ChipIn is a Web-based service that simplifies the process of collecting money from groups of people. We make this process quick, easy, and secure, and we provide organizers with numerous ways to get the word out about their ChipIn event.
More:http://www.chipin.com/overview
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Better Business Bureaus(Free Reports For Millions Of Business)
The 129 Better Business Bureaus (BBBs) serving communities across the United States and Canada helped consumers and businesses with more than 105 million instances of service in 2006 - a record-breaking number for the BBB System, and the first time the System has topped the 100 million mark for instances of service in its 95-year history. The BBB System has increased its annual instances of service by more than 150 percent in the past five years, from 41.5 million in 2002. The 2006 figures are a 17 percent increase over the 90 million instances of service provided in 2005, and mark the fifth straight year of double-digit percentage increases.
With so many choices for consumers across North America, the issue of trust in the marketplace is as important today as ever. For nearly a century, BBBs have set and upheld high standards for fair and honest business behavior," said Cole. "Consumers and businesses have come to rely on our millions of easy-to-access reports to find organizations they can trust here and in Canada."
Reliability reports on millions of businesses are available free-of-charge at www.bbb.org, and consumers can find more information about online businesses at www.bbbonline.org. Also, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (www.give.org) delivers charity review reports, which were viewed two million times in 2006.
Nore:http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=755
With so many choices for consumers across North America, the issue of trust in the marketplace is as important today as ever. For nearly a century, BBBs have set and upheld high standards for fair and honest business behavior," said Cole. "Consumers and businesses have come to rely on our millions of easy-to-access reports to find organizations they can trust here and in Canada."
Reliability reports on millions of businesses are available free-of-charge at www.bbb.org, and consumers can find more information about online businesses at www.bbbonline.org. Also, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (www.give.org) delivers charity review reports, which were viewed two million times in 2006.
Nore:http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=755
How To Select CEOs For Your Company
Q: We hired a CEO for a previous company we started, and after about five months noticed that this individual was a micromanager who wanted to control everything. We will be hiring a CEO for another startup company and would like to know how to choose the right CEO for the type of culture we are developing. Are there pre-employment tests or specific questions to ask and behaviors to look for? How do you know if a CEO candidate can manage without controlling?
A: I can understand your concern for hiring the right or best CEO. All the successes and failures in any company flow up and down the hierarchy, but, ultimately, the CEO is the person in charge who needs to assume responsibility for the outcomes.
There is certainly no "one best" CEO or boss. This individual is a combination of personal and professional traits, behaviors, characteristics, knowledge, skills and abilities. Management researchers have not yet decided which of these factors coupled with which management or leadership theories are most effective. However, most people would agree that success definitely depends on the best matching of those factors with the environment or culture of your company. The successful CEO of IBM, for example, might not be successful at a chain of statewide supermarkets or high-tech fix-it shops. Failure or success comes not only from within the individual, but also from the individual who works within the existing culture or desired culture that the CEO attempts to develop.
You already seem to have an idea about the importance of a prospective CEO fitting into your culture. Let me offer a few more thoughts and questions to trigger your deepening view of the aspects that define a culture and the necessary factors a CEO candidate must possess in order to work well within a culture.
First, a culture is generally defined as the sum total of a group or organization's actions, structures, policies, beliefs, legends, ceremonies, history and values. The CEO and the people he or she trusts and/or delegates to are responsible for creating or furthering the ongoing aspects of that culture.
If you want to improve the chances that you will hire the best candidate for your culture, you will need to take a hard assessment of your internal and external corporate environment, no matter how large or small your organization may be. For instance, with whom will the CEO communicate: other CEOs? Community leaders? The press? What is the CEO's vision for your company? How well does it mesh with your view? Just where does the CEO want to take your company, or is that candidate happy with the status quo? What goals does this person have for moving from today's world into tomorrow's world? How will that be achieved? At what cost and to whom? With how much change? Using which process of change?
What values does the CEO candidate espouse? How does this person feel about these issues: honesty, integrity and ethics? Outcome issues such as productivity, revenue and quality? Values such as individual vs. teamwork? Highly structured vs. less-structured leadership styles? Autocratic vs. democratic processes? People-oriented vs. productivity-oriented? Trust vs. distrust? Creativity and innovation vs. current focus? Risk-taking vs. playing it safe?
