Why Do Small Businesses Fail?

It is no longer news that 99% of all new  small business venture started all over the world fail in the first ten years. Now since the dream of every entrepreneur is to build a successful business, I have tactfully highlighted 3 major reasons why small businesses fail and how you can bulletproof your business against them. Join me as I expose these business killers:

1) Lack Of Managerial Skill: When a small business owner lacks the managerial skills required to drive the business to greater heights, the  small business is bound to fail. An entrepreneur that wants to succeed must be able to effectively handle the employees, cash flow, production line and so on, or better still, the  small business owner must be able to hire a good manager to run the business.

2) Wrong Business Decisions: This is common to everyone irrespective of your field. Sometime ago a friend of mine, after carrying out critical analysis on a particular situation came up with a decision he considered favorable. But on implementing that decision, it back fired and at the end of the day, my friend had several lawsuits dangling on his neck.

So whenever you decide on an action to be implemented on your  small business, consider asking friends, business partners and professionals for advice. It is going to save you the stress of cleaning up the mess resulting from wrong business decision taken.

3) Harsh Government Economic, Fiscal And Monetary Policy: Hmmmm, this is an open killer of both big and small businesses. As an entrepreneur, You must be on guard to bulletproof your business against the ever changing government fiscal and monetary policies.

Since you cannot influence or alter the government’s decisions, you must be prepared to swiftly adjust your small business to align with the government rules. This will help prevent it from being hit by the adverse effect of unfavorable government policies. Instances of such government policies and effects you must keep an eye on are tax matters, double taxation, duties and levies, inflation, exchange rates and so on.

Importance of Having a Well Crafted Business Plan

A business plan can be defined as a detailed document which describes all the major aspects of an existing business, or a start-up business. It carries all the information regarding the particular business, from goals and strategies, to financing and marketing plans. For this very reason, it is extremely important for every business to have a business plan before it starts.

This plan is one of the most essential items that are required while looking for investment capital or for a loan. Anybody investing in the business or people responsible to loan money will require all the information about the business. They will want to analyze the scope of the business, the goals stated, and the steps that are planned to achieve the goals. Based on the provided information in this plan, investors and officials determine the chances of the business to succeed. This plan is especially important to maintain if the company is looking forward to attract venture capitalist.

Nonetheless, a business plan is not only used for getting loans. It can also be used by businesses to have a planned out road map of the goals that are to be achieved. It is also of great help in improving the productivity of a company. A well drafted business plan also allows the business owner to review and revise the strategies according to the current trends. This way, he or she has the liberty of improving the ones which are beneficial and discarding the ones which are not.

What Should Your Business Plan Have? While making the business plan, it’s important to make that it is interesting, facts based and explains in detail each and every facet of your business. After all, this is the plan which will determine your chances of getting investment or loans for your business.

Ten Most Common Mistakes in Business Planning

Raising capital is hard enough as it is. Don’t make it even harder by committing any of these common business plan mistakes.

1. Financial Projections are Too Optimistic – Entrepreneurs always say they are “conservative” but you just aren’t

2. Business Plan is Too Long – Stay under 30 pages.

3. Executive Summary is Too Long- 2 pages or less

4. All Paragraph Format – Use bullet points, graphs, tables etc. Should not look like a novel.

5. Using a Generic Template – Investors want to see YOUR business plan. Using a template might make it look like some sort of canned business plan

6. Using a Consultant to Write the Entire Plan – Consultants can certainly help, but you need to write your own business plan. Who knows your business better than you?

7. Top Down Financial Projections – Don’t start from the top saying if we can get just 1% of the market… Start from the bottom and show exactly how you plan to capture 1% of the market.

8. No Focus on Cash Flow – As a startup cash flow is probably the most important single factor for the survival of your small business. Focus on it closely

9. Exponential Growth Projections – Most businesses do not grow exponentially like Silicon Valley darlings like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. Be realistic.

10. Poor Pricing – Price your product or service based on extensive research. Too low and you are not profitable, too high and you can’t make a single sale.

Proper Office Etiquette

Proper Office Etiquette
To work successfully with others in a productive atmosphere, it is advisable to conduct yourself complying to long-established conventions. This way you gain the confidence, respect and cooperation of people whom you work with, whom you work for.
Here are some practical sample scenarios to illustrate the various aspects of proper office etiquettes.

Ethics
It is more serious than just being impolite to discuss with outsiders a colleague's secret romance. Organizations must maintain a degree of privacy and confidentiality. Gossip is undesirable in any case. The one safe rule is never gossip about coworkers and never to discuss company business outside the immediate office.

