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	<title>Management Solutions</title>
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		<title>Search-n-organize: State-of-the-art Low-budget Document Management Solutions</title>
		<link>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/search-n-organize-state-of-the-art-low-budget-document-management-solutions</link>
		<comments>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/search-n-organize-state-of-the-art-low-budget-document-management-solutions#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:27:10 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[
 http://www.artifactmanager.com/papers/ArtifactManager_Organize-n-Search.pdf
 WHITE PAPER Organize-n-Search State-of-the-art Low-budget Document Management Solutions
 &#8220;We are living in the information age&#8230; The information explosion&#8230;&#8221; We have heard it so many times that have stopped paying any attention to it. However, information penetrates into every aspect of our lives. We are constantly trying to acquire new knowledge and looking for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="margin:0 auto;float:left;padding-right:5px"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/oTugjssqOT0/1.jpg" width="250" height="180" alt="Search-n-organize: State-of-the-art Low-budget Document Management Solutions"></div>
<p> <a target="_blank" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.artifactmanager.com/papers/ArtifactManager_Organize-n-Search.pdf">http://www.artifactmanager.com/papers/ArtifactManager_Organize-n-Search.pdf</a></p>
<p> WHITE PAPER<br /> Organize-n-Search<br /> State-of-the-art Low-budget Document Management Solutions</p>
<p> &#8220;We are living in the information age&#8230; The information explosion&#8230;&#8221; We have heard it so many<span id="more-14"></span> times that have stopped paying any attention to it. However, information penetrates into every aspect of our lives. We are constantly trying to acquire new knowledge and looking for opportunities to benefit from it. </p>
<p> Users who actively work with documents and information, frequently face the problems related to search, organization and efficient use of documents. Copyeditors, writers, journalists, researchers, analysts, consultants, lawyers, medical workers, students, all run into the same challenges at home and at work.</p>
<p> This paper is intended for a wide range of people, who, for personal or business need, work with a large number of documents and other information. We take a close look at the problems of information management, benefits of using advanced technologies in the low-budget personal information management system, as well as system selection criteria to meet personal and professional needs of information workers. </p>
<p> Challenges of Document Management </p>
<p> Nowadays big part of information is stored in a form of text: books, articles, reports, memo, notes, specifications, descriptions, whitepapers, and manuals, not to mention a huge amount of time sensitive information, such as invoices, bank statements, schedules, contracts, and tax returns. </p>
<p> Yesterday, papers, photo albums, music disks, and video tapes were kept in drawers, boxes, and cabinets. But the development of personal computers and Internet has started the era of digital information. </p>
<p> Development of electronic formats has significantly increased system storage capacity and allowed accumulation of large information volumes. However, recent developments in the fields of computer systems and data storage have led to a new question: how can we effectively manage digital information? </p>
<p> Recent studies by IDC (Susan Feldman, Joshua Duhl, Julie Rahal Marobella, Alison Crawford. The Hidden Costs of Information Work. March 2005) revealed that on average 13 hours of every 40-hour work week are spent on creating documents. 9.5 hours per week are spent on searching for information, while almost 9.6 hours on analyzing the information. 6.5 hours are wasted on searching for information that is never found leading to the need to recreate the content. Formatting of information between different applications takes about 3.8 hours per week, whereas version control related issues take 2.2 hours.</p>
<p> Issues, effects and implications of information management are summarized in the following Figure. </p>
<p> Issues</p>
<p> Slow search<br /> Search without desired results<br /> Redundant search <br /> Recreation of documents<br /> Difficulty of use of the found information</p>
<p> Effects </p>
<p> Employer<br /> Unplanned for wasted time<br /> Work slowdown <br /> Decrease in productivity<br /> Decline in quality </p>
<p> Employee<br /> Increased workload<br /> Negative attitude towards work<br /> Decline in the level of satisfaction from the job</p>
<p> Implications</p>
<p> Missed deadlines<br /> Project failure <br /> Lost revenue<br /> Loss of employee</p>
<p> Figure 1: Issues, effects and implications of information management</p>
<p> * What is the best way to organize the information to find it faster in the future?<br /> * How to easily find information inside of large volume of materials?<br /> * How to find documents that are related? <br /> * How to save the search results and view them in the future?<br /> * How to share found information with colleagues and friends?<br /> * How to effectively use found information?</p>
<p> Importance and significance of those problems are major factors that stimulate the development of new solutions and information management systems. Information Retrieval, Data and Knowledge Bases, Document &#038; Content Management, to name a few, are the branches of information technologies that deal with the problems of information management. </p>
<p> Solutions to Document Management Problems </p>
<p> Solutions to document management problems are tightly linked to the following challenges: improving the efficiency of information access, improving quality and speed of search, improving the efficiency of information processing, improving reliability and safety of storage. </p>
<p> Efficient Access to Information</p>
<p> It is necessary to quickly and easily extract the text documents which meet certain criteria from an array of available information. These requirements are diverse and constantly changing. For example, original sources for articles, data for reports, textbooks to prepare for the exam, patient&#8217;s medical records, or precedents for court case &#8211; all have high, but temporary value to resolve the pressing challenges. </p>
