If you've got an idea for improvements within your own company, it's often easy to assume that your boss will hear you out. But there's a right way and a wrong way to sell an idea with an email or internal memo. Below are two examples—one that's likely to bomb, and one that has a good chance of success. Roll your mouse over the blue numbers to find out why.
The Wrong Way:
To: Fred CEO
From: Joe HR
Subject: Fitness and Productivity [1]
Fred:
I recently read the national "Fitness & Productivity Report" based on a survey that our company, and many others, participated in, and it included lots of interesting information. Many companies cited work group physical fitness as extremely important, but very few said their employees actually demonstrate this! In fact, they identify physical fitness as an undervalued competitive asset, but they didn't have a plan for improvement in this area.[2] I agree with the report's argument that physical fitness is strongly linked to corporate and individual economic and personal success, in short, our success as a nation.[3] I feel that if we do not address the issue of physical fitness as it enhances workplace productivity, we will be left behind. Therefore, I'm thinking that we should consider converting the secondary conference room (which as you know is seldom used) into a gym.[4] Your leadership on this issue would be much appreciated. [5]
[6]
- Joe
The Right Way:
To: Fred CEO
From: Joe HR
Subject: How we can decrease absenteeism.[1]
Fred:
As you know, sick days are clobbering our productivity. During flu-season, for example, we're often so short-handed that we can't answer customer calls! [2] We could hire to backfill, but there's a most cost-effective solution: convert the secondary conference room to an in-house gym. [3]
We recently participated in a national survey entitled "Fitness & Business Productivity Report." The final report, which I have on my desk, points out that:
* Employee physical fitness is an undervalued competitive asset.
* Corporate physical-fitness programs can decrease absenteeism by 30 percent.
According to the report, an in-house gym will encourage employees and help them spend more time at the office. (Google, for example, has in-house gyms.) [4]
I've attached an estimate from a building contractor that we've used in the past. [5] Since employees can use the nearby restrooms to change, the cost is considerably less than hiring a new employee. [6]
Shall I go ahead and submit the contractor's invoice? [7] If not, when can we discuss the idea further?[8]
- Joe
Via-http://writetothetop.com/
Monday, November 12, 2007
On Practical Business Gaming in Company
Game theory is a well-known idea in economics – economists who have helped devise the strategy won the 2005 Nobel prize. it’s also important in actual business, specially for how it approaches negotiations (though gametheory.net features in its lecture notes section alone general strategy, competitive and cooperative strategies, management, and finance, as well as bargaining).
But what about game practice? Can games teach business leadership skills? The folks at CCP, the maker of Eve Online, argue that their game is excellent simulation for running a business in the real world. In their favor, the game is built on the idea of corporations in space, and there are CEOs who run organizations that can employ 3,000 people. Many of those people are specialized, working on mining and other kinds of economic production, trading and management. It also has had corporate espionage, scams and failed IPOs.
The company hired an economist to study the market behavior of the game and help set monetary policy. He told me that he thought the game was a perfect model for testing economic theory. It’s also discussing how to use the game to teach business principles with at least one college, though there’s no set deal.
Perhaps this comment from a Financial Times article, Gamers Hone Capitalist Skills Online, is most telling: a real-life CEO says that being a successful CEO in the game took up so much of his time he had to quit, for fear of undermining performance in his real job.
Nobody wants their management talent spending all their time in a virtual world. But this game might be a good way to screen management talent, and may have some talent for training. If nothing else, you’ll know that players can be dedicated to a company.
But what about game practice? Can games teach business leadership skills? The folks at CCP, the maker of Eve Online, argue that their game is excellent simulation for running a business in the real world. In their favor, the game is built on the idea of corporations in space, and there are CEOs who run organizations that can employ 3,000 people. Many of those people are specialized, working on mining and other kinds of economic production, trading and management. It also has had corporate espionage, scams and failed IPOs.
The company hired an economist to study the market behavior of the game and help set monetary policy. He told me that he thought the game was a perfect model for testing economic theory. It’s also discussing how to use the game to teach business principles with at least one college, though there’s no set deal.
Perhaps this comment from a Financial Times article, Gamers Hone Capitalist Skills Online, is most telling: a real-life CEO says that being a successful CEO in the game took up so much of his time he had to quit, for fear of undermining performance in his real job.
Nobody wants their management talent spending all their time in a virtual world. But this game might be a good way to screen management talent, and may have some talent for training. If nothing else, you’ll know that players can be dedicated to a company.
