms and report that follow their business and processing practice, the customization will be necessary from the developers to make it happen.

AX has a development model that allows a company or a consulting company to develop on a specific layer. The layer system is a system that let a developer or user customizes a layer like cus for the Customer layer or usr for the User layer, for examples, that will make the development independent from the other layers. Certain layers are off limited to the regular companies and can only be updated from Microsoft or business partners.

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One of the tools that is very popular and useful to develop Dynamics AX customizations is the Morphx, which provides the developers with an integrated developing environment, and can be used to write x++ codes to customize forms, reports, postings, and other processes. AX also has AIF or Application Integration Framework that enables the programmers or users to integrate it with other data sources like text files, Excel, Access, xml and other file formats. If the developer is familiar with FRX and the new Management Reporter also enable the users and consultants to create sophisticated financial statements from General Ledger data, which are often needed for accounting and tax reporting purposes. The newer versions can work with Visual Studio and Sql Server Reporting, that provides even more tools to modifying forms, reports, codes, queries, tables and other objects.

Most versions and especially the newer versions of AX works with Sql Server databases, and make the developers that are familiar with Sql Server stored procedure, statements and queries work much easier with the AX database. The data accesses part of the x++ language is very similar to the standard Sql statements, that will enhance the developer capabilities to work with it. For any modules like Inventory, Production, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory Management, General Ledger, Human Resources, Cost Accounting, Bank, CRM, Service, Master Planning, Product Builder, Project, and other accounting modules, the data are exposed to the developers for customizing the AX environment.

For new versions of AX, web customizations are presented and become more sophisticated. The programmers can develop applications with Visual Studio and Web Services to allow the users to access the data going through the web from their favorite browsers.

To develop on certain layers that will be available to the companies and consultants, the appropriate license will need to be purchased and installed on the computers. There are information from the Microsoft Business partner website, blogs, and information websites that are on the web, and are ready to be searched for the information about the partners, and where and how to purchase. There are consultants or companies that provide supporting work that can be searched on the search websites.

Dynamics AX Customization and Development

Business Coaching - Read More About It

What is business coaching? Business coaching is the process that gives individuals of groups access to direct skills that can give them an edge in the business world. Setting a goal will give your team direction and set them on a path to becoming more successful. Professional business coaches offer you leadership skills. This can be very useful for those Managers and supervisors. Coaching can give your employees a lifeline for structure. They will motivate and show you steps that will help them become more successful as leaders in your business. They can be better qualified to deal with the associates each day.

Business coaching can help your employee's customer rating improve, as this improves the entire business will. They can offer challenges to help them move forth in business professionalism. It can help improve physical skills, they will need to utilize each day. Having a better customer satisfaction grade will only increase your businesses productivity. Managers and human resource professionals can become be better qualified to guide you to reach that next level in your business.

Human Resource Software

Over 75% of businesses large and small use some form of business coaching. This is a smart business practice. Business coaching sessions can be a one-time planned event or you can have a scheduled series of business coaching lessons. The advice and education will start your employee's business acceleration.

There is software that is available to help you propel forward. This knowledge will not only get your employees excited about your business, it will help you reduce business costs. Another option a coach can offer is a behavioral evaluation assessment for your employees. Just as an athlete needs a coach to direct and guide him/her, your employees do also. They need to direction and motivation to stay focused on the objective you have set. Your business is only as good as your employees are.

Do not settle for average when you can be excellent. It will be the tool that sets you apart from others. Employees will set the tone and attitude for any clients that come into your business. Are you ready to get more results fast? Professional business coaches have been educated on the different ways to motivate an individual or a team. When individuals are challenged to excel, they will choose success every time. Let your employees know that their happiness is vital to your company.

It has been proven to jumpstart your sales. This can keep your staff loyal with your company for many years to come. Incorporating this into your business is essential. What are you willing to do to see success in your business. Can you afford to let others decide how your business' day-to-day operations should be.

Look at all the pros and the cons that a business coach can provide to you. The largest business companies in the world do not just hope they have the right stuff for success. They plan and they utilize successful strategies.

Business Coaching - Read More About It

Bean Bags in Work Places

Beanbags have been fast catching up to be used in every sphere of our life. These pear shaped bags are increasingly finding use in our lives. Bean bags have become very popular with the young generation as the next generation couch. Bean bags score over conventional chairs in every respect, whether its styling, or comfort, or even use.

For the uninitiated, beanbags are ergonomic chairs, which protect your back and joints when you sit on them. Beanbags are filled with soft small Poly Vinyl Chloride pellets, which allow the bag to curve according to the sitter's back. Moreover the bag places the sitter close to the ground which is better for the back and joints. Doctors recommend ergonomic chairs like beanbags to sit on because conventional chairs put stress on the back and joints which may result in disorders of the same in later years.

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Bean bags provide a sense of informality about itself. In today's stressful work life, bean bags help to relax and de-stress. Companies, especially software companies, across the world are recognizing this feature of the bean bag and are investing in them. Their logic - beanbags provide a better, healthier atmosphere for employees to sit and relax in. Beanbags can thus be found in office canteens and libraries where the employees spend time when taking a break. A senior human resource analyst with Accenture says, ".........Companies want to promote themselves as employee friendly and are now investing in beanbags. Beanbags provide a sense of informality. They are couches with which the young generation can relate to. Since the median age of the workforce of most service sector companies, especially software companies, is around 30-35 years, bean bags become very popular with the employees."

Moreover, doctors commend beanbags for their ability to reduce stress on the back and joints, which is one more reason to induct beanbags in the workplace. Companies want to promote an image of their being concerned about the employee welfare. Thus bean bags are easily and increasingly making their way into our workplaces.

Some companies, like advertising firms, or web-design firms or even production houses, find beanbags very suitable to their company image. A senior marketing official with O&M says, "O&M promotes an image of youth and creativity. Our offices are colorful just as our products are. We have beanbags in our offices and cabins which gel with this image. Beanbags are ideal due to the variety of colors they are available in."

So what do employees have to say about the bean bags? Employees seem to love sitting on beanbags and are actually commending their companies for investing in them. The flexibility of use, the variety of colors and of course, the comfort, seems to have really grown on employees. Some even want beanbags at their workstations. Though companies would like to promote seriousness and formality at the workplace of employees and are still not keen to replace conventional chairs with beanbags, more and more beanbags are being used in places where the employees can relax.

Bean Bags in Work Places

ERP Solutions - How to Meet Business Goals in an Effective Manner

Organizations today are concerned with being market leaders and outscoring their business peers in every sphere. There are several business technologies that have been researched and developed to provide an edge to these business organizations.

