Is your business making you sick

Is Your Business Making You Sick?

Our business environment could actually be making us sick. Think about it. We sit in the same chair in the same position for hours at a time. We breathe the same air in and out… in and out… get the idea?

On a hot day in summer the heat can be unbearable and if you have air conditioning that just makes things worse, by removing all the moisture from the air.

Skipping breakfast and eating on the move whilst answering the phone or on the way to the bank leaves our body in despair. The highs and subsequent lows in blood sugar levels make us hyper one minute and grouchy the next.

All the electronic equipment around us… from fax machines, mobile phones, printers, computers and monitors create an unhealthy electromagnetic field all around us.

Sorry for the doom gloom but take heart — with small changes we can counteract most of the above.

Start the day with a good healthy breakfast — nothing beats porridge and a nice cup of tea. Keep some fruit on your desk — nothing beats a banana for a mid morning snack. Hey don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that porridge, bananas & fruit are the only combination, but they work for me. I find that foods that release energy slowly keep me going all day.

Drink plenty of water — I know that we have heard this before but I feel that it must be repeated again. Water serves to remove the toxins from our body and helps our skin to stay hydrated. How much water is enough? A glass an hour is sufficient.

Move all electronic equipment that you can away from your sitting area. Does that printer need to be so close? Use a headset when talking on the mobile and buy an anti glare screen for your monitor. Hide all your wires. Not only are they a hazard but the also make our minds cluttered.

Stop being so intense all the time! When typing, caress the keyboard rather then hammering it so hard. Keep your monitor at eye level and get a cordless mouse and keyboard that you can move around to suit your posture. Buy a decent office chair with arm rests — did you know that if you have arm rests and use them, you reduce the pressure on your spine greatly.

By taking simple measures you can greatly reduce your chances of getting repetitive strain injury (RSI).

Stress is another major issue we all face. Computers not connecting to the internet, phones constantly ringing, email responses not arriving on time and far too much spam! Buy a decent spam filter and every time you feel stressed out go for a little walk. If you followed the advice about drinking plenty of water — you will help to alleviate stress, as you will be forced to get up and go to the loo regularly!

Taking regular short breaks will actually serve to make us more efficient and productive in the long term and cut down on the number of days we are ill. Enjoy your working day.

How to organize your grocery coupons to save big at the supermarket

How to Organize Your Grocery Coupons to Save Big at the Supermarket

It’s no secret anymore that coupons are the best way to save money on groceries. Yet, of the over $70 billion of coupon saving offered by manufacturers each year, only $4.5 billion are redeemed by consumers. That’s barely 6%. So how come millions of Americans are not jumping on the bandwagon?
According to Susan Samtur, The Coupon Queen and founder of www.selectcouponprogram.com, the answer lies largely in the fact that most people simply do not think couponing to be time-efficient. They believe that it takes hours every day to clip coupons and figure out how to get the best deals. In today’s busy world, most people just don’t have that kind of time, so they avoid the process for fear of being sucked in and losing out on time that could be spent elsewhere.
But is the myth true? Do you really need to spend half of your waking hours clipping, sorting, and alphabetizing coupons? Of course not! The key to all of this is proper organization – with the right system in place, shopping with coupons becomes a walk in the park (or in the aisle)! There are a few simple steps anyone can follow to keep their coupons from becoming an overwhelming, terrifying mess of papers.
First and foremost, you need a large folder to keep everything in. Folders with built-in or add-on separators are great, but as long as your coupon-holder is easy for you to manage, that is all that matters.
Next, write a list of categories into which all of your daily necessities are represented, and keep it alphabetical. Don’t go crazy in trying to have a category for everything. If you don’t have children, you don’t need a diaper section! It all depends on what products you normally buy. For example, you might have these twelve categories:
Canned Goods Dairy Drinks
Medicine Cereals Frozen Foods
Fruits/Veggies Household Items Meats
Paper Goods Pet Food Snacks
You could always subdivide within categories as well (eg, having smaller sections within Household Items for things like lighting, cleaning, dishes). Once you’ve got your categories, you’re home free! The trick is to keep at your system; don’t get lazy! When you clip your coupons, file them away immediately unless you plan to use them right away, or else you’ll end up with a pile of cluttered, disorganized coupons on your kitchen counter!
If you have special offers like free samples or rain checks, keep these in the back of your file and check them periodically.
It also helps if you put the shortest expiration dates in the front so you’ll see those coupons first, but make sure to go through your file every month to throw out expired coupons, especially at the end of the calendar year when many coupons expire. Otherwise, your drawer/folder will fill up faster than you can use the coupons!
When you are ready for your weekly shopping trip (or biweekly) make your list of items then go to your coupon file. Pull out the coupons you’ll need and put them into a small envelope so that you can match them to the correct product when you get to the store. Check the expiration dates one more time before you go to make sure you won’t end up with an expired deal.
Don’t get discouraged if you still have trouble acquainting yourself to a system at first. Like all systems, the coupon-organizer takes time to adjust to, but as long as you remain consistent with your filing procedure, you’ll save tons of time and tons of money! Once you get organized with a system you know and feel comfortable with, you will be able to cut your sorting time into a fraction of what it once was. It’s as simple as that!

