Rules For Gas Like A Refrigerant

Propane use in household air conditioners is prohibited by the EPA.

The emergence of propane as a refrigerant is primarily due to the phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) that began in 1995 and the push to regulate greenhouse gasses. Pure propane has no ozone depletion potential and is a very inefficient greenhouse gas. it's also a means of refrigeration that doesn't require connection to the electricity grid. Propane is a hydrocarbon; often blended to form a series of hydrofluorocarbon mixtures to get desirable qualities. The EPA regulates propane and its compounds in both moving and stationary refrigerant sources.

Automobile Propane Refrigerant

The EPA strictly regulates all automobile refrigerants. Propane and hydrocarbon refrigerants are illegal for use in automobiles, as of August 2010, mainly because of concerns about their flammability. Despite this, propane related compounds still exist in some automobiles and recovery and reclamation of propane refrigerant is encouraged. As stated on the EPA's website, auto technicians must use a standard DOT certified tank for recovery. If the tank doesn't have a float valve it can't be filled to over 60 percent of its gross weighted capacity. Certified centers can legally reclaim propane gas mixes from automobiles, though it's difficult for typical auto repair shops to identify specific gas compounds without expensive equipment.

Industrial Applications

The EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program accepted propane as acceptable for industrial process refrigeration affective June 16, 2010. This applies to both retrofits and new refrigeration purposes. It replaced two ozone-depleting compounds, as part of the final phase of ending the use of such gasses. Industrial applications include things such as process chilling, industrial ice machines, pumping systems and coolers used in grocery stores and restaurants. Prohibiting of the venting of propane continues.

Household Applications

Many parts of the world allow manufacturers to use propane in refrigeration of domestic sized air conditioners and heat pump units. As of August 2010, the EPA still does not allow propane for these applications. Consideration of these applications took place when SNAP legalized propane for industrial use, but the EPA decided against them. The SNAP board points out in their review on the U.S. Government Printing Office website summary.

Choose An Insurance Coverage Marketing Organization

Competition is stiff in the insurance industry, so a solid, effective marketing plan can give you a competitive edge and help grow your business. As you look for a marketing organization to handle your company's promotional activities, it is important to find one with experience and in-depth industry knowledge. Do not rush the process. Take time to interview each organization and perform background research to determine which is a a good fit for your company.

Instructions

1. Make a list of priorities. Consider issues like location, price, capabilities and experience in marketing insurance projects. If you are new to marketing, you may want to hire a company based nearby to enable in-person meetings with your team; if you are comfortable with telephone and online communications, this may not be as important. Your list will serve as a guideline for evaluating each marketing organization.

2. Create a long list of marketing organizations. Start with firms in your area, and ask for recommendations from other businesses and contacts. You might send an email to your close business contacts, or have a staff member conduct a phone and Internet search. For each company, list the website URL, basic contact information and main selling points. Rank the companies on your long list based on your initial research and personal recommendations.

3. Write a basic request for information and send it to the top five to seven companies on your list. In the request, which you can send via email, include the size of your organization, the current status of your marketing and any major goals you want to achieve. Ask that each company send you further information about its services, with a focus on the types of work it would do to promote an insurance industry. Marketing firms are used to sending packets of work samples and a general introduction to the strategies they would employ for a new customer.

4. Review the materials from each of your top marketing organizations and eliminate any that are immediately unsuitable. Contact the top three firms and ask that they develop a proposal for marketing activities for your review. At this point, a quality marketing firm will need to ask more questions about your business goals, customers and existing strategies; a firm that has no questions is not likely to be thorough. Meet with the three firms, allowing each to make a presentation.

5. Judge the firms based on quality and depth of presentation, experience in insurance marketing, price, innovation and creativity of ideas, understanding of your audience and the fit of personality and styles. Look for a firm offering a clear return on investment, a solid timetable and a grasp of your business needs. Choose the marketing organization that fits best with your insurance company.

So How Exactly Does An Insurance Coverage Binder Work

If you have ever tried to get insurance, you have surely heard the term "insurance binder." When getting insurance, it is important to know what every term means, including its specifications and special conditions. Legal terms can be a little confusing sometimes, since there are technical terms involved in the legalese. Knowing what an insurance binder is and how it works will help you acquire effective insurance coverage.

Definition

An insurance binder is a sort of insurance probation. This means that while your insurance broker is doing paperwork, or submitting your insurance request to his company, you get all the benefits of the insurance you're trying to get. In other words, you'll have all the benefits and advantages of your insurance policy coverage without being officially insured. Insurance companies offer this type of probation time to attract more clients and commit them from the start in their insurance plans. If anything happens to you while being under the insurance binder, the insurance company will take charge of everything.

Duration

The insurance binder usually lasts for only a few days, though this will depend on the deal you make with your insurance broker. He will probably give you a determined number of days according to the time he'll need to submit your insurance policy request to his insurance company. You'll have an insurance binder until the day you know if your insurance policy has been accepted or denied. Insurance companies try to attend to requests as soon as possible, since they don't want to give coverage without being paid.

Agreement

The insurance binder is often based on an oral or written agreement with your insurance broker. The deal is usually sealed when you agree to acquire a determined insurance policy, so you can get automatic coverage. You should at least sign an informal sort of contract between you and your insurance broker to avoid any kind of problems or misunderstandings.

Coverage

The insurance binder can cover anything you want to insure. You can get medical insurance, for example, as well as an insurance binder for your car, house or any good you consider worth insuring.

The Code Of Ethics Web Hosting Security Firms

A code of conduct must convey professionalism and ethical business practices.

There are three vital elements to any professional organization. First, it must have an education or experience requirement. Second, it must conjure a comprehensive code of ethics/conduct. Lastly, it must investigate all alleged violations of ethics and conduct.

Qualifications

A reputable security firm must have education and experience requirements for all employees.

Any reputable private security firm will have specific education or experience requirements for its employees. Generally, these range from high school diplomas for entry-level guards up to advanced university degrees, American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) certifications and experience requirements for security managers. Many states also have training programs and licenses for security officers, private patrol operators and security managers.

Code of Ethics

Every security company must have a comprehensive code of ethics.

A comprehensive code of ethics for a private security company should be implemented to add legitimacy and professionalism to the company. The code should specify that officers are to abide by all local, state and federal laws, as well as the company's particular regulations. The company should only accept contracts and duties within its own professional competence. Otherwise, any service limitations must be disclosed to the client/principal. Information and privacy confidentiality must be addressed and maintained. The security firm must take steps to prevent the improper disclosure of such information. Notably, the firm should never misrepresent its credentials, experience or membership status with reputable organizations.

Violations

All ethics violations should be investigated by an unbiased third party.

Private security firms must be free of "double standard" practices within their companies. Any and all alleged violations should be investigated, regardless of who is involved. Preferably, investigations should be conducted by an unbiased third party. Moreover, the code of ethics should state that any refusal to cooperate with such an investigation is cause for immediate termination of employment.

Which Companies Take Advantage Of Gmos

GMO technology produces plants with improved genes.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) result from alterations of the genes of plants and animals in order to improve certain characteristics of the original species. Various food processing and agricultural companies have utilized GMO technology to make massive profits.

Agricultural and Seed Companies

Large multinational biotech companies such as Monsanto and Syngenta have developed genetically modified seeds that are resistant to pests and diseases and that produce more yield than unmodified seeds. These companies derive a lot of benefit from selling these seeds to farmers worldwide. As farmers plant these seeds and experience increased yields, they develop a positive attitude toward the technology, which results in increased sales of seeds by these companies. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is also involved in the production of GMO seeds. It is among the largest owners of patented GMO plant seeds and related agrochemicals and has built a seed vault/bank, where stored seeds are wrapped to exclude moisture. The aim of this seed bank is to preserve crop biodiversity for the future.

Pharmaceutical Companies

Pharmaceutical companies use GMO technology to develop medicines to treat various diseases. According to the 2001 Human Development Report, biotechnology provides the potential to prevent and mitigate various health challenges such as HIV&AIDS, experienced especially in poor countries. Medical biotechnology involves the production of genetically modified crop and animal varieties, which have a high nutritional value required for the achievement and maintenance of good health. It may also be in the form of new medical vaccines, drugs, and tools for medical diagnosis. These pharmaceutical companies make profits by producing GMO technology-related drugs.

Food Processing Companies

Food processing companies often use GMO technology to produce various brands of food. Among the methods applied is fermentation, a process involving the use of microorganisms and enzymes to add nutritious components to food products and beverages and to produces food products. GMO technology produces a wide variety of fermentation processes, which enhance production and result in increased profit margins for these companies.

