Gaining Market Growth in an Economic Downturn

Author: Kimberly Green

Source: articlesbase.com



It can seem like the world is against you! You work hard, sometimes 15 hours a day to make your small business survive to only feel like your customer’s hate you, banks don’t trust you, quality control, and the economy is out to get you. If you’re one of the countless small business owners you need to refocus your energy on a few key factors that make owning a business, quality control, during a recession as successful venture. There are several key factors that must be looked at when positioning your self to gain market share. Keep in mind that many of the customer’s that you are looking to gain will not be loyal to the company that currently services them and in most cases they will be willing to go to anyone who can provide them with a few key things like, better price and customer, quality control, service. However, one of the most overlook keys to success in a recession is advertising. It’s usually the firs thing in a budget that goes but it should be the last! The Internet is the biggest advertising boom of this century and SEO companies can help your company be found on the Internet. However, don’t be afraid to attend trade shows where the CCPPC (cash cost per possible client) is minimal. Even springing for a custom exhibit builder can do wonders for product placement and design. If your potential customer’s don’t know you’re out there the game is already over! Second only to letting people know you are actually in business is the customer service you offer. If you are in business to sell a service or a product you are absolutely not the only company selling the same service or product, quality control, . In reality, you are likely charging within a 10% margin of your closest competitor, quality control, and neither of you are willing or can afford to change that so the most important and the most key factor is your customer service. Depending on your employee base it may be best for you to go outside your doors for quality control and find a reputable, quality control, third party for your quality. However, personal hands on (straight from your leadership) approach, quality control, will always be successful. Most people think this next item should be first but it’s really the least important. The product or service that you offer. Quality is important. If you competitor can offer a better product at a lesser cost you are done so likely you’ve caught onto that concept and have already ensured you are offering the best product you can. Honestly, the type of product is unimportant. A man once called a rock a pet and made a million, quality control, dollars that spanned several recessions, quality control, . It’s possible to sell anything that remotely has a market. Although large-scale success in the market you are in is dependent on the size of the market you’ll be successful if you keep focused, quality control, on being found, customer service and making sure you are competitive with your product.

K. Green's business uses a custom exhibit builder when participating at trade shows.

Syntax Groups' Olevia Brand of LCD TVs Brings Value & Affordability to Micro Center Consumer Electronics Consumers--National Debut at Micro Center Gains Rapid Consumer Acceptance

Author: Anonymous

Source: free-articles



City of Industry, CA August 9, 2004 -- Continuing its bazaar drive for carrying top bulk LCD TVs, quality control, at consumer-friendly, affordable prices,, quality control, Syntax Groups Corporation(tm), a complete vertically-integrated R&D, accomplishment and access sales aggregation of agenda aggregation chump, quality control, electronics products, today appear that its top bulk Olevia(tm) cast of LCD TVs are accessible at Micro Center's arrangement of technology food throughout the United States.



Micro, quality control, Center, a destination banker advised to amuse committed computer users, called the Syntax Olevia 27-inch and 30-inch models as the aboriginal cast of HD-ready LCD TVs for their 20 civic locations because of Olevia's unique, richly-appointed PC-like appearance at cost-effective, quality control, prices. The Syntax Olevia 27-inch, quality control, and 30-inch LCD TVs accommodate best of cast appearance including bifold TV tuners, VGA and TV breach screens, DVI inputs with HDCP, ultra-thin collapsed console LCD screens, top adverse ratios, fast brace ante and acknowledgment times, and 14-16 rows of transistors for ablaze displays. Consumers can affix the Olevia LCD TV to a PC for watching TV or movies on one bisected of the affectation while blockage email or surfing the Internet on the adverse side.