Security
Keep important documents and file folders under lock and guard the keys to them. Do not leave vendors or visitors alone in someone's private office while the owner is away. Take time to dispose material properly, e.g. shred them. Anything thrown into a wastebasket can easily be retrieved by someone else.

Personal Habits
Annoying habits such as pencil swirling, mumbling make an unfavorable impression on others. Often people are unaware that they have bad habits that irritate others. Ask yourself these questions as a gauge:

When you talk with someone, do you pay attention to the person or stare at your feet?

Are you still talking or mumbling when walking away from a person?

Do you drum your knuckles on the desk when you become impatient or bored?

Do you interrupt people before they finish speaking or impatiently complete the thoughts of slow speakers?

Courtesy
Hold the doors and wait for others who are approaching and thank those who do this for you. People holding packages should be aware not to jostle others carelessly. Be sensitive to allow space for others and step aside for those who are leaving.

Environmental Tidiness
Sloppy housekeeping presents a poor image. Your clients will associate you with carelessness in work and think twice about giving you business. Coffee spills and breadcrumbs all over a desk are signs of sloppiness and drive your clients off. They like to deal with people who present themselves as orderly and careful, not having to worry about materials entrusted to you.
Appearance
Experts recommend that you dress for the job you want, not the one you hold. Different offices observe a varying degree of formality, follow the example of others in your office. Neat and conservative attire is good taste. Good posture and cleanliness are essentials. Clean fingernails, clean sleeve cuffs are no trivials. Hairstyles should be relatively conservative too. Attend to grooming in the rest room. Avoid heavy colognes or perfumes, which may be offensive to some people.

Do’s and Don’ts in Starting a Small Business

Small scale businesses are easier to set up compared to the middle or large scale businesses that require more time, feasibility reports, adequate financing, logistics and manpower development. Small is beautiful. For a small business enterprise, with careful planning and little resources deployed; success is always guaranteed. However, the law of success must be fully obeyed in order to get the desire result. This law has the do’s and don’ts. Enjoy the benefit of a booming business following the “do’s” and avoid the un-pleasant sanctions from the “don’ts”

Do’s

1. Start a business venture you know more about.

2. Separate business income from personal income

3. Always save and spend less than the income generated.

4. Pay the tithe of your business.

5. Buy when people sell; sell when people buy.

6. Learn and gain more experience from your business.

7. Think before you buy!

8. Make discoveries; find out more about your business.

9. Give more time and attention to your business.

10. Hire the best staff for your business. No sentiments.

DON’TS

1. Don’t personalize your business; solicit staff ideas.

2. Don’t be over worked; create leisure time.

3. Avoid gossip, backbiting, and undue favoritism to staff.

4. Avoid compulsive purchases; plan and budget for the things to buy.

5. Don’t buy, if you only need it for a while; rent it or lease it.

6. Don’t be too bureaucratic in your operations.

7. Don’t abuse business goodwill; pay off creditors.

8. Don’t build castles in the air; don’t spend unearned profit.

9. Don’t kill the chicken that lays the golden egg; encourage growth.

10. Don’t be afraid of competition; be innovative and add more value.

Every business can benefit from the skills of a business manager

Nearly every business can benefit from the skills of a business manager. This will help them achieve success in every venue, making their business take off and grow. Few business owners are actually trained in this area, so often they will hire the help of someone who is, or they may choose to send an employee to a few business management courses. While start-up businesses usually have small budgets, a smart owner will recognize the importance of a professional in this area. In fact, the success rate for businesses that have a trained business manager is much higher than others.
There are many institutions that offer classes on business management. Degrees in this field are available from technical schools, small colleges, and large universities. However, a growing number of individuals are choosing the online school for their management training.
The Internet is a vast resource that is growing daily. And one of the newer discoveries is the online college. Degrees in nearly every subject are obtainable from accredited online schools, and the level of convenience and flexibility that is available by taking courses online is quite attractive to many.
Many well known colleges are also jumping on trend and offering online classes to those who are interested. Online education is expected to experience rapid growth over the next few years, and employers recognize the validity of degrees obtained in this manner, especially from the accredited schools.
Someone interested in becoming a business manager will need a degree to get their career started. And even if they already have a job, a family, or other commitments requiring a lot of their time, they can now take classes online, whenever their schedule permits.
The available jobs on the market for this field are growing almost daily. This is a field that is ever-changing, and educated professionals are needed to manage businesses efficiently.

It hurts me.... Does this hurt u ?

It hurts me.... Does this hurt u ?

The India cricket team bus. & DON'T MISS the VIJAY RATH

Now lets have a look at the luxury our commandos had after their 60 hr sleepless battle!!!
                     
