Create Your Own Company Dashboard - desktop widget

Create Your Own Company Dashboard - desktop widget
By Randal Roberts
Have you ever thought about developing a dashboard for your company? You know, like the dashboard in your vehicle? With the development of computers and the many different kinds of software systems that help small businesses, maybe now is the time to create a dashboard for you, as the manager and owner of your business. It is not all that difficult.

As you drive down the road, right there in front of you, is your car's dashboard. It tells you everything that is going on within your vehicle and the trip that you are taking. It has your speed and how far you have traveled. It shows how much fuel is remaining. It can show you if your battery is charging, the temperature of your engine, the direction you are going, the outside temperature, what you are listening to on the radio or CD, and many more things depending on how your vehicle is equipped. These things are all very helpful. Sometimes you do not need the information and sometimes you do. But when you need to know how a certain system is functioning, the information is right there in front of you.

What is important for you to know in your business? There are many different pieces of information in your business depending on the type of business you have. Here are some ideas. Maybe your dashboard will show you how much cash you have in the bank or how much inventory you have. Maybe it can show you your sales volume, completed or pending sales? Are your accounts receivables a bit of a worry? Put that on your dashboard. Does worker productivity mean anything to you? Go ahead and add it. How about your sales force. How many sales calls did they make last week? How many appointments are scheduled this week? Are your accounts payable current? What bills are due, pending or coming due this week? You can add this. The list can go on and on depending on what you want or need to know to have a handle on your business affairs.

There are some accounting software systems that will create a dashboard for you. Some will even let you modify the dashboard to your needs. This is great but there could be some bits of information that you want but that is not part of the software package. This is when you need to be creative. Maybe an office worker can help you develop the information and how to get it on your dashboard. I do not know for sure, but I would guess that there is a consultant out there who can develop a dashboard for your company.

Find a way to make the dashboard as accessible as possible. Get it to your laptop or on a piece of paper you carry with you. It can fit on your cell phone or your iPad. Once you have developed a dashboard, use it. Keep it updated. It can become your best friend and help you avoid sleepless nights. You can know in an instant where you are and what you should focus on to improve your small business. Good luck.

Randal Roberts has over 30 years of commercial and international banking experience. He has helped more than 2,500 different companies with their businesses. He is willing to help you find the resources you need to start your own business or improve the one that you already have. Visit

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How Does the Media Influence the Economy? - media effects

How Does the Media Influence the Economy? - media effects
By Charles R Davis

Does the media have any influence on the economy? The media has influence, good or bad, on the economy. I am not stating that it is the only thing driving the forces of the economy, but if you think about all of the bad news that has been out about how little people are spending, layoffs, a downed economy, and other variables; it does have some influence on what people do.

When the news coverage talks about how bad an economy is doing, it can help to drive fear into the lives of people and force people to spend less in an economy. That fear can also trigger businesses to slow down on spending, which can also have an effect on other businesses. Have you ever watched the news and heard stories about various crimes that may have happened and felt like crime is rising in your area? You see, businesses rely on other businesses to make money as well. Doctors use other doctors to get referrals and businesses do the same with other businesses. Here is one example. A slow economy means that fewer homes are built due to slower sales. This would also mean less lumber, flooring, tile, paint, sinks, bath tubs, dry wall, light sockets...and the list goes on for the supplies being used to make homes. And the products are made by more than one manufacturer. This also would mean less sales people and workers would be needed for all of these industries.

You should ask yourself how do you feel about things after hearing about it on the news? Do you think good or bad depending on how the topic is covered? And does it affect or influence your decisions about buying a particular product? Automobile recalls can help to decrease the confidence of consumers to buy a particular automobile. Even though the recall could be on one model, people may stay away from the brand if it is publicized repeatedly in the media. Why? People may be conditioned to think that the product, or products, that the manufacturer makes are unsafe.

The good news is that in this economy, all businesses are not suffering. The news that most people hear is only about companies that are laying off workers or companies that are completely going out of business. But why do we not hear about all of the other companies that are doing well, increasing margins, increasing profits, and expanding in this economy? It is probably because bad news sells faster than good news. People are sometimes more interested in bad or tragic news verses being more interested in good and prosperous news. If you think about any changes that you have made in your life during the recession and how you are spending more or less money. This is also a contributing factor that a lot of people have been doing as well.

You can look at discount stores and know that they are drawing in more people than normal during the recession. Why? The reason is that people are looking to save more and keep more money in their pocket. When this happens, people tend to go to other resources that are available to get some of the same things that they are used to getting. You can also look at the stock markets. They tend to fluctuate when instant media coverage of financial cuts for the government of businesses are announced. This happens in real-time since the information is available everywhere online, television, cell phones, and radio. Have you been affected by the news that you hear or watch? The media can be a power influence on us all. I am not saying that it is a bad thing, but it does have some influence on what we do and how we think.

Charles Davis is an Executive Vice President for KHR Executive Group, Inc. He is a PhD Candidate for Public Policy in Health Services. Charles has a MBA in Business and has a Marketing minor as an undergraduate. He is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and holds OSHA Certifications. He has years of experience in his background in managing others. Mr. Davis has a background in Sales Management, Finance, and Health

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Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program - century 21 century

Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program - century 21 century
By Iola Bonggay

The Institute of Museum and Library Services(IMLS) is an independent agency of the US federal government. The IMLS is especially responsible for providing federal support to over 100,000 museums and about 17,000 libraries located in the US.

The effort of IMLS is primarily geared towards the creation of strong libraries and museums which would hopefully bridge connections between people, ideas and knowledge.

In line with its goals and mission, the IMLS has recently established a funding opportunity to support the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program involves improving then country's information infrastructure through the utilization of funding projects that are designed to address the education and training needs of certain experts who help build, maintain and give the public immediate access to many of the world's vast and wide-ranging information systems and resources.

The main objective of Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program is to hone and develop the potential of faculty and library leaders, to encourage and recruit future librarians and archivists, to enable professionals to conduct research studies, in order to build institutional capacity in graduate schools of library and information science education, and ultimately, so as to offer assistance in the professional continuing development of librarians and archivists.

The IMLS is set out to administer grant amounts that range between $50,000 to $500,000 to a few selected applicants who are permitted to participate in this program.

In order to be deemed qualified to submit an application for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, you need to:

a) belong to either a unit of State or local government or a private nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code;

b) be located in one of the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau;

c) qualify as one of the following organizations: a library or a parent organization, an academic or administrative unit, a digital library, a library agency that is an official agency of a state or other unit of government, a library consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library entities, and finally, a library association that exists on a permanent basis.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the principal agency funding the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, is the nation's primary source of federal support to libraries and museums. Furthermore, it's also the country's leader in providing services that are geared toward enhancing learning, sustaining cultural heritage and increasing civic participation.

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