ERP (enterprise resource planning) is one of the foremost business technologies that has evolved to unparalleled heights in recent times. Businesses today are taking steps to ensure that they do not lag behind their competitors and there is an urgent need, therefore, to have a system that can effectively meet the requirements of their specific business, besides ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and the resultant business growth.

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Instead of using different business technologies for different departments, each with a different business approach and methodology, it is always better to have a single unified business solution package. This package can harmonize the efforts of all the running departments of the organization. This is why organizations worldwide have taken advantage of and implemented ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions.

ERP Software solutions are specifically designed and implemented for business organizations depending upon the size, nature, area of operations, generation of reports, inventory control, requirements of human resources management and accounting departments. There is a wide and unparalleled variety of ERP business solutions for every type of business - small-sized, medium-sized or large organizations. The ERP solutions can be categorized for:

* Process manufacturing
* ERP for service companies
* Distribution
* Mining industries
* Discrete manufacturing
* Mixed-mode manufacturing

ERP solutions have proven to be very important to the needs of a business organization. They provide accurate and immediate generation and comparison of data originating and flowing from multiple and complex business functions. ERP solutions have thereby proven to be beneficial in making critical discoveries about the business and can help the top management make business decisions.

ERP solutions are considered to be economical, easy-to-use, and accurate. ERP is primarily concerned with centralizing each and every primary aspect of the business, its existing and prospective customer base, production, and marketing and distribution processes. This definitely enables the organization to formulate better business analysis, plans, policies, guidelines and decisions benefiting it in each and every business need and problem. Keeping in mind the specific business organization goals and objectives, organizations globally have initiated outsourcing flexible ERP business solutions as per the specific business requirements.

ERP proves to be beneficial to these organizations as it allows an effective synchronization of the business modules, allocation of business resources and effective evaluation of business needs and solutions. The concept of ERP outsourcing benefits the organization by bringing economies of scale and enhancements in the re-engineering processes. ERP is concerned with the incorporation and automation of all the present functional departments, which exists within the organization into a single and unified computer system with a predefined purpose of providing, at all times, the specific needs and solutions of each and every department of the organization.

The use of ERP solutions provide a great business tool that definitely helps an organization to achieve its objectives in a uniform and effective manner.

ERP Solutions - How to Meet Business Goals in an Effective Manner

Maximising the Effectiveness of Marketing Strategies Using Call Measurement Tracking Software

Marketing of any kind has to be measured and quantified if it is to be successful. Businesses need to identify the driver for the call to enable it to gauge the success of its marketing, and if necessary know what areas of their marketing strategy need to be improved.

For many customers and clients the first contact they have with a business is when they speak to someone for the first time, if this call is handled badly, or not followed through to completion, the business may be lost to a competitor.

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Consider:

Are you investing considerably in your marketing strategy? Is your return on investment (ROI) less than predicted? Are your sales conversions lower than expected?

If the answer to these questions is yes, it is time to start identifying the driver for customer / client calls and measure the performance of your sales teams.

What should businesses be measuring?

Businesses need to be aware of the following:

Source of their enquires Which keywords are performing and which are not Which keywords led to sales conversions Which staff are making sales conversions and which are not How leads from phone calls are handled and acted upon What times of the day calls are made

Call tracking software will provide the following:

Record each call taken by your sales teams Record phone number, call duration, and the amount of calls received from the number The conversation between your potential customer/client and your sales person A secure method of logging customer inquiries Store the data in a database for later retrieval

The better call tracking software will identify the following:

Whether the same withheld number has called more than once What keyword prompted the call The conversion rate between calls received and sales made Which keyword performed the best in terms of revenue and which did not Identify which members of your sales team are making conversions and which are not Peak time calls How many times the phone rings before it is answered How many calls are made by staff

Benefits

Through implementing good call tracking software the following benefits can be realised:

Marketing

Better revenue stream: Once performing keywords are identified together with their source, the marketing budget can be better focused, while underperforming keywords can be cut from the marketing strategy. Business can now maximise its return on investment, spending money on performing keywords only, and not investing in keywords which are not yielding results.

Customer/Client Logging: Through implementing call tracking software, inbound and outbound calls are logged automatically, eliminating human error when obtaining customer/client calls. Effectively it eliminates details being lost when a piece of paper is thrown away.

Sales Team Performance

Identify Staff Performance: Staff members which are underperforming can be identified together with the reasons why, enabling business to determine whether an individual requires further training, or is simply not cut out to do the job. Conversely, staff member which are good at making sales can now be utilised in more profitable areas of the business.

Performance indicators recorded include:

How many calls an individual member of staff is handling How long it takes to answer a call Conversion rate Duration of each call How many calls a member of staff is making Call recording to ensure correct sales technique Peak time for customer/client calling

Customer Service: Business can analyse the data provided by call tracking software to gauge the level of service they offer.

Conclusion

To maximise the effectiveness of marketing and sales strategies key data needs to be captured and analysed, as highlighted in this guide.

To use call tracking software effectively, the information needs to be analysed with a view to improving performance of both sales and marketing strategies and implementing and allocating resources where they perform the best and are needed.

Call tracking software enables business to maximise its ROI and cut unnecessary costs.

Maximising the Effectiveness of Marketing Strategies Using Call Measurement Tracking Software

Human Resources - Current Issues

According to definition, the term human resources refers to a managerial person responsible for the smooth running of an office within any kind of a business or corporation. The person that will hold the title of "human resources manager" will be responsible for hiring, recruitment and new employee selection, record keeping of all personal data, employee rewards, and career development. The human resources person will have the most important job of the entire office. With that kind of pressure, it is no wonder then that there are all kind of human resources current issues floating around.

One of the biggest current issues that HR personnel are facing right now is the suppression of jobs and being outsourced to other places. With the state of the economy being what it is today, there are an increasing amount of people being laid off and losing their jobs, making the human resource position less important due to lack of employment. Although an HR manager's tasks usually exceed those of a secretary, their top priority will always be to make sure that all of the employees are placed in the right fields and carrying out their work according to the job description specifications.

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In 2000 there was a new revision of the ISO 9001 which requested legislation to unionize HR development and have all human resources managers and personnel with this position clearly label and define the position's function and particular significance to the company. This has caused some controversy because not all employees want to be unionized, Also, if an employer is being made to tell the functions of a position which might be judged by some as unnecessary, the employee's position might then more easily come into question.