 

The Black Cat (NSG) commando bus after operation at TAJ .

WHICH VICTORY WAS CRITICAL ??

What a shame and disgrace to every citizen of India that the elite NSG
Force was transported into ordinary BEST buses,
whereas our cricketers are transported into state of the art
luxury buses, these Jawans lay down their lives to protect every
Indian and these cricketers get paid even if they lose a match,
we worship these cricketers and forget the martyrdom of these brave Jawans.
The Jawans should be paid the salaries of the cricketers
and the cricketers should be paid the salaries of the Jawans.


Huh... This is
our India ....
Please be a human being and forward this to everyone u know.
Please forward to as many as you can , in the hope it reaches to someone who can make a difference.

Do not worry about those who have come thru boats...
Our forces can easily defeat them.
WORRY about those who have come thru votes....
Those are our REAL ENEMIES.. ,
Guys lets utilize our votes sensibly , that's the least we can do.
Pass it on if u r hurt to so we can spread d msg of logical voting.
Jai Hind.

A Hurt Indian

Proud To Be INDIAN

Here are some interesting facts & figures about India..................



Albert Einstein: 'We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.'

Mark Twain: 'India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.'

Romain Rolland: (French Scholar) 'If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.'

Hu Shih: (Former Ambassador of China to USA) 'India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.'

There are so many facts about India, that it is impossible to write or read about them in a day. It would take a lifetime. But let's try and look at the important facts and statistics, and also some of the interesting facts about this diverse and amazing country.

Fast Facts about India

Topic	Fact/Statistic
Name	India (Republic of India), (Bharat), (Hindustan).
Location	20 00 N, 77 00 E.
Capital	New Delhi
States	28
Union Territories	7
Area	3.3 million sq. kms.
Population	1.15 billion
Business Capital	Mumbai (earlier known as Bombay)
Main Religions	Hinduism (81%), Islam (13%), Christianity (2%), Sikhism (2%), Others (2%)
National Emblem	Lion
Literacy Rate	65.5%
National Animal	Tiger
National Bird	Peacock
National Flower	Lotus
National Tree	Banyan
National Fruit	Mango
National Currency	Rupee
National Sport	Hockey

World Records

Category	Record
Longest Fingernails	Shridhar Chillal, Pune - Maharashtra
Oldest Prime Minister	Morarji Desai (81 yrs.),1977 - 1979
Longest Beard	Shamsher Singh (1.83m), Punjab - 1997
Longest Hair	Hoo Sateow (5.15m), 1997
Most Worms Eaten	C. Manoharan, ate 200 earthworms in 30 seconds
Hair Donation	6.5 million people, Tirupati – 1999
Largest Employer	Indian Railways - 1 million employees
Highest Bridge	Baily Bridge (5,602 meters), Ladakh
Biggest Wedding Banquet	V.N. Sudhakaran weds N. Sathyalakshmi, 150,000 guests (1995)
Highest Cricket ODI Partnership	331, by Sachin Tendulkar (186 not out) and Rahul Dravid (153) - 1999
Relay Song	210 people sang a word of a song turn by turn and finished the complete song
World’s Largest Film Studio	Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad
Most Forward-Thinking Rail Traveler	Fakhruddin Takulla traveled from Mumbai to New Delhi in 2000, using a ticket he has purchased in 1973

