Category: Business Management

Money Is No Longer Buying Happiness
Let’s face it. Today, building an effective team of retail employees is more challenging than ever. We all agree that the key to an effective retail operation are high performing and productive employees. Furthermore, in spite of a great location or a superior line of goods or services the behavior of every single team member well have a dramatic affect on the overall success of the operation. Every time the employee steps out onto the sales floor and interacts with a customer a change in brand equity is realized. In other words, the behavior and interaction of your employee with your customer will have an ongoing affect on brand identity and brand equity within the competitive marketplace.

Understandably great customer experiences create gains in brand equity while disappointing performance by your team members will create a deterioration in your brand equity. Exactly what is the secret to ensuring that each and every one-on-one customer experience in your store consistently increases brand equity in the eyes of the community? In other words, what makes a team member consistently delight and dazzle your customers so that long-term customer relationships with ongoing repeat business are realized?

The secret is a team of engaged employees. Why is employee engagement so critical in today’s retail landscape? In earlier times employee expectations were quite simple. Employees were happy to come to work and do as they’re told, collect their paycheck and go home at the end of the day. In contrast todays employee is far more sophisticated, educated and connected than ever before. Not surprisingly, the Internet has been instrumental in increasing knowledge levels and subsequently employee aspirations and expectations in the workplace. Unlike earlier times, countless surveys have demonstrated that compensation itself is not enough to satisfy employees over the long-term. In fact, in a ranking of 10 critical elements in one recent survey compensation for employees was rated 6/10!

Today, a retail employee is not just motivated by compensation. Above everything else there is a need to belong to the organization and have a sense of ownership. Ownership can be realized through employee empowerment. Trusting your employees and empowering them to make decisions close to the customer creates personal long-term relationships between your team members and your clients. Empowering your employees creates a climate of ownership and belonging for your team members and generates a great level of loyalty to the company.

Building a team of engaged employees that generates powerful long-term customer relationships takes a long time to build. However once realized the organization will enjoy greater productivity per individual employee, higher morale, lower internal and external theft rates and most importantly, lower employee turnover.

How does an organization that has traditionally operated through a regimented model began to create a more productive and loyal team of engaged employees?

1] Make sure that all employees are kept informed of new and relevant developments in the company. They should hear them first and they should hear them from their organization directly. There is nothing more demoralizing than hearing about new organizational developments last or hearing them from an outside source that was aware of the development before your team was.

2] Give staff increased responsibility and trust. Expand their decision-making powers even if you impose some limitations. Empower staff to make decisions close to the customer and give them the necessary support and Training to enable them to make good win-win decisions for all stakeholders.

3] Encourage staff to make decisions close to the customer and even when on occasion a bad decision is made, offer supportive training and refrain from chastising or punishing the employee.

4] Ensure that a structured process is in place to recognize exemplary customer service on a regular basis. Recognize and reward engaged employees who go above and beyond the call of duty to create a memorable customer experience. To keep momentum going, this strategy is most effective during weekly meetings where peer recognition is realized and small rewards are given to stellar employees. Rewards do not need to be extravagant. The recognition and appreciation is the key to effective leadership of engaged employees.

5] Create a formal and informal system that enables engaged employees to voice their opinions and help steer the future direction of the organization. Empower them to voice their opinions on a regular basis and contribute their ideas in a positive way that will make the company more effective and more efficient. Successfully implemented ideas also merit some form of recognition and a reward.

Building a team of engaged employees is the key to future survival and prosperity in every retail organization. Although this can be complex and protracted in time, the key to success is a change in leadership style that supports a greater level of empowerment, involvement and ownership of today’s retail employee. Start now and create the culture that generates higher morale, higher productivity and lower turnover. Rise above the competition in small steps today, and soar to being number one tomorrow!

There is no way for a business to survive, much less thrive, today if

International Business Management isnt at the forefront. Thats why foreign investment and risk analysts, foreign trade consultants, commercial bank officers, international marketing representatives and international development assistants are so in demand. Centennial Colleges International Business Management program trains students for these careers in a three-semester study period geared towards mature learners.