For more resources about Supermarket Coupons or even about Grocery Coupons please review this page http://www.selectcouponprogram.com

How helpful are the directories in finding a product

How Helpful are the Directories in Finding a Product?

If you are too tired of looking out for products at different places, you can find them online. There are directories of various kinds. Just like you have yellow pages to find contact numbers and address of registered telephone users, various business and services offline, there are online tools too.

These online tools such as a directory serve as a platform for both a manufacturer as well as a consumer. One can sell his products and services and the other can buy them. It offers enough scope to compare products and prices. In addition to this a consumer can view the products before he places an order. He can buy them over the internet through the use of a credit card and this would be shipped to you home.

Finding a product is no more an up hill struggle. Just a quick search over this internet tool will bring you a sea of products and their prices. Suppliers and retailers also advertise their items in the same platform. Craftsmen and artisan from the small scale and cottage industries find a venue to display their piece of art through the suppliers. A retailer should be a keen observer. He should also be a good researcher in finding out which are the top selling items and services that people scour for. A wholesaler is saved from the trouble of distributing their wholesale products to the public. You can find a trusted supplier who will give you the services that you need. Find relevant suppliers’ listings, manufacturers listings and make your purchase based on the quotes you get. You can find any product online right from Filters, Strainers & Related Products, Hand Tools, Abrasives & Abrasive Products, Cutting, Shearing & Slitting Machinery, clothing, skin related products, food products…Adhesives & Coatings such as Coating Machinery, Adhesives, Coating Services, to Plastics & Rubber etc. In addition to this, if you subscribe for newsletters, you will get to know if there are any new products or offer on display.

Soon after you search for a product they match you with qualified vendor. You can request for competitive quotes from vendors and suppliers and then you can make your informed choice based on these valuable information! There are millions of wholesalers and retailers across the globe, and they all compete with each other. Hence they usually lower their prices, give out freebies and do other promotions so that they can call the attention of the users just like you. Identify any bonuses and good deals when you register with directories.

Income protection- protecting you when you are unable to work

Income Protection- Protecting You When You Are Unable To Work

Just as it is important to buy home insurance and motor insurance, it is also important to buy income protection. You can never know what is going to happen in future. You can become sick or incapacitated and be unable to work. If you are unable to work, it means that you will not be able to get your monthly salary. Under such circumstances, it will be hard to meet your everyday expenses.

Provides Regular Salary

Wage coverage policy is designed to cover you in such situations. It provides you with a regular salary till the time you are able to return to work. Income protection coverage will help you take care of your everyday needs like food, gas, school fees, clothing, and other expenditures.

One might ask — Why do I need wage coverage policy when I can avail of paid sick leave or other government unemployment benefits? The fact is that many employers make it very hard for one to avail of paid sick leave benefits. Moreover, it takes time to secure unemployment benefits from the government.

Deferment Period

Wage coverage policy, on the other hand, provides coverage that you need and for as long as you need. When taking an income protection plan, you will notice that there is a deferment period added in the plan. Deferment period simply refers to the period when you have got off work and you are not covered by a wage coverage plan. The policy holder has to make his/her own arrangements during this period.