Social Responsibility & Economic Performance

Most people agree that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important aspect in the management of firms. CSR is a commitment by firms to contribute to sustainable economic development by improving the lives of the community and the environment they are working within. Today, studies are engaged in finding the link between CSR and the economic performance of firms. These studies have largely shown that there is no substantial agreement about the link between CSR and the economic performance of firms.

Conflicting Perspectives

There are divergent views concerning the link between the socially responsible initiatives of firms and their financial performance. One view is that businesses are morally obligated to improve the lives of society and their stakeholders. According to this perspective, the "returns on investment" are measured by the society's overall well being and how well the stakeholders benefit from CSR initiatives. A second view is that businesses have a social responsibility to maximize profits. In this case, if the cost of CSR initiatives is disproportionately higher than the profit the firm is making, then CSR will negatively impact the firm's economic performance.

Evaluating Economic Performance

Managers are concerned with making profits for their company. In measuring the impact of CSR on their businesses, they have traditionally done so by looking at profit and loss accounts, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement. But broad-based evaluation methods such as the "stakeholder approach" are proving to be useful. For example, by offering customers good value products and good after sale services, they should return to the business again in the future. This socially responsible behavior may improve the economic performance of the firm.

Effects on Profitability

Research indicates that it is not in the interest of businesses to carry out the same CSR initiatives. Instead, firms should carry out CSR initiatives that are profitable and in line with their own business strategy, in order to become more competitive. In the long term, competitive business practices, complimented by equally competitive CSR initiatives will generate profits. The link between CSR and profitability is more evident in the long-term, rather than in immediate returns to shareholders.

Small, Medium and Big Companies

The relationship between CSR and its size also affects a firm's economic performance. It is recognized that small and medium firms cannot be expected to contribute as much as larger companies. Critics argue that for small and medium firms, spending money on CSR initiatives may have a negative impact on the firm's economic performance. These companies will have less money to reinvest in the growth of their own firm and may risk losing market share. Therefore, companies should spend on CSR only if it will enhance their economic performance.

Open An Industrial Banking Account

Opening a commercial bank account is an important part of operating any business, whether it is a sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC) or corporation. Keeping personal and business financial affairs separate through different bank accounts is also important for tax purposes. Fortunately, opening a commercial bank account is easy, and requires few steps beyond a trip to the local bank or credit union of your choice. Business owners and sole proprietors alike usually can open commercial checking and/or savings accounts in a day or less.

Instructions

1. Gather any business documents you have, including a business license and/or articles of incorporation.

2. Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service if you do not already have one. Sole proprietors, the official term for self-employed individuals not formally operating a business, can typically use their Social Security number for commercial banking and credit purposes.

3. Visit the bank or credit union of your choice, whether online or in person. Virtually every financial institution has a commercial banking division.

4. Speak to a representative about opening a business banking checking and/or savings account. He or she will ask you some personal and commercial questions so they can fill out your account application. Information requested typically includes your full name, business and home addresses, business and home telephone numbers, business name if it is not a sole proprietorship and EIN number. Some banks also want a Social Security Nnmber for all account signers.

5. Give the representative your commercial documents, such as business license and/or articles of incorporation if requested.

6. Issue the representative your required opening deposit for a commercial bank account. Commercial bank accounts require at least $2,500 to open at most banks. If you are a small business or sole proprietor without access to such funds, consider opening a separate personal bank account and use it only for business transactions.

Write Company Guidelines & Methods

Write Company Policies & Procedures

Writing company policies and procedures is an entire career. Company policies must be clear, measurable, and enforceable. Following these steps will help you in writing any company policies and procedures.

Instructions

1. DEFINITIONS

Policy: Rules to which the company and its employees must adhere, whether governed by law or by the company's mission statement.

Procedure: Instruction manual for employees on accomplish company procedures.

Stakeholder: Any individual, group, or organization inside or outside the company who can affect, or be affected by, the project. In this case, the project is the company's policies and procedures.

2. POLICY & PROCEDURE COMPONENTS

Title: Name the policy in a meaningful way. Remember that the company will have many policies. Each title needs to clearly define to the reader what the policy addresses.

Example: Customer Complaints - Documenting vs. Who to Tell When a Customer Complains About Something

Effective Date: Usually the month and year the policy takes effect is sufficient. If it's critical, also enter the day.

Example: May 2009

Last Updated: Only applies if this is an update to an existing policy.

Example: July 2009

Policy Scope: A generic statement including to whom the policy applies.

Example: This policy applies to all employees with customer contact.

Reason for Policy: Self explanatory.

Example: This policy is required in order to standardize documentation of customer complaints and to ensure proper resolution.

Policy Content: Give specifics of the policy. This includes what needs to be done, not accomplish it.

Example: Each customer complaint, whether verbal or written, shall be brought to the attention of the Quality Customer Service Department (QCSD).

Procedure: Give specific instructions on how the policy is to be carried out or accomplished.

Example: For each verbal complaint, the employee receiving the complaint will complete Form VC-1 (see Appendix A to this policy). Once completed, signed, and dated by the receiving employee, Form VC-1 will be provided to the employee's direct manager, with a copy to the QCSD. For each written complaint, the employee receiving the complaint will complete Form WC-1 (see Appendix B to this policy). Once completed, signed, and dated by the receiving employee, Form WC-1 will be provided to the employee's direct manager. The manager will add comments and actions taken, sign, date and forward the form, along with a copy of the customer letter, to the QCSD.

APPENDICES

Attach or link any forms to which the Policy & Procedure refers.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Written By: Individual responsible for writing Policy & Procedure.

Approved By: Names of Stakeholders

Policy Owner: Individual responsible for content of Policy & Procedure.

Policy Contact: Include name, telephone number, and email address of department that is the primary contact for questions and assistance.

3. COMMUNICATION, TRAINING, and REFERENCE

After the Policy & Procedure is written, you will need to communicate it to those affected, train on any procedures, and store the P&P so it can be easily referenced for use.

Move From Active Duty To Reserves

Make the transition smoothly to Reserves when your time in service ends.

The Military Reserves are an integral part of the military forces of the United States. Service in the Reserves is a way for many to continue to serve with distinction, while functioning for the most part as a civilian. Because of this, many active duty personnel make the decision every year to transition from their active duty postings to life as a reservist. Making the change requires a bit of effort on the serving careerist's part, with each branch of the service having its own precise methods of completing the switch. Still, there is a common procedure that all service members must follow across the board in order to be accepted into either the Active Reserve, where the reservists are required to drill with a unit, or the Inactive Reserve, where they are not.

Instructions

Officer Transition

1. Speak to an Officer Transition Assistant (TA) about eligibility for transfer from active duty to reservist status. Discuss the benefits and responsibilities of reservist status, and the differences between belonging to a training unit versus an inactive unit.

2. Meet with the TA to begin the transition process. Present your service records and then fill out the required transition documents that allow for your assignment to a unit at an Operational Support Center. This support center will serve as your home base for any activities required of you as a reservist. Choose one nearest the area you intend to reside in after leaving the service.

3. Leave active duty on your separation date. Upon leaving active duty, you will be under the command structure of your service's Reserves.

Enlisted Transition

4. Speak with an Enlisted Transition Assistant from the Career Transition Office about eligibility and benefits of transitioning from active duty to reservist status.

5. Apply with the Reserve Component (RC) of your service for transition directly from active duty to the Reserves. Present your service records during the application process. As enlisted personnel, you will be required to apply with the RC using the Perform to Serve System (PTS). The PTS system is a method of rating your service time. Reserve service requires a set amount of service time on active duty before you can transition to the Reserves.

6. Speak to a Command Career Counselor for help in completing the requirement for transition to the reserves under the PTS system.

7. Get approval under the PTS system for reservist transition. A quota system exists for transitions that includes time served, service conditions and other specific factors, all of which add up to a total. If you meet the total, then you may be eligible for the transition. If approved your assigned status is either as reservist only, or as active duty/reservist.

8. Choose your next duty assignment. Pick an Operational Support Center if you're approved as reservist only. Choose an active duty posting or Operational Support Center if you're approved as active duty/reservist.

9. Wait for your next duty assignment. If selected for an active duty assignment, you will have to wait for the next duty rotation before applying for reservist transition again as the assignment takes precedence. If reservist only, or you receive your reservist assignment when approved as active duty/reservist, you can continue with the transition.

10. Leave active duty service and transition to reservist status under your chosen Operation Support Center.

Placed Concrete Problems

Not all concrete stamping is done for aesthetics.

Stamping is a unique finishing technique for concrete that gives personality to what might otherwise be a a plain patio, porch or other surface. You can do as little or as much stamping as you like, from creating just a border design to a complete faux-tiling job. There are some problems that may arise when stamping concrete, including the concrete being either too wet or dry to use.