<p> After finding the required documents, working through them, and creating a number of versions, the user will need to consolidate and store the results. For example, one may need to save a set of documents, or add comments to a set of documents for future use. One possible solution to meet the changing needs is to place a document in several groups. A group could consist of documents on certain topic, papers of the same author, articles of the same journal issue, previous versions of the article, or materials used to write an article. </p>
<p> Searching and organizing information in a meaningful way takes up a lot of time. To shorten the cycle and make a process more enjoyable, a number of solutions have been proposed. </p>
<p> Quality and Speed of Search</p>
<p> In some cases users can find the documents they need by using a query &#8211; a word or combination of words that might be in those documents. </p>
<p> In the past, search required scanning of all files on the computer drives and going through their content comparing the key words with words in the document. This called for the sequential scanning of all files for each request. But increased size and number of files have dramatically slowed down the search process. In addition, morphology was neglected and multiple queries were needed to find the document. </p>
<p> Best solutions for effective search of information are based on search engines and information retrieval technologies. The entire collection of files is pre-processed and the information about the documents and key words is stored in the index files. Indexing works for various file formats and takes into account all possible forms of the same word. This &#8220;smart&#8221; pre-processing mechanism significantly accelerates the search and improves its quality.</p>
<p> Organization </p>
<p> In many cases the user is unaware of the words contained in the document of interest. It&#8217;s also possible that the user is not able to generate a query that returns desired outcomes, or the number of documents is too large, or some documents may not contain the right words. In these scenarios the user has no choice but manually look for a desired document. To save the results of manual search, many use the systems designed specifically for organizing the information. </p>
<p> Simplified versions of organization systems use fields and registration cards to link the documents and accompanying information (date, author, title, a brief description, etc.) However, field sets are fixed and limited, and often do not allow grouping of the documents to accommodate changing needs of the users.</p>
<p> Enhanced systems use a hierarchy of folders (catalogs, or directories). However, in most cases, when a document belongs to multiple topics, the user may end up facing several problems. For example, in the hierarchy of file system folders, a document can not be assigned to several folders without duplication. In this case, duplication may result in an unnecessary increase of information volume as well as inconsistencies in content after one of the documents has been modified. </p>
<p> Top notch tools to organize the information use multiple hierarchical categorizations which came from the domain of knowledge bases and ontologies. </p>
<p> Version Control</p>
<p> Authoring of a complex document is a long process and requires many edits, corrections and rewritings. To avoid confusion, it is necessary to maintain a history of changes in the document. The old-fashion solution was to save the changes in the separate file with a unique name, which often resulted in lost files, more storage space as well as difficulties in finding the right version of the document. These and other problems related to tracking the history of the content, storing different versions of the document, and returning to its previous versions have been addressed by the invention of the versioning systems. These systems are designed to provide access to the previous versions and history of changes.</p>
<p> Figure 2: Authoring a document</p>
<p> Effective Work with Information</p>
<p> Search, organization, and version control, by themselves, significantly simplify the process. But till now, most of these functions were only provided by separate software tools. The first program implements search. The second program organizes information. The third program edits it. The fourth program keeps version history. And so on. </p>
<p> A user has to run multiple applications, toggle between them, import and export documents, and move and copy the files. This process dramatically slows down the work, decreases productivity, increases pressure, and therefore leads to mistakes and reduces work satisfaction. </p>
<p> To eliminate unnecessary labor and reduce the amount of wasted time, one needs an integrated solution that combines search, editing and version control functionality. </p>
<p> Privacy, Security and Reliability of Storage</p>
<p> It goes without saying that information is a valuable resource that is expensive to produce. It is necessary to not only provide a safe storage for the entire set of documents, but also protect valuable information from computer hardware and software failures, as well as human errors. In addition, the confidentiality of information should be preserved &#8211; unauthorized users should not have access to the information without the permissions from the owner. However, if necessary, the results of the work have to be publishable to third parties. </p>
<p> Earlier applications stored files on the secure computers in a folder structure. Individual users had access to specific folders, which required a complex access rights management policy. Thus the information was often duplicated on the users&#8217; computers, causing many problems related to information relevance.</p>
<p> To address the above mentioned problems, modern document management systems store information in centralized repositories, which make it easy to store, retrieve, manipulate and modify documents. Advanced repositories support storage and processing of multiple documents and file formats including, but not limited to: text (Word, Acrobat, Open Office, etc.), spreadsheet, fax, e-mail, audio, and images.</p>