These are, of course, just some of the descriptors that can define a successful CEO. The most fundamental step is for you and your colleagues to answer these questions. Then, review resumes and interview candidates to determine just how close they come to reflecting the picture of the ideal candidate for your specific company. In the process of making that decision, ask specific questions of the candidate and insist on specific, measurable responses that include key examples of what the candidate did and did not do in various situations.
By
David G. Javitch, Ph.D.
A: I can understand your concern for hiring the right or best CEO. All the successes and failures in any company flow up and down the hierarchy, but, ultimately, the CEO is the person in charge who needs to assume responsibility for the outcomes.
There is certainly no "one best" CEO or boss. This individual is a combination of personal and professional traits, behaviors, characteristics, knowledge, skills and abilities. Management researchers have not yet decided which of these factors coupled with which management or leadership theories are most effective. However, most people would agree that success definitely depends on the best matching of those factors with the environment or culture of your company. The successful CEO of IBM, for example, might not be successful at a chain of statewide supermarkets or high-tech fix-it shops. Failure or success comes not only from within the individual, but also from the individual who works within the existing culture or desired culture that the CEO attempts to develop.
You already seem to have an idea about the importance of a prospective CEO fitting into your culture. Let me offer a few more thoughts and questions to trigger your deepening view of the aspects that define a culture and the necessary factors a CEO candidate must possess in order to work well within a culture.
First, a culture is generally defined as the sum total of a group or organization's actions, structures, policies, beliefs, legends, ceremonies, history and values. The CEO and the people he or she trusts and/or delegates to are responsible for creating or furthering the ongoing aspects of that culture.
If you want to improve the chances that you will hire the best candidate for your culture, you will need to take a hard assessment of your internal and external corporate environment, no matter how large or small your organization may be. For instance, with whom will the CEO communicate: other CEOs? Community leaders? The press? What is the CEO's vision for your company? How well does it mesh with your view? Just where does the CEO want to take your company, or is that candidate happy with the status quo? What goals does this person have for moving from today's world into tomorrow's world? How will that be achieved? At what cost and to whom? With how much change? Using which process of change?
What values does the CEO candidate espouse? How does this person feel about these issues: honesty, integrity and ethics? Outcome issues such as productivity, revenue and quality? Values such as individual vs. teamwork? Highly structured vs. less-structured leadership styles? Autocratic vs. democratic processes? People-oriented vs. productivity-oriented? Trust vs. distrust? Creativity and innovation vs. current focus? Risk-taking vs. playing it safe?
These are, of course, just some of the descriptors that can define a successful CEO. The most fundamental step is for you and your colleagues to answer these questions. Then, review resumes and interview candidates to determine just how close they come to reflecting the picture of the ideal candidate for your specific company. In the process of making that decision, ask specific questions of the candidate and insist on specific, measurable responses that include key examples of what the candidate did and did not do in various situations.
By
David G. Javitch, Ph.D.
Biggest Online Video Game (.wiichat.com)
Wii seems to be bringing a lot of joy to people everywhere (that and pain for those who still can't find a unit on sale…), although the machine has also accompanied some rather wider reaching consequences that stretch across at least part of videogaming's culture.
So here's a look at what Wii's growing success has brought to the industry – for better AND for worse.
1. Standardised And Efficient Motion Controls
This isn't quite universal yet, as Microsoft is doing a good job of feigning apathy at the moment (what's the bet we see an Xbox tilt controller in the next 2 years though?), but there's no doubt Wii has brought with it a glimpse of what videogame control will be like for the next generation and beyond. Sony came a little late to the party with its rather half-hearted SIXAXIS pad on PlayStation3, but it's a clear sign of things to come. Console manufactures run on a very strong principle of competition mimicry, and if one company is seen to have made a success of a new way to play games, every single other company out there will try and follow with tweaks and changes. I'm willing to go as far to say that both Sony and Microsoft are already looking on how to improve on the Wii remote's capabilities, although it's an obvious assumption that Nintendo is already working on the case too and has the advantage of an audience who already think the big N is the originator of the concept.