โ€œSyntax Olevia LCD TVs are all about bulk to the consumer,โ€ said, quality control, Denis Karpeles, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Syntax Groups Corporation. โ€œThese HD-ready TVs are bogus with the aforementioned or bigger blueprint of civic brands, but for abundant beneath in price. We are captivated to be a accomplice with Micro Centermost as they access a new bazaar segment.โ€



โ€œIn the abbreviate time that we accept featured the Olevia brand, Micro Centermost consumers accept apparent a ample bulk of absorption in these LCD TVs for their across of functionality at a competitively low, quality control, price,โ€ said Sean Beaupre, Merchandise Manager for Displays and Notebook PCs at Micro Center.





The Olevia LCD TVs alloy top superior ball images, able-bodied functionality, optimum affordability, beautiful architecture and superior, quality control, with the company's different customer-friendly chargeless first-year on-site assurance account program. Competitively-priced to extend affordability to added, quality control, consumers who wish to acquaintance a LCD-TV in their home or office, Micro Centermost is alms the Olevia 27-inch, quality control, for $1499 and the 30-inch archetypal for $1899, additional a appropriate $50 abatement during August.



About Micro Centerยฎ

Micro, quality control, Centermost operates twenty food in above markets nationwide. Founded in 1979 in Columbus, Micro Center's characteristic appearance include:

ยท
A destination banker advised to amuse the committed computer user.

ยท
Uniquely focused on computers and computer-related products, quality control, . In fact, Micro Centermost offers added, quality control, computer and computer-related SKUs (over 30,000 in stock) than any added retailer.

ยท
The a lot of aboveboard footage adherent alone to, quality control, computers and computer-related items of any banker (stores boilerplate 45,000 aboveboard feet).

ยท
Selection, account and sales agents ability modeled afterwards Nordstrom and added service-oriented retailers.

ยท
More flush altercation than big box chump electronics stores.

ยท
Innovated the departmentalized access to computer retailing. Account levels and ability alter to accommodated chump preferences by department. This means:

*
Consultative career sales agents in accouterments departments which beleaguer basic items in the centermost of the store.

*
Quick in/out arcade acquaintance on basic items with checkouts calmly arranged.



Micro Centermost abundance locations:

CA - Tustin and Santa Clara; CO โ€" Denver; GA โ€" Atlanta (2); IL โ€" Chicago (2); KS โ€" Kansas City; MA โ€" Boston; MI โ€" Detroit; MN โ€" Minneapolis; NY โ€" Westbury, LI; OH โ€" Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus (2); PA โ€" Philadelphia; TX โ€" Dallas, Houston; VA โ€" Fairfax.

For added advice on Micro Centermost and its 20 retail locations, amuse appointment,, quality control, quality control, http://www.microcenter.com.



About Syntax Groups

Headquartered in Southern California, Syntax Groups Corporation is a complete vertically-integrated R&D, accomplishment and access sales aggregation of top bulk chump electronics and computer technology aggregation articles for the post-PC era. Syntax Groups maintains a aggressive advantage over ample Tier 1 brands due to its lower prices, lower amount infrastructure, and quick acknowledgment to bazaar dynamics. Through its collective adventure company, DigiMedia (www.digimedia, quality control, .com.tw), formed in Taiwan with Taiwan Kolin Aggregation (www.kolin.com.tw; TSE 1606.TW), Syntax Groups controls a able end-to-end accumulation alternation including R&D and accomplishment of backlights for its LCD TVs, optical engines for LCOS TVs, a cardinal accord with Chi Mei Optoelectronics (www.cmo.com.tw; TSE 3009.TW) for Olevia's high-grade LCD panels, accumulation assembly accomplishment of LCD TVs and LCOS TVs, superior control, access sales, business and administration with a solid back-end chump abutment program. Syntax' Olevia branded LCD TVs are awash admitting the company's rapidly growing access arrangement of consumer-direct online partners, and bounded and civic retail stores. The company's Website is www.syntaxgroups.com.