Because this International Business Management is so fast-paced, applicants must have completed a college diploma or university degree in any discipline. The offering will also consider applicants with partial post-secondary and relevant work experience (transcript and resume review is required). Lastly, as far as admission requirements are concerned, students may be required to show proof of English proficiency.

All three semesters of this International Business Management program contain a mixture of foundational and specialized, industry-valued courses. Additionally, all of the classes employ case studies, simulations and project-based learning, with the intention of helping students to enhance project management, teamwork, report writing and communication and presentation skills round. The use of computer and Internet technology in performing international business functions is also included.

Here is a look at some of the International Business Managements essential courses.

Comparative Geopolitical Systems: This class explores world systems and how global and regional systems have changed and been changed by relationships between people and places. It provides students with an organized study of historical, geographical, social and cultural factors in world regions.

Global Business Strategy: This International Business Management course addresses professional cross-cultural negotiation and strategy formulation. The increasing globalization of industries has seen an increase in strategic alliances, hence intercultural negotiations. Meanwhile, strategy formulation is emphasized via a strong conceptual foundation outlining the steps involved in successful international business planning to developing an analytical decision-making framework and finally getting a hands-on experience in making decisions in cross functional teams.

International Banking and Finance: Students get an overview of international money markets, the elements of risk management, the role of financial institutions and a case study approach as to why companies merge or interest rates fluctuate and why stock markets fluctuate.

International Business Law: In this International Business Management course, students obtain a base in the legal aspects of global trade, with a focus on both public and private international law. Public international law includes international organizations, such as the WTO, and its corresponding agreements. Private international law, applicable to international business activity, such as the law of international sales, is analyzed and a case study method utilized. Students also gain insight into the basis for government regulation of international business, as well as the role of politics and economics in it.

International Entrepreneurship: This intensive hands-on practical course provides International Business Management students with the basic, practical procedures and tools that are required when strategically planning to enter international markets. Emphasis is on entrepreneurial activities, including sourcing, purchasing from Canadian sources and placing products in strategic international markets.

International Business Management grads may enter the industry or pursue further knowledge via one of the offerings university partners, which include: Centenary College, University of Western Sydney and Griffith University.

The world of business is truly competitive. As a matter of fact, before you can even set foot on this industry, you will get a taste of what the competition is all about. Almost always, there is more than one applicant for a single business management position and they are likely to carry the same business management diploma as yours. Therefore, it is extremely important to throw in other things you can offer aside from that. Here are some ideas:

Power dressing. Actors portray their roles better when they are dressed for the part or in costume. Business people shouldn”t see this differently. The right choice of clothes and accessories can make you feel confident and ready to take the world with your business acumen. Likewise, power dressing has the power to make employers or hiring managers imagine you in the position you are applying for so never underestimate this part. Basically, appearance falls in the “first impressions” category and it can have a bearing in your application as much as a business management diploma.

Impressive resume and cover letter. When writing your resume and cover letter, remember the 3 Cs: concise, current and cut out for every application. Business management is not a field for fancy words. Instead, use strong keywords that would highlight your competence and not some high school activities that would only be a waste of space. At the same time, the keywords should address the requirements in the job posting or advertisement. Get rid of experiences that happened eons ago if they are not really noteworthy. Lastly, try to make a set for every position you are applying for.

Refreshing interview. Interview is the perfect opportunity to expand what you have written in the resume and cover letter or better, talk about things you haven”t mentioned yet. As much as you can, avoid a repetition. Arrive early or on time, be candid and come prepared. Do your research and ask questions about the position or company if you need to. Of course, be ready to answer questions about yourself, particularly about the business management course you finished and your work experience. Fresh graduates can gain experience by working as interns or through volunteer jobs.

TIP: The thing about interviews is that it doesn”t happen in offices all the time. There are instances where you”d meet a prospective employer outside the four walls of an office so always be prepared.