Amazing Facts about India

• India has derived its name from the River Indus, and the early settlers here lived in the valleys around.
• Area wise, India is the 7th largest country in the world.
• India has the largest democracy in the world.
• India invented the number system. The scientist Aryabhatta invented the number 'zero'.
• The study of Algebra and Trigonometry originated in India.
• In the 6th century, Indian Mathematician Budhayana was the first to calculate the value of "pi", and also to explain the concept of the Pythagorean Theorem.
• Even before Christ, the 'place value system' and the decimal system was used in India.
• The maximum number of post offices in the world are in India.
• The world's highest motorable road is Khardung La, in Ladakh. It has an altitude of 5,682 meters.
• The most rainfall in the world ever in a month's time fell at Cherrapunji, Meghalaya. It was in July 1861 and 9,300 mm of rainfall fell in a month.
• The most number of movies are made in India, over 1000 each year.
• The worst train disaster ever in the world took place in 1981 in Samastipur, Bihar. In this accident around 800 people lost their lives.
• The highest cricket ground in the world is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. It is 2444 meters above sea level.
• The first ever university in the world was established in Takshila in 700 BC. Students numbering more than 10,500 from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects here.
• Ayurveda, the earliest school of medicine known to mankind, was started in India in 2,500 BC.
• India was the richest country in the world until it was invaded by the British in the 17th century.
• The art of navigation was developed in in India nearly 6000 years ago. The word 'navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word navgatih. The word 'navy' is derived from the Sanskrit word nou.
• The world's largest pilgrimage destination is in India. It is called the Vishnu Temple in the the city of Tirupati. Around 30,000 people visit this temple daily, donating about $6 million US dollars everyday.
• One of the wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal, is in Agra, India.
• The oldest European Church and Synagogue are in the city of Cochin, India, and were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.
• Yoga originated in India some 5000 years ago.
• Martial arts originated in India, and later spread to Asia and other parts of the world through Buddhist missionaries.
• Anesthesia was used in Indian medicine long before it was adopted into modern medicine.
• The Hindus of India created the largest measure of time, known as kalpa. This is the time starting from the birth and ending at the annihilation of the universe, which is around 25 billion years.
• Sushruta is someone who is regarded as the father of surgery. More than 2600 years ago, he along with his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, cesareans, fractures, artificial limbs, urinary stones, plastic surgeries, and brain surgeries.
• India was the only source of diamonds in the world up to 1896.
• In around 1000 BC, steel was invented in India.
• India is one of the largest exporter of computer software products, exporting software to more than 90 countries around the globe.
• In the 5th century, Bhaskaracharya was the first to correctly calculate the time that the Earth takes to orbit the Sun (365.258756484 days). He managed this hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart actually did it.
• Snakes & Ladders, one of the most widely played board games, was created by the 13th century poet Saint Gyandev. Originally, it was known as Mokshapat. The ladders in the game represented virtues and vices were represented by the snakes.
• The first ever dam and reservoir for irrigation purposes was built in Saurashtra.
• Chess was invented in India.
• The 2nd largest number of scientists and engineers in the world, are in India.
• The largest English speaking nation in the world - India.
• Besides the US and Japan, India is only other country in the world to have indigenously built a super computer.
• India has the 2nd largest road network in the world after the US.

These were some interesting and fun facts about India.

Business-IT Facts about India

• AT & T-Bell Labs - President, Arun Netravalli
• Lucent Technologies - Chief Scientist, Arun Netravalli
• Hewlett Packard - GM, Rajiv Gupta
• Adobe Systems - CEO, Shantanu Narayen
• Founder and Creator of Hotmail - Sabeer Bhatia
• Creator of Pentium chip - Vinod Dahm
• CitiBank - CEO, Victor Menezes
• Mckensey - CEO, Rajat Gupta
• Stanchart - CEO, Rana Talwar
• Sun Microsystems - Co-founder, Vinod Khosla
• 36% of NASA employees are Indians
• 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians
• 38% of doctors in America are Indians
• 28% of IBM employees are Indians
• 12% of scientists in America are Indians
• 17% of Intel employees are Indians
• 13% of Xerox employees are Indians
• More than a million Indians are millionaires which is highest in the world!!!!!!

...........................Proud to be Indian and taking birth on this immaculate land.
 

Common Courtesy ------Professionalism

Common Courtesy

It's amazing and somewhat sad, but in today's world, if you use common courtesy when dealing with prospective employers, you'll more than likely give yourself an edge over the many other candidates who fail to do so.  I realize this seemingly obvious concept is somewhat hard to believe, but it's true.  So as you deal with prospective employers, do the right thing--and make yourself stand out from the crowd--by demonstrating your class.

• 
  
  Thank Employers for Their Interest
  According to one estimate, only about 10 percent of job seekers bother to send thank-you notes to prospective employers after the interview.  You've asked for and received someone's time and energy, so the least you can do is say "thank you". When you do, you'll be seen as one of the few candidates who shows care for others--not a bad message to send.
• 
  
  Be Respectful to Everyone You Meet
  The administrative assistant you see when you first show up for an interview is just as important and deserving of your respect as the CEO and everyone else in between.  So be polite.  Make small talk with the assistant and be genuine about it.  If he asks you if you want a cup of coffee, say "Yes, please."  Impress the assistant with your uncommon graciousness, and your stock will rise in the company's eyes.
• 
  
  Respect People's Time
  Most everyone has too much to do and too little time.  So if you've scheduled an interview, be on time.  Arrive exactly five minutes ahead of time.  Meanwhile, if you call an employer, ask, "Do you have a moment to talk right now?" before launching into what you want to say.  Give the person a chance to reschedule the conversation if he's in the middle of something more important.  He'll appreciate that you honor his time.
• 
  
  Be Flexible
  Most things in life don't go exactly according to plan, especially in the work world.  The interviewer who shows up 10 minutes late your your interview, for example, probably had to "put out a fire" and didn't intend to keep you waiting.  So demonstrate that you're willing to cut people some slack.  If the plan changes at the last minute, roll with it.  Employers know that the people who succeed in business are the ones who are flexible and can deal with the daily curve balls life tends to throw.