Cured Concrete

Stamping is a finish that can only be applied to concrete that is still slightly damp. Yet many homeowners purchase a home with a concrete surface that they would like to stamp that is already completely finished and was cured, or dried, long beforehand. A thin surface coat of new concrete, often called a skim coat, can be applied to the surface of the old concrete. The new concrete may then be stamped to give the old concrete a new look.

Wet Concrete

Just as concrete can be too dry to stamp, it can also be too wet. Many inexperienced homeowners attempt to stamp concrete just after it is poured and leveled. The surface of the concrete must be worked with a trowel to release as much moisture as possible, preventing this water from being trapped in the center and allowing it to evaporate. The concrete must then sit for approximately three hours, giving it time to "set up". You should test the concrete by poking it with a finger. If the hole remains and does not fill itself, the concrete is ready to be smoothed a final time and stamped.

Improper Stamps

Ordinary craft stamps are available everywhere from supermarts to specialized hobby stores. A homeowner who has not properly researched concrete stamping may grab some of these stamps without thinking twice. But they will not work, and using them will yield a disappointing result. Concrete stamps are much different from regular stamps. They are generally larger and the design face is much deeper. Concrete stamps can be found at most home improvement stores.

Improper Technique

Most people have played with craft stamps, ink and paper. This type of stamping is hard to do incorrectly and hardly requires consideration of technique. For this reason, a homeowner may jump into concrete stamping head-first, using the same procedure that they would utilize to stamp paper. However, it is important to lower concrete stamps straight down and lift them very straight and evenly. And, in opposition to the firm pressure that paper stamping requires, concrete stamping calls for quite a light hand.

Lack of Sealer

No matter what finish is chosen, completed concrete surfaces must be sealed with concrete or masonry sealer. This protects the concrete from cracks, crumbling, and other damage and also ensures that all of your hard work does not go to waste.

About Grassroots Marketing

About Grassroots Marketing

Grassroots marketing has undergone dramatic changes. A method that once relied on local, person-to-person interaction has now exploded into the world of the Internet. While the same principles apply, the online environment puts a whole new spin on this marketing approach.

Identification

Grassroots marketing--also known as viral marketing--uses the power of personal relationships to promote a product, a service offering or a brand. The marketing message is directed toward a targeted audience--a group of people who would most benefit from a product offer, or who would be most likely to seek out the product being marketed. Free offers are used to attract potential customers. From there, normal, everyday activities carried out by this potential customer base become the "ripple" effects of the marketing message.

Effects

Word-of-mouth marketing has been around since marketing began; however its effectiveness depends on how the message is delivered and how fast it gets there. With the advent of the Internet, grassroots marketing has taken on a viral quality. The "viral effect" is a phrase that is commonly used to describe how quickly a marketing message can circulate when the Internet's capabilities are put to use. In 1997, venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson coined the term "viral marketing" in reference to how quickly Hotmail.com's brand spread as a result of its free service offer.

Function

Hotmail.com, the first web-based email service, is a classic example of grassroots marketing in action. Founded in the mid-'90s, Hotmail provided free email addresses and services to anyone who signed up. They then inserted their advertisement for free email service at the end of every user message. The marketing message went out in waves, as people corresponded with people they knew, some of whom signed up for the free service. Then these people would correspond with their social circle, allowing the marketing message to multiply every time a new user signed up for service.

Features

The basic principles that support grassroots marketing are what make it so effective within the Internet environment. To take a grassroots approach, the message has to be easy to transfer or spread. This in turn must make the best use of a potential customer's motivations and incite her to take action. The word "free" is typically a good motivator when you are trying to get people to notice an offer. An already existing social network makes for an ideal environment for the word-of-mouth effect to spread. The basic principle relies on personal relationships to spread the marketing message, with minimal cost and effort.

Types

The World Wide Web is rife with ways to create a viral effect. One way is to give away free ebooks and software containing advertising for an actual product offer. Free offers can also be used as part of an affiliate marketing strategy, in which other online marketers promote the "freebie" and earn a commission with each sale. This works to promote brand awareness, as well as causing a viral effect. Many ecard companies have quickly adopted the Hotmail technique by offering free ecards that contain the same freebie offer to anyone who receives a card. Using "refer-a-friend" links and buttons throughout a content-based website is another method.

Social networks and online communities are where grassroots marketing can really make an impact when targeted to the right groups. One popular social-networking site may contain hundreds of different groups of people with similar interests. These same people may belong to other social-networking sites, so a well-positioned freebie can spread overnight if the ideal customer gets a hold of it. Online communities work in much the same way; however the networking aspect may be a bit more subdued, depending on the type of community.

Techniques Of Quantitative Financial aspects

Quantitative economics is a specialty of its own within the field. It uses a range of complex mathematical and statistical procedures to analyze economic phenomena. These techniques help economic analysts explain economic issues, as well as predict future economic conditions. They also lend quantitative, empirical support to economic theories, which are generally expressed in qualitative terms.

Identification

The field of quantitative economics is known among economists as econometrics, which literally means economic measurement.

Types

The main analytical method of quantitative economics is regression analysis, which studies economic outcomes as functions of one or more predictor variables. For example, a regression equation might analyze the extent to which average income is predicted by the following predictor variables: experience, education, gender and ethnicity. Other quantitative economic techniques include cost-benefit analysis and economic forecasting.

Features

Quantitative economic methods require an in-depth knowledge of statistics and research methodologies. They also require extensive amounts of data, as well as a computer and statistical software for analysis.

Benefits

Quantitative economics not only lends empirical support to economic theory, but also can forecast economic conditions, evaluate the impact of economic policies, examine the feasibility of government or business decisions, and analyze market conditions for business.

Considerations

Quantitative economic techniques can find correlations between variables, such as income and education, but do not prove causation.

Take Away The Print Mind From The Canon I320

The Canon i320 is a simple value-priced, bubble jet printer. Printing speeds are up to 10 pages per minute (ppm) in black and 7 ppm in color. It's unique at this level to have true edge-to-edge printing for borderless prints. Rarely, you may have to replace the entire print head rather than just the tanks.

Instructions

1. Pull the front cover open with your finger. It will come forward and rest on the paper output tray. The print head is under the front cover. If you take a look at the printer, you'll see that there's an operation panel on the top right with some buttons and indicator light. The front of the printer is an expanse of undecorated plastic. Between the operation panel and the front you'll see a crease with a finger-tip sized indentation in the middle of the crease. That's where you insert your finger to open the cover.

2. Unlock the print head lock lever. You should be looking inside the printer. You will see a square box open at the front and top with two ink tanks in it. The box will be attached to bars deep inside the printer. The box is the print head holder. Flip up the gray lever which is the print head lock lever.

3. Grasp the print head and remove it from the print head holder. Lift it up and out of the printer.

4. Replace the print head. Just follow these instructions in reverse. Install the new print head into the holder and snap the grey lever down on it and close the cover.

Cope With An Average Boss

The best way to deal with a mean boss? Focus on doing your job extremely well. CNN offers that advice for employees struggling to cope with mean, hyper-critical bosses. Some bosses will never change their personalities or their way of interacting with people, so its best to focus more on becoming a great employee than fretting about your boss's personality. Some bosses are chronic critics who find flaws in everything. Bending over backwards to end the criticism and meanness often leads to more frustration for the employee.

Instructions

1. Study your boss to learn more about the boss's personality. Watch how he interacts with others. Some mean bosses are mean to just about everyone---and the boss is also likely hyper critical of himself. Spending time learning your boss's personality may help you understand that you are not the problem---and you may even develop some compassion for your boss. At a minimum, understanding your boss's personality and how he treats himself and the rest of the staff will allow you to compartmentalize the boss' meanness as you go about your daily tasks.

2. Stand up to your boss. No, this doesn't mean engaging in shouting matches. Let the boss act like a jerk, if he must, while you maintain a strong degree of professionalism. MSNBC recommends that you should "carry yourself with best posture and wear attire that imparts your professional stature, abilities and success." You should also challenge your boss when you know you are right or have an important point to raise. A mean boss may recognize employees who are easily intimidated---and that can lead to more meanness. Show your boss you're no pushover by coming the work prepared to do a great job each day---and challenging the boss when appropriate.

3. Show your boss that your work ethic is as strong as hers. Consider working the same hours that your boss does---late hours, weekends---whatever it takes. Not everyone can do that, especially working parents. However even the toughest, meanest bosses may develop respect for their hardest workers.

4. Find another job if you have done everything possible to do a great job and bond with your boss---but it just isn't happening. Seek a transfer to another department in the company or leave for an entirely new opportunity.