The reason for most outsourcing of human resources workers is so that third world countries that have fewer resources still find the possibility to gain training for their people. The United Nations has referred this kind of outsourcing as "foreign aid." This remains a highly debated subject with much controversy for most companies who do not want to lose their people to outsourcing, and, conversely, the people being outsourced are not always pleased with being uprooted from their families, and country.

Human Resources - Current Issues

Understanding Windows Services in Windows 7

Your computer does lots of things in the background. You probably know a bit about programs running on your machine. And you might even know a bit about active processes that run as the behind-the-scenes component of an open application. But behind even those processes is another layer of functionality - services.

What Are Services?
At the very simplest level, a service is a small, helper program that runs in the background of your computer. When you turn on the computer, the services are one of the first things to get fired up and start working. They make sure that everything starts up properly, has the right permissions, connects properly and - as you continue to use your computer - they help ensure that programs work correctly as well.

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Unlike a process, an active service runs regardless of whether a given application is open. This ensures that resources are always available for the components that need them.

How to Access Them
To see the services that are running on your computer right now, you simply need to pull up the Task Manager. Do this by clicking on Ctrl + Shift + Esc. And then clicking on the tab labeled "Services."

In Windows XP, the task manager doesn't list services, but you can still access them via the Services Manager. Go to Control Panel ( » Performance and Maintenance) » Administrative Tools » Services. This will pull up the Service Manager.

At first glance you can get a sense of how services are managed and distributed.

If you look closely you'll notice that not all of them are actually running in the background. In fact, many of the services installed on your computer aren't running at all, they're Stopped. You can see this in the "Status" Column.

Head's up | Whether or not a service is running depends on the particular settings of your system. While it's good to understand services and know how to monitor them. It's generally not a good idea to arbitrarily stop and start them without knowing exactly what functions this will affect. That being said, you always have the power to control a service by right-clicking it. The context menu that appears lets you start/stop the service and also provides you with access to options, letting you find out more or adjust the way in which Windows activates it.
Types of Services (Groups)
The list of services is long, and each has a special job. To make it a bit easier to organize, Windows 7 incorporated a set of group names to categorize services according to the types of jobs they actually perform. The most common groups of services you'll find on a PC are...

DcomLaunch

DcomLaunch handles some of the nuts and bolts of your computer. Inside the DcomLaunch group you'll find services that make your computer power up, that make plug-and-play applications work and one that makes everything go from off to on.

LocalService

LocalService includes the various services associated with the actions required by a local account, like your personal user-account. The LocalService programs work in isolation from other services for security reasons and ensure that when you log into your computer, the settings associated with your specific user-account load up correctly.

LocalServiceNoNetwork

Services that fall into the LocalServiceNoNetwork include things like your Internet firewall and some security programs. In this group you'll find any number of Internet activity logs, filtering software and IP settings.

It's called "NoNetwork" because these items are able to be run without a connection to the local network, like a home or office network. An example service you might find here is the Windows Firewall. If activated, it will run independent of local network access so that another user (one who's also on the network) can't turn your firewall on or off. This is part of the integrated security framework that Windows Vista and 7 had built into their operations.

LocalServiceAndNoImpersonation

The large number of services that fall under LocalServiceAndNoImpersonation are entertainment related. This group of services all relate back to Windows 7 Media Center and other media files and programs including things like fonts, display brightness and Media Center extenders and networking.

LocalServiceNetworkRestricted

The LocalServiceNetworkRestricted files are those you're already familiar with. Windows Audio is contained in this group along with Parental Controls and the Windows Security Center.

These aren't as vital as some items in LocasServiceNoNetwork but they're still relatively important. So they have only a restricted access to a local network.

LocalServicePeerNet

Networking tools and services are contained in the LocalServicePeerNet group. These services make it possible to identify your machine and for you to find it when you're trying to connect multiple machines together in a network.

LocalSystemNetworkRestricted

These services allow you to communicate with your computer easily. It includes usually the Human Interface Device Access service, which makes sure your keyboard buttons work correctly, and also the Superfetch service which makes sure that files are obtained quickly when you request them.

Netsvcs

This group relates to intranets and Internet use. These services include those things that enable communication with a Browser, with servers and routers as well as remote access with other PCs. They ensure that you're able to use the Internet correctly and - since logons and certificate management falls into this group as well - use it safely.

NetworkService

If netsvcs services concern the Internet, NetworkService deals with the closed network loop that you may be a part of at home or at the office. In NetworkService, you'll see services designed to work with client machines, workstations, and remote desktops.

NetworkServiceAndNoImpersonation

Services located in the NetworkServiceAndNoImpersonation group are simply another step up the security ladder. Communication between machines and programs falls into this category of services.

NetworkServiceNetworkRestricted

The highest level of security for NetworkService, those listed as NetworkServiceNetworkRestricted are closely guarded elements like the IP policy for your local network.

regsvc

The group of services called regsvc is likely small on your machine and includes services for remote registries. These can be necessary for programs if you're part of a network, but regsvc can also house a virus or other malware that allows remote access to your machine. The safe regsvc files that these services are attached to should be contained in the c:windowsSystem32 folder

Heads Up | Even if you suspect a service running in the regsvc Group to be malicious, don't mess with it. Stopping or deleting a service can change the behavior of a PC in unforeseeable ways. Instead, utilize a security program to try and detect problems. Security and anti-Virus programs have built-in safeties that allow them to stop, isolate and remove harmful services without triggering consequences.

rpcss

rpcss services are those necessary for a client and server program to communicate properly. The services you're likely to see inside the rpcss collection include client and server processes as well as endpoints to show where the network connection stops.

WbioSvcGroup

The WbioSvcGroup is a very small group of services - perhaps only one - whose job is to collect biometric data from your machine. The services may also manipulate and store its collected data in the background as you work.

wcssvc

A full range of color is what you'll see inside the wcssvc services. The primary service in this category is for the Windows Color System that extends the factory color settings to be "vendor-specific", or better than the basics. If you disable this particular service, you won't be able to see colors correctly.

N/A

It's not that the Window's people ran out of clever names for service groups toward the end and starting tossing everything that was left into N/A. It's just that these services aren't vital to the system's normal behavior. Most will be from third parties, so while N/A isn't a catchy label, in this group you'll find everything from your instant messaging software to antimalware protection.

Some native Windows entities exist in this group as well, constituting those Windows utilities that are run on an as-needed basis, including the disk defragmenter and Windows Update. Other odds and ends fall into this catch-all as you add programs or peripheries to your machine, for example, your print spooler is here just like your fax machine and iPod service.