Professional Appearance

Often job seekers are unsure about what appropriate professional appearance is, yet many of our employers listed it as an important factor in getting hired.  "In an interview situation, you're marketing yourself as a product, and so you want and need to have the best image possible", says Amy Glass, an expert on presentation skills, business etiquette and professional presence.  Keep in mind that projecting a professional appearance doesn't just mean on the interview.  If you pick up the application in your dirty gym clothes you may still be remembered as the smelly gym guy by the employer.  You never know when you could be offered a job on the spot, it could even be here at the Workforce Center! Present yourself in a professional manner during your entire job search and even after you get hired. 

• 
  
  Do I need to wear a suit and tie?
  Maybe.  That all depends on the job.  Regardless, you should dress appropriately for the position you are interested in.   This usually means at least a dress shirt and slacks for men and a nice skirt or slacks with a blouse for women.  Take note of how employees seem to dress.  When in doubt, stay on the conservative side.  That being said, remember that your appearance, like your resume, is a way of marketing yourself.  For example, if you are applying at a hip clothing store, then your showing off your trendy sense of style may be acceptable.  But wearing a miniskirt to your interview at a law office may show that you are unprofessional and will project the wrong image to clients.  Use good judgment and remember that it's better to be overdressed than underdressed.
  
• 
  
  Neat and clean!
  One of the most important things to remember about creating a professional image is cleanliness.  This means clean, unwrinkled clothing in good condition (no frayed hems or stains).  Shoes and purses should also be clean and in good condition. Make sure you bathe well and use a good deodorant.  Check your fingernails for any dirt and grime.  Lastly, make sure hair is clean and neatly styled.  Men, remember to shave or trim facial hair.
• 
  
  Our Big List of Professional Image DON'TS
  There are a few things that almost always read as unprofessional.  While there are always exceptions to the rules, these are a few things to avoid.  You can flaunt your personal style outside of work!

tennis shoes	t-shirts	jeans	facial piercings
visible tattoos	long nails	anything tight / revealing	anything too trendy
visible bras / underwear	un-groomed hair	heavy or flashy makeup	glitter anything
wrinkled clothing	unshaved facial hair	heavy perfume	sweatpants or sweatshirts
showing midriff	baggy clothing	smelling of cigarettes	trendy  or worn purses
backpacks	hats	sunglasses	miniskirts or shorts
un-tucked shirts	mis-matched clothing	outdated clothing	sundresses
gum chewing	sandals / platform shoes	poor posture/slouching	logos or lettering
wearing your pager or phone (TURN IT OFF!!)		over-accessorizing (remove extra jewelry)

Six Sloppy Speech Habits

You may look good on paper or in your suit, but if you're looking to nail your big interview, looks aren't everything.  How you sound is often more important.  But many job seekers let careless speech habits sink their chances of landing that great job.  Here are six common language mistakes and how to keep them from sabotaging your interview.

• 
  
  Non words:  Filler words such as "um," "ah," "you know," "OK," or "like" tell the interviewer you're not prepared and make you sound like a Valley Girl (or Boy).  A better strategy is to think before you speak, taking pauses and breaths when you lose your train of thought.  Everybody utters and occasional "um, " but don't let it start every sentence.
• 
  
  "Up-talk": A singsong or rising inflection at the end of every sentence creates a tentative impression and makes it sound as though you're asking a question instead of making a definitive statement.  You need to speak with conviction when selling yourself in an interview.  Bring your intonation down when ending a sentence to avoid talking up.
• 
  
  Grammatical Errors:  The interviewer may question your education when you use incorrect grammar or slang.  Expression such as "ain't," "she don't," "me and my friend," and "so I go," aren't appropriate.  Be sure you speak in complete sentences and that tenses agree.  The interview is not the venue for regional  expression or informality.
• 
  
  Sloppy Speech: Slurring words together or dropping their endings impairs the clarity of your message.  To avoid slurring and increase understanding, speak slowly during an interview.  Make a list of commonly mispronounced words and practice saying them into a tape recorder before the interview.  Some common incorrect pronunciations include "aks" for "ask," "ath-a-lete" for "athlete," "wif" for with," and "dree" for "three".
• 
  
  Speed talking:  While everybody is a bit anxious during an interview, you don't want your information to fly like a speeding bullet.  A rapid speaking rate is difficult to follow, and speed talkers are seen as nervous.  Slow down your racing heart by doing some breathing exercises before the interview.  To avoid rushing, listen to the question, and then count two beats in your head before continuing.  Don't be afraid of silence.  Pausing is an effective communication technique.  The interviewer needs a few seconds to process what you just said anyway.
• 
  
