Healthy tips for corporate world.

Kim Smith

In the business world, the office is usually busy and demanding. There are days where work can be so hectic and there is not enough time to take a break. As the workforce grows, reponsibilities for each individual gets greater. Greater responsiblities creates less time to eat a well balanced diet. A well balanced diet should consist of 4-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and atleast 4-10 bread and cereals a day. Baked foods are more healthier due to less fat content. Salads are popular because they are quick and filling. A balanced diet provides the nutrient requirements for individuals to obtain the energy needed to strive everyday. In the hustle and bustle of corporate life, eating at fast food restaurants or quick take out seems to be the way to go in many businesses. Individuals must realize how many trans-fatty acids are in most fast foods. Eating a diet with a balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats will increase energy during the day. Also reccomendations of walking during lunch time will increase energy expenditure. When you maintain physical activity your body remains leaner, which will make you feel 100% everyday.
In American society we are rushing all the time. Time is of the essense at all times. In other cultures individuals go outside of the office with coworkers to eat lunch. Eating is a social event. A time to clear the air and relax from business. A well balanced diet with some sought of physical activity everyday can give the individual the optimal level of energy at the business table.

Debit/Credit-Sylva G

I have been a dedicated debit card users since I am came to college in 2003. There has been numerous occasions where I or close friends of mine have had debit card purchase nightmares. I use to get so stressed out when I saw errors on my bank statements. The small hassle I have to go through to get the problem fixed is just as much work as changing a light bulb. But sometimes these small errors can lead to huge overdraft fees and hours of phone conversations with bank employees.

My first occurrence was with a new, local ice cream parlor. I was charged twice for a huge order. The next day I was in total shock. My account was negative! I went into a panic and immediately called my mother. She told me how to go about getting the problem solved. I called the ice cream parlor and spoke with a manager. The manager was at first, somewhat confused about the situation, however he assured me that by the end of the week, the money would be put back into my account.

Another example of debit card usage gone wrong occurred at a local bar and grill. For amateurs like myself, I did not know exactly what happens when you "run a tab". A lot of bars now have pre-authorization charges. This means that basically they check to make sure you actually have the money in your account to pay for what you order. My pre-authorization charge was fifty dollars! I was horrified. I had only spent fifteen dollars! Again, I talked to a great manager who explained the situation and by the following week, my money was back into my account.

My only suggestion for companies with pre-authorization charges is to state that somewhere in the facility or on the receipts. It may take a little time to get the message out but the effort can save more time and decrease the amount of calls a business gets from angry and confused customers. My advice to fellow debit card users is that using this card takes risks and requires patience. Yes, there will be several times when you buy gas with your card and it seems like forever before the transaction is complete. That's why it's best that you keep track of your money on your own--Know what you are spending.

Thank you Notes

I feel sending a thank-you letter after an interview is very important. After I interviewed for my internship in NYC, I sent a thank-you letter as soon as I came home. Two weeks later I was offered the internship and I feel that sending the thank-you note helped differentiate me from other applicants. The following is some guidelines when sending a thank-you letter. Almost immediately after an interview, you should write a thank-you letter to the interviewer. You can use e-mail to do this, but sending a letter or card is more thoughtful and shows you took more effort. If more than one person was involved in interviewing, sending a note to each one would be awesome. Try to get business cards from everyone you met so that you can spell their names correctly. Sending a card with the names spelled wrong will most likely erase any chance you had of getting the job. Also make sure that it is legible with correct spelling and grammar. Since so few people do this, you will really be memorable. If you cannot obtain their names, send a letter to the head interviewer and address it to the person and the interview panel. Thank-you letters should express gratitude for the interview opportunity, particular attention or kindness shown to you, assistance provided, or other experience that provided a memorable occasion for you. When writing a thank-you note, reconfirm your interest in working for the company and indicate that you hope to hear positive news soon. You can also try to better answer a question that was asked of you during the interview, but only do this for a couple questions that were asked of you. If you don’t hear from anyone within two weeks of sending the thank-you note, call or email the company to see if they have decided on an applicant.

Competitors web site analysis

Competitor #1: Trimspa
web site: http://www.trimspa.com/

Analysis:

The Trimspa web site is totally dedicated to the late Anna Nicole Smith. The main page of the web site has several pictures of her. It also has a letter written in her dedication by the Founder and CEO of the company. At the bottom, there is a link that takes viewers to another page which have quotes by Trimspa customers eulogizing Anna Nicole Smith.

From an advertisement perspective, the Trimspa web site is not very effective. The web site does not provide any information about their product. The web site design is also very plain. It uses a simple black background and white text. There are no logos to speak of on the web site besides the pictures of Anna Nicole Smith. However, it could be argued that Smith had taken the part of a logo for Trimspa. The web site is easy to navigate because it only has one link. As previously stated, the content is irrelevant to product they sell.