<p> Documents, images and other information stored in the electronic repository are easily accessible and retrievable. The losses associated with errors in streamlining, organizing, and placing of the documents are drastically reduced and possibly even eliminated. In addition, each document keeps not only a history of who viewed it, made changes and what changes were made, but also other information about the document, such as title, contents, themes, etc. </p>
<p> Valuable Benefits of Document Management Systems </p>
<p> Thus, state-of-the-art information and document management systems<br /> * reduce information processing time (multi-category systems allow for fast categorization of the incoming information and re-organization of existing information) <br /> * reduce the time required to access the information (full-text search tools and category system, history and version control provide an easy and quick way to find information) <br /> * reduce the time required to create a document (integration of search, organization, modification and version control features in a single platform allow the user to work on new and existing documents in a more effective manner)<br /> * eliminate the cases of lost data (electronic repositories automatically capture all document changes and allow the user to restore the history of changes)</p>
<p> By leveraging a wide range of features provided by information management tools, one may free up the time normally spent on unnecessary tasks and focus on more important activities. As a result, the use of information management systems increases the quality of work. </p>
<p> Criteria for Selecting the Right Document and Information Management System</p>
<p> Flexible categorization: The system must support the categorization of documents to meet specific requirements of the user. To do that, the system should include the following features: <br /> * Flexible categorization (user should be able to create any categories or topics and place the documents there) <br /> * Hierarchical categorization (high level topics that consist of more specific topics) <br /> * Multiple categorization (the same document might be included in several topics, categories or groups of documents)<br /> * Ability to merge related files in a package<br /> Flexible grouping that keeps the history of the results simplifies future access to documents inside of assigned topics, and allows one to see the relationships between documents found in one category.</p>
<p> Powerful search tools: The system should be able to perform a full-text search of information by query which contains individual terms or phrases. The search feature should <br /> * be fast, which implies indexing <br /> * support full-text search for all common formats &#8211; pdf, doc, odt, etc. <br /> * take into an account the differences in spelling of various grammatical forms of the words <br /> * work with individual repositories, categories and themes (topics) <br /> The above mentioned features allow the user to effectively query the documents, provide a fast access to desirable documents, and make it possible to work on documents that have not yet been classified. </p>
<p> Central repository: The system should be able to store information in a centralized repository that allows:<br /> * storing high volumes of documents <br /> * creation of multiple personal repositories <br /> * protection of confidential information <br /> Documents in the system should not be viewable by other applications. Only the owner of the information should be able to grant the access to the repository. Repositories not only eliminate the need to manually create the files and directories, but they also restrict access to information, tighten security and improve reliability by providing backup, recovery and data protection tools. </p>
<p> Composite documents: The system should be able to work with the collection of files as a single unit, allowing the user to make changes to the set of documents. This functionality helps to improve usability and makes it easier to work with documents that consist of multiple files &#8211; for example, html documents with pictures.</p>
<p> Figure 3: Composite document</p>
<p> Document registration cards: The system should support the functionality of attaching useful information, such as name, purpose, abstract, comments, author, date of creation and modification, etc. to the document or file. This type of information helps to increase the accessibility of the documents. The information about the document should be flexible enough to adapt to the needs of the user and the information unit type. </p>
<p> Supported file types: The system should be able to support a wide range of common document types and formats, including Microsoft Office (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, etc.), Open Office, as well as the formats of scanned documents and images. </p>
<p> Versioning system: The system should be able to support multiple versions of the document, track history and changes in chronological order &#8211; who, when, why modified the document and which changes were made. If needed, this functionality enables the user to work on one of the previous versions of the document. </p>
<p> Navigation history: The system should record the sequence of events describing the steps the user took while working on the documents and have that information available to the user at any given time.</p>
<p> Easy-to-use interface: The system should provide a user-friendly interface that includes intuitive navigation as well as the panels displaying categories, history, versions, and search results. All of these will dramatically enhance user experience and therefore increase user satisfaction. </p>
<p> Modern technology and open architecture: The system should be built using the latest technologies. The architecture should be <br /> * scalable &#8211; support an unlimited number of repositories, documents stored in a <br /> * repository, categories and their levels, as well as a fast search through unlimited amount of information <br /> * modular and expandable &#8211; provide a foundation for rapid development and fast delivery of new features requested by the users <br /> * cross-platform &#8211; compatible with Windows, Linux, and MacOS operating systems<br /> This allows the system to grow organically and reduce the time to deliver the new features to meet growing user needs. </p>
