Smartphones: can you imagine life without them now?  I know I can’t!  Whether it’s to check Facebook, twitter or my email or to use instagram, I would definitely be LOST without my iPhone!  It honestly is like a life companion that is always at your side!  The marvels of the iPhone and the Ipad have really set the bar for the whole current generation of smartphones!  Dedicated apps, news channels, online shopping, even diet plans all at the click of a button!

A few years back we started realising that these phones could also save us money!  Skype and then Face time and Viber got rid of the distance and dodgy phone-lines as well as the expense involved in international phone calls, allowing us to even see our loved ones in other continents for free!

Now, however, the advantages and money saving potential of these powerful little handheld, pocket and handbag dwelling gadgets has extended even into the spheres of general cost saving and energy efficiency!

In 2013 Smartphones are already helping many people and businesses save money and reduce their carbon footprint!

Can apps REALLY help you to become energy efficient?

Well the proof is in the pudding, but YES; this really is the case, iPhones and ipads should really come in green!  So, how does it work?  Well the following are some examples of some particularly helpful apps.

Using inefficient light bulbs year wastes up to 80% of energy use per year and could cost the average person around 55 pounds per year = Fact.   Welcome: Light Bulb Finder, a free smartphone app designed to make it easy to identify the best and most efficient light bulbs for any fixture. Light Bulb Finder was voted best overall app in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Apps for the Environment’ Challenge.

The expense of owning and running a car, can also, believe it or not be addressed by an ipad and iphone app! Irrespective the brand of car, Hunter Research and Technology’s green meter app helps motorists increase their driving efficiency, whatever type of car they have. Since its release in 2008 this app has helped users cut their fuel consumption by approximately 2 million gallons.

When it comes to the home, we have all heard of the obvious ways that we can be greener and save money in the process; solar panels, switching of the lights when you’re not using them, blab la bla … But what about the lights themselves, and the rest of our home gadgets, how do we know that they’re not leaving us short changed in terms of their energy efficiency?  Launched in 2009, Key Lime’s Green Outlet’s app, calculates the energy consumption of home appliances, and based on their usage habits, allowing users to predict their monthly electricity bills.

As regards your wider local area, should you be interested in its carbon footprint: AllertMe Energy Map on  iTunes is a free app that allows you to pull up the average energy expenditure per household, per year in your vicinity.  This is broken down into electricity and gas usage and gives you the resulting carbon emission.  Energy Map also shows your area’s ranking as opposed to others in the UK as regards energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

The British Gas App is a free  iTunes (Free) that enables you to easily fill in your gas and electricity meter readings whenever you want, allowing British Gas to put together a more accurate bill. Everyone can make use of it and it is especially great for small businesses. You can then access your account summary featuring your last bill and payment details and you’re your current tariff and last registered meter reading. A new feature now lets you view your energy usage in graph format so as to be able to form a usage comparison spanning your usage over the last year. This British Gas application also comes with a handy guide on how to take an energy meter reading and emergency gas and electricity telephone numbers.  What is more, should you have any questions or issues the App has an easy-to-use email feature allowing you to email British Gas who endeavour to respond to all emails in 24 hours.

People resources or manpower resources is one of the key elements of successful businesses. Employees and workers are the ones who perform the tasks necessary for the company’s operations. It is therefore important for business owners to ensure that their workers are poised for optimum productivity. Most people tend to overlook the effects of physical working conditions on productivity. The physical environment of the workers has to be body smart for the employees to work smart. Having ergonomic furniture at the office has a lot of benefits that result in enhanced employee comfort and improved productivity.

The most obvious benefit of ergonomic furniture is the comfort of employees. These furniture are designed with the human body in mind. Posture is improved and the body’s structural framework is adequately supported in all the employees’ tasks. Common movements are made more convenient with proper positioning of office equipment. It goes without saying that the employee is able to do more tasks when he is more comfortable.

Ergonomic furniture also lessens sick days. It effectively prevents spinal injuries and other injuries related to having the wrong posture while working. This translates to efficiency and cost effectiveness for the employer or the business owner as well. He does not have to pay for health or medical benefits due his employees. With more employees at work, the manpower complement is almost always near a hundred percent.

Having ergonomic furniture might cost a little more in terms of overhead expenses. But, this one-time expense can translate to cost savings in terms of paid sick days and medical expense reimbursements. Furthermore, the investment returns more revenues when employees are able to increase their output whether it be in the form of products coming out of the factory assembly line or in the form of services rendered to customers. Investing in ergonomic furniture is a sound move for businesses big or small.

Image credit: www.norbell.in

When you have several huge machines to move to another location, you cannot simply rely on brute force. Though this is not entirely impossible as people have been moving heavy loads without any equipment since the Stone Age. But, there is really no need to heave and ho when you have professional machine movers that you can trust to do the job for you. It takes much less effort and shorter time to complete your move.

There are a number of companies that specialize in moving heavy machinery. These companies normally service customers in the industrial setting. The prices are not at all expensive especially if you take the time to find the right partner movers. More than the cost, it is important for you to think about the benefits that you can enjoy by hiring professional movers.