Head's up | The N/A group actually isn't as big a target for malware as you'd think. Most malicious code is designed to stay hidden. Hence, it's more likely for a harmful service to appear in something like the regsvc group. Even so, malware can and does appear in the N/A group, especially services belonging to malicious third-party apps that claim to be legitimate, like rogue security scanners. Here too, it's important to let validated security software stop the service for you, but sometimes you can cut a program off by stopping its service. Stopping it is certainly an option, but it should be considered a last resort.

Understanding Windows Services in Windows 7

5 Simple Steps to Branding Yourself Online

Commenting on Blogs - Growing Your Network

With so much repetitive content online, it's really important to add the human or personal element.

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One way to do that, as well as demonstrate your expertise, grow your reputation online (your personal brand) AND get useful backlinks to your website or blog is through commenting on other blogs.

Blogs have evolved. They are no longer about a one-way distribution of content but are an opportunity to encourage one-to-many dialogues.

As a blog owner, comments are invaluable because they inform you as to what your readership is actually thinking (& feeling), allowing you laser-like focus in delivering only the best, most relevant, content back to your readership. So it's a win-win.

BUT there is an art to what constitutes best practise when commenting on other blogs.

Let me explain in 5 simple steps:

1. Signup at Gravatar [upload your picture].

Not only will your face now show up on your own blog but also on every blog that is Gravatar enabled. How's that for personal branding?!

2. Add your name and title

Instead of just writing your real name in the first box (as most do), think about who you are known as (or want to be known as)

or what your most relevant keywords are. Enter that as well.

For example, sometimes I put "Noel Lyons - The Exercise At Home Coach" or "Noel Lyons - Fitness Business Coach" etc depending on the content of the blog I am commenting on.

This way you now have "keyword rich anchor text" linking back to your website or blog. Plus you have just branded yourself.

3. Add Specific Blog Post URLs [versus your homepage url]

Instead of entering your home URL eg yourdomain.com attract deep links by entering where you can specific blog post URLS relevant to the content you are commenting on. eg yourdomain.com/blog/readmyposttoo [This ties in with step 4].

4. ADD VALUE!

If you are truly looking to grow your reputation online and attract followers, try to add to the conversation.

Redirect readers to a relevant blog post you have written on the same subject, another resource or a comment you feel is an valuable addition.

Brief comments like "great" + "nice one" can easily be mistaken for comment link spam (with the sole intention of getting backlinks to your site)! [This ties in with step 5]

5. Target High Traffic or High PR Blogs

It's often not worth commenting from a SE rankings perspective on blogs with a zero or low PR rating.

Indeed, certain associations can see you get the cold shoulder from Google too!

So use automated blog commenting software which helps use locate high Google PR blogs and blogs which actually link back to you (eg "dofollow" blogs like mine versus "nofollow"). See my free blog commenting software which comes with my free bronze membership at PTO.

It's not just about PR though; certain blogs can still be highly targeted or high traffic and yet have a low or non-existent PR rating.

These are worth targeting too!

Plus if you can, be one of the first three to comment on a high traffic blog

Because when you read a post, these are the comments you tend to read too, as we all like to know what other people thought about it as well.

Here software like Comment Sniper is especially useful as it alerts you straightaway when a new post is published.

Some say blog commenting is not an effective use of time. I say it depends how well you do it (see steps 1-5).

PLUS if you have taken the time to read a post, and got something from it; then it's worth the time to comment.

5 Simple Steps to Branding Yourself Online

Using Biometrics as a Time and Attendance Solution

"Biometrics" is the science that uses unique physiological characteristics to verify the identity of an individual. The term "biometrics" is originally Greek, "bios" and "metron", literally meaning "measurement of life". All individuals can be identified by measurable physical characteristics and such characteristics are the basis of all types of biometric identification.

The techniques that are successfully used in the biometric field include: digital fingerprints, voice recognition, retinal, signature, hand geometry, face geometry and genetic DNA; among others that are in different stages of development and evaluation.

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Differing from physical objects related to security like keys or magnetic badges, or other logical objects such as passwords or security codes (which can be stolen, lent or copied with relative ease), all the biometric characteristics are unique and cannot be transferred: no one can borrow someone's finger prints, eye retinal or genetic code, or at least not with any consent.

This makes this technology more adequate to solve control access problems to physical installations (buildings, laboratories, confined spaces, security boxes, etc) or solve information security problems (user identification, access to restricted documents, etc).

Additionally to this there exists another point of economical importance: biometrics is used for "controlling time and attendance", with this companies no longer need to use passwords or employee badges that can easily be borrowed or forgotten.

How do biometric applications work for time and attendance?

The most commonly used method for biometric identification for these types of applications is the fingerprint. You can collect all of your employee's fingerprints on the system and they can register themselves inserting their fingerprints each time they check in and out of the installations.

This type of solution makes registering more exact, time wise, and prevents fraud assistance which consists in registering entrance and exit of other employees. It also reduces the cost of printing identification badges or the need to remember password or personal identification numbers.

The main benefit: Saving Money!

The first main reason why companies are deciding to switch to biometric applications is to save money. According to the American Payroll Association, (an American organization specialized in education, training and publications related to payroll process), estimates that the benefits of using biometric systems surpasses 10% of the total payroll.

A study indicated that "fraud in attendance" or time robbery, all together with audit mistakes on the register badges and the human resources plus materials needed for this task, represents high expenses for a company in one of the most important factors, the payroll.

Also it isn't easy to imagine why: if your company doesn't have security next to the punch clock, the employees surely will check in or out for other employees, affecting the company. On the other hand, after auditing the badges there are mistakes that benefit the employee, they rarely would report this to you: "my pay is wrong... I'm being paid more".

There are also employees that stay on the company premises after check out time and benefit to surf the internet, chat or use the phone lines with ease without anyone around. The employer is the one not benefiting having to pay extra time.

All these problems can be solved implementing a solution using "the biometric clock". This type of system prevents time and attendance fraud through digital fingerprints saving us time on auditing badges and giving us precise and trustworthy information at the click of a button.

How much will this cost me?

This is the best part: the technology and mass production makes these types of applications accessible to all.

There are solutions like the "Biometric Employee Punch Clock" from VeriTask Software that has a complete solution for small and medium companies that has a price of 9. This solution includes a semi-industrial digital fingerprint reader and a license to administrate the time records of up to 50 employees.

The software supports several languages. Plus it's easy to use: the installation, configuration, and the register of 5 employees can practically be done in 15 minutes. The system also has a series of additional functions that allows you to administrate employee schedules and inclusively notify you automatically by e-mail when an employee arrives late or doesn't show up at all! This type of functionality we find very attractive especially for a business that has multiple locations.