Be A Childcare Provider In California

The services home day-care operators offer are invaluable to working parents of infants and preschool-age children. These operators can offer their services in their home while also looking after their own children and earning an income. In California, family home day-care operators can care for up to eight children at a time, including their own. Candidates for a family home child care license must apply to California's Department of Social Services.

Instructions

1. Obtain the child-care licensing application forms. You may download the forms from the website for California's Department of Social Services or visit a local Child Care Office (see Resources).

2. Contact your local Child Care Office to register for an orientation. The Family Child Care Home orientation meeting is designed to introduce participants to child-care licensing requirements and the licensing process. Expect to pay a fee of $25 at the orientation with a cashier's check or a money order. Take your application forms to the orientation.

3. Learn the family child-care home licensing laws and regulations. You must become familiar with the child-care laws and regulations before you apply for a license. You may read the Family Child Care Home Licensing Requirements online or print a copy of the 80-page booklet (see Resources).

4. Schedule an appointment for a home inspection. Expect a call from a licensing program analyst, who will help you pick a time for the inspection. You must pass the inspection to proceed with the application for a child-care license.

5. Complete the application and other forms in the application packet. Type your responses or write them in ink. Submit the application, any supplemental forms and the application fee to the Department of Social Services. It is $66 to file an application for a family child-care home license. Expect to receive your license in the mail if the department approves it.

Write A Highly Effective Housewife Resume

Anyone who has stayed home -- especially with small children -- knows that it often can be harder than a day at the office. But regardless of how difficult being a homemaker is, employers are likely to view time spent raising a family as a gap on your resume. To focus the hiring manager's attention on your skills and competencies -- and prevent him discarding your resume -- highlight the relevant information while minimizing the potential negatives.

Instructions

1. Use a functional format for the resume, instead of the traditional chronological approach. A functional format groups experience by skill set as opposed to listing employment by date. This technique downplays the gap in your resume while highlighting your work experience.

2. Write a summary targeted to the specific position for which you are applying. If you are seeking a position in human resources, for example, you can highlight your skills while combining your total years of experience: "Motivated HR generalist with expertise in classification and compensation and labor negotiations. Five years experience in both a practical and classroom setting."

3. Highlight your qualifications upfront if your experience is lacking -- or you don't have any. Typically, the education section is last on a resume. But if your work experience is minimal, or unrelated to the job you have applied for, place information about your educational and industry qualifications upfront. Highlight recent qualifications to emphasize to the employer that you have kept up-to-date on current industry standards.

4. List the transferable skills you gained while a homemaker if you don't have relevant work experience for the job you are seeking. Whether you acted as a coach for your child's Little League team or balanced the family budget, the skills you identify must be pertinent to the job for which you are applying.

5. Include any volunteer work you completed during your years as a homemaker to demonstrate your continued involvement in the workplace while you were not formally employed. Note any recognition you received from the organizations with which you volunteered.

Replace A Copier Drum

Often at the most inconvenient time, copiers, just like printers, run out of ink, also known as toner. Most toner drums last up to a year, or 15,000 sheets, depending on the frequency and types of copies you make, such as text, images or charts. You can anticipate replacing the copier drum by the warning light on the display screen. Replacing copier toner is not terribly difficult, but it does require you to follow instructions without forcing any unknown drawer or lever.

Instructions

1. Obtain a copy of the instructions and map for your particular copier so you can locate the proper levels and drawers.

2. Release the main level outside the copier below the copying screen and pull open the front copier door gently. You should be able to see all the paper and storage drawers.

3. Locate the toner lever and release the locking switch. It is often differently colored from the other levers inside the copier.

4. Slide open the small compartment and remove the entire toner cartridge from the machine.

5. Pull out the drum cartridge from inside the toner cartridge. It should be secured directly inside the toner cartridge.

6. Open the new drum cartridge, taking care not to touch the sides of the drum. Doing so will spread ink all over your fingers. Slide the new drum into the slot where the empty drum was located. When the new drum cartridge is secured into the drum frame, you'll hear a click.

7. Place the toner cartridge back into the machine, secure the toning cartridge lock, and close the copier door.

8. Confirm the presence of a new drum cartridge on the main LCD screen when prompted.

Causes Of Beginning Your Personal Business

It takes a lot of work to start a new business.

Although starting a business can present a number of seemingly impossible challenges and frightening risks, there are many very important benefits to being a business owner. Owning your own business provides you with many freedoms that would likely never be possible when working for someone else, but it is not something to be entered into lightly.

Unlimited Earning Potential

When working for an employer, your earning potential is typically limited to some sort of a salary structure. However, as a business owner, you theoretically have unlimited earning potential. Your income becomes proportionally linked to the amount of work and creativity you're willing and able to put into promoting and developing your new product, service, or idea. Not every small business will end up being profitable--this is a risk all entrepreneurs must take--but if you're able to make your business work, never again will you be limited to a salary set by an employer.

Job Security

In times of economic downturn, when unemployment rates tend to rise, having your own business can be a tremendous comfort. Although business owners do have to worry about and deal with economic ups and downs just like anybody else, you don't ever have to worry about getting fired or laid off.

Scheduling Freedom

As a business owner, you can enjoy a much higher degree of scheduling freedom than is possible if you work for someone else. You can spend time taking care of personal responsibilities and duties during the day, if need be. You can work late into the night from the comfort of your own home, if necessary, and can sleep in a little later in the mornings. Essentially, your schedule becomes your own, and you are able to work--for the most part--on your own time.

Career Control

As a business owner, you're immune from the stresses of office politics. Because you're at the top of the company, you don't have to worry about trying to outperform your peers or schmooze your superiors. Without these concerns, you're free to devote your attention more solidly toward growing your business and improving your product or service.

Open A Eco-friendly Dog Grooming Business

Operating a business is an exciting venture. And it's important for new business owners to do what they can to construct their business plan with the planet in mind. This is especially important for those working in industries that release chemicals into your city sewer such as pet grooming. Keep the following things in mind when opening your "green" pet grooming business.

Instructions

1. Write a dog grooming business plan and come up with all the information necessary for getting start up money and the licenses you need. Contact your county or city business office to pay the licensing fees and learn of any other permits you may need.

2. Find a store front where you will open your dog grooming business. Look specifically for any shopping strips or other buildings in your city that are LEED-certified or "green" in other ways such as solar panels or skylights or that are set up for recycling service.

3. Set up a rainwater collection system so you can use the rain water in the washing portion of your business. Consult your local water authority office for help in knowing what equipment you'll need to accomplish this.

4. Purchase wind or other energy credits to offset your usage and implement ways to save water such as a tankless water heater, time limits on baths and water saving tubs. You can also check the water temperature to make sure the temperature is set no higher than 120 degrees. Not only will this save you water; it will also prevent scalding the pets you groom.

5. Order supplies from a green dog grooming supply company. Biogroom is one such company that specializes in environmentally-friendly and pet-safe grooming shampoos, conditioners, finishers and other products. They offer dog, cat and ferret products.

6. Get the word out about your grand opening by sending flyers to local veterinarian offices, city parks where people walk their dogs and to dog training facilities. Make sure to mention that you are a green dog grooming business and if you are the only one in town, you'll especially want to point this out.

7. Continue to market your green dog grooming business by offering to speak at local civic group meetings. Organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions Club and Jaycees and Junior League are always looking for speakers for their weekly meetings and promoting a business that is as warm-and-cuddly as pet grooming while also being kind to the environment will make you a popular potential speaker.

Start A Marketing Company

Advertising companies create ads for magazines, newspapers, billboards, radio, television and the Internet.

Start an advertising company if you have skills in copy writing, graphic design or a strong background in marketing or sales. The ability to sell advertising concepts to clients is necessary in order to stay competitive. Advertising companies help both small and large businesses sell goods and services through print ads, billboards, radio, television and Internet advertising. Knowledge of the latest marketing and advertising trends can help you provide the right type of advertising for your clients.

Instructions

1. Apply for a business license to start an advertising company in your area. Contact the county clerk's office or small business administration office for licensing information and materials. Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) through the Internal Revenue Service. Use the EIN when filing state and federal taxes and on business documents. Register your ad company to form a limited liability company (LLC), corporation or partnership with your state's secretary of state's office.

2. Lease commercial office space to meet clients, design ads and to house employees and design equipment. Select a space in a busy downtown or business district. Purchase office furniture, supplies and computer software such as desktop design, graphic design, bookkeeping and invoicing software. Purchase business insurance to protect office equipment from theft or damage. Business insurance also helps protect business assets in the event of a lawsuit or settlement.