One of these benefits is the faster moving or transport of machinery. Machine movers can handle your heavyweight equipment. They can move your equipment using their own tools and manpower. Because they are fully trained and prepared to perform moving jobs, it will not be difficult for these movers to complete the move. This means that you do not have to pull out your workers from their posts to help out in the move. And when the move is completed right away, you can get back to normal business operations at the soonest possible time.

Another benefit is the decreased chances of damaging your equipment or machinery during the moving process. People who are not trained to move heavy machinery can end up damaging the equipment being moved. With professional machine movers, there is no need to worry about this. Forklifts and palletizers are just some of the special moving accessories and equipment used by professional movers to effectively move machines without the risks of damage. Even if you have to pay a little extra for professional moving services, the cost is still relatively low as compared to what you would spend on damaged machinery as a result of improper handling.

Image credit: www.ablemachinerymovers.com

The world’s leading name in the field of technology will have its annual developer-focused conference this week and a lot of techy-savvy individuals are looking forward for whatever surprise they are preparing.

It was during Google I/O 2008 when Android and Chrome was introduced and now they became one of the most popular among its competitors. Rumors showed that Google would be introducing a lot of new games and a more comprehensive detail on Google Now. Developers are pretty much excited on the latter and how it will improve everyone else’s techy life.  It is rumored to be one of the major components of Google Glass which was already revealed few months ago.

The combination of Android and Chrome is also being hushed but realizing it is very unlikely. It is possible but maybe not during this year’s I/O. Chrome already reached the iOS platform and is currently gaining more users in the desktop category.

For the thousands of gamers, there would be a lot of exciting games in Google+ as well as in the Android operating system. More and more people are surely going to spend most of their time online to enjoy all these things coming out.

Google already proved to their billions of subscribers that they’ve got what it takes to rule the tech world and that they can provide the demands of their clients and even exceeded their expectations.

Even though they are facing a lot of copyright infringement cases from their competitors, they remained strong and continue to introduce something different that their clients would truly appreciate.

They were able to win the masses with their cheap operating system powering affordable devices brought by leading gadget manufacturers. They invaded almost all aspect from video streaming, browsing, gaming and social networking. Time will come that everything will be under their roof connecting everyone else’s accounts.

Image credit: droid-life.com

This kind of venture would definitely involve a lot of money and it would be wise to know how to budget your funds for a longer period of time. Making use of mortgage calculators would be of great help.

With the advancement of technology, online mortgage calculators are readily available these days and with few clicks and entry of figures, you would readily know how much you’re going to set aside for your monthly amortization.

These calculators help out real estate owners on deciding which property they can afford as well as have an estimate on how much are they going to allocate for their housing needs.

Mortgage calculators have the following variables that would include loan principal balance, periodic compound interest rate, number of payments per year, total number of payments and the regular payment amount. With all these figures readily available, you won’t need to pay someone to do it for you.

It pays to know how much you’re going to set aside for your house’s mortgage. After all, it’s going to be your family’s house and your place to live on. You won’t be renting forever and when retirement days come, you won’t be working too hard just to make up for house rent. It is really an advantage to have your own property. You can do whatever you want with it, renovate all you want and you’ll be assured that no one will stop you from doing what you want.

Start using the application now and plan your bright future as early as possible.

Image credit: renjith krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Consider this question: would you put your banking details or personal information on the back of a postcard and send it for the world to see?

The answer is definitely no. You would put that information in a sealed envelope, as they are details you want to keep that private, only to be seen by the person the information is intended for, keeping your details and your money safe.

That seems like common sense and most people are happy to adhere to basic privacy protection, but many people don’t apply the same rules when it comes to transactions made online. Every transaction made involves sending your private information across to a business who will then use that information, but not all businesses take measures to ensure that your information doesn’t run the risk of being intercepted by malicious groups or software along the way. There are several easy security measures, like checking that the website you are using has invested in SSL Certificates that can keep your information safe and reduce your chances of fraud.

What is an SSL Certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. It is technology that establishes a secure link between the visitor’s web browser and your website. All communications going through the link like emails, bank details and personal information are encrypted – turned into an unreadable code – that can only be read by the recipient, creating a private channel to communicate on.

Even if someone like a hacker does intercept your channel, the encryption means that the information is “scrambled”, so they won’t be able to read it or access any of your private reserves. It’s the digital version of sending your letter by registered post – only the intended recipient can get hold of it.

How will it help my business?

If you own an online business, then your customers are putting you in a position of trust when they make a purchase with you, so it’s important that you do everything you can to ensure that you are keeping them safe. When you invest in a reputable SSL Certificate your customers will be able to see the logo on your website, which will help build their trust in your business and could even help grow your company. The customer may not understand the complexities of internet security, but more often than not, they have been made aware of potential online threats and will be reassured that you are doing everything you can to protect them.

On the reverse side, if potential customers and clients can’t see this logo, they may be reluctant to do business with you as they may fear that using your website could make them vulnerable to viruses and hackers.