<p> Integrated solution: The user&#8217;s objective is an effective execution of her or his work. To accomplish this goal the user has to go through repetitive cycles of work with information and documents. These cycles may include:<br /> * Gathering of the information for a document <br /> * Analyzing information<br /> * Creating the outline and the first draft of the document<br /> * Placing the document to the repository<br /> * Making changes to the document<br /> * Preparing the document for future use <br /> * Searching for other materials that will be used in a new version of the document<br /> These phases are executed repeatedly to improve the quality of the document, bringing it to the desired results. A good system should be able to integrate the above mentioned features so that the user can complete the sequence of document development tasks in a single system. This implements agile document management.</p>
<p> Low cost of the ownership: Adoption of a document management system can save any organization millions of dollars. At the same time, the scale and broad functionality of corporate systems leads to the high cost of ownership unaffordable for personal users. It&#8217;s also important to note that a user might not need all the features available in a corporate system and therefore will only get overwhelmed by its complexity. The cost of a personal information management system should be low, but at the same time it has to provide the right set of features to match the needs of individual user. The system should be easy to install and run on any personal computer. </p>
<p> Artifact Manager</p>
<p> Artifact Manager is an advanced document and information management system. This simple, convenient, low-budget solution has all of the features of the enterprise information management system that helps to achieve higher productivity levels through a better management of personal documents and information. </p>
<p> Required Features Artifact Manager<br /> * Flexible categorization Yes<br /> * Powerful search tools Yes<br /> * Centalized repository Yes<br /> * Composite documents Yes<br /> * Document metadata Yes<br /> * Wide range of file types Yes<br /> * Version control Yes<br /> * History Yes<br /> * User-friendly interface Yes<br /> * Modern technology and architecture Yes<br /> * Integrated soluton Yes<br /> * Low-cost ownership Yes</p>
<p> Figure 4: Features of Artifact Manager</p>
<p> Artifact Manager is the first enterprise-class personal platform for document and information management. It combines a powerful search, flexible organization, reliable storage, and convenient interface in a single easy-to-use environment. </p>
<p> Download Artifact Manager now at</p>
<p> <a target="_blank" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.ArtifactManager.com/downloads.html">http://www.ArtifactManager.com/downloads.html</a></p>
<p> No obligation of buying, no cumbersome registration, no spam</p>
<p> <a target="_blank" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.artifactmanager.com/papers/ArtifactManager_Organize-n-Search.pdf">http://www.artifactmanager.com/papers/ArtifactManager_Organize-n-Search.pdf</a></p>
<p> <!--more--> <H3>Watch the video related to  management</H3>
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<p><!-- Smart Youtube --><span class="youtube"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="355" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/oTugjssqOT0&amp;rel=&amp;color1=0x666666&amp;color2=0xd3d3d3&amp;border=&amp;fs=&amp;autoplay=&amp;loop=&amp;disablekb=&amp;egm=&amp;border=&amp;showsearch=&amp;showinfo=&amp;iv_load_policy=&amp;cc_load_policy=&amp;fmt="><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oTugjssqOT0&amp;rel=&amp;color1=0x666666&amp;color2=0xd3d3d3&amp;border=&amp;fs=&amp;autoplay=&amp;loop=&amp;disablekb=&amp;egm=&amp;border=&amp;showsearch=&amp;showinfo=&amp;iv_load_policy=&amp;cc_load_policy=&amp;fmt="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></span></p>
</p></div>
<p>Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch gave a lecture on Time Management at the University of Virginia in November 2007. Randy Pausch &#8212; www.randypausch.com &#8212; is a virtual reality pioneer, human-computer interaction researcher, co-founder of Carnegie Mellon&#8217;s Entertainment Technology Center &#8212; http &#8212; and creator of the Alice &#8212; www.alice.org &#8212; software project. The slides for this lecture and high-res downloadable versions of this and other lectures can be found at www.cs.virginia.edu&#8230;  <H3>Help answer the question about  management</H3>What management insights are available in tv and movies?<br />TV: popular television programs that have to say about management and working. Also, TV advertisements. How do they use and present workplace themes to help communicate their messages?</p>
<p>Films/movies: what are some examples of management and work themes? What is the message of the movie in respect to management and work today?</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;-<br />
What do you think? I have though of several things but I need more. I you have any thoughts please share them.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!<br />
 <H3>About Author</H3>
<p></strong>
<p>Artifact Manager delivers an innovative solution to organize, search and keep safe and under control your documents and personal information. It combines state-of-the-art search and organization technologies to save your time and boost productivity. <a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://artifactmanager.com/whitepapers.html"><a target="_blank" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://artifactmanager.com/whitepapers.html">http://artifactmanager.com/whitepapers.html</a></a></p></p>
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		<title>Is Selling Your Business the Best &#8220;Exit Plan&#8221;?</title>
		<link>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/is-selling-your-business-the-best-exit-plan</link>
		<comments>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/is-selling-your-business-the-best-exit-plan#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:26:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[
 My neighbor asked me, &#8220;Why would anyone sell a successful company?&#8221;. He could not understand why anyone would leave a business that was doing well. Of course successful companies get sold all the time.