3. Market ad creation services to businesses in your area. Create fliers, brochures and post cards to send directly to prospective clients. Create a website to highlight your experience. Contact local businesses to arrange business meetings. Attend local networking functions, charity events and trade shows to meet business owners.

4. Demonstrate your skills in copy writing and graphic design by creating sample ads for prospective clients. Take these samples with you to business meetings to give clients a general idea of your skills. Follow up meetings with a phone call or email thanking the client for their time.

Clean Purchase Rules For Mutual Funds

To discourage the practice of traders selling stocks, and then repurchasing them to take advantage of tax losses, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has wash sale rules to govern these activities.

Rules

Wash sale rules apply to stocks, options and mutual funds for the 30 days before and 30 days after investments are sold and repurchased.

Definition

The IRS prohibits deductions on losses of "substantially identical" of investments.

Caution

The rules, as they apply to mutual funds, are not as clear as for stocks, so it is advisable to document your reasoning for when repurchasing as a precaution.

Benefits

Although you cannot take a deduction on losses within this period, you can defer the loss against future capital gains using line items on Schedule D of Form 1040.

Caveat

The 30-day rules apply to automatic repurchases, so examine your portfolio before taking the loss on your taxes.

Details

If you purchase the same stock at different times throughout the year, such as 10 shares in January and 10 in March, the rule applies to 20 shares dated from March. They are substantially identical.

Advice

When in doubt, consult with your tax advisor before taking deductions on losses from sales of mutual funds.

What's The Concept Of Home Financial aspects

Home economics is the study of skills that pertain to the home and involves subjects such as nutrition, cleaning, financial literacy, cooking and other home-related skills. Home economics is primarily taught in elementary and high schools.

Cleanliness

A major part of home economics is learning proper cleaning procedures for the home. For example, students learn clean the stove and oven and properly sort out clothes for placement in the washer.

Cooking and Nutrition

Home economics also deals with proper cooking and nutrition standards. For example, students may learn safety measures to follow when frying foods, and then they'll learn the basic food groups and how many calories they should consume per day.

Finances

Students in home economics also learn financial literacy skills. For example, they may learn save money on groceries by using coupons and some teachers show write out checks, balance checkbooks and open a savings account.

Safety

Home safety is another important topic in home economics. For example, students learn use the fire extinguisher, handle electrical outlets when near water, and administer first aid.

Benefits

Home economics is beneficial in that it gives students the opportunity to learn important life skills. It also prepares them for emergencies that will require quick thinking and swift actions.

Step Method In Management Accounting

To understand the step method of management accounting, it's important to understand what this accounting practice entails, as well as the other methods of cost allocation. Business commentators use the terms "management accounting," "cost accounting" and "managerial accounting" interchangeably. Cost allocation methods are diverse and include direct, step, fixed and variable.

Management Accounting

Management accounting enables a company's leadership to figure out the best way to cut expenses and increase revenues, raise personnel's awareness with respect to profit management, prevent excessive spending and engage in sound budgeting that gradually brings the bottom line up. Cost accounting has an inward perspective -- unlike financial accounting, a discipline with an external focus that helps an organization tell the public how it fared over a given period. In managerial accounting activities, department heads and segment chiefs share their concerns about topics such as expense rise, runaway budget deficits and mediocre manufacturing efficiency.

Step Method

In the step method of cost allocation, a company sequentially spreads service departments' expenses to other service and operating departments, starting with the department that has the highest cost amount and finishing with the unit featuring the lowest amount. For example, Department A and Department B spent $2 million and $1 million, respectively. Cost accountants also note that Segment A, Segment B and Segment C spent $500,000, $600,000 and $700,000, respectively. The cost allocation model at the end of the period is as follows: Department A: 50 percent, 30 percent and 20 percent to Segment A, Segment B and Segment C, respectively; and Department B: 60 percent, 20 percent and 20 percent to Segment A, Segment B and Segment C, respectively. Department A's allocation yields $1 million ($2 million times 50 percent) for Segment A, $600,000 for Segment B and $400,000 for Segment C. Department B's allocation yields $600,000 ($1 million times 60 percent) for Segment A, $200,000 for Segment B and $200,000 for Segment C. At the end of the first step of cost allocation, Segment A has $2.1 million ($500,000 plus $1 million plus $600,000), Segment B has $1.4 million and Segment C has $1.3 million. If the three segments serve other units, cost accountants would keep on allocating their costs until there's no expense spreading needed.

Financial Benefits

The step method of cost allocation helps a company accurately calculate expenses it incurs in different functions. This correctness is beneficial in budgeting and profit-planning discussions, as senior leaders may cut costs in one area if they believe that its expense-to-income ratio is not conducive to long-term profitability.

Direct Method

The direct method of cost allocation ignores reciprocal or interdepartmental services, spreading all expenses incurred in service departments directly to operating departments. This method is more straightforward, easy to implement and convenient for smaller manufacturing operations or service businesses, such as warehouse management entities and shipping companies.

Just How Can The Standard Of Earnings Be Influenced By Discretionary Expenses

Quality of earnings is an accounting and investment term used to describe the earnings that a business reports through its income and cash flow statement. When investors look at earnings reports, they want to make sure that earnings are reliable -- that they are continual and stable. However, companies can use many different accounting procedures to pad their net earnings, inflating them by recording expenses in different ways, which can affect the quality of earnings.

Discretionary Expenses

Discretionary expenses are those expenses that are not required in order to run core business operations. This does not mean that these expenses are nonrecurring or unusual. Most businesses have regular discretionary expenses they consider part of their overall model. Research and development expenses are a good example. While a company does not need to spend money on R&D, many set aside a certain number of funds each period for use in this department.

Maintaining Discretionary Expenses

A business has the chance to make no changes to discretionary expenses when entering a period. In this case, changes will be relatively few based on such expenses, related more to budgeting and costs than earnings manipulating. As a result, the earnings will reflect business success during the period more accurately and quality of earnings will be high.

Cutting Back

Other companies may choose to cut back discretionary spending in several areas when entering a period. This inflates net earnings, since the money that was once allocated to departments like research and development now shows up as extra revenue. Sales may not have changed, but earnings are artificially changed. As a result, the quality of earnings is decreased even if the value rises because investors can no longer trust the income reports.

Considerations

Quality of earnings is a complex concept and can be affected by many more things than just discretionary expenses, so investors should not look at discretionary changes alone when making quality-of-earnings considerations. Often, a look at several years is necessary to see if discretionary expenses actually change to bolster revenue in times of low sales or if it is just a reactionary change to some other variable.

Package Commercial Fresh Cut Eco-friendly Let's eat some onions

Controlling temperature and humidity is crucial to commercial green onion packaging.

Green onions offer a subtle taste after cooking and require special handling when being packaged commercially. The vegetable is extremely fragile and needs to have its moisture content maintained at all times. This is achieved through paraffin-lined boxes and wraps with perforated polyethylene film. When packaged correctly, commercially grown green onions remain fresh enough to sell for up to eight weeks.

Instructions

1. Harvest onions when a minimum of two inches of their white shanks appears out of the ground. Bunch them in groups of six to nine in the field and wrap them in agricultural rubber bands to hold them together.

2. Run the onions through a washer/cooler machine within three hours of harvesting. The water temperature should be 33 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut each green top to a uniform 12 inches from the top of the bulb. Immediately place up to 12 pounds of the green onions in a box lined with paraffin. The paraffin aids in keeping the moisture on the produce instead of having the box wick it away. Twelve pounds of bunched and iced-down green onions fit in a box that is 20 inches long, 10 inches wide and 6.75 inches high.

3. Ascertain that the loss of moisture is under control. It is imperative in the transport of fresh-cut green onions that the temperature remain a consistent 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity level is kept between 95 percent to 100 percent. Packaging them in perforated polyethylene film or under a layer of crushed ice helps with adding moisture. Green onions can last for up to four weeks under these conditions.

4. Maintain maximum storage by keeping packaged green onions in a controlled environment, like a walk-in cooler, with an atmosphere consisting of 1 percent oxygen with 5 percent carbon dioxide. If the facility is kept at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the green onions can be stored an additional two to four weeks from the normal four weeks when packed under crushed ice and perforated polyethylene film.

Info On Log Cabin rentals

Log cabins are houses built by interlocking and stacking whole, unmilled tree logs together. Cutting-edge advancements in construction technology complement this ancient building tradition. Most log builders agree that "log cabins" tend to be smaller and more rustic in detailed refinement than "log homes."

Rustic log cabins are organic..

Foundation

Most log cabins settle upon solid ground.

The resting place for log cabins requires level, stable ground. In Alaska and northern latitudes, concrete piers should always be poured well below the frost line. Many smaller fishing and hunting cabins are designed for portability. Sometimes they are found on mobile trailer frames or skids.