  Weak speak:  Wimpy words modify or water down your conviction and in the end, your position.  When you pepper a conversation with "hopefully," "perhaps," "I feel," "kind of," and "sort of," the message you convey is a lack of confidence.  Use power words such as "I'm confident that," "My track record shows," "I take the position that," I recommend," or "my goal is".  The language you use gives the listener an impression about your level of confidence and conviction.
• 
  
  The Bottom Line:  You don't have to study elocution to speak well.  Simply slow down, take time to pronounce all the syllables and leave slang at home.  Companies want job candidates who are well spoken and articulate, and recruiters won't represent a job candidate if they don't match the client's profile.

Corporate communication

Corporate communication - defined as communication which goes to all staff. Corporate Communications serves as the Liaison between an organization and its publics.
Organizations can strategically communicate to their audiences through public relations and advertising. This may involve an employee newsletter or video, crisis management with the news media, special events planning, building product value, and communicating with stockholders, clients or donors.
Corporate Communication encodes and promotes:
-strong corporate culture
-coherent corporate identity
-reasonable corporate philosophy
-genuine sense of corporate citizenship
-an appropriate and professional relationship with the press, including quick, responsible ways of communicating in a crisis
-understanding of communication tools and technologies
-sophisticated approaches to global communications
How an organization communicates with its employees, its extended audiences, the press, and its customers brings its values to life.
Corporate Communications is all about managing perceptions and ensuring:
•Effective and timely dissemination of information •Positive corporate image •Smooth and affirmative relationship with all stakeholders
Be it a corporate body, company, organization, institution, NGO, governmaental body... all need to have a respectable image and reputaion. In today's day and age of increasing competion, easy access to information and the media explosion - reputaion management has gained even more importance. So, corporate communications as a role has become significant and professional in nature.
Gone are the days, when corporate communications merely meant 'wining & dining the client' - it has now emerged as a science and art of perception management.
Corporate Communication comprises:
External Communications •Media Relations: This involves building and maintaining a positive relationship with the media (TV, print, web etc. Be it drafting and dissimination of press releases, organizing press conferences and meeting with media professionals, events for media etc.
•External event: could involve vendor / suppplier / distributor meets, channel partnet meetings, events related to product launches, imporatnt initiatives etc.
•Company / spokesperson profiling: Ensuring that the company / organization spokesperson is in the public limelight, is well-known and considered as an authority for the respective sector / field.
•Management of company internet/ web portals /other external touchpoints
•Managing company publication - for the external world
Internal Communications
•Managing company publication - for employees and partners
•Internal events / announcements - for employees and partners
•Employee communications - sharing information with employees, building employer pride, managing employee issues etc
•Manager intranet and other internal web portals
Brand Management •Develop and upkeep the corporate identity - ensure adherance to corporate brand guidelines
Crisis Communication •Manage crisis situations through effective communication

---

Trying to get a message across to every employee in an organization is a lot like trying to control kids in a school bus: some will listen; some will hear but misunderstand the message; and some will ignore the message altogether and later complain, "But nobody told me."

Communicating to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of employees within an organization is no small feat. This challenge is further complicated in organizations with a global presence, where corporate headquarters is responsible for delivering the same message to satellite offices in geographically dispersed locations. But it's not enough to just create the message.

Effective corporate communication involves not only the message itself, but also the medium that carries and delivers it. It's these two components of a communication that dictate whether employees will receive and understand it. But don't fool yourself in thinking that there's some long process of deliberation when they receive one of these messages. Most corporate communications will grab the attention of an employee for no more than a few seconds — if at all. It's within that very narrow window of opportunity that they will decide whether to read something or toss it aside.

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Employees are processing more information than ever before — information dealing with their projects, their clients, and their industry as a whole. With all this information competing for employees' attention, does a single corporate communication stand a chance of making it through?

Effective Communication

Organizations have struggled to find the best way to get company communications to their employees for years. These communications can range from notices of service interruptions to announcements of corporate events. But is anyone really listening? Communication is a two-way street; it requires a sender and a receiver. If no one is listening, you're just a crazy person talking to yourself.

Anyone involved with corporate communications needs to be aware of their receivers' habits and idiosyncrasies before deciding on message and medium. It wouldn't make sense to use technology-based communications with an audience who's not tech-savvy without first providing them with adequate training; or to post an important announcement on a bulletin board when most users rely solely on their intranet for news. An understanding of the audience will help determine the best medium to use in order to get your message across.

