Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Pygmalion Effect on Human Communications



According to legend, Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a female statue he had carved. His wish for the statue to come to life came true. In human resources management, the Pygmalion Effect occurs when a manager's treatment of an employee is influenced by his expectations of the employee. The Pygmalion Effect produces positive and negative behavior.

How to Make a Tickler File


A tickler file sets up reminders that you receive at a specified time in the future, sort of like sending a letter to your future self. The tickler itself is a set of manila file folders that are labeled for the days and months, like a perpetual calendar. The folders hold reminders of future events or ideas, like a show six months in advance or notes to review right before a meeting in two weeks.

What Are Observers on Meeting Minutes?



The structure of meeting minutes varies with each organization and each group within an organization, but there are some general practices that help a reader understand meeting minutes. For example, minutes should contain a description of the group holding the meeting, the purpose of the meeting, attendees, records of votes and summaries of discussions. Sometimes the list of attendees will include people listed as observers.

How to Write a Goodbye Card


Retirement, relocation, or termination are only three of the countless reasons a co-worker may say goodbye to his associates. While the Department of Labor reports that it is impossible to predict the exact number of times a person will change careers over the course of a lifetime, career switches have definitely become more frequent in the Internet Age than they were in decades past, when it was not unusual to hold a single job for one's entire career. If someone you work with is leaving and you need to bid farewell to a co-worker, writing a thoughtful goodbye card is an excellent way to do it.

How to Not Be Scared of Presenting in Front of People



Presenting in front of people is an acquired skill. Most people feel afraid of standing up and talking to a group of strangers. We are scared of being judged on our appearance, quality and delivery of presentation -- or even on our voices and accents.

Monday, August 29, 2011

How to Terminate an Employee in Kansas

Kansas, like certain other states, is an "at will" employment state. This means that you may terminate an employee for anything at any time, as long as the reason doesn't violate federal or state discrimination or employment laws. You can't fire an employee because of his race or religion, nor can you fire him for refusing to break the law or for reporting you for safety or labor violations. Although you don't have to provide the employee with a reason for the termination, proper documentation of any employee action that leads to his dismissal is essential for proving your case if the employee sues you for illegal termination.

Can I Fire an Employee for Missing Work?


In most instances, excessive absenteeism is a legitimate reason for dismissing an employee. However, following the proper procedures for dismissal reduces the likelihood of the dismissed worker filing a lawsuit against you. In other instances, you have little or no latitude over when or whether a worker reports for work. Consult with an attorney who specializes in employment-related law with specific questions pertaining to your particular circumstances.

The Definition of Employee Tenure



Tenure generally refers to the number of years workers stay with one employer. However, a closer look at data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that several factors affect employees' tenure. Therefore, as employers define the tenure parameters of their companies, they should consider things such as economic conditions and their employees' age, gender and position.

What Do You Need to Be Bonded for Cash Handling?



Employers who hire people who will be responsible for handling cash often want more than the applicant's word that they won't mismanage or even steal from the business. One of the ways business owners can protect themselves from potentially unscrupulous employees is to require them to be bonded. For applicants, that means becoming familiar with what is needed to become bonded.

How to Break an Employment Contract Before You Start Work

Say you've landed the job for which you've been vying, only to find that the offer wasn't as great as you once thought. If you've already signed an employment contract before even starting the job, you might have a harder time wrangling out of it. However, if you communicate with the company -- or at worse, retain legal counsel -- you may be able to get out of the contract professionally unscathed.

How to Sell Socks


Even an inexpensive sock selling business can be profitable, if you choose the right sales location and market your product in an innovative way. You can start your sock business from just about any location, including your home. People sell socks in flea markets, online, in mall carts, street stands, consignment shops and craft stores. However, before selling your socks you should get all your state and city business licensing requirements taken care of. These include registering the business name, getting a state sales permit and applying for an Employers Identification Number from the IRS.

How to Refine Biogas


Biogas is a term for gas fuel produced by the processing of organic waste by bacteria. It contains methane, a gas which burns as easily as natural gas, which is mainly made of propane. The process which creates biogas occurs naturally, for instance in the stomach of cows and people. Natural biogas in its raw form contains a number of contaminants which makes it less efficient as fuel. The raw gas has to be cleaned, or refined, to be used as fuel for motors and vehicles.

How to Keep the Books With a Debit and Credit Sheet

Recording accounting entries with debits and credits is often referred to as double-entry bookkeeping. This is because every entry made for income, expenses, liabilities and owner's capital has two entries: a debit and a corresponding credit. When you start a business, you need to set up a bookkeeping system that allows you to record debits and credits. Each liability and capital account and income and expense item should have a specific number assigned to it, so that when a transaction occurs, it can be properly recorded into the books under that account number.

Starting Salaries for Junior Level Reporters

News reporters, correspondents and broadcast news analysts compete for relatively few job openings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of May 2010, reporters and correspondents held 45,130 jobs nationally, while broadcast news analysts held 5,670 jobs. Low pay, long hours and extensive travel are balanced by the cache of these jobs, which draw keen competition. A minimum of a bachelor's degree in journalism or communications is desirable for these jobs, but smaller newspapers, publications and broadcast news channels may hire interns and apprentices with less education.