Logs

Log cabins can be built anywhere on Earth.

Many tree selections are available when you purchase premade log cabins directly from manufacturers. If you feel more adventurous, DIY "Lincoln Log" kits of prepared, prenotched logs are commonly available. Or, you could find a forest and truly do it yourself. This "frontier" option normally requires a healthy amount of common sense and power equipment.

Preparation

Block and tackle.

Finding the best "house" logs for your cabin's purlin and walls may depend on your ability to move them. If you don't have a power winch, knowing use a block and tackle or come-along is essential. Most log builders prefer to work with dry, seasoned logs. They tend to be easier to peel and are always much lighter. If you build with logs freshly cut, be aware that they will shrink significantly while curing.

Notching

Log notches reveal individual style.

Depending on individual requirements, notching your cabin's logs and interlocking their corners can be time consuming. Several styles of log joinery exist. Whether you choose a carefully scribed Swedish cope or a quickly chopped greenhorn chunk, you must at least know use an axe safely.

Roof

Roofing material varies widely.

Traditional homemade log cabins have stacked gables assembled and edged on the ground. The purlin and rafter logs are best joined with mortise and tenon. Depending on your desired pitch and anticipated snow loads, trusses are covered with any appropriate combination of roof planking, plywood, felt, tarpaulin, tar paper, recycled tin plating, asphalt shingles, sheet metal, sod or terra cotta tile.

Do You Know The Primary Exports Of England

The United States received the most British exports in 2009, followed by Germany.

H.M. Revenue & Customs provides monthly figures for U.K. trade, including both imports and exports. The World Trade Organization oversees the global trade industry and releases figures annually on world trade percentages. England, as part of the United Kingdom, has always maintained strong links with the outside world. As of 2010 the United Kingdom is the fourth-largest trading country in the world and is a major trade partner with the United States, Germany and France, as well as with the rest of Europe.

Medicaments

In 2009, the primary English export was medicaments, including veterinary medicaments. This export is more commonly known as medication or pharmaceutical products that cure, prevent or treat medical ailments or diseases in humans or animals. These can range from antiseptics to antibiotics, and include many types of chemical substances used in diagnosing medical issues.

Petroleum Products

The second largest export from England in 2009 was petroleum oil. This oil comes in the form either of crude oil, a liquid mixture formed by natural processes, or transparent mineral oil, which has been distilled. Petroleum is a toxic and flammable liquid found naturally beneath the Earth's surface. The petroleum products produced from oil include diesel, gasoline, kerosene and tar. Other types of oils obtained from petroleum came fourth in the UK export list for 2009.

Motor Cars

The third most common export of the United Kingdom in 2009 was motor cars, including other types of motorized vehicles designed specifically for the transport of people. England has long been known for its automobiles, which include the Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin brands. Although many of the most popular brands have been taken over by foreign corporations, much of the manufacturing still takes place in the United Kingdom. England's fifth-largest export is large vehicle parts, including car motors and engines.

Anti Fraud Training

Learn examine the who, what, when, where and why relating to fraud.

Anti-fraud training generally consists of education relating to forensic accounting or fraud examination and can delve into auditing methods, business law, compliance and even interviewing techniques.

Continuing Professional Education

Some continuing education companies offer unlimited CPE by subscription.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) companies and professional associations focusing on fraud examination, accounting and auditing often offer anti-fraud training. These CPE courses take on a variety of formats including online study, conference calls and seminars. The training can range from a few hours to a few days.

Specialized Degree and Certificate Programs

Take a class in fraud prevention or forensic accounting.

Undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs that focus on a variety of anti-fraud topics are available. Some such programs include specializing in homeland security, criminology, fraud examination, forensic accounting and business law. As with CPE, many universities offer degree and certificate programs in a variety of formats including online, on site and hybrid.

On-the -Job Training

Obtain anti-fraud training as a temporary employee or an intern.

Another option for anti-fraud training is to learn skills on the job. According to Margot Carmichael Lester, a Monster.com contributing writer, "internships, temp assignments and contract positions enable you to explore a company or career before committing to it." Whether in a volunteer, temporary, contract or an entry-level position, job titles that could lead to an anti-fraud occupation include fraud analyst, junior investigator, junior accountant, paralegal and police officer.

What's An Intraobserver Agreement

Intraobserver agreements are when an observer agrees with himself.

Intraobserver agreement is a term used in clinical research and analysis, almost always in conjunction with interobserver agreement. Interobserver agreement is when different observers agree on the interpretation of the same material; intraobserver agreement is when a single observer views the same material on two separate occasions and both interpretations are consistent with each other.

Use

Intraobserver variance doesn't necessarily mean a methodology is of no value.

Intraobserver agreement (or variance) is often used to evaluate analytical methodologies when some aspect of the analysis is subjective or interpretive in nature.

Representation

Percentage is calculated from the number of participants who agreed with themselves and the total number of participants.

Intraobserver agreement is a measurement expressed in terms of a percentage; the total number of single observers whose analysis of a material was the same on two different occasions is divided by the number of participants in the test.

Method

Samples must be unmarked and numerous.

The participant (observer) must be given a sufficient number of unmarked samples in each test period so it cannot be easily ascertained that one of the samples is a duplicate.

Context

Due to subjective factors, doctors rely on a combination of tests to make a diagnosis.

Intraobserver agreement is primarily used to evaluate the reliability of a medical diagnostic test. If a large number of doctors participating in the study provide different diagnoses from the same test results viewed on two separate occasions, it is evidence the test is not reliable as a sole diagnostic indicator.

About Snack Routes

Completing a vending route is the same as payday for a vending machine owner. This is the time when he will make the rounds to restock the machines, do maintenance and most importantly, collect money. Doing a vending route can be a great time, assuming that you make or exceed the expected bi-weekly or monthly goal for income. It can turn into a nervous and eye-opening experience if you do not make as much as expected.

Planning Your Route

Since many vending machine owners will usually place several machines in varied locations, it is important for them to plan a route. The most effective way to execute a vending route is to visit the farthest location from home first and then work back to home. Also, car navigator systems and MapQuest have made it much easier for vending machine owners to plan stops. Now, all the owner needs to do is program each address into the navigating tool and allow the system to show the best route.

Frequency of Collections

How often the owner should do a vending route really depends on the expected traffic for each location. Start by checking in on vending machines on a weekly basis. If you find that your product is selling out very quickly, then weekly or even twice weekly may be a good frequency. But if you go an entire week and see that little to no product has sold, you might want to visit the locations on your route on a monthly basis. Adjust the frequency according to your specific situation; many vending machine owners choose to restock and collect on a bi-weekly basis.

Bad Areas

From time to time, you may be faced with an irresistible vending opportunity in a less than desirable area. In this case, you have to go prepared. Look into your local laws regarding carrying a weapon (concealed or revealed) and keep something on you for protection. Also, always do the collections and maintenance during the daytime because trouble usually starts after dark.

Beware

There are many salesmen that will try to sell you vending routes, promising you hundreds and thousands of dollars each week. The first thing you should ask yourself is, with that type of income potential, why isn't this guy doing the vending route himself? The answer is that there is no guarantee when it comes to vending routes. Not only is it sometimes difficult to find locations who are willing to take on your machines, you also don't know for sure what type of traffic you are getting and how interested these people are in your products.

Considerations

There are a few things you need to keep in mind when going through a vending route. If you have an arrangement to pay the location owner, you need to deduct his cut from the amount you collect from the machine. Also, never leave the machine unattended for long periods of time without replacing product; these machines are targets for theft. Finally, when you are doing your route and come across a broken machine, make sure that you know fix the machine or bring someone along who does.

Underwrite Insurance

The process of underwriting an insurance policy determines whether a risk is acceptable and how much premium should be charged to an individual customer. Underwriting helps an insurer balance risks and maintain finances in order to pay out claims as they occur. Learning about the underwriting process will give you a better understanding of how your insurance is priced.

Instructions

Underwriting Insurance

1. Collect all the necessary pieces of information. Depending on the type of insurance requested, underwriters need an application, pictures of property (such as cars or buildings), credit history, loss histories from previous policies, financial statements and any related company website addresses.

2. Review the information to learn about the applicant and the items to be insured. Look at company websites for commercial applicants, and conduct an Internet search to find news articles or other mentions of the applicant.

3. Evaluate the risks involved with an applicant based upon predetermined underwriting guidelines and state and federal laws. For simpler risks, such as those related to homeowner's or auto insurance, underwriting is an automated process that evaluates information based on preloaded guidelines. More complicated and costly risks, such as health and commercial coverages, require human interaction to determine the outcome of an application.