So why do these business owners sell? The short answer is that most closely held businesses sell for human reasons, such [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="margin:0 auto;float:left;padding-right:5px"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WGOohBytKTU/2.jpg" width="250" height="180" alt="Is Selling Your Business the Best "Exit Plan"?"></div>
<p> My neighbor asked me, &#8220;Why would anyone sell a successful company?&#8221;. He could not understand why anyone would leave a business that was doing well. Of course successful companies get sold all the time.</p>
<p>So why do these business owners sell? The short answer is that most closely held businesses sell for human reasons, such as burn out, retirement, illness, partnership disputes, family issues or other personal reasons. Usually the business is<span id="more-5"></span> fine but the human being running the business needs a change. To understand this better it is key to understand the other options for exiting a business.</p>
<p><strong>Close the Business/Liquidation</strong></p>
<p>Closing a business that is profitable never makes sense. Even if the assets are liquidated the price is likely to be pennies on the dollar versus selling the business as a going concern with employees, customers and a reputation that is intact. Not only does the business owner get the lowest value but the employees, vendors and customers are hurt by this type of exit.</p>
<p><strong>Accident, Illness or Death</strong></p>
<p>No one wants to exit their business this way, but many do. The loss of an owner not only creates tremendous issues for the family but also creates a leadership void in the business. Even the most competent management can struggle when a key business leader is lost to a serious accident, illness or death. No one plans for this type of exit but many end up exiting the business this way because they failed to create an alternate plan.</p>
<p><strong>Succession</strong></p>
<p>Succession by a family member or key employee has its benefits. They know the business, its product or service, employees, customers and vendors. Succession can be operationally successful for the exiting owner if they make sure the successor is carefully selected, qualified and groomed for the position. The owner must be careful not to make an emotional choice of a relative or favorite employee but instead choose the successor with the right skills to lead the company into the future. You are not seeking an &#8220;Employee&#8221; mentality but an &#8220;Owner&#8221; mentality. If that rare person can be found in the business who can make the transition to Owner, they often do not have the cash needed to purchase the business. They are also likely to want to pay less for the business as familiarity will blind them to many of the value drivers of the company. So although succession can be operationally successful it is rarely a financial success for the outgoing owner.</p>
<p><strong>Sell</strong></p>
<p>Closing or liquidating the business minimizes the value to the owner. Accident, illness or death forces the issue on the owner. Succession provided a very limited pool of options with limited financial reward.</p>
<p>Selling on the other hand allows the business owner to decide their ideal timing, maximize the value of the business they worked so hard to build, coordinate the use of the sale proceeds for financial planning and align their personal goals with the sale of a business. Selling the business allows the business owner to create a wealth event and often significant on-going passive income without having to run their business.</p>
<p>Whatever they are, human reasons are always pushing and pulling on a business owner. Burn out, stress, divorce, illness, partner disputes and limited growth capital are some of the human reasons that push owners out of the business. Retirement, enjoying life, relocating, a new business opportunity and passive income are some of the reasons that pull a business owner out. Whatever the motivation, the fundamental reason a business owner chooses a sale as their ideal exit plan is control. The business owner chooses to understand the value of their business and to proactively pursue the right buyer and the right price. By selling a business you choose to exit your business by choice, not by force.</p>
<p>The professional team at Sunbelt Midwest can help you confidentially sell or buy a business in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, and surrounding areas. For more information check out our site at <a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sunbeltmidwest.com" target="_self" title="Sunbelt Midwest"><a target="_blank" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sunbeltmidwest.com">http://www.sunbeltmidwest.com</a></a>.</p>
<p> <!--more--> <H3>Watch the video related to Business</H3>
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</p></div>
<p>Flight of the Conchords performing their song &#8220;Business Time.&#8221;  <H3>Help answer the question about Business</H3>Opening a business and wondering what types of expenses I can write off?<br />I am opening an online business for website design. (set up as a LLC, I&#039;m the sole owner)  Should I start keeping receipts of all business related expenses?  Or would my business qualify as a hobby if I don&#039;t make a certain amount of money in the year that I&#039;m filing.  </p>
<p>What types of things can I write off onto my business?  (dinners, gasoline, etc.)  Do I need a seperate business credit card/bank account for the expenses? </p>
<p>Do I have to accept payments towards the business&#039;s services through a corporate account, or can they make the check/payment directly to me?<br />
 <H3>About Author</H3>
<p></strong>
<p>The professional team at Sunbelt Midwest can help you confidentially sell or buy a business in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, and surrounding areas. For more information check out our site at <a target="_blank" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sunbeltmidwest.com">http://www.sunbeltmidwest.com</a></p></p>
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		<title>It Management in the Clouds With Saas</title>
		<link>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/it-management-in-the-clouds-with-saas</link>
		<comments>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/it-management-in-the-clouds-with-saas#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:27:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/it-management-in-the-clouds-with-saas</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
 Undoubtedly, IT Management is changing. Not so long ago, an IT manager’s success was tied to the number of workstations or servers he was managing in his company’s datacenter. They would brag about the size of their network to their peers, on job interviews, and they would use the large and growing number of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="margin:0 auto;float:left;padding-right:5px"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LHoGRBuRsKQ/3.jpg" width="250" height="180" alt="It Management in the Clouds With Saas"></div>