Reading Advocate Salaries


The Central Intelligence Agency noted in July 2011 that 99 percent of the American population over the age of 15 has the ability to read and write, but modern literacy also involves skills in reading and understanding basic instructional materials and the ability to document and perform the quantitative tasks involved in economic literacy. Reading advocates work with both children and adults to improve reading and comprehension skills and also encourage people to view reading as an important leisure activity.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Tennessee Rights on Vehicle Repo Title Pawns


State laws govern the rights that lenders have to repossess their collateral or security from borrowers who default on their loans. In Tennessee, the Tennessee Title Pledge Act establishes the rights that pawnbrokers and title loan lenders have to repossess their collateral from buyers. According to the Tennessee Code, title pawn lenders can repossess vehicles if they comply with the Tennessee Annotated Code Section 45-15-101.

What if I Close My Account Before My Payday Loan Is Due?



Payday loan companies pitch their services as a lifeline for struggling consumers, but unless the consumer is very careful with these financial products, they could end up making a bad situation worse. The interest on payday loans is substantially higher than other types of consumer credit. What's more, the payday loan companies require access to your checking account to ensure they'll get their money -- and if the account overdrafts, the debtor's problem gets worse. Some people elect to close their checking accounts to avoid the spiral, but this strategy is fraught with danger.

How to Calculate Annual kWh Usage in Home

Kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a measurement of energy that electric companies use to determine your electric consumption. Because the power company uses kWh, you can clearly see your consumption on your electricity bills. You can use this calculation to see how much power you use in a year and then try to reduce your consumption in the future. If you have not been in your house for more than a year, you can estimate your annual kWh usage by prorating.

How to Calculate Vehicle Loan Information


Calculating vehicle loan information is important when shopping for a car. The interest rate will be given to you by an auto dealership or bank and there is not much you can do to change it---but there are other factors you can influence, such as the length of the loan and the total loan amount. Calculating vehicle loan information used to challenging for the layman. Today, it is now possible to calculate your loan and alter the variables until the numbers work for you by using an auto loan calculator.

Florida Mortagage Promissory Note & Contract Endorsement Law


Mortgage lenders have the right to assign mortgages to deeds of trust when they establish them. However, many lenders in Florida do not assign the mortgage at the time it is established; instead, they make the assignment when they need to foreclose on a mortgage. At the time of publication, this practice is illegal and puts the lender in jeopardy of losing its right to foreclose.

How Much School Does a Physical Science Teacher Need?



A physical science teacher needs a minimum of a bachelor's degree, and many hold a master's degree. Public school teachers in middle and high school must meet state licensing requirements, including examinations. Physical science teachers in public schools usually have a secondary school license, for grades 7 to 12, or a middle school license, for grades 5 through 8. Physical science teachers in private schools and colleges usually have to meet different requirements.

The Average Salary of a Utah Corporate Lawyer



Some lawyers enter the legal field and specialize in corporate law to make the big bucks. However, the reality is that not all corporate lawyers make more than lawyers in other areas of specialization. Corporate lawyer salaries can vary by the size of the law firm, what type of corporate law is practiced and geographic location. The average salary of a corporate lawyer in Utah tends to be below the national average.

The Average Salary Rate for a Senior Flash Developer



Adobe Flash is a development platform used to build websites and develop software for computers. The original purpose was to add graphics and animation to websites, but it has since become a competitor or alternative to HTML for developing websites and software. Senior Flash developers fall under the broader career category of "software developer," according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries for this career vary by experience and employer, among other factors.

How to Calculate TWAP

In business, the time weighted average price, or TWAP, of a stock is used to find the average price of a stock that fluctuates over a defined period of time. This number is generally useful for investors who generate small orders at a rapid pace. As long as you have access to the prices of the stock and total trades made over a given period, you can calculate the TWAP using a simple formula.

How to Be a Security Trader


Securities trades are made by financial sales agents whose duties can vary depending on their specialty, notes the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some securities traders work on behalf of "everyday people," while others perform trades for banks or other corporate institutions. The BLS notes that while employment for securities traders is expected to grow by 9 percent through the year 2018, competition for available jobs will be keen. Aspiring securities traders must meet educational and licensure requirements in order to qualify for employment in the financial services industry.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Accounting Tips to Remember Debits & Credits



Businesses require resources such as cash, labor and capital in order to set up, start, run and expand their operations. Such production resources can be acquired through incurring economic obligations to other entities -- either creditors or owners who choose to invest their personal resources into those businesses. Businesses use these resources in the course of producing their revenues and incurring expenses. In general, assets and expenses are recorded on the ledger as debits, while liabilities, equity and revenues are recorded as credits.

How to Calculate Debt Ratio With Liabilities and Net Worth

Accounting is full of useful ratios that can give meaning to the figures on your balance sheet, and debt ratio is no different. Debt ratio tells you how much your company relies on debt to conduct business. Debt ratio is calculated by dividing total liabilities by total assets; however, if you only have your total liabilities and net worth, you can still perform this calculation.