So if you belong to the SMB group that wants to use the ultimate technology to benefit your business, you already know: the technology is at the reach of your hand or better yet, your fingerprint.

Using Biometrics as a Time and Attendance Solution

Top Ten Funny Franchise Names That Mean Serious Business

Nerds ToGo

So many individuals and businesses rely on their computers for communication. Furthermore, many businesses simply can not function if their computers are not working properly. As people struggle to keep up with advancing technology, many of them work on computers everyday and still have no idea how to make even the simplest repairs when things go wrong. Of course, this is true because computers and complex machines and someone who is not qualified to work on them should always call for help. Even so, many computer repair stores have a "bring it in and we'll fix it" sort of approach. Nerds ToGo, however, has revolutionized the computer services industry by offering a "we come to you model." After all, people do not have the time and energy to break down their computers and take them to the repair shop. Moreover, this would be an impossible task for a small business in need of computer services.

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Of course, the best part about owning a Nerds ToGo franchise is that you do not have to be a nerd to own one. Now, if you happen to be a nerd by nature, you can make your own service calls or hire nerd employees. Either way, the secret to success with this innovative franchise opportunity lies in how you manage the business and not just how well you fix computers. What's more, the Nerds ToGo company offers a great deal of support to help you become a successful franchise business owner. There are a lot of computers out there just waiting to be fixed and with a Nerds ToGo franchise, you can cash in on this opportunity with only a small investment.

College Hunks Hauling Junk

Just like the computer support businesses like Nerds to Go are gaining popularity across the nation, College Hunks Hauling Junk is a great franchise opportunity well on its way to becoming a national brand. The geeks fix computers and the hunks lift heavy things. That sounds about right, doesn't it?

On a more serious note, don't let the name fool you into thinking that College Hunks is anything but a great business franchise opportunity that is growing everyday. Furthermore, the junk-removal industry appeals to highly segmented publics, which can translate to great income for franchisees that are affiliated of a nationally recognized brand. College Hunks is a business that appeals to homeowners and small business owners who need items like furniture, appliances, yard waste, construction materials or renovation leftovers removed from their properties and more. The only items that the hunks can not haul are hazardous materials like chemicals, paint, spouses or pets.

And, now that going green and helping the environment is becoming a standard in the U.S., our customers will be happy to hear that everything we haul is recycled, donated or otherwise disposed of properly.

Of course, not only do customers love College Hunks Hauling Junk, franchisees enjoy helpful resources, including a national toll-free number and centralized call center (Customer Loyalty Center), a website where customers can schedule pick-ups online, truck beds that are bigger than those used by competitors, customized propriety software used for scheduling, and finally, a low investment and high potential for business growth.

Pet Butler

This name may not suggest that you are actually looking into a poop scooping business but a Pet Butler franchise is exactly that. Since so many families include pets, particularly dogs, there is a lot of scooping to be done. In fact, 40 percent of all households in the U.S. include at least one dog. However, some pet owners do not have the time, energy or desire to pick up after their pets. Plus, Pet Butler offers not only waste removal services but also pet stations for parks and other public areas.

As a franchise owner, you will be trained to use the most sanitary methods for waste removal. Additionally, the company will provide you with a downloadable training manual, state-of-the-art equipment and even marketing materials. Like so many other business franchises, Pet Butler wants to experience growth, which means the company is willing to help your franchise business operate smoothly and efficiently. And, that's the scoop.

Boneheads

For the great tasting food served in these innovative restaurant franchises, the secret really is in the sauce. Boneheads features grilled fish and Piri Piri chicken, which is seasoned by the South African Piri Piri pepper. But, the taste is not the only unique flavor of Boneheads. This restaurant franchise also utilizes the increasingly popular concept of fast-casual dining. If you have never dined at a Bonehead's, perhaps you have been to a Moe's Southwest Grill, Doc Green's Gourmet Salads, Planet Smoothie or the Flying Biscuit Café. These are just a few of the restaurant franchises owned by Raving Brands. And, if the portfolio of delicious dining choices does not convince you that Bonehead's means serious business, you may be interested to learn that Raving Brands also has real estate expertise. Since location is one of the most important factors in franchise success (if not the most important), a Bonehead's franchise can mean a leg up on the competition. So, if you have five years of experience working in a restaurant, this is your chance to own one.

ElizaJ

"No thanks, I'll hold it" is usually the response you hear from someone when their only option is to use a port-o-potty. However, ElizaJ is not your typical port-o-potty business. In fact, it offers three levels of deliverable restrooms with high-quality amenities like designer soaps and lotions, fresh flowers, air fresheners and even fresh water. Now, you might be wondering who would be interested in these new high-class portable restrooms. Take a moment to consider the growing special events industry. So many weddings and other formal events are held outside and nowhere near a restroom. The standard port-o-potty just will not do when it comes to this kind of special event. Instead the typical old John, you need an ElizaJ. And, if you decide to become an ElizaJ franchisee, you will become part a groundbreaking new luxury restroom industry and gain access to an untapped market. What's more, the ElizaJ company offers all the training and support you will need.

Brick Kicker

This might seem like a funny name for a home inspection company but this catchy name has helped the company become a nationally recognized industry leader. Plus, Brick Kicker offers accurate, trustworthy home inspections to homeowners, buyers and sellers, which means there will always be a demand for these services. The main advantage to entering the home inspection business as a franchisee is that you start off as an established brand. Additionally, you have access to on-going support from the company as well as seminar and conferences to help you build your business, not hit a brick wall. With the right tools, you're sure to become a successful Brick Kicker franchisee.

Nanny Poppinz

At first glance, the name of this franchise might give the impression that this is just another group of nannies. However, Nanny Poppinz is far more. In fact, this company is a full-service child care referral agency. Not only do they specialize in placing children with the best, most professional nannies, they also help busy moms find childcare outside of the home. What's more, services offered through Nanny Poppinz include baby nurses, housekeepers, cooks, tutors, butlers, drivers and even household managers. Whether the need is full-time, part-time or temporary, Nanny Poppinz is there to help. Plus, this franchise opportunity is great for entrepreneurs who are looking for a great work from home franchise opportunity. This business franchise is fast and easy to start up because you do not have to worry about the initial cost of inventory. In fact, your nannies are the inventory and the specialized software offered to franchisees makes keeping track simple. Nanny Poppinz makes success simple for everyone who is interested in this exciting business opportunity, even stay-at-home moms looking to start a home-based business franchise.