Wellocities Got$1 Million In Vcs Funding
What Company Is Offering:
Wellocities was founded in 2007 and was created to improve the lives of Canadians with chronic conditions. By allowing people to share health experiences, it is our hope that others will choose wisely. Almost all of us know of some one who has been touched by illness and has had to cope with it everyday for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, not everyone has the social circle to help them manage their condition. Wellocities missions is to help patients and caregivers find health information and services, monitor health conditions and most importantly learn from others on similar health tracks.
The site is set up as an information-sharing social network. So the majority of the info you’ll find is through blog posts written by other users. There are also group discussions you can participate in, and a search tool for finding facilities and doctors near you. Being based in Toronto, this search tool isn’t widespread yet, but Wellocities has indicated that it will be expanding to the states and beyond very soon.
How Much They Got From VCs:
The Canada-based health site, has raised $1 million in seed investment from XDL Capital Group, which has also incubated the site for the past year.
How It Worls:
There’s a section of your own account where you can add your own feeds, bookmarks, discussion topics and resources to provide a mini, all-encompassing resource for health issues that matter to you. These will display on your public profile where other users can benefit from your resources as well.
When you first create an account, you’ll have the option of choosing an icon that best represents how you feel today, and a box for entering a textual description of what’s going on. This will be kept in a chart that chronicles your daily wellness, which you can access and zoom in on for specifics. The downfall of this chart is that it’s not yet fully connected with much of anything else offered on the site. It’s not searchable, and it’s not tied in with any of the other resources found throughout Wellocities. I’d even go so far as to suggest that these could have the option of being made public or shareable, for those that would want to include these in a discussion with other users or perhaps their doctor, similar to a system offered by Phreesia.
More At:http://wellocities.com/
Wellocities was founded in 2007 and was created to improve the lives of Canadians with chronic conditions. By allowing people to share health experiences, it is our hope that others will choose wisely. Almost all of us know of some one who has been touched by illness and has had to cope with it everyday for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, not everyone has the social circle to help them manage their condition. Wellocities missions is to help patients and caregivers find health information and services, monitor health conditions and most importantly learn from others on similar health tracks.
The site is set up as an information-sharing social network. So the majority of the info you’ll find is through blog posts written by other users. There are also group discussions you can participate in, and a search tool for finding facilities and doctors near you. Being based in Toronto, this search tool isn’t widespread yet, but Wellocities has indicated that it will be expanding to the states and beyond very soon.
How Much They Got From VCs:
The Canada-based health site, has raised $1 million in seed investment from XDL Capital Group, which has also incubated the site for the past year.
How It Worls:
There’s a section of your own account where you can add your own feeds, bookmarks, discussion topics and resources to provide a mini, all-encompassing resource for health issues that matter to you. These will display on your public profile where other users can benefit from your resources as well.
When you first create an account, you’ll have the option of choosing an icon that best represents how you feel today, and a box for entering a textual description of what’s going on. This will be kept in a chart that chronicles your daily wellness, which you can access and zoom in on for specifics. The downfall of this chart is that it’s not yet fully connected with much of anything else offered on the site. It’s not searchable, and it’s not tied in with any of the other resources found throughout Wellocities. I’d even go so far as to suggest that these could have the option of being made public or shareable, for those that would want to include these in a discussion with other users or perhaps their doctor, similar to a system offered by Phreesia.
More At:http://wellocities.com/
Social Spark
What Company Is Offering:
With SocialSpark, IZEA to turn its PayPerPost idea into a social network designed to promote certain brands and services. The platform was unveiled today by IZEA CEO Ted Murphy at PostieCon.
How It Works:
Instead of integrating into existing social networks (and thus treading on the toes and possibly the EULAs of said networks), IZEA has designed, from the ground up, a social network built around the idea of relationship forging between bloggers and advertisers.
Why Is It Different:
SocialSpark is targeting the blogger demographic, and they’re up-front and honest about the aims of the network, instead of bringing in advertising relationships like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
SocialSpark likely won’t have a problem gaining traction in the social space, as they’ll be able to kick-start the user-base off their existing 85,000 bloggers and 11,000 advertisers. SocialSpark also promises to have an open API, so as to allow “information to flow into and out of the system”, and will offer support for Google’s OpenSocial.
More at:http://socialspark.com/
With SocialSpark, IZEA to turn its PayPerPost idea into a social network designed to promote certain brands and services. The platform was unveiled today by IZEA CEO Ted Murphy at PostieCon.
How It Works:
Instead of integrating into existing social networks (and thus treading on the toes and possibly the EULAs of said networks), IZEA has designed, from the ground up, a social network built around the idea of relationship forging between bloggers and advertisers.