How to Calculate Cache Ratio


Detailed measurements of your website statistics can tell you a lot about the people who are visiting your site. The cache ratio, for example, can tell you the percentage of attempted accesses to your site that result in cache hits. Cache hits are instances in which a user's web browser uses the copy of the assets stored locally in its cache rather than retrieving the files from your web server. A higher cache ratio is indicative of a higher number of users

Net Expense Ratio Vs. Gross Expense Ratio


Net expenses and gross expenses both refer to slightly different expense ratios of an investment fund. Specifically, these ratios demonstrate how much a fund must pay out in expenses and thus represent important information for any investor. Understanding the difference between the two ratios and knowing what to look for when researching a particular fund's expense ratios can help the investor better evaluate the investment fund.

What Financial Information Is Needed for Refinancing?


To refinance a loan, lenders ask for specific pieces of financial data, including information such as income, expenses, assets and debts. If you don't have acumen in accounting or finance, seek the guidance of an expert such as a financial planner or a certified public accountant. The specialist can help you sort out your financial information, tell you which item is relevant, and show you those items that need short-term fixing.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

7 Year Statute of Limitations on Your Credit Report



A missed payment will appear on your credit report for seven years. This is an important fact as you consider future financial plans. For example, buying a home may not seem important to you when you're young or in college, but seven years later the credit required to make a major purchase may be a priority. The idea is to take care of your credit today just in case you need it later.

How Will I Know if My Tax Return Has Been Garnished for a Debt?



The Financial Management Service (FMS), a division of the national treasury, is responsible for issuing refund payments and is authorized by Congress to offset any refund owed you when you have unpaid state taxes, owe back child support or have any other debt to a government agency caused by illicit means. This offset can occur even if you are currently on a payment plan.

The Illinois Statute of Limitations to Claim Ownership


Illinois sets a statute of limitations for a person seeking to claim ownership of land. In addition to a statute of limitations, other elements must be clearly met. For property other than land, Illinois has no set statute of limitations. However, before an individual can claim ownership of personal property, Illinois requires signs that the original owner intended to abandon it.

Net Operating Loss & the Carryforward Period


The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows a taxpayer who suffers a net operating loss to apply the loss against his taxable income during the year he incurs the loss. If a taxpayer's loss exceeds his taxable income in a given year, the IRS may allow him to use the excess to offset his income in both previous and subsequent tax years. The IRS cites a loss from operating a business as the most common cause of a person's net operating loss. Other deductions that may cause a net operating loss typically result from a taxpayer's moving expenses, casualty and theft, rental property and work as an employee.

Grants for Fingerprint Work



Grants for fingerprint work, which verify an individual's criminal history, are available from federal, state and private organizations and companies. Technology to assist law enforcement agencies update their fingerprinting systems from document and ink to digital fingerprint technology can run upward of $30,000, so grants can be extremely helpful to this end.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Can a Bank Close Your Savings Account for No Reason?


When you establish a savings account, you enter into a contractual agreement with a financial institution. Your bank agrees to pay interest on your deposit and to provide you with banking services, and you agree to deposit money into the account and to pay fees if you overdraw the account or even if you fail to keep a minimum balance. As with many types of contract, either party can opt to end the relationship at any time and for any reason.

Can a Bank Refuse to Cash a Cashier's Check?



For ordinary banking customers, the cashier's check---a check drawn under a bank's authority from guaranteed funds---is usually considered as good as cash. Indeed, most banks by default give next-day availability to cashier's checks. However, under a very few circumstances, a bank may refuse to honor a cashier's check.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Seeking Financing From Credit Unions


When you need a loan of some kind, you can pursue financing from several different options including a bank or credit union. While credit unions are not as widely understood as banks, they offer some advantages over traditional banking facilities. At the same time, they also have a few potential drawbacks to consider.

Accounting: The Natural Balance of Accounts


Generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, specify the natural balance of accounts and tell companies whether a specific account should have a credit or debit balance. Financial accounts run the gamut from assets and liabilities to equity items, revenues and expenses. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission identifies account balancing as a central feature of sound financial reporting.

Proof of Income & Direct Deposit

When purchasing on credit or filing a loan application, you will usually be requested to provide proof of income. In most cases, a paycheck stub is acceptable. However, in today's electronic-banking world, a paycheck stub may not be easily accessible when your check is direct-deposited. In most cases, any proof of income that a lender or seller can verify with a phone call will be acceptable if you cannot provide a check stub.

How to Learn About Opening Bank Accounts for Minor Children

In order for children to become adults that are financially literate, they typically need to be taught how to responsibly manage their money as they grow up. One of the most effective ways to teach a child about finances and stock away money for their future at the same time is to open a bank account for them. Many banks nowadays offer accounts just for minors, and there are several ways you can learn more about them.

Monday, August 22, 2011

The Most Important Job Interviewing Skills

Interviewing for that job you really want can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. However, there are some tricks to keep your nerves from getting the best of you during an interview and make that first impression a memorable one. A job interview can result in the elusive job offer so it is crucial to head into every interview feeling confident and well