<p> Undoubtedly, IT Management is changing. Not so long ago, an IT manager’s success was tied to the number of workstations or servers he was managing in his company’s datacenter. They would brag about the size of their network to their peers, on job interviews, and they would use the large and growing number of computers as an excuse for more human resources and an increasing budget. Network management power was equivalent to professional respec<span id="more-18"></span>t. I swear that I’ve heard this line countless times: “You want me to manage what? I am already managing 87 servers 458 pc’s, storage backup and firewalls, in our network! I’ll need three more technicians and another twelve PCs to fulfill your request professionally. Oh &#8211; and I can’t guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the results.”</p>
<p>But those were the old days, when the idea of ROI (return on investment) seemed to skip over the IT department budget requirements. Looking back, less than a decade later, such an attitude looks distant and ridiculous. Today, good IT management is judged on its ability to achieve results with as little as possible. With economic and competitive pressures mounting, IT management needs to run efficiently. Even terms such as collocation and web hosting from the ASP era seems to be absolute. Today, the weight has shifted and IT managers boast about the number of applications and services being served to their firm and how they have minimized expenditures.</p>
<p>This IT Management evolution was all made possible due the maturity of SAAS, (Software as a Service), going main stream. Over the last years we have experienced an escalation of applications migrating from the desktop to the Internet. Apparently, the physical conditions of both the Internet and network infrastructure have matured enough and made the economic option of SAAS the obvious solution.</p>
<p>First of all, it’s always about the numbers. Now, organizations can question whether it is sensible to purchase, configure, host, maintain, air condition, and backup. Suddenly, worrying about application software and hardware is optional. Alternatively, for a fraction of the cost, a company can “rent” applications remotely using a PC browser or a cellular browser and they can do this anywhere and any time, 24&#215;7.</p>
<p>An additional key factor elevating SAAS solutions beyond the ASP approach is the advancements in available infrastructure. Grid-like cloud computing is virtually infinite. Now, solution providers can readily follow pioneers such as SalesForce or even Google and “SaaS” their offering. More computing power is available to your company at a moments notice when business prospers and grows. This makes expenses linear and profits more predictable. SaaS has redefined scalability. Therefore, in most SaaS scenarios, pricing to the end consumers makes more sense because it is tied directly to consumption meters such as usage volume and allocated resources per client. In parallel, bandwidth has become cheaper and wider for companies and their roaming employees.</p>
<p>Thirdly, economic mood swings and a competitive business environment have made ROI the new king of the block. The macro-economic implications of this trend can be even far greater than what appears on the surface. As the growth of SaaS is taking off, is it possible that we will see the thin client vision making a comeback? Even desktops can get skinnier if processing is done in the SaaS’s clouds. This could result in a slowdown in the race for processing power and might even challenge Moor’s laws economically.</p>
<p>One of the most interesting up and coming companies positioned to successfully leverage the SaaS computing trends is <a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.samanage.com/">SAManage</a>, a startup company in the IT Asset Management space. SAManage uses the cloud computing environment to deliver on-demand, SaaS-based, IT Asset Management and inventory tracking to companies around the world. In a recent conversation with the SAManage CEO, Doron Gordon, I asked him about his strategy, given the changing landscape of the traditional IT environment and the new challenges facing IT managers. “It seems, on one hand that IT managers lives are getting easier, but unfortunately that’s a false assumption. Yes, it’s true there will be less hardware to manage, but managing SaaS contracts, licenses and SLA’s smartly and efficiently, while controlling the financial and legal aspects and enforcing usage policy, are the new challenges that the IT manager will be facing.” Doron continues, “With ROI being the holy grail of IT management today, SAManage’s focus is on providing the manager the tools to achieve that.”</p>
<p>Clearly, the new IT Manager needs to make ROI calculations continuously. And guess what &#8212; they don’t teach you that in engineering schools! Looking through the clouds, it seems that companies hiring CTOs will be looking for applicants with CFO experience.</p>
<p>Written by Dror Gliksman, online tech and marketing specialist at <a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.webwhile.com/">webwhile inc</a>.</p>
<p>  <!--more--> <H3>Watch the video related to  management</H3>
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<p>Patrick Dixon ranked one of world&#8217;s 20 most influential business thinkers alive today (Thinkers 50 2005) www.globalchange.com Great events change people 4500 event organisers(MPI. Keynote conference speaker (MPI).Future corporate events: motivational leadership programmes, executive education, team development, seminars, workshops, groups, forums, think tanks, team building exercises and client events. Effective management depends on great communication of leadership vision, mission and &#8230;  <H3>Help answer the question about  management</H3>Who selects condo management and is it possible to have them replaced?<br />I have a condo that is about a year old and the management has been nothing but trouble since the building was registered. I asked them how to get in touch with the board of directors and they said that all requests are fielded by the management company and they contact the board on behalf of the tenants.  Is this normal?<br />
The management company has a relationship with the builder, so when repairs are needed, they do not act in the best interests of the tenants, but defend the builder.<br />
 Obviously they are not telling the board how many complaints they receive.  Any suggestions on what to do about this?  I am in Ontario.<br />
 <H3>About Author</H3>
<p></strong>
<p>SAManage is a leading global provider of <a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.samanage.com">on-demand IT management solutions</a> which empower organizations to simplify the management of IT assets, gain better control, reduce IT costs, eliminate risks, and improve service levels. </p></p>
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		<title>How To Avoid Hiring A Bad Property Management Company In The Oc</title>
		<link>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/how-to-avoid-hiring-a-bad-property-management-company-in-the-oc</link>
		<comments>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/how-to-avoid-hiring-a-bad-property-management-company-in-the-oc#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:27:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/how-to-avoid-hiring-a-bad-property-management-company-in-the-oc</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
 In Southern California, especially Orange County property management is an important aspect of investing in real estate. The profitability of your property is dependent on hiring a qualified helpful and professional property management company.
