Business: Don't Be Held To Ransom

Don't Be Held To Ransom

Written by Arthur Cooper

I was talking to a businessman repparttar

other day who was bemoaning repparttar 104298

fact that

company for whom he works was being held to ransom by a single individual, a freelance contractor, who was repparttar 104300

only person capable of maintaining a vital software system for them. He could more or less charge them what he liked.

How had this come about? How can you avoid this in your company?

In repparttar 104301 past, in order to speed up software development and prolong repparttar 104302 life of their older mainframe computer systems, this company had invested heavily in a particular proprietary “Rapid Application Development” (RAD) software system. This became an integral and essential part of many of their critical applications.

Unfortunately, this particular RAD system did not catch on in repparttar 104303 wider marketplace. It is not widely used, and is now also rather dated. Consequently it has become increasingly difficult to find people with repparttar 104304 necessary skills or repparttar 104305 wish to acquire them. Those few individuals with repparttar 104306 required skills can hold repparttar 104307 company to ransom.

Don’t let this happen to your company.

Here are a few simple guidelines on how to avoid finding yourself in repparttar 104308 same position.

1.Don’t be an “early adopter” of new software systems. Make sure a product has an established client base before climbing aboard repparttar 104309 bandwagon. 2.When you buy a software package, use it as close to standard as you possibly can. Don’t demand masses of special modifications. You will be building up huge maintenance problems (and costs) for repparttar 104310 future. 3.If you must have non-standard add-ons to standard packages, get repparttar 104311 knowledge transferred in house. Don’t put yourself in hock to your suppliers. 4.If replacing old systems, make sure you do it fully. Don’t let an old system be kept and used for just one small function. The eventual (increasing) maintenance will far exceed repparttar 104312 (reducing) usefulness. 5.Don’t loose sight of repparttar 104313 life cycle costs of a system (purchase, installation, maintenance, replacement). Don’t stop at just repparttar 104314 first two of these items.

Ten Fun Ways to Liven up Any Presentation

Written by Sandra Schrift

Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre*e of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address(http://www.schrift.com) in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to sandra@schrift.com Thank you. ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Ten Fun Ways to Liven up Any Presentation

Most of us would agree that having humor in our lives increases rapport, strengthens our relationships and overcomes communication barriers. People who work in a positive, often playful environment are more likely to stay. Productivity and creativity increase while stress is reduced. We just feel better after a good laugh. Think funny!

1. Open with a humorous story. . I remember repparttar time repparttar 104297 lights when out and I fell off repparttar 104298 stage. I wasn’t hurt and quickly said, Now I will take questions from repparttar 104299 floor. I’m at my best when taking questions in repparttar 104300 dark. Before you can be funny, you must learn to see funny. Find repparttar 104301 humor around you, in your life every day. The lady who takes an aisle seat rather tan sit next to repparttar 104302 window . . . doesn’t want to mess up her hair. Practice telling repparttar 104303 story out loud, and cut out any parts that aren't crucial. As Shakespeare so wisely said, "Brevity is repparttar 104304 soul of wit."

2. Use props (candy bars, hats, funny faces, etc.) Props can be used as a metaphor or an analogy for a point you are introducing. They get your creative juices working while providing an anchor for your audience to focus on.

3. Cartoons use your own or others a picture saves a 1000 words. Put cartoons on an overhead or use as part of a PowerPoint presentation.

4. Humor - should be relevant to your topic. Tom Peters said, I deeply believe in humor; not in jokes. Humor is spectacular. Humor relieves anxiety and tension, serves as outlet for hostility and anger, and provides a healthy escape from reality. It lightens heaviness related to critical illness, trauma, disfigurement, and death. It comes as no surprise that many people are utilizing humor to deal with repparttar 104305 trying times. But is repparttar 104306 humor timely? Is it appropriate?

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