Competitor #2: Lipocerin
web site: http://lipocerin.com/

Analysis:

The Lipocerin web site is totally dedicated to the Lipocerin weigh loss formula. The site consists of one massive page and is divided into six parts which include: Home, How It Works, Clinical Proof, Testimonials, FAQ, and Buy it. These six parts are listed at the top of the web site and clicking on them take you to that specific part of the web site. The way to navigate away from the main page is by clicking on links at the very top right corner of the page.

The overall layout of the site is effective because the information about the product is on a single page. However, the fact that all the information is on a single page always raises some suspicion and makes the company advertising the product look cheap. The overall lay out of the web site and graphics bring to mind a "made for TV advertisement." Instead of using a single page for our company, I would use several pages to rid the customer of that "made for TV" aura. This particular web site does not boost a logo. It simply has a picture of the boxes in which the consumer would receive their product.

Competitor 3: Xenical
web site: http://www.xenical.com/xen_do_home.asp

Analysis:

The Xenical web site has a simple yet novel design. The main page introduces the product and attempts to discriminate between individuals who actually may need it. The body-mass index calculator is a nice tool they provide to see if you may be in need of their product. The tabs at the top and at the left of the main page provide for easy navigation when searching for something in specific. The tabs at the right side of the main page link to some informative information that you and your doctor may need to know before starting their product.

The web site is effective because everything is organized in a coherent manner. The colors of the web site are very plain and don’t take away attention from the text. However, some may see the use of plain colors as a potential flaw. The logo depicts some type of plant with some object sprouting from it. I envision our company using the same pragmatic web site design but using more vivid colors.

Business Posting - Jackie I.

Our upcoming assignment in class involves researching our competitors and comparing their business techniques and visual standards to ours, more specifically the online websites. This idea of researching and being very aware of our competitors presence is very unique to surviving in business. You can't just think that your product or your idea is one-of-a-kind and no one else can touch it. The odds are that someone out there has already thought about it, so a business person running a company needs to not only immerse themselves in their own product but also all those products similar to it.
Researching the competition can give you new ideas or new approaches to things, and it can also be a good indicator as to how not to do something. Business is all about innovation, and the only way to accomplish this is to constantly try to over think your competition, to be essentially one step ahead. In order for you product to succeed in the market it has to be recognized and known by the public. Your competition is out there trying to attract the same people, so it's important to know what they have and what they're doing so that you can do it better.
Another important reason to be aware of companies selling similar products to yours is to look out for any new market trends or standards that need to be met. The business world has many aspects of it that change without notice, given the rise and fall of consumer confidence and other economic indicators. So research is vital so that you're knowledgable of everything involving your product and can stay ahead of everyone else.

Experience-Sylva G.

Friday's class discussion and assignment really got me thinking about job capabilities. For the assignment, I chose Rose Massin for the job position. My decision was based on the facts I knew about her, and I started to compare her to my mother. Even though my mother has worked continuously throughout her life, maintaining her last job for almost 30 years, I still saw some of my mother in Ms. Massin. My mom currently works with a lot of young adults who have at least Bachelor degrees. However, in the 1970's, the position that my mom currently holds did not require a college education. My mom has the advantage due to her experience and has basically grown with the business.

Currently, many people associate more education with being more suitable for jobs. However, it has not always been this way. Experience has been the key essential for landing a position. Nowadays, education has been stressed and is a definite criterion for being successful. Gutierrez versus Massin situation opened my eyes to this difference. Since, society stresses education so heavily now, potential career holders of today have a setback. How do you gain experience without the opportunity to get experience? I think about Gutierrez when I hear that question. He has all the right credentials, yet no experience. Potential can only get you so far. If you are never given an opportunity to gain experience, how will you stand out? These questions will always be unanswered in my book. A lot of companies state that "experience is needed", but where do u start?

Why having a good manager is important.

This week I learned the importance of having a good manager. I had read a book titled Zapp for a class that focused on how to be a good manager and the importance of having one. I did not understand how important that was though until this week. There is a woman at my work that washes the dishes. She has two degrees from school so she is overqualified for this position and is therefore very unhappy with her job. She makes it very clear that she hates her job by complaining about it to me and the rest of my coworkers. She will get upset when we bring dishes back to her and makes comments that “She does everyone else job” which is false, because she barely does her own job. We all have complained several times to the manager, who is only a couple of years older than me. She has not done anything that has fixed the problem up to this point. This weekend, she yelled at one of my coworkers and she quit and I was ready to quit as well. I could not understand why my manager seemed to rather keep the dishwasher in her position than to try to make her other employees happy by firing her. We had our monthly meeting this week and we all decided that we would talk to the manager all at the same time so she would understand how serious the problem was. We were not as upset with the dishwasher as we were with the manager, because we knew we will have to work with people we do not get along with in life, but what is most important is how that problem is taken care of by the manager. She agreed that we would all sit down next week and have a meeting with the dishwasher and let everyone know what we expect from each other while at work. My manager agreed that if the woman did not improve her attitude after this meeting that she would be fired. If my manager had done the right thing and solved this problem a long time ago, one of our very good coworkers would still be working with us, but instead we are short staffed.