It's also a proven way to introduce new people to videogames, so an invaluable method of audience expansion. Again, something that cannot be ignored by any developer or publisher. Wii has given the game a new angle; now we'll be watching exactly how everyone else plays it.
2. A Head-Bangingly Frustrating Resistance To Online Gaming
It's almost painful that Nintendo is so damned stubborn about this, but after promises and declarations it still seems unwilling to welcome online gaming with open arms. There's a fair few titles around the corner that will be playable via the interweb, but even this is slightly soured by the inane friend code system that looks like forcing us into a new code for each game. No no no. This is not a friendly and intuitive format and as a result some companies (mostly third-parties) are shying away from putting online functions in their games, on top of Nintendo's apparent apathy towards the concept. While Sony and Microsoft are making great inroads, Nintendo has stalled things somewhat in a universal sense. Which is irritating, as it's made some good decisions in making online play free, implementing a fantastic browser and offering other goodies, such as the weather and news channels. The lack of force in the most important section, the gaming itself, means competitors can get away with more lethargy, simply though the fact Nintendo's efforts are so comparatively half-arsed.
More:http://www.wiichat.com/
So here's a look at what Wii's growing success has brought to the industry – for better AND for worse.
1. Standardised And Efficient Motion Controls
This isn't quite universal yet, as Microsoft is doing a good job of feigning apathy at the moment (what's the bet we see an Xbox tilt controller in the next 2 years though?), but there's no doubt Wii has brought with it a glimpse of what videogame control will be like for the next generation and beyond. Sony came a little late to the party with its rather half-hearted SIXAXIS pad on PlayStation3, but it's a clear sign of things to come. Console manufactures run on a very strong principle of competition mimicry, and if one company is seen to have made a success of a new way to play games, every single other company out there will try and follow with tweaks and changes. I'm willing to go as far to say that both Sony and Microsoft are already looking on how to improve on the Wii remote's capabilities, although it's an obvious assumption that Nintendo is already working on the case too and has the advantage of an audience who already think the big N is the originator of the concept.
It's also a proven way to introduce new people to videogames, so an invaluable method of audience expansion. Again, something that cannot be ignored by any developer or publisher. Wii has given the game a new angle; now we'll be watching exactly how everyone else plays it.
2. A Head-Bangingly Frustrating Resistance To Online Gaming
It's almost painful that Nintendo is so damned stubborn about this, but after promises and declarations it still seems unwilling to welcome online gaming with open arms. There's a fair few titles around the corner that will be playable via the interweb, but even this is slightly soured by the inane friend code system that looks like forcing us into a new code for each game. No no no. This is not a friendly and intuitive format and as a result some companies (mostly third-parties) are shying away from putting online functions in their games, on top of Nintendo's apparent apathy towards the concept. While Sony and Microsoft are making great inroads, Nintendo has stalled things somewhat in a universal sense. Which is irritating, as it's made some good decisions in making online play free, implementing a fantastic browser and offering other goodies, such as the weather and news channels. The lack of force in the most important section, the gaming itself, means competitors can get away with more lethargy, simply though the fact Nintendo's efforts are so comparatively half-arsed.
More:http://www.wiichat.com/
Who After Warren Buffet?
Last month, Warren Buffett posted the mother of all help-wanted ads: a request for candidates to replace him as chief investment officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Now, the résumés are flooding in -- and the process is turning out to be every bit as unconventional as the billionaire investor himself. Among the 600 or so applicants so far: a Talmudic scholar who picks stocks from home, a Canadian economist with an intense yoga practice and even a four-year-old.
"We're going to run this like 'American Idol' in the end," the 76-year-old Mr. Buffett quipped in an interview in his modest office, neatly decorated with baseball paraphernalia and photos of old friends. On a recent Sunday, he went in after lunch to read annual reports and open mail, some of which is destined for a small box on his desk labeled "TOO HARD."
For all Mr. Buffett's whimsy, it's an important quest, both for his company, which has a market value of about $168 billion, and for his legions of fans. For decades, Mr. Buffett's financial decisions have been the subject of conjecture, scrutiny and imitation. So, even though Mr. Buffett says he is in "excellent health" and has no plans to retire soon, the naming of a CIO successor signals for many the end of an era and a step into uncharted territory.