Froots Smoothies

Now more than ever, eating fresh is all the rage. People are looking for healthier alternatives to traditional eateries who serve greasy food loaded with calories. But, they still want food that tastes great. This is where Froots Smoothies comes in. This restaurant franchise specializes not only in salads, wraps, shakes and smoothies that taste terrific, they also pride themselves on serving foods that are healthy and refreshing. Guests who lunch at Froots can say goodbye to that afternoon sluggishness they feel after a greasy lunch at a traditional fast food restaurant. Froots offers delicious lunch, dinner and snack options and the company is ready to serve its freshness all across the country. That's where you come in. If you are ready to take advantage of the fresh food frenzy, consider a Froots Smoothies franchise. This company offers training, marketing support and even helps with site selection.

FunBus

This business franchise is literally fun on wheels. In fact, FunBus travels right to your school, birthday party or any other special event. And, it's filled with progressive gymnastics equipment and a staff that is eager to make physical activity fun, not competitive. What's more, FunBus will travel to your daycare center or school once a week with instructors who will teach 45-minute lessons to children ages two and a half to six years old!

In a society where parents are faced with warnings of increased childhood obesity and diabetes, the FunBus offers an exciting way for kids to get active and enjoy every minute of it. As the potential franchisee, FunBus offers you the chance to find success as a franchise business owner. Moreover, these fitness academies on wheels are always stocked with the latest and greatest equipment. Plus, FunBus provides its franchisees with a marketing system to help ensure a steady flow of business.

Dogtopia Dog Spa

In 2005, pet-related spending billion, making it the seventh largest sector of retail. In fact, pet spending came in ahead of toys and candy. This increase symbolizes the modern attitude that pets are like "kids" in the family. Because so many pet owners think of themselves as "parent" to these four-legged kiddos, they feel guilty leaving them at home alone all day. After all, they send their children to preschools and daycare centers. Why shouldn't they do the same for their dogs?

Dogtopia Dog Spas give pet owners the opportunity to leave their dogs in a fun-filled doggie daycare where they will enjoy supervised play and human interaction all day. Plus, Dogtopia even offers do-it-yourself dog washes, spa services, training classes and overnight boarding. And, you'll find nothing less than premium quality toys, treats, food and grooming supplies. What you need to know as a potential franchisee is that Dogtopia offers on-site assistance and continuous management consulting, marketing materials, a website and a comprehensive training course to help you start of on the right paw.

Top Ten Funny Franchise Names That Mean Serious Business

A Lot of Outsourcing Service Providers to Choose From - How to Choose the Best One

The global arena is one of unified information and communication today. Enhanced technology has made the world a global village and now exclusive and offshore companies are empowered to act as an extension of the main business. With the help of outsource software development vendors it is easy to lure to big game hunters from the international business rostrum into your company's interests. The processing handled by the outsourcing or BPO(Business Process Outsourcing) industry takes any small or medium scale business into the global foray.

Investigate and then identify:

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You can now give your business the marketing and sales edge by investing in software development India outsourcing relationships. Not only does the firm benefit from 24x7 cover; but is also secure and safe from risks commonly associated with lack of cautionary planning. When shopping around for the best outsourcing service provider you should look into the company's ability to address advance screening and fieldwork. It helps to identify the best software outsourcing partner from the listed companies of repute and long term standing marketability.

As a corporate client you should make your demands on the outsourcing services for software development. You should nose around online as well as offline for a service provider who partners your business interests. The company should be geared to handle and minimize middle-management attrition. The shortlisted outsourcing company should also be able to avoid delay and security issues that arise out of employee turnover. The head hunt is easy - look for a company that is well-managed and cost effective, preferably in India, where people are known to stick on for respect more than the money. It is better to evade the young firms and hunt out the medium-sized software development firms that give you an assurance with that respect.

Be picky - it is your business health in question!

These are usually the ones replete with reputation and history in the industry and armed with experienced human resources management teams. They are the ones that rank in recruiting processes, supported by technology and HR strategies to optimize employee selection and capitalize on the local labor pool. The overall aim of the outsource software development company or the software development team allotted to your company should be the success of your operations. It is imperative to remember that a good outsourcing company will always display professional indemnity insurance and assurance on no social indemnity over temporary software team dismissal.

You should only sign on the dotted line after investigating the litigation overruling the likelihood of Errors and Omissions and Commercial General Liability(CGL). The company chosen for outsourced software development, should be result oriented and one that offers pilot project runs to earn your trust, at least a few free hours, over the first one week. The in house team should be able to determine market feasibility of your company and identify possible variables. The provider's compatibility and capability should be part of a transparent business service. The partnering software development company should also be one that adds value to the dynamic consumer environment you set up within your real time business arena.

Identifying the best:

Identifying the best from an array of software development outsourcing service providers is easy if you have your interests in sync with the industry-specific and latest software architectures and platforms. The set up should meet your business demands with regards to IT communications infrastructure, process engineering and deployment of professional management systems. A good software development vendor will track with you and not ahead of you and the company's operations, while consistently maintaining communication and devising monitoring proprietary technologies

A Lot of Outsourcing Service Providers to Choose From - How to Choose the Best One

A New Year's Resolution to Learn a New Language

Danny Glover, the famous American actor, once said that his new year's resolution was to learn French, because everyone he wants to speak with in West Africa speaks French. If you would like your fun new year's resolution to be to learn a new language, then there are quite a few different ways you can go about it.

Perhaps you've been wanting to learn the language of your Grandmother. Perhaps you would benefit from learning an official language or unofficial second language of your country, such as French in Canada or Spanish in USA. Or Greek in Melbourne Australia! Apparently the second largest Greek-speaking city in the world after Athens, in terms of number of people who speak Greek, is Melbourne Australia! Or perhaps you feel like learning something that feels exotic like Japanese or Swahili. One Saturday in November 2004, the national Canadian newspaper the "The Globe and Mail" put its entire front page in Chinese, explaining that with the globalization of jobs, Chinese will probably be a necessary business language of the future.

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A fun way to start learning a new language, especially if you're not a disciplined type of student, is to enrol in a language course. You meet other people in your class who have the same language interest as you which is fun in itself, you're being taught by a real teacher, and the once a week schedule of the classes means that you are practising your new language regularly and steadily. Local community centers offer these courses. Colleges, private language institutes and continuing education programs at university offer them. You may be lucky enough to have cultural organizations nearby that offer language courses. For instance, a local immigrant organization in my town offers courses in Swahili, a language spoken in many east African countries. Downtown, a cultural organization funded by France called Alliance Française, offers French courses. A nearby Saturday Chinese school offers courses in Mandarin Chinese for both adults and children, and it's quite encouraging to see Cantonese-speaking adults there having as much trouble pronouncing Mandarin as the non-Chinese adults!