Communication mediums can be classified into two methods: the sender pushes the message to the receiver (e.g., sending an e-mail) or the receiver pulls the message from a source (e.g., reading an intranet post). In the '90s, the IT industry was abuzz with the concept of push technology, a method of delivering content to users' desktop without requiring them to actively seek it out. The technology, however, never lived up to its hype (see my article "Push Technology: Still Relevant After All These Years?" for more on this) and communications fell back to old stalwarts: the intranet and e-mail. But they have their problems too.

Posting corporate communications on an intranet requires employees to access the system repeatedly because they won't know when new information will be posted. There's a good chance that some employees will miss an important announcement because they were busy with other things and don't get the chance to check when the communication was posted.

E-mail has the ability to alert every employee once a communication is sent, but there are uncontrollable factors that hinder its effectiveness as a corporate communications medium. E-mail failed through no fault of its own, and was perhaps a victim of its own success.

E-Mail, What happened to You?

The advent of e-mail changed the way organizations communicated with their employees in a big way. Rather than post and send out large quantities of paper-based announcements, a single e-mail message could be sent to all employees at the same time, regardless of their geographic location. At the time, e-mail was the biggest advancement in corporate communication — until users just stopped reading them.

So what happened? Has e-mail outlived its usefulness as an internal corporate communications medium? The answer is yes and no. It's still a big part of corporate communication, but it's lost a lot of its effectiveness. There's perhaps no bigger contributor to this decline than spam.

E-mail has been contaminated by so much junk that it's difficult to get an important message across. Users might give a company announcement a cursory glance and pass it by thinking it's just more unsolicited mail; or they might set-up e-mail filters so restrictive that the message never even makes it through. With the sheer volume of e-mail that comes pouring in daily, employees may simply treat these types of internal communications as white noise and ignore them. And with the time-sensitive nature of corporate communications, it might be too late when users finally discover the message.

Roles of HR

Introduction: As we have moved from Old Economy to New Economy and from 20th Century to 21st Century…in the era when we are try to outsource most of the functions…in some of the organizations even the total HR-Functions are outsourced…what are the various roles that an HR-Professional can look up to. I have spoken to many recruitment consultants but somehow they failed to give the clarity of role that they are “Head Hunting” for. People with in the organization…at times are just overlapping the various functions. In this write-up…I am just trying to explain the various roles that HR Professionals can play in New Economy…along with the traits required for each function.
Recruitment Team (Sourcing, Hiring, Staffing, Talent Acquisition Etc)
Lets start with Recruitment Team. This team is also known as Sourcing or Hiring or Staffing or Talent Acquisition team in various organizations. They are “Sales People” within HR Department. Their main role is to get “Best of the Talent” available in the market. Hence, they need to know what exactly they are looking for. Their role starts with “Talent Requisition” raised by the respective department…and ends only with Induction of the New Hire. In between, he needs to prepare the Job Description, Identify the Competencies required, Identify the source for hiring, Interview the candidate, Coordinate the interview with the respective department and complete the documentation.
The various competencies that one must have to be a part of the Recruitment Team are as follows:
1) Should have excellent knowledge about the Business of the Organization.
2) Should also be aware of the competitors in the same industry.
3) Need to identify the various resources for hiring and select the best one based on “Cost Effectiveness” and “Urgency”.
4) Should have clarity of competencies that he is looking for and also have clarity on the role a new hire is expected to play.
I am sure…if we take care of the above-mentioned competencies in Recruitment Team…the others (missed out) competencies will take care of themselves. Clarity of concept is important. I have seen recruitment managers who are working as Zonal Managers and are not even aware of the distinction between headhunting and sourcing. The responsibility of the recruitment team…actually ends on the day of Induction and from there onwards…”Employee Relation” and “HR-Generalist (Operations)” Team takes over.
HR-Generalist (Operations) Team
This team is actually a backbone of the HR-Department. The job-responsibility of this team starts on the day of Induction with Joining Formalities. The various roles that they are expected to perform are:

1. Joining Formalities
2. Handling Employee Database (Both in Soft Form and Files Management)
3. Leaves and Attendance Management
4. Handling the payroll
5. Managing advance Salary, Ad Hoc Bonuses, Loans
6. Confirmations, Performance Appraisals, Performance Management
7. Liaison with various government organizations for Employee Provident Funds, ESI and other Retirement Benefits
8. Exit-Interviews
9. Full and Final Settlement
Competencies Required
1) Attention to details is a must have quality
2) Self-Motivated.
3) Should have updated and accurate database…on any hour of the day.
4) Should be good in coordination.
5) Should be prompt…and fast enough in his actions.
Employee Relations Team
This team is like a “Spokesperson” of the HR-Team. They are the bridge between HR and Employees. They are the “Policy and Strategy interpreters”. An effective “Employee Relations Team” can actually control the Attrition Rate of the organization. This team is expected to play following roles:
1) Handling all the queries of the employees. Be it related to Salary, Leaves, Attendance, and Transfer etc.
2) They are also expected to explain the various policies, strategies and benefits to employees.
3) They are expected to stop all type of rumours and misleading communications.
4) They should motivate the employees on day-to-day basis.
5) They are also expected to give constructive inputs to Training and Development and OD Team.
6) They play an important role in “Employee Engagement” …winning the trust of the employee and hence can help the organization in controlling the attrition rate.
7) It is for this team to ensure that the employees in the organization should not leave the organization for reasons other than salary.
Competencies Required
1) Highly Matured
2) Level Headed
3) Should be well versed with the business of the organization and its policies.
4) Assertive but not aggressive.
5) Should be empathetic but not emotional.
6) Highly Motivated.
7) Should be highly professional…in the sense, that if this team is active…employees will be sharing all type of doubts…concerns…information with this team…they are not expected to misuse the information. Should not play politics…by sharing their information with others.
8) Should be crisis manager.
Compensation and Benefits Team
This is fairly new role for HR-Professionals. The role of this team…changes, with the growth of the company. His main role is to ensure that the employees of the organizations take maximum salary and befits to their home and lose less to Income Tax.
He is the person…who decides how much to pay to the person; what all benefits to entitle him…based on the market rate…keeping the competitive edge in the industry. He is the person…who actually announces the annual increment for an organization.
This team is expected to perform following roles:
1. Job Analysis
2. Job Evaluation
3. Grading
4. Competency Mapping
5. Salary Surveys
6. Benefits Survey
7. Benchmarking
Competencies Required
1) Should have excellent Business and Industry knowledge
2) Should be aware of competitors…and their Compensation and Benefit Programs
3) Should be good with labour laws.
4) Should also be good in Income Tax Provisions…related to Salary and benefits and also Economics.
5) Should be excellent in Statistics and Cost Accounting.
Organization Development – Training and Development Team
As a Country is known by its people…an organization is known by its employees and hence it is the responsibility of this team to “Develop the Employees” of the organization. If there is any gap in “Competency Mapping” in terms of knowledge and skills required for a particular position…it is for this team to bridge those gaps.
So, it can be training for soft-skills…other skills…new technology or it is development of Personality…leadership development…or high-education. Hence, the development of the company in particular and that of its employees in general…is responsibility of this team.
If you are good in speaking…does not qualify you for being a trainer. You may be excellent as a Public Speaker and worse in training. Being a good speaker is just one of the “Must Have” traits for trainers but not the only trait required. There is something a trainer is expected to do before the delivery…(Training Need Identification) and there is something he is expected to do after delivery…(Measuring the Training Effectiveness).
Competencies Required
1. A deep and thorough understanding of Human Behaviour
2. Positive in thoughts, approach and personality
3. Should be very good in communication. Should be rich in vocabulary.
4. Should be empathetic.
5. Clarity of thoughts is must.
6. Should be good in linguistics
7. Should have positive body language.
You need to take out Tonnes of Sand to get few Grams of Gold…hence the role of a trainer is to get Gold.
You need to dive into the ocean to get a Shell with a Pearl…hence he is expected to be to that diver.
HR Coach and HR Mentor
This is one of the roles, which is an outcome of New Economy. Though being a “Mentor” is not a full time job…”Coaching” can be. We can place HR-Coach above HR-Director but below HR-President. Just like a Cricket Coach, whose role is not only to improve the batting or bowling…but also fielding, physical fitness, mental toughness and overall involvement of the each player…the role of HR Coach is to increase the overall productivity of all the above-mentioned sub-functions of HR Department. Hence, he cannot afford to say that I don’t know about Recruitment or Compensation & Benefits etc. He is the centre of the HR-Department and all functions revolve around him. His role is not very sophisticated one but very tactical.
Competencies Required
1) Experience. This is the one role where…prior experience is must.
2) Business and Industry Knowledge is Must.
3) Should be a Hub of Knowledge and should know HR in its totality.
4) Very influencing, inspirational and highly motivated personality.
5) A true leader.
6) Should be accountable, innovative, responsible and at the same time…should not be emotional…should not get tensed up and should not create panic. In Short, a level-headed person.
Conclusion
This is just an attempt to distinguish between various roles that an HR Professional can play in New Economy. There is a lot that a HR Professional can do.