Hiring the wrong management company can mean losing thousand of dollars, or more. Property owners who hire the right OC property [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="margin:0 auto;float:left;padding-right:5px"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tmFL1vrMoXQ/1.jpg" width="250" height="180" alt="How To Avoid Hiring A Bad Property Management Company In The Oc"></div>
<p> In Southern California, especially Orange County property management is an important aspect of investing in real estate. The profitability of your property is dependent on hiring a qualified helpful and professional property management company.</p>
<p>Hiring the wrong management company can mean losing thousand of dollars, or more. Property owners who hire the right OC property management company however, can enjoy the benefits of a lucrative<span id="more-15"></span> property investment. </p>
<p>Some of the most common, and often, detrimental mistakes a property owner makes is not doing enough research. The more research you do, the more you can avoid hiring a bad management company. </p>
<p>Property management companies that also sell properties, often nation wide corporations like Century 21, etc. are often a bad idea. They usually are primarily real estate agents, who also do property management because they want to manage when you choose the sell the property. A property management company like this is not a good idea because they make more money selling than managing. You would benefit more from a smaller, specialized company that deals only with property management in your area and nothing else. For example, if your property is in Huntington Beach, you should try to find a local expert Orange County property management company that has a much experience in the local area only. </p>
<p>Make sure you check the references of your management company’s other clients. Don’t be afraid to make a few phone calls, and get a good track record. You shouldn’t sign anything before you have a good idea that the company you’re hiring is the best at property management in Orange County and one that you can trust. On the other hand, as an owner, you shouldn’t be too demanding of references either. A good property management company will not release all of their clients’ information to you, because it is private and confidential information. The management company won’t be making an obscene amount of money managing your property, so they can always tell you to take your business elsewhere if you are being too much of a pain. You will do well with around 3 references to talk to, and get an idea of how they work with their clients. </p>
<p>Some other things to keep in mind: Is the company licensed in the state of California? Is the company insured? Do they have a fidelity bond to protect you in case an employee mishandles your money? Will they provide you with reports? Will they market your property? How do they deal with late charges? How do they handle tenant complaints? And so on. These are some tips for making sure you hire a good property management company that will professionally and efficiently manage your property, helping you turn your home/apartment/condo/commercial property into a steady investment.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.</p>
<p> <!--more--> <H3>Watch the video related to  management</H3>
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<p><!-- Smart Youtube --><span class="youtube"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="355" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/tmFL1vrMoXQ&amp;rel=&amp;color1=0x666666&amp;color2=0xd3d3d3&amp;border=&amp;fs=&amp;autoplay=&amp;loop=&amp;disablekb=&amp;egm=&amp;border=&amp;showsearch=&amp;showinfo=&amp;iv_load_policy=&amp;cc_load_policy=&amp;fmt="><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tmFL1vrMoXQ&amp;rel=&amp;color1=0x666666&amp;color2=0xd3d3d3&amp;border=&amp;fs=&amp;autoplay=&amp;loop=&amp;disablekb=&amp;egm=&amp;border=&amp;showsearch=&amp;showinfo=&amp;iv_load_policy=&amp;cc_load_policy=&amp;fmt="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></span></p>
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<p>MGMT (The Management) &#8211; Kids [NOT Official Video] [HQ]  <H3>Help answer the question about  management</H3>Why is it important to examine management from different perspectives? What do you gain from thius type o?<br />Q.1. Why is it important to examine management from different perspectives? What do you gain from thius type of examination? Thin of other possible perspectives or metaphors you could use to describe management (e.g., management is a profession: management means &quot;Being in charge&quot;). What does your new prerspective tell you abhout management that addes to your understanding?<br />
 <H3>About Author</H3>
<p></strong>
<p>Orange County Property Management by Premier Residential &#038; Commercial Property Management Company Real Property Management serving Anaheim, Irvine, and surrounding OC cities. For more details please visit site <a target="_blank" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.rpmcoast.com/">http://www.rpmcoast.com/</a></p></p>
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		<title>Credit Card Services and Business Loans for the Small Business</title>
		<link>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/credit-card-services-and-business-loans-for-the-small-business</link>
		<comments>http://www.lebanesekataeb.org/credit-card-services-and-business-loans-for-the-small-business#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:26:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[
 To achieve financial independence, experts encourage even currently employed individuals to consider entrepreneurship. Setting up your own business, no matter how small, is touted as one of the best ways toward building the foundation for wealth. Those who are concerned about having a safety net need not take the plunge recklessly. One can start [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="margin:0 auto;float:left;padding-right:5px"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4YBxeDN4tbk/3.jpg" width="250" height="180" alt="Credit Card Services and Business Loans for the Small Business"></div>