If you can't get away to a class, then there are lots of language courses you can study at home: books, audio cassettes, video cassettes, DVDs, music, interactive computer software, and online courses on the Internet. Your local library probably has language learning resources that you can borrow, if you don't want to start off the year with the expense of buying these materials. When studying on your own in this way, try to devote 10 minutes every day to a bit of study or revision, instead of doing 1 hour one day but then not finding the time to look at it again for a couple of months. With 10 minutes of study each day, you probably won't feel like you are making progress because the progress is so gradual. However, the progress will also be steady, and in 3 months time when you look back on how much you have learned, you'll probably impress yourself.

To get you started learning your new language in the next 5 minutes, here are some links to free online courses

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages - On the BBC website, you will find free online courses for French, Spanish, German, Italian, Greek, Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese. And also for Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Irish and English, and links to British Sign Language.

http://www.word2word.com/course.html - The Word2Word website contains links to free language courses all over the Internet. As of January 2005, it has links for 114 languages, from Abenaki, Albanian and Arabic, to Urdu, Vietnamese and Xhosa. In all, there are 288 links to online courses. So whether you want to learn Cree, Croatian or Korean, hopefully you'll find a free course for the language you want here.

A great way to learn and practise another language is "language immersion" - being surrounded by people who speak that language and you having to get things done in that language environment. A holiday in a foreign country is a very interesting and fun "language immersion" opportunity. People amaze themselves, speaking words in a foreign tongue that they didn't realize they knew, when they have to function in a foreign language environment. Closer to home, local immigrant community events may be able to provide you with a language immersion environment without the expense of travel.

My Japanese teacher told us that if you understand more than 5% of what is being said in a foreign language, then you are not at the optimum level for learning the maximum amount possible of that foreign language. If you understand more than 5% of what is going on in your class, go up a level he said! If 95% seems gooblety-gook to you, then that's perfect he said! Take heart. It means you are soaking up as much of that foreign language as is humanly possible!

According to Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta in the book "In Other Words", adults are more capable of learning a second language than most people assume. In the book "What's Going On In There", Lise Eliot explains how Noam Chomsky discovered in the late 1950s that all of the world's languages share the same fundamental structure. He called it "Universal Grammar". The language you already speak and the language you want to learn both have sentences, grammar, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions. You may not be able to label those parts of your speech, but your brain is applying those concepts to your speech every day, and has been doing so ever since you were a baby. Experts believe that our brains have specific language circuits, like a computer has specific circuitry to do certain tasks. If you can communicate in one language (and if you are reading this, then obviously you can!), then you have the necessary brain circuitry to communicate in any language.

Which brings us to the subject of babies, kids and language. My father observed that French children must be very clever. While English-speaking teenagers are struggling with French in high school, apparently French children are fluently speaking French right from toddlerhood! (!!!)

Language courses for children exist in our communities, particularly in communities that have vibrant ethnic members. Fun but academically serious Saturday language classes for children are very popular among immigrant families. They are created so that children can learn the language and culture of the old country that their ancestors came from, and they usually embrace the participation of other children from outside their culture. So if you want your child to get a head start in a foreign language, to reap the IQ benefits of being multilingual, and to share and practise with you while you also learn a foreign language, enrol them in Saturday school for Chinese, Italian, Greek, Croatian or whatever language school you find available for kids.

As with adults, lots of multimedia resources are available for teaching foreign languages to children. The latest craze is language videos for babies! Small children find these videos very entertaining and love to watch them. Some well-known titles include Bilingual Baby and Lyric Language. On the Internet, http://www.kiddiesgames.com offers fun free games for babies and preschoolers to learn Spanish and French.

Have you ever thought of learning Sign Language? American Sign Language (or ASL) is the first language of half a million people in the United States and Canada, and is probably the third most used language in USA. Dr Bill Vicars at the ASL University at http://lifeprint.com/asl101 tells us that many deaf people cherish and enjoy their language and deaf culture so much that given the chance to hear, they'd rather remain deaf so as to remain part of their culture. On that website you can find a free online ASL course and visual dictionary.

The benefits of hearing babies and toddlers learning sign language are very exciting. The research of the past decade has shown that hearing infants that learn sign language learn to speak verbally earlier, have higher IQs, have less tantrums during the terrible twos because they can communicate their needs, and are generally happier! There is now quite a choice of entertaining videos for small children that are very effective at teaching kids signs, such as the Signing Time videos at http://www.signingtime.com and the We Sign videos that you can preview at http://www.production-associates.com/wesign.html. In some areas, it's possible for children to take signing classes such as those of http://www.kindersigns.com or to join reverse integration kindergarten at deaf organizations or signing playgroups.

Have fun carrying out your new year's resolution of learning a new language. Find some music in your target language that is in a music style that you enjoy and has the words to the songs. Robert Fisher in the book "Head Start" explains that there is a link between music and remembering language. He reports that the Ancient Greeks would listen to the whole of the Iliad chanted to soft lyre music, and this allowed many people to be able to remember long passages from the Iliad.

Have fun! ¡Diviértase! Amusez-vous bien!

A New Year's Resolution to Learn a New Language

Finding Work As a Computer Worker

To find work as a computer professional is one of the easiest online job searches you can conduct. The reason is simple: the entire world runs on computers. Also a little known tenet of computer science is that no matter how smart or advanced a computer is, it's basically a paper weight without human input of some kind. So looking for work as a computer operator should be easy as long as you put a few things into place.

First should be a particular computer skill. This can fall into several areas. You can be a computer scientist. These are the people who create computer hardware. A degree and a significant amount of practical experience will be necessary to compete for the best jobs There is also stiff competition from workers and college graduates around the world.
Another job title is computer programmer. An online job search for computer programmer offers a large number of open positions. You will need a college degree, (or a certificate from a technical school) and a similar amount of practical experience. You will also need to choose  one or two core languages to master up front, such as C# or Java. Once you have a good core of programming skill, you will need to add additional languages that reflect the current state of computer programming such as a web programming language.
A computer operator is a computer worker who operates one or several computer software packages for a company. There is a wide range of computer software programs that can provide workers a chance to monetize their skills. Someone looking for a job as a computer operator doesn't necessarily need a college or university degree although open positions at the top companies will usually require some level of higher education. The main requirement is a large set of skills with several related software programs. These fall into several areas including office productivity, enterprise resource management, graphic communication and information technology.
Lastly, there is a need for maintenance workers to build, fix and repair various computer hardware problems as well as troubleshoot technical problems for computer operators. An individual searching for work as a repair technician or network specialist generally needs to pass one or more certifications that prove your abilities with the software and hardware. You might consider finding a good training program to help you pass your certifications. This is especially important since these certification tests cost money to take.