Policy holder is given the option of choosing the deferment period. The choice should be made by first analyzing how long you will be able to live off your savings. This will ensure that the income protection plan will start at the right time. In other words, you will not have to worry about money to take care of your needs.

A Better Option

Wage coverage policy is a better option than paid sick leave or other government unemployment policies, because it is easy to avail of benefits under the plan. When you make a claim on the plan, the company will seek a medical confirmation regarding your physical condition. Once they can confirm that you are medically unfit to return to work, your claim will be accepted.

You will stop receiving the benefits once you get back to work. Most income protection plans do not limit the amount of benefits you can receive; however, the policy holder has to start making payments on the plan once he/she has got back to work.

Wage coverage policy is a better option than other available options because policy holder can link his/her benefits to the current inflation situation. This simply means that the benefits that the policy holder will receive will increase over the period. This will ensure that you will have sufficient funds at any given point.

When shopping for wage coverage policy, it is important to get quotes from several companies. Compare the income protection plans offered by different companies. Compare the cost of processing the plan. Will it enable you to get mortgage if you need to do so in the future? Before you sign the contract make sure that you are clear about every point. If you have any doubt, do not hesitate to have it clarified.

With a good wage coverage policy you can rest assured that you will always have funds to meet your needs even if you are unable to work due to some medical reason.

How uk businesses can beat the recession by capitalising on the growth of chinese tourism

How UK Businesses Can Beat the Recession by Capitalising on the Growth of Chinese Tourism

With Chinese New Year celebrations in full swing, the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visiting London and the unprecedented growth in Chinese inbound tourism to the UK, you would mistakenly believe that the UK is well practiced in welcoming Chinese visitors. Yet many hotels, retailers and tourist venues are unfortunately ill-equipped to serve what will become the most important UK inbound tourist demographic.

China’s tremendous economic growth is generating the largest new tourist market which will require tourism sector providers the world over to adapt their services, products, food and language to suit outbound Chinese travellers who will growth from 40 million in 2007 to 100 million by 2020 (The World Tourism Organisation).

The UK is already benefiting from the rise in number of Chinese tourists. Visit London, predicts inbound tourism from China will rise by approximately 425% by 2012. Coupled with the recent relaxing of visa restrictions, a strengthening Chinese yuan, and Visit Britain’s strong marketing campaign in China, the UK is in a particularly strong position to benefit from China’s outbound tourism.

However Yaxley Consulting, which assists UK tourist destinations, hoteliers and retailers in adapting their services to suit Chinese tourists, found in a recent market assessment that many UK providers are still relatively ill prepared for the growth in Chinese visitors.

Speaking recently to members of the Historic Homes Association, Managing Director Jocelyn McConnachie said, “a limited number of Chinese speak English. Tourist venues should be making small adjustments such as providing short Chinese brochures, or a few pages translated into Chinese on the organisation’s website to help Chinese visitors make the most of their trip. Far more than other nationalities, Chinese tourists take time to research their holidays online, yet few UK tourist designations have Chinese translated pages. Those venues that do have translated pages are experiencing strong new growth and gaining ground against their competitors, which is critical in this difficult economic climate.”

She also added that more retailers and hoteliers should be looking to Chinese tourists as part of their business survival plans during 2009. “Chinese tourists will spend up to 80% of their travel monies on shopping. They appreciate value-for-money and simple online marketing activity which includes dual language special offer vouchers can encourage shoppers and allow retailers to measure results. Hotels can exceed Chinese guests’ expectations with small, cost effective adjustments to their existing services.”

McConnachie is adamant that staff should be trained to anticipate Chinese travellers’ needs and speak a few simple phrases. “The business will see a return on its training investment not just from the visitor’s experience but also word of mouth advertising. Chinese tourists rely on recommendation more than many other travellers.”

Yaxley Consulting www.yaxleyconsulting.co.uk consults to leading industry bodies on trends in outbound Chinese tourism and works with businesses in targeting Chinese tourists. Its sister website www.ukwang.com (launching mid 2009) will be a key source of information for Chinese visitors to the UK. Both are part of the Yaxley Group www.yaxley.com.