Why Is It Different:
SocialSpark is targeting the blogger demographic, and they’re up-front and honest about the aims of the network, instead of bringing in advertising relationships like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
SocialSpark likely won’t have a problem gaining traction in the social space, as they’ll be able to kick-start the user-base off their existing 85,000 bloggers and 11,000 advertisers. SocialSpark also promises to have an open API, so as to allow “information to flow into and out of the system”, and will offer support for Google’s OpenSocial.
More at:http://socialspark.com/
Yahoo Kickstart-----Connect With Peers,Professors,Alumni And Your Potential Employers
Yahoo! Kickstart is a professional network with a distinct purpose: to connect college students, recent grads, professionals and alumni to discover internships and jobs, or get career advice and mentorship.
How It Works:
Kickstart allows you to create a professional profile, browse company profiles and network with your peers, professors, alumni and potential employers. If networking is the best way to launch a career, then Kickstart is the best way to start building your network - by leveraging what you have in common with the people you need to get to know.
If you are an alum, Kickstart is a great way to source new hires, give back to your college, and re-connect with fellow alumni and past colleagues. And for a limited time, you can earn your college $25,000. Yahoo! will donate $25,000 tothe alumni association of the college with the most profiles by 12/31/07* (see complete details). Help your school win! It's easy - just sign up, create a valid profile, and spread the word to your fellow alumni.
More at:http://kickstart.yahoo.com/
How It Works:
Kickstart allows you to create a professional profile, browse company profiles and network with your peers, professors, alumni and potential employers. If networking is the best way to launch a career, then Kickstart is the best way to start building your network - by leveraging what you have in common with the people you need to get to know.
If you are an alum, Kickstart is a great way to source new hires, give back to your college, and re-connect with fellow alumni and past colleagues. And for a limited time, you can earn your college $25,000. Yahoo! will donate $25,000 tothe alumni association of the college with the most profiles by 12/31/07* (see complete details). Help your school win! It's easy - just sign up, create a valid profile, and spread the word to your fellow alumni.
More at:http://kickstart.yahoo.com/
At blinkBox you can watch, buy, and rent Movies and TV shows
What Company is Offering:
At blinkBox you can watch, buy, and rent Movies and TV shows.
What's Different:
Some things that make us special are:
They have some fantastic stuff from BIG and small producers alike, and
Blinks, the ability to clip your favourite part, personalise it with text, and use it as you wish.
They work in London in an awesome office, and they like technology and visual entertainment in equal measure.
More at:http://www.blinkbox.com/
At blinkBox you can watch, buy, and rent Movies and TV shows.
What's Different:
Some things that make us special are:
They have some fantastic stuff from BIG and small producers alike, and
Blinks, the ability to clip your favourite part, personalise it with text, and use it as you wish.
They work in London in an awesome office, and they like technology and visual entertainment in equal measure.
More at:http://www.blinkbox.com/
New Report Predicts 500,000 Mobile TV Users in China by 2008
Mobile Television business, known as the most influential business in 3G era, is to watch TV with handset that supports video function.
Mobile TV business, initiated in 2004 when the public's consumption of mobile value added service began to increase. In addition, barriers concerning contents, terminal, technique, standard, charge and user, limited the development of the handset business. As a result, mobile TV won't develop so well as CRBT (Colorful Ring Back Tone) by absorbing the curiosity of the public with its novelty. Currently, the business is still in the preparation period.
Compared to the traditional TV business, the largest advantages of the mobile TV business lie in its mobility and interactivity. In addition, compared to the other value-added business, it is good at the multimedia integration and live content. Therefore, only through developing the services can they bring the special value that will attract a large number of mobile users, so as to promote business development.
It is forecasted that the mobile TV will become stronger and stronger towards 2008, and the number of the mobile TV users will be more than 500 thousand.
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c72790.
Mobile TV business, initiated in 2004 when the public's consumption of mobile value added service began to increase. In addition, barriers concerning contents, terminal, technique, standard, charge and user, limited the development of the handset business. As a result, mobile TV won't develop so well as CRBT (Colorful Ring Back Tone) by absorbing the curiosity of the public with its novelty. Currently, the business is still in the preparation period.
Compared to the traditional TV business, the largest advantages of the mobile TV business lie in its mobility and interactivity. In addition, compared to the other value-added business, it is good at the multimedia integration and live content. Therefore, only through developing the services can they bring the special value that will attract a large number of mobile users, so as to promote business development.
It is forecasted that the mobile TV will become stronger and stronger towards 2008, and the number of the mobile TV users will be more than 500 thousand.
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c72790.
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