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The computing world continues to grow at an amazing rate with new hardware and software coming online daily. Anyone looking for work online as a computer professional should find plenty of opportunity once they make some decisions about the type of work they want to do.

Finding Work As a Computer Worker

Turn Your Filing System into a "Finding System"

o Are you spending too much time shuffling paper?

o Are you confident that you can find what you need in case of an IRS audit?

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o Are you missing opportunities because you don't have the information you need?

o Can you find the information in your office if you're partner is not there?

o Does your office reflect the quality of goods and services you offer your customers?

Information is power - if you can find it when you need it. Unfortunately, in many offices it's easier to find information in cyberspace than in the office. Ironically, the only thing in the office that technology has not changed is how we manage paper. Today's filing systems look very similar to what Thomas Jefferson used - only there are more of them, and most of them don't work!

If you suffer from severe paper frustration, my prescription is an effective filing system. It will enable you to invest more time with your customers and be better prepared each time, and you'll have more time to spend with your family and friends. You can approach each day with less anxiety, knowing where to put each new piece of information as it arrives, confident that you can find what you need exactly when you need it!

If you have a filing system that is not working, your best bet is to clean out your most accessible file drawer and start over by filing new papers as you get them. As you need a paper from your old system, incorporate it into the new system. After one year, put the remaining papers from the old system into less accessible space (off-site storage, garage, attic) -- or into the trashcan or recycling bin.

There are three components to an effective filing system:

(1) Mechanics,

(2) Management and

(3) Maintenance.

If any of the components is weak, your filing system will be am on-going frustration instead of a valuable resource.

Filing Mechanics One of the major reasons we procrastinate about filing is that it is simply too time-consuming. Here are some tips for quick and easy filing:

o As soon as your file cabinet is too full to easily add new papers, remove old papers or buy new filing cabinets.

o File papers directly into hanging files. If you take individual papers directly from the file, you do not need a manila file inside. (I know that takes of lots of file folders! Do you want a system that works?)

o If you need to take the entire file out of the file cabinet, create a hanging file and a manila file with the same label. Returning the manila file to the proper location will be a snap.

o Put the plastic file tabs on the front of the file folder. When you grab the plastic tab and pull forward, you have created the space in the front of the file to drop the new piece of paper - and removing old papers from the back of the file folder will be easy.

o Use color to tell a story you want to tell (not just the color of the file that was available the day you made the file!). Files with tax information, for example, can be easily identified with red dots on the label. Don't make the color system too complicated to maintain.

o Use staples instead of paper clips. Paper clips catch on papers and cause misfiling and sloppy files.

File Management

One of the major frustration sources of frustration about filing is deciding what to call a file. For example, the same information can be filed under "car," "automobile," "Chrysler," or "vehicle." And what happens when you want to file the insurance policy for the car? Does it go in "Insurance - Car" or "Car Insurance?" It doesn't matter - as long as you are consistent, but human beings are rarely consistent. And the chances that two human beings who share a file will think of the same word when looking for information is highly unlikely!

The solution to this frustration is a File Index - a list of the names of your files. Then, before you make a new file, you can check the File Index to see if an appropriate file already exists. You can use a word processing program to create this index. Print out a copy and keep it at the desk where you work. When you add a new file, handwrite the changes on the File Index, and periodically update the list in the your computer and print out a new copy.

A revolution new option for managing your files is also now available: Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger (www.thepapertiger.com). This software program allows you to keep your information in paper form in your filing cabinet, automatically cross-reference the information, and use the incredible search power of the computer to find anything in your files in five seconds or less - regardless of who filed it! The software will also print file labels and a File Index automatically.

File Maintenance

Regardless of the management or mechanics techniques you use, all filing systems have to be maintained. But there is good news! There are only two steps required to maintain any filing system indefinitely:

(1) Make sure that the File Index is a living document - a perfect reflection of the names of the files in your cabinet. If you add a new file, add it to the File Index, and when you remove a file, delete it.

(2) Clean out your file when the cabinet gets too full for easy filing.

If you're having difficulty managing your paper, you're not alone! Research shows the average person spends 150 hours per year - almost one month - looking for misplaced information. Yet, 80% of what we keep we never use - frequently because we can't find it. An effective filing system will save you time and money and missed opportunities. Start your system today and stop the frustration!

Turn Your Filing System into a "Finding System"

Maximizing Free Survey Software Programs

Free survey software programs are being offered by many web-based companies today. These programs give you multiple design options, templates and questions about a wide range of topics and industries - customer service, education, hospitality and restaurants, trainings, human resources, and many more.

Most of these tools, even though free-of-charge, can be customized. You also have the option to upgrade to a paid package, which, of course, will give you additional set of features. But before signing up for anything or purchasing any package, here are some suggestions on how to make an effective survey questionnaire. This will also guide you in checking out the features of the program that you wish to register for or buy.

Human Resource Software

Choose a questionnaire software that phrases questions in a concise and direct manner. This way you wouldn't need to do considerable revisions, because it is important that your questions and instructions use clear and simple words. Avoid using words whose meaning you need to search for in the dictionary. Sometimes, one word, sentence or question could carry different meanings to different people and in different contexts. Make sure each of your questions carry only one meaning to any reader. The easier the respondents would understand your survey, the more accurate their answers would be. This will also minimize the dropout rate of respondents.

You also need to check if the program you will get, whether a free survey software or a paid program, would enable you to provide an opt-out function, if necessary. For instance, in certain cases, there are respondents who have not encountered what the question was referring to. You need to provide at least a "Not applicable" choice in your survey material.

Skewed results in research are often brought about by confusing choices for answers. Whether you are presenting a ranking or a multiple choice type of question, always have a moderate number of options. Having too few options often leave the respondents without having any honest choice and eventually force them to choose anything, even if the answer is not true or realistic. Having too much, on the other hand, would confuse your respondents and would have a similar result of untrue replies.

These are just some major points that you should think about if you want to produce effective questionnaires for your research. If you are considering using a free online survey creator tool, keep these suggestions in mind so you can maximize the program's functions and features.

Maximizing Free Survey Software Programs