4. Choose whether to accept, reject or add conditions to an applicant's insurance policy. If all guidelines are met, policies are issued without change. If an applicant does not meet underwriting standards, the underwriter can choose to reject the application or to amend coverage by altering the amount of insurance offered, adding exclusions and requiring an applicant to make changes before insurance will be offered.

5. Maintain Continuing Education requirements and stay informed about changes within the insurance industry. Keep apprised of changes in federal and state insurance guidelines and adjust underwriting procedures as needed.

Generate A Mobile Vet Clinic

Set Up a Mobile Vet Clinic

Bringing animal care to the road is a relatively new concept that is spreading across the country. Mobile vet clinics are gaining in popularity, making it possible for pet owners to have their beloved pet conveniently cared for right in their own home. Mobile vet clinics allow pet owners to avoid transporting their pets, long office waits, and having to rearrange their schedules to bring their pets in. If you are a licensed veterinarian looking for an innovative approach to caring for your patients, consider opening a mobile vet clinic.

Instructions

1. Research the vet industry well. If you already own your own veterinarian practice, focus on the aspect of a mobile business. If you are just starting out as a vet and are new to the field of veterinary care, research all aspects of the vet business.

2. Determine how in-depth you would like your mobile vet clinic to be. Decide if you will perform basic check-up and well-care services along with treating simple ailments and complaints, or if you will offer a full-service veterinary clinic, complete with X-ray machines, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures and lab services.

3. Investigate the types of machinery and equipment that will be needed for your type of clinic. Calculate the cost of equipment and supplies.

4. Hire a professional consulting company to develop a business plan. Include long-term goals, start-up costs and overall expenses, projected profits, etc.

5. Search for a financial institution that specializes in small-business loans. Present your professional business plan and apply for a business loan.

6. Apply for a business license. Check with state and local guidelines to determine if there are any additional requirements associated with operating a mobile vet clinic.

7. Search for a vehicle that will accommodate your mobile vet clinic. Be sure the vehicle has enough room to house all necessary instruments and tools, supplies and equipment, as well as a treatment area.

8. Promote your business by advertising in local newspapers, with online social media sites, on the local radio stations, with in-store flyers and by mailing out flyers.

9. Speak with pet supply stores, dog groomers, animal shelters and any pet-related businesses to promote your mobile vet clinic. Leave them your business cards.

10. Develop a professional website for your mobile vet clinic. Include contact information, hours of availability, a detailed description of services offered, the benefits and convenience of a mobile clinic, and rates for standard procedures. Consider adding a section for visitors to leave comments, questions and feedback. Include colorful photographs of the mobile vet clinic.

Delegate Data Entry

Companies around the world outsource data entry operations for a variety of reasons. Data entry operators can be found in less-expensive economies, and companies like to utilize local workers in new markets for fundamental tasks. You can create an effective outsourcing plan for data entry operations by examining these reasons in depth.

Instructions

Maintain Your Facts and Figures With Outsourced Data Entry

1. Search for a job placement agency in new markets for your product to find data entry professionals. You can outsource the recruitment, training and evaluation of data entry operators by working with a full-service agency. It is crucial to ask for references and a portfolio of past clients to work with the right agency.

2. Recruit college students for specific data entry projects that can be completed during winter and spring breaks. Your business may need to update contact information for a large number of clients before you begin a new product roll out. College students are invaluable because they will work hard for a positive job reference.

3. Steer clear of drab data entry facilities to avoid emotional issues and work slowdowns during outsourcing. You should look for data entry centers that have plenty of windows and unique interior design to keep your staff comfortable.

4. Reward experienced data entry operators who volunteer to train new hires within your company. You can utilize a special fee for training sessions and provide overtime for authorized one-on-one sessions with management staff.

5. Open overseas data entry centers to take advantage of motivated foreign workers that require lower pay. There are millions of data entry operators and other administrative professionals in Asia, Europe and South America who wish to work for rapidly expanding employers. You need to apply the same design, workplace and training standards as your headquarters to keep overseas workers from heading to another company.

6. Research the necessary key stroke and word-per-minute rates that you need to complete data entry operations. You will expand your talent pool by applying the loosest standards possible for data entry tasks.

7. Schedule random examinations of data entry work throughout your company. Your desire to outsource personnel will be all for naught if there is a lack of quality work. Managers can choose a few staff members at random who will be observed for an entire day.

So How Exactly Does The Stock Exchange Buying and selling Floor Work

How Does the Stock Market Trading Floor Work?

The New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock-market trading floor in the world. It provides a platform for people to trade shares of stock in companies that are registered for public trading. Floor traders execute these transactions on behalf of investors. The best way to explain how this system works is to look at the step-by-step process of one simple trade.

A Stock Transaction

Let's say you'd like to buy 100 shares in Home Depot. You could call or email a stockbroker and tell her to you want to make that purchase. Your broker would then alert one of the floor clerks for her brokerage house, who would find another clerk who is willing to sell 100 shares of Home Depot. These clerks gather around posts, where a specialist broker brings buyers and sellers together and manages the open-auction market environment. The buyer and seller agree on a price and make the exchange. After making the exchange, the floor clerk then notifies your broker, who notifies you. The process usually takes a few minutes or longer, depending on the market and the stock involved. Today, these trades all usually happen electronically.

Hundreds of Thousands of Trades

The example in the previous step is of one simple trade, but multiply this one trade by hundreds of thousands of transactions, and you have the chaotic atmosphere you see at the New York Stock Exchange.

Trades involving large blocks of assets, securities and derivatives---such as the bundling and trading of subprime mortgages, which eventually affected the economy so negatively---are far more complex.

Needs For Acquiring Federal Gun Licenses

The Unites States government requires that firearms dealers become federally licensed.

The United States Gun Control Act of 1968 mandates that persons who wish to become a firearm or ammunition dealer must obtain a Federal Firearms License (FFL) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). According to the National Rifle Association's (NRA) website, a dealer is defined as any person who is engaged in the business of selling firearms or ammunition at wholesale or retail, performs firearm repairs, makes special fittings or mechanisms for firearms or is a pawnbroker. Anyone who makes occasional sales, exchanges or purchases of firearms for a personal collection or a hobby, however, is not required to become federally licensed.

Minimum Requirements

To be able to obtain a FFL, a candidate must be at least 21 years old and never have violated a firearms law or regulation. Additional background requirements for potential firearms dealers include never being convicted of a crime that carries a prison term exceeding one year, not being a fugitive or illegal alien, not being a user of illegal drugs, never being diagnosed with mental illness or been in a mental institution, never been dishonorably discharged from the military or have a court restraining order regarding an intimate partner or child of such a partner. The federal firearms license candidate will also have to certify that he has a premises with an enduring structure where he will be conducting business, and that the business will be conducted in accordance with all local and state laws. Notification of intent to become a firearms dealer must be sent to the local chief law enforcement officer and all requirements are to be met within 30 days of application approval.

Necessary Forms

Applicants must submit ATF Form 7 (5310.12), which can only be obtained from the ATF Distribution Center or a local ATF office. This form, along with any applicable fees, a photograph and fingerprints obtained from a law enforcement agency, must be submitted to the BATFE regional office. The BATFE will then have 60 days to approve or reject to license application.

Additional Requirements

FFL's are good for three years at the specific location listed on the application and at certain gun shows. Therefore, if you wish to sell guns at multiple locations, you must obtain a separate license for each location. Records and inventory are subject to annual inspections by the BATFE, or at any time in connection with a criminal investigation. Licensees are to report any firearm thefts or losses within 48 hours and are required to keep business inventory separate from personal collections.

Plan A Menu For Any Catering Truck

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Plan a Menu for a Catering Truck

Planning a menu for your catering truck is one of the hardest parts of the job. You can fill the truck up with all sorts of goodies, but you're stuck with them if people don't buy. Knowing what sells and picking what your customers want is the key to a successful business, so plan your menu carefully.

Instructions

1. Ask someone familiar with the route what sells and what doesn't. If you are buying a route, ask the seller or the person that previously serviced it. If the route is new, find out about the people you will be serving. For example, if your catering truck is going to service industrial parks, go to the businesses and find out if there is a predominate ethnicity represented. Stock ethnic foods to match your customers.

2. Locate the local commissary, which is a facility that provides food and beverages to catering trucks. Here, you can buy hot foods, sandwiches and all items necessary for your operation.

3. Alter your menu to match the time of day. If you are selling in the morning, breakfast fare such as scrambled eggs or biscuits and gravy is appropriate. The afternoon and evenings will bring out people looking for sandwiches and fried chicken. Meat dishes and mashed potatoes and gravy are also good to stock later in the day, and can make your customers feel like they've had a real meal. Include vegetables in your menu, changing the type on a daily basis. Pizza can be a good seller any time, and you can make a deal for a few pizzas from a local shop. They will be happy to have them ready for you at a certain time every day.