<p> To achieve financial independence, experts encourage even currently employed individuals to consider entrepreneurship. Setting up your own business, no matter how small, is touted as one of the best ways toward building the foundation for wealth. Those who are concerned about having a safety net need not take the plunge recklessly. One can start setting up a small business even while employed.  </p>
<p>Of crucial use to small businesses are <span id="more-4"></span>credit card services and small business loans. The entrepreneur needs to know how to avail of these tools and how to effectively wield them for maximum business growth.</p>
<p>Credit Card Services </p>
<p>A small business would do well to get reputable credit card services in order to prosper in the current business climate. Availing of credit card services will enable it to accept both credit card and debit card payments. This is true either for brick-and-mortar businesses or internet based online businesses. After all, most consumers nowadays routinely use credit cards or debit cards for payment purposes. It only makes good business sense to be well-equipped for the needs of credit card users and debit card users as well as for the needs of customers who pay in cash.</p>
<p>Merchant services provide credit card services covering a wide range of solutions for the processing of credit cards and debit cards as payment options. These credit card services include traditional terminal equipment at point of sale, where credit cards or debit cards are swiped. It also includes software and high speed IP solutions for both traditional commerce and e-commerce. Credit card and debit card payments can, therefore, be accepted in person or through the internet, by phone or by fax.     </p>
<p>Small Business Loans</p>
<p>Any business – whether a small start-up business, a medium-scaled one or a big business company – will be needing an infusion of additional capital sooner or later. Additional capital is always needed for expansion, additional inventory, additional manpower, new systems, new equipment or a new physical layout. </p>
<p>Capital is not always easy to come by, though. The original investors’ personal coffers may have been emptied by the earlier outlays. Prospective investors may not be keen on shelling out funds in times of crisis. Businesses, therefore, have no choice but to seek business loans.</p>
<p>Getting business loans is a difficult process. Even small business loans are not readily approved. Be prepared to present a lot of documentation and paperwork. For small business loans, the proprietor’s personal credit history is taken into account and related references need to be submitted. Of course, the company’s financial statements are just as important in proving the feasibility of the business and its capacity to repay its business loans. Having a detailed business plan will show your business strategies and projections, demonstrating your business acumen.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, even with all the requirements completed, applications for business loans – including small business loans – are, more often than not, disapproved. </p>
<p>Solutions</p>
<p>Some merchant services provide a comprehensive solution for the needs of small businesses in relation to credit card services and small business loans. The set up is elegantly simple. A small business need only avail of the company’s credit card services to be eligible for merchant cash advances. These cash advances are actually small business loans, except that there is no need to go through the complicated application process for business loans. Repayment is made very easy and worry-free, too. A certain small percentage is built into the credit card processing rates to take care of the advances. This way, repayment is actually done automatically in a very affordable manner and according to income flow.</p>
<p>Small business owners would, indeed, be wise to look into these timely business solutions.</p>
<p> <!--more--> <H3>Watch the video related to Business</H3>
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<p><!-- Smart Youtube --><span class="youtube"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="355" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/4YBxeDN4tbk&amp;rel=1&amp;color1=0x666666&amp;color2=0xd3d3d3&amp;border=1&amp;fs=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0&amp;disablekb=0&amp;egm=0&amp;border=1&amp;showsearch=1&amp;showinfo=&amp;iv_load_policy=&amp;cc_load_policy=&amp;fmt="><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4YBxeDN4tbk&amp;rel=1&amp;color1=0x666666&amp;color2=0xd3d3d3&amp;border=1&amp;fs=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0&amp;disablekb=0&amp;egm=0&amp;border=1&amp;showsearch=1&amp;showinfo=&amp;iv_load_policy=&amp;cc_load_policy=&amp;fmt="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></span></p>
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<p>words of advise from the greatest pitchman alive today. *UPDATE* I&#8217;m Rich, You&#8217;re Not bit.ly  <H3>Help answer the question about Business</H3>What does a business analyst do? What course do you take to become a business analyst?<br />I came across a chart showing the avarage salaries of business analysts in IT/Computer software/Computer hardware. I do not know what a business analyst does exactly. What course should I take in college to become a business analyst.<br />
Currently I&#039;m planing on getting a degree in Business with IT in college, will that enable me to become a business analyst?<br />
 <H3>About Author</H3>
<p></strong>
<p><b>Advanced Merchant Services</b><br />
Contact Name:  Roger Inman<br />
P.O. Box 1475 Safety Harbor, FL 34691<br />
Bus: 7276423606<br />
Bus Fax: 8774136067<br />
E-mail: <a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="mailto:rinman3@tampabay.rr.com">rinman3@tampabay.rr.com</a><br />
Website: <a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.bankcardprocess.com"><a rel="external nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.bankcardprocess.com" target="_blank">www.bankcardprocess.com</a></a>
</p></p>
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