Syntax Groups Corporation and Olevia are trademarks of Syntax Groups Corporation



Contact:

Pattie Adams

Syntax Groups Corporation

(626) 363-2653

pr@syntaxgroups.com

www.syntaxgroups.com

Aluma's Houston Office Receives U.S. ISO 9001-2000 Registration

Author: Anonymous

Source: free-articles



TORONTO,, quality control, CANADA, & HOUSTON, TX April 2, 2004, quality control, -- Aluma Systems announced today that its Houston, Texas office has received its ISO 9001:2000 registration for both Industrial Scaffolding and Concrete Construction. The Houston office covers the Texas Gulf Coast, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.



The registration comprises 100-percent of the policies, procedures and quality controls at the Houston location. With the ISO 9001:2000 registration, Aluma Systems has standardized job consistency protocol, job certifications, safety, engineering services, training, all of which streamlines every job from pre-bid through customer review satisfaction.



Aluma Systems has eleven branches and offices that are ISO 9001:2000 registered. An additional four locations are in the process of qualifying for future ISO registration, quality control, .



The Company was the first organization in its industry to be ISO 9001:2000 registered. The Houston registration is the culmination of three years of work by staff and management.



Aluma System's Commitment to Defect Free Products and Services

Jeryl Finke, Aluma Systems Houston Branch, quality control, Manager said, โ€œThe ISO 9001-2000 registration is Aluma's way of benchmarking and standardizing quality to its customers. Aluma Systems' promise to its customers is to deliver defect free product and services. This commitment to excellence is reflected by the expanding network of locations that are ISO 9001:2000 registered, and also by the company's own Gold Link Safety recognition Program.โ€



For customers, ISO 9001-2000 registration assures dependable quality, quality control, in the delivery of engineered solutions with consistent review of their requirements, improved job scheduling, application of internal auditing procedures and regular reviews of performance by department management, quality control, .



Aluma System's first ISO registration came in 1996, with its Edmonton office. Since that time, Aluma has received ISO registrations for, quality control, Halifax (1999), Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa (2000), Calgary and Vancouver, Beltsville (2003), Atlanta, Phoenix (2003 - Engineering) and now Houston (2004).



Aluma Systems, privately-held and founded in 1972, is based in Toronto, Canada. It is one of the largest North American industrial scaffolding and concrete construction services companies. The Company provides industrial products and services to refineries, shipyards, oil platforms, power plants, tunnels, bridges, roadways and high-rise buildings. , quality control, Aluma currently has more than forty offices worldwide and alliances in twenty nations. Aluma Systems was awarded, quality control, the prestigious CCA 2002 National Safety Award and currently, Aluma Systems operates eleven ISO 9001-2000 registered locations.



Contact:

Jeryl Finke 281-474-3133 Aluma Systems

Anthony DiMaio 212-842-1052

Assertiveness Techniques Help Control The Urges Of Emotions

Author: M'Hamed Cherif

Source: download



During the development of the "Assertiveness Coffee Cards" we, at Cutesolutions, have thoroughly reviewed the literature on neuro-psychology to find out what recent discoveries say on assertiveness. Major strides have been made in unravelling the processes guiding our behaviour, in identifying the causes for a great number of cognitive disabilities and deepening understanding of the human traits. But, the brain is still far from giving away its secrets, though a lot has,, quality control, quality control, already been achieved in understanding the nuts and bolts of thinking and feeling. Progress has been made in understanding such typically human qualities such as humour and sarcasm. Undoubtedly, an individual' view is formed both by their genes and by how their brain has been moulded by experience. Some studies have, however, suggested predisposition for assertiveness. It is not science-fiction anymore to think that prospective parents will be able to design their children at the computer, scrolling through genetic menus to choose specific gene clusters for assertiveness and other, quality control, qualities. But, I doubt it if this is desirable for the human race. A better route is to learn to be assertive. Nevertheless, understanding the influence of our makeup on assertiveness is helpful and suggests practical ways, quality control, to learn the assertiveness skills.
Neural development is a staggering complex process, which scientists are only beginning to get the first clues about. It involves neural activity in, quality control, specific parts of the brain and a lot of traffic between various areas of the brain. The result of our neural connections and activity determines the extent of which we are assertive or not. A significant amount of neural activity takes place in the limbic system, without us being conscious, quality control, of it, quality control, . Sexual assertiveness is a well known case where men are thought to be more assertive than women because the centre of male-specific sexual behaviour receives signals from nuclei in the amygdala that are, quality control, concerned with producing assertive or aggressive behaviour. This is by no means exceptional. In fact, a significant amount of communication between humans is unconscious. Everything coming in through the senses goes first to the thalamus where it is sorted and shunted onward to appropriate processing areas, notably the amygdala - the brain's alarm system - for generation of emotional responses: disgust, fear, anger and parental love. So, it is a fact of life that your eye talk, gesture,, quality control, intonation and posture generate emotional responses of liking or disliking that affect the power of your assertive behaviour.
Fortunately, there is a two-way ebb and flow of traffic between this limbic system and the frontal lobes, where consciousness, morality, free will, responsibility and assertiveness are rooted literally in flesh. Just as emotions and feedback from our body affect our thoughts and behaviour, so the way we think and behave can affect our unconscious reactions. The frontal lobes are responsible for our conscious perception of emotion and our ability to attend and focus. Most important of all, they endow our experience with meaning and our being with a sense of purpose. So, the frontal lobes fee people from, quality control, the tyranny and urges of their emotions and bestow a quality we may refer to as free will, with which must come responsibility. Assertiveness has a lot to do with being centred and able to control emotions so as to be able to act in your own, quality control, best interest by expressing your thoughts and feelings directly and honestly without violating the rights of others. To achieve, quality control, such as a centred state of mind, one must me aware of own mind's constraints, prejudices, cognitive reflexes and misconstructions. That is why Cutesolutions has developed a class of techniques - The, quality control, You Class - to provide the learner with practical means to achieve state of mind where the expression of thoughts and feelings is facilitated.
For further information, please contact us at: Cutesolutions 30, rue Josse IMPENS 1030 Brussels - Belgium Tel +32-2-2155157 Fax +32-2-2156416 Ibl.belgiumtelenet.be http://www.cute4u.net
Under the leadership of Sarah CHERIF,, quality control, Cutesolutions, quality control, has been developing the "Coffee Cards" series of techniques for self-improvement and business management. The author holds a Ph.D from the Free, quality control, University of Brussels and has a long experience in communication, negotiation and project management. He is an ex-official of the World Bank and a consultant on developmental issues. He has worked extensively for the European Commission on the design and implementation of macroeconomic and sectoral programmes.

Quality Management Techniques and Core Concept

Author: Nick Mutt

Source: ezinearticles.com



Quality management techniques are commonly referred to as TQM (total quality management). The core concepts of quality management are:

- Continuous process improvement - Customer focus - Defect prevention - Universal responsibility

Continuous process improvement takes place in incremental steps. It should not stop in any case. The first step in quality development is for employees to look at their work and effort in terms of being, quality control, part of a continuous business process.

Continuous improvement is a persistent effort. To enhance the quality improvement process select an improvement project with a specific target. Selecting project with specific plan helps in improving the total quality management. After this assign a appropriate project team to improve it. Define the project steps using a flow chart, and define variability and problems in the project. Locate the root causes of the problems and recommend improvements, and implement. Measure the results and proceed to a final implementation. Then start the new project.

The continuous quality improvement process should be driven from the top management, but implemented from the core team member and other staff. The selection of, quality control, improvement projects needs a pointed, quality control, focus. The problem areas should be prioritized, serious processes, quality control, selected for improvement, and improvement goals set for the projects team members., quality control, This is a top down procedure. There are various techniques which teams can use for their quality improvement effort. Training should, quality control, be provided so that the teams know how to use these quality techniques.