It won't be easy to fill Mr. Buffett's size 10-1/2 shoes. Thanks largely to his legendary stock picking, the "Oracle of Omaha" is now the world's second-richest man, topped only by Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates. An investor who bought $1,000 of Berkshire Hathaway Class A stock in 1965, after Mr. Buffett took control, would be worth more than $7 million today.
It takes "a peculiar temperament" to be an investor who consistently seeks opportunities away from the crowd, says Charlie Munger, Berkshire's 83-year-old vice chairman. Mr. Buffett says Mr. Munger, whom he has known for more than four decades, would be the "ideal person" for the job -- if he were just 30 years younger.
More:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117769304545985007-7JW4Astl1z1hX_oDGufoOnWzoRE_20070507.html?mod=blogs
Now, the résumés are flooding in -- and the process is turning out to be every bit as unconventional as the billionaire investor himself. Among the 600 or so applicants so far: a Talmudic scholar who picks stocks from home, a Canadian economist with an intense yoga practice and even a four-year-old.
"We're going to run this like 'American Idol' in the end," the 76-year-old Mr. Buffett quipped in an interview in his modest office, neatly decorated with baseball paraphernalia and photos of old friends. On a recent Sunday, he went in after lunch to read annual reports and open mail, some of which is destined for a small box on his desk labeled "TOO HARD."
For all Mr. Buffett's whimsy, it's an important quest, both for his company, which has a market value of about $168 billion, and for his legions of fans. For decades, Mr. Buffett's financial decisions have been the subject of conjecture, scrutiny and imitation. So, even though Mr. Buffett says he is in "excellent health" and has no plans to retire soon, the naming of a CIO successor signals for many the end of an era and a step into uncharted territory.
It won't be easy to fill Mr. Buffett's size 10-1/2 shoes. Thanks largely to his legendary stock picking, the "Oracle of Omaha" is now the world's second-richest man, topped only by Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates. An investor who bought $1,000 of Berkshire Hathaway Class A stock in 1965, after Mr. Buffett took control, would be worth more than $7 million today.
It takes "a peculiar temperament" to be an investor who consistently seeks opportunities away from the crowd, says Charlie Munger, Berkshire's 83-year-old vice chairman. Mr. Buffett says Mr. Munger, whom he has known for more than four decades, would be the "ideal person" for the job -- if he were just 30 years younger.
More:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117769304545985007-7JW4Astl1z1hX_oDGufoOnWzoRE_20070507.html?mod=blogs
KidFresh
Working moms and dads who want to provide their children with nutritious organic fare, but don't have the time , will love the Kidfresh concept. A children’s food store, designed by a team that includes an award-winning chef and dietician as well as a pediatric nutritionist, New York-based Kidfresh offers prepared “Grab + Go” meals or “Mix + Match” selections that cater to four different age groups, ranging from baby to age 10. Food boxes are colour-coded according to age, and contain breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, priced from USD 4.95 - USD 7.25 per meal.
The store, located at 1628 2nd Avenue in New York, is extremely child-friendly, aiming to involve kids in the food buying process. Children can enter through a special doorway, and gather their groceries in pint-sized carts. Kidfresh also offers cooking classes and other events to encourage children to get into the “Kidchen” and take an interest in healthy eating. An in-store counter serves ice-cream, fruit kebabs and Parents can also shop online for Kidfresh meals or groceries. With rising concerns about childhood obesity, health- and weight-conscious parents are likely to be a profitable market to tap into. Our recent items on pre-packed healthy lunches and fresh and frozen gourmet baby food are further evidence of this trend.
Website: www.kidfresh.com
The store, located at 1628 2nd Avenue in New York, is extremely child-friendly, aiming to involve kids in the food buying process. Children can enter through a special doorway, and gather their groceries in pint-sized carts. Kidfresh also offers cooking classes and other events to encourage children to get into the “Kidchen” and take an interest in healthy eating. An in-store counter serves ice-cream, fruit kebabs and Parents can also shop online for Kidfresh meals or groceries. With rising concerns about childhood obesity, health- and weight-conscious parents are likely to be a profitable market to tap into. Our recent items on pre-packed healthy lunches and fresh and frozen gourmet baby food are further evidence of this trend.
Website: www.kidfresh.com
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