These days, internet browsers are starting to make it even more clear for web users when it encounters a website that it does not determine to be secure. In Internet Explorer version 7 and above, the address bar will turn green if the browser has assessed that the website is up to date with security settings, including an SSL Certificate. In Firefox a small lock symbol will appear in the status bar. As consumers become more educated and wary about issues around online security threats, they will begin to look at these symbols more and more.

When you purchase a certificate you will be given a site seal logo which you can display prominently on any pages that require people to hand over private information. This seal provides great peace of mind and reassurance for your valued customers.

Where can I find out more?

Of course, it’s not easy to understand just how SSL technology can help you and how to work out which certificate is best for your business, which is why Symantec have created a useful SSL certificates interactive guide to explain more about what the certificates entail.

​

The infographic offers links to articles and videos that demystify every area of SSL Certificates, from their history to how they can benefit your business (small or large). You can also find information on where to find the right SSL certificate for your organisation and how to install it as well as a guide to best practice and getting the most from your certificate.

So, no excuses for running your company with a postcard mentality now!

However, some companies are accepting fresh graduates regardless if they have an experience or not. They are those companies that are willing to risk themselves into fresh minds and modern ideas. These applicants are most of the time young and aren’t afraid to try everything just for their  development and of the company. They can easily be sent to trainings and seminars because majority of them are single and love getting out of town.

These young employees-to-be may have broader point of views but they also have the higher tendency of hopping from employer to another. Companies hiring them should see to it they will be staying in the company for at least 2-3 years through ample compensation, benefits and all-expense paid trainings.

If only all companies are thinking this way, employment rate will eventually increase. However, not all companies are willing to take the risk thus leaving a lot of fresh graduates jobless and rather choose other work that aren’t related to their chosen profession.

Some countries have higher employment rates because their students are already ensured with work even before their graduation. Their government made sure that all their working citizens will have jobs so that they could spend for themselves independently. While some countries are enjoying these things, there are also places wherein unemployment is too high that most of their working forces are forced to go overseas and serve other nationalities. For them compensation in other countries is way better compared to the minimum wage that they can have in their country of origin.

Image credit: careermast.com

]]> http://www.onlinebizandresources.info/should-you-hire-fresh-graduates/feed/ 0 http://www.onlinebizandresources.info/indoor-plants/ http://www.onlinebizandresources.info/indoor-plants/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:01:49 +0000 Rachelle http://www.onlinebizandresources.info/?p=4043

There are various reasons why indoor plants are grown. The most common reason is to use it for decoration, they help to give the house a warmer feeling. Sometimes plants are also grown for their positive psychological effects and the benefits that they bring when it comes to the health of the occupants of the home or office where they are grown.  Since plants can take away the carbon dioxide from the air it is common knowledge that house plants are ideal for purifying the air.

Handling company cutbacks requires diplomacy, a vision of the company’s future and empathy of the staff. How to deal with the employees that have been laid off and those who have been kept in place will require the attention for the days that follow once the announcement has been made. It is important that the announcement is made soon when the cutbacks become a necessity. The employees that will be affected need to be informed first in private and given a review of the benefits or the severance package that they will be getting.

The best time to announce the cutbacks to the rest of the employees is at the end of the day so that they do not get distracted. A decision has to be made whether the employees that are being laid off will be allowed to work to a given date or will have to go soon after the official announcement. There are a few things that one will need to keep in mind when talking to the employees about cut backs:

·         The communication needs to be honest

·         It should be clear that you are concerned about them despite the cutbacks

·         Ensure that you do not promise them things you will not be able to fulfill

·         Do all you can to help those that have been laid off to get back on their feet

After the announcement, take some time to let the employees take in all that you have told them and observe their reactions. Be prepared to respond to these reactions and varied emotions. There are those who will be quite angry and it is good not to be defensive but to handle them in a diplomatic way. Have tissues for those who will cry and be able to handle the anxious ones.

Have the appropriate paperwork ready for them to sign that include details explaining their compensation for unemployment, retirement plans, health insurance and final paychecks. Inform the employee that has been laid off how to access the benefits that they are entitled to. In addition, give them information about private job hunting resources and local government where they can look for jobs.

A Human Resources degree is important for understanding how to handle this situation with dignity. These staff cutbacks have to be addressed with the remaining employees too and this takes a slightly different approach and skill. A line of communication needs to be kept open so as to handle rumors that may be circulating about the changes that are happening in the company. The employees will also be concerned about the extra work that they will possibly have to do. The cutbacks should be the stepping stone of evaluating and streamlining the processes and systems that are in place.

Emphasize the importance of broadening their knowledge with the new work load and the expectations also need to be realistic. If overworked, they will have issues prioritizing and meeting the deadlines that have been set. Keeping a positive attitude could be hard after the cutback announcement as the staff expects you to set the tone. Being angry or frustrated in front of them will just make things worse. Search for opportunities that will boost their morale and reward them for the good work they have done.

 Image credit: www.sharpcareer.blogspot.com