If youre looking for an International Business Management program that not only prepares you for the industry but also allows for a smooth transition into further education, you may want to consider the one offered at Centennial College. This one-year offering is geared to students who have already completed a college or university credential and allows individuals from a variety of academic backgrounds to gain the global business knowledge necessary in leveraging their career prospects. Upon completion, students have the opportunity to continue their studies and apply their centennial credits towards a masters degree with the programs university partners: University of Western Sydney, Griffith University and Centenary College. If, however, they want to enter the International Business Management field right away, they can do so in positions such as Foreign Investment and Risk Analysts, Foreign Trade Consultants, Commercial Bank Officers, International Marketing Representatives, International Development Assistants.

In order to apply to the International Business Management program, students are required to have completed a college diploma or university degree in any discipline. In addition, proof of English proficiency may be required. Please note that this program will consider applicants with partial post-secondary and relevant work experience (transcript and resume review is required).

Once they are in the program, students will discover a program that thrives on the belief that business today, whether large, medium or small, is inevitably international and that recognition is vital to its survival in a globalized world economy. As such, an emphasis is placed on the use of computer and Internet technology in performing international business functions to ensure that students have the necessary skills for career success in the current international business environment. An extensive use of case studies, simulations and project-based learning, with focus on developing project management, teamwork, report writing and communication and presentation skills round out teaching methods.

These teaching methods are used throughout, including in the first semester of this International Business Management program, which includes foundational courses such as Business Presentations, Comparative Geopolitical Systems, Global Business Strategy, International Development and more. The second semester of International Business Management offers provides specialized, industry-valued courses. Among these are: International Marketing and Trade (a study of international marketing in a global economy. Practical application is in the development of an international/global marketing plan of an existing or potential consumer good); International Finance and Training (provides opportunities in understanding the role of finance in global business activities, financial markets and institutions affect everyday life); Import and Export Management (emphasis is on entrepreneurial activities, including sourcing, purchasing from Canadian sources and placing products in strategic international markets. The importing and exporting processes will be emphasized, as will government initiatives and programs that exist to support there endeavours in international business); and more.

To round out International Business Management training, Centennial College offers a Business Experiential Learning course that allows the student to experience the Canadian work environment and to apply various skills learned in the first and second semesters of the program. Each student is assigned to an external host organization as an intern and must take instruction and direction from the employer regarding their tasks while on the job.

The advent of globalization and the demands from the customers for better facilities and technically high end products places vast responsibility on the management shoulders top of the line managers need to work out strategic methods for effective operations more so in a widely networked organization. However, in a technologically sound era, the management of networking services involves wide area communication devices, data storage mediums, tools and procedures, for a smooth functioning of networked systems. A network management is characterized by its faults, configuration, accounting, performance and security.

In the present business environment wherein there is a lot of dependency on the electronic data transfer and storage, data security over a globally wide network becomes a major concern. To maintain such a technological lifeline, needs the expertise of the network consulting service providers. With the expert help at hand, organizations can spring back quickly from issues such as network downtime, intrusions, disruption of service and can effectively manage the network to ensure high level of productivity and profit revenue. The managed network service providers’ remains accountable for the functions and performance of the network.

The network consulting services provider being from an Information technology industry is well equipped with the knowledge of the various computer systems, server, storage devices, and networking equipments. the leaders in network consulting services, with their team of engineers with expertise in LAN/WAN design, network security, IP communications, business process development and technology implementation, offer services in the filed of Data center consulting services including migration , WAN consolidation and optimization, Network readiness and unified communication optimization services.

Further, since information security is also an issue that most of the technologically enabled organizations struggle with, choosing a network consulting service provider with expertise in the field of providing high level network security over bandwidths will prove beneficial for the global organization. These service providers with their expertise, understanding and analyzing skills offer customized solutions for routing, switching, security, wireless and Voice over IP. Such client specific solution helps both small and medium enterprises to expand their business to new markets while the large business houses can capitalize on market trends.

With expertise of having designed and developed secure networks customized as per client requirements, the service providers also manage virtual private networks in green datacenter environment. Besides providing bandwidth management, server networking, remote access configuration, net meeting, host connectivity they also offer a 24/7 support and online status check as a wholesome package, making network consulting services a new trend in the business world.

Read more on – Datacenter Virtualization, managed security services