Employees who are assigned to project improvement, quality control, teams need to know how to use these techniques. Managers and superior need to know these techniques too, because it is their job of make easy and drive the quality improvement effort.

Everyone is a customer - External and Internal customer. The external customer is someone who purchases the product or service. Internal customers are those who make use of what another group providers. This has fairly profound implications. It means that every work group has to think about providing value to the people who utilize their product. This involves finding out exactly what the user requirements, and ensuring that the process provides it. The initial point for quality improvement is to determine the customer requirements. When the requirements are fairly simple, this can be done merely by talking to them.

When dealing with an external customer and the product is extremely complex, the determination of the customer requirements can be quite time consuming and requires a detailed analysis. A useful tool for determining the customer requirements, quality control, and ensuring that these needs, quality control, are incorporated into the product design is the Quality Function Deployment Matrix. Determining customer requirements accurately is an important aspect of quality control. Obviously, it is less expensive to rectify a mistake in, quality control, defining customer requirements before a product is produced then it is afterwards. So spending the time and effort to, quality control, figure out the needs correctly at the start is time well spent.

Defect prevention or avoidance saves money. Process for manufacturing a product begins with a specification. Drawings are created,, quality control, parts are made and assembled, and the product is delivered to the customer. The cost of rectifying a fault increases by at least a factor of ten as the product moves through each of these stages. Defect prevention or avoidance is concerned with catching the errors as early in the game as possible or preventing them from happening at all.

Universal responsibility deals with the fact that total quality is not only the responsibility of the inspection department but is everyone's responsibility in the organization. Quality improvement should be totally pervasive. Every work group in the business should be concerned with seeking ways to improve the quality process.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

Read information on ERP Implementation Best Practices and fundamentals of ERP. Know about ERP Implementation Risk Factors and other information on ERP systems.