4. Stock a variety of soda and packaged snacks. They have a long shelf life and a good selection of these items is better than a large amount of one or two things. Make sure you have diet and non-diet drinks, as well as fruit drinks and ice tea. The same goes for snacks, such as cookies and chips.

5. Include high-quality hot beverages. Coffee is perhaps your biggest and most important seller. A catering truck selling bad coffee is a bad advertisement, so only serve fresh coffee. If you have a long route, pull over and make a fresh pot. Hot chocolate, especially in cold months, is also a good seller and is easily stored in individual serving packets. Stock a variety of tea bags as well, ranging from black and green to herbal varieties. To complete your hot beverage service, make sugar, sweetener, cream and creamers available to your customers. Keep three different sized cups so your customers can get exactly the size they prefer.

6. Have a different special each day if possible. It won't be long before the people on your route will know your daily special and will look forward to it. Try out such popular specials as spaghetti, Chinese food or Polish sausages to see what works best with your customer base.

7. Stock cigarettes. It's impossible to stock all brands, but make sure you have each type available including menthols, filters, 100's and light brands.

Form An Assistance Group

Form a Support Group

Having a support group available can help people with just about any kind of problem, or their families. If you can't find a support group that fits your need in your area, you can start one yourself. This is a great idea, because there are probably other people in your community that can benefit from it as well.

Instructions

1. Find a location to hold the support group meetings. You can ask churches or hospitals if they may have a room that you could use, for example. Decide who will be the group leader. Since you are starting the support group, this may be you.

2. Ask local people who are professionals in the area if they would like to help lead meetings on occasion or even give a presentation. This will give the support group credibility in addition to making it more helpful for attendees.

3. Plan when and where you will have the first meeting. This should be far enough in advance to give you time to get the word out about the new support group.

4. Publicize the support group by advertising in local newspaper. Design an attractive and informative flier that you can distribute and post on bulletin boards in your area. If your group will be dealing with an issue that people may discuss with their doctor, see if you can leave some fliers at local clinics and hospitals.

5. Talk to local television and radio stations to develop local awareness about your target issue. This will give you an opportunity to announce the support group.

6. Determine as a group how often you should meet and what your goals are. Ask group members what they hope to gain from group meetings and what they would like to see the group accomplish in the future.

Product Promoter Job Description

Product promoters deliver key messages about products to consumers.

Product promoters generate public interest and consumer demand for brands and products. They endorse both sophisticated and simple products, from travel and technology to televisions and tennis rackets. Promoters interact with consumers and give them information to help them choose what products to buy. They are most concerned with promoting products to create a lasting impression among consumers to improve product sales and market preference of a brand name.

Primary Responsibilites and Related Job Tasks

Promoters work in a variety of locations; generally anywhere with large crowds and potential for retail sales. They may offer samples of products in stores or generate awareness through contests or by distributing brochures in public. Promoters also give product demonstrations. By acting in a way that conveys trust and ease of product use, promoters help inspire market confidence in a product and its manufacturer. Some promotions are designed to generate immediate sales through impulse buying, such as promoters in shopping malls that offer perfume samples to women passing through a department store, while others increase the potential for future sales through brand awareness.

Training and Education

On-the-job training is the standard method of obtaining the knowledge and skills required for product promoter jobs. Formal education beyond high school is not required. Employers usually provide product-focused training, so promoters can familiarize themselves with the product and demonstrate it properly. The training provided varies depending on the complexity of the product. Some products, such as computers, may require specialized training in related areas, such as technology, to accurately and thoroughly demonstrate the product's use. Other products may require knowledge of the manufacturer's corporate vision, customer service and sales strategies.

Other Important Skills

Good product promoters possess good communication and people skills, a pleasant appearance and congenial personality. Product promoter jobs are best for individuals who are comfortable with public speaking and interacting with people of all backgrounds. Individuals with the ability to use humor and spontaneity to create immediate interest in products are well-suited for success as product promoters. Foreign language skills are also helpful, especially for promoters working in international markets.

Work Conditions and Occupational Hazards

According to occupational labor information published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than half of all product promoters are part-time employees and many positions do not continue beyond six months. Their work environment is often crowded, hectic and physically tiring. The job involves long work hours, including nights and weekends, and constant interaction with a variety of people. Promoters spend most of their work shift on their feet; some do not rest until their shift is over. Some promoters may experience mental stress if they are not able to influence enough consumers during their work shift.

Earnings Projection

Occupational employment statistics published by the U.S. Department of Labor indicate product promoters in the United States average annual wages ranging from $16,670 to $41,770, as of May 2009. The annual mean wage is $22,510 for all product promoter jobs in the United States, as of May 2009. Promoters employed by employment services companies and grocery and related product wholesalers earn the most, and average annual mean wages of $28,580 and $29,350, respectively, as of May 2009.

Procedure For Recycling Footwear

Everyone has old shoes that aren't needed anymore. Whether the kids outgrew them or whether the style changed and you want to keep up, you have old shoes that you throw out in the trash. Instead of throwing the shoes out, recycle these old shoes and help the environment. Nike and Retex Northwest (see Resources section) have both taken initiatives to make shoe recycling happen and give old shoes new purposes. With both of these programs, the old shoes create new products and virtually all of the shoe material is reused creating more room in the landfills for products that cannot be recycled.

Nike

The Nike Reuse a Shoe Program started in 1993. Neighborhood drives collect unwanted or worn out shoes from the community. Nike sends a truck to pick up the shoes when a certain number of shoes have been collected. The truck brings the shoes back to Nike where they are ground up to make three high quality materials. They use these materials in a variety of ways, including sports and consumer products.

Reusing Old Shoes

The rubber is used in track and playground surfaces as well as in some consumer products. The foam is used for cushioning outdoor sports courts. The upper fabric of the shoe is used for cushioning indoor sports courts. Nike has two plants that reprocess the shoes, one in the U.S. and one in Belgium. They opened the Belgium plant in 2005. Not only are the shoes recycled but also the process creates jobs both at home and abroad.

Retex Northwest

Retex Northwest provides recycle bins in shopping centers where folks can drop off their shoe donations. Trucks service these bins a few times a week, carrying the used shoes back to the recycle plant for processing. Workers pack the shoes in plastic bags and put the bags in plastic containers. Retex ships these containers overseas to be recycled in other countries by skilled workers. First, the workers go through the items piece by piece and sort the good shoes from the worn out ones. The workers sort wearable shoes according to size, gender and other specifications and then sell them by weight. Workers sort unwearable shoes and send them to buyers who break down the shoes into the original materials. The base material forms the foundations for new shoes and other products.

Develop Movie Ideas

Staring down the "blank page" can be intimidating, but it's the first step in crafting a story. For filmmakers, coming up with ideas that will capture an audience's imaginations is no easy task either. Coming up with an idea that's unique, captivating and entertaining can be quite daunting. But once your inspiration takes hold and the creative juices start flowing, you find yourself in world with limitless options. This article will give you some step-by-step suggestions on get the creative juices flowing.

Instructions

1. Create a playlist. Music is always a readily available source of inspiration. Before you actually begin the writing process, think about what type story you'd like to tell. A love story? Comedy? Thriller? Horror story? Then flick on your iPod and start looking for tunes that will help you get into the right head space. Compile a few tunes into a little "Inspiration playlist," and click the "Play" button. Let the inspiration begin.

2. Watch other movies. Watch movies of actors, directors or writers that you admire. Movies that make you think, "Wow, what a great story/performance/shot sequence!" This will get your "creative engine" firing on all cylinders. Then ride this wave of inspiration all the way over to the blank page.

3. Look for inspiration in everyday life. Hang out with the people who inspire you. Take a spontaneous trip to one of your favorite spots. Get lost in a crowd or escape to a quiet place. Just drive in your car with the windows rolled down, and the music turned up. Break out your camera and have a photo shoot. Basically, do anything except sit in front of the "blank page." You'll get to that soon enough. For now, get out into the world and explore. Your inspiration is out there somewhere.

4. Now it's time to sit down and write. It doesn't have to make sense at first. It doesn't have to be brilliant. It doesn't have to have structure, or a through-line (a clearly mapped-out character arc). Just get the ball rolling, so to speak. Start writing character descriptions or random dialogue. Start writing potential "back-stories," or histories of the characters in your movie. Write the log-line, or three-sentence summary of the film. Write the underlying theme. Get the words down on the page, and soon you'll be happy to discover that they're actually starting to go somewhere.