Six Sigma Training - Why and How

Author: Gary Preston

Source: articleage.com



Although Six Sigma sounds like a distant star in a galaxy far, far away, the term is very easy to explain, once you, quality, quality control, control, know sigma is the character in the Greek alphabet that is used in mathematical statistics to identify a standard deviation. A standard deviation is defined by how tightly the various outputs of a process are clustered around the mean in a set of data. In other words, how divergent the outputs are from the statistical average. In statistical terms, Six Sigma means that if there were 1 million opportunities for a defect (defined as anything outside of customer specifications) to occur, no more than 3.4 defects would be permitted, so that the quality of the output is near perfect. As such Six Sigma is seen as the ultimate goal, quality control, in achieving almost immaculate processes through, quality control, continual improvement.
Six Sigma achieves this by implementing a disciplined, data driven methodology for eliminating defects in any process, from the manufacture of a product to after sale customer service. It focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects using the following two Six Sigma sub-methodologies:
The Six Sigma DMAIC process (define, measure, analyse, improve, control), the most common Six Sigma improvement tool, which focuses on ensuring the improvement is clearly defined and measured and is used for existing, quality control, processes that have fallen below customer specifications and require incremental, quality control, improvement. Data is analysed to identify problems and the improvement is consolidated through process controls.
The Six Sigma DMADV process (define, measure, analyse, design, verify), which is an improvement system used to develop new products or processes to Six Sigma quality levels. It can also be employed if the current process needs more than just incremental improvement.
Both Six Sigma processes, which can be easily calculated using a Six Sigma calculator, are executed by Six Sigma Green Belts and Six Sigma Black Belts, and are overseen by Six Sigma Master Black Belts. Each Member of the Six Sigma team is given key responsibilities for analysing information that will have an impact on improving processes and customer satisfaction.
The question you'll be asking now is how much benefit Six Sigma training can give your company. Well, in classic Six Sigma style, just have a look at the data. General Electric, one of the most successful companies to implement Six Sigma training, estimated that it has benefited the company a staggering $10 billion in the five years after implementation. And the Six Sigma Academy estimates that the approximate saving Black Belts give companies is $230,000 per project, of which between four and six can be completed per year. Organisations, quality control, such as Motorola, who initiated Six Sigma training in 1987 and won the Malcolm Baldrige quality prize for it, ABB, Honeywell and Allied Signal will be happy to attest to this.
Perhaps one of the most critical reasons why Six Sigma has had such tremendous success lies in one of its, quality control, most distinctive differences from other quality management systems: the extent to which it is inextricably linked to business finances. No matter the project at hand, the financial benefits are quantified and used to help prioritise the various stages of improvement. These are then re-evaluated during the analysis phase to ensure, quality control, that the cost of the improvements will be supported by its overall benefit to the company. And the financial benefits are verified once again at the end of the project. Such a, quality control, rigorous procedure, quality control, also has the, quality control, benefit of including all sections, quality control, of the company in the Six Sigma training, because all are naturally linked to the company's finances.
Which Six Sigma Training Company is right for your you?
Now that you know what Six Sigma training involves and the reasons why your company should consider employing it, the final question is how to find the right consultant for your company, quality control, . Well, the first thing is to define what you want to achieve by implementing Six Sigma, and whether you want it implemented right across the company or only in selected areas. This decision should not be made by you alone, but in conference with other company employees, because implementation should be given the highest priority and support if it is to go ahead.
Once you have established the benefits of implementing Six Sigma and got approval for it from your colleagues,, quality control, you should seek references from your peers in other companies about how their Six Sigma training was handled, quality control, . Six Sigma is very much a people, quality control, business, so it is also important to speak to some of the Black Belts or managers, quality control, of any shortlisted Six Sigma companies to see if you click with them and they have the required level of experience. The level of experience they have of working in your field isn't necessarily that, quality control, relevant compared to the level of mutual understanding and their aptitude as trainers, because good training means your colleagues will have skills that are transferable to other industries. Also, consider the breadth of service being offered. Will the people who start out training you still be there at the end? Do they have their own training materials? Will there be a help desk for employees to call after the training has been completed to ask about any Six Sigma problems that may arise in the future?
Finally, once you have made sure you know the number of defects the process,, quality control, quality control, is currently producing and establish the number you will be satisfied with at the end of the project, you are in a position to start the process of finding the best Six Sigma trainer for your company. The best of luck!
This article has been provided the the UK's ApprovedIndex. Visit: http://www.approvedindex.co.uk

Product Design And Development

Author: Jason Gluckman

Source: articleage.com



Product design begins with identifying the characteristics and expectations of the target market based on the product. The key benefits customers look for in a product must be identified. Multifunction products can give product benefits expected by many types of customers. On the other hand, a customer may suspect that the product promises too much, and that it will not, quality control, live up to its promises, quality control, .
A multipurpose,, quality control, quality control, product may also appear too complex and sophisticated to the average buyer. A product has to complement human effort rather than, quality control, overwhelm. Building user friendliness into products has become a very important factor in product design, and a whole discipline of study called ergonomics has evolved.
Aspects like quality, styling, performance and materials affect a product image. It is better to give desired quality at acceptable prices than to give the highest possible quality at unreachable prices. Product performance output and costs of product use is another important feature that should be part of product, quality control, design. The materials used for making a product have to be selected so as to be safe, free from health hazards, economical and appealing.
Product obsolescence refers to the life of a product or the duration it can be used. This is another very important aspect in the product design and development. Functional obsolescence occurs when a new technological finding makes an existing product out of date. The manufacturer controls planned obsolescence. Postponed obsolescence is when a marketer decides to withhold product improvements until present inventories are sold out or demand falls sharply.
Product Development provides detailed information on Product Development, New Product Development, Product Design And Development, Product Development Processes and more. Product Development is affiliated with Enterprise Risk Management.