It`s a fine sunny day in the forest and a lion is sitting outside his cave, lying lazily in the sun. Along comes a fox, out on a walk.

Fox: “Do you know the time, because my watch is broken”

Lion: “Oh, I can easily fix the watch for you”

Fox: “Hmm… But it`s a very complicated mechanism, and your big claws will only destroy it even more”

Lion: “Oh no, give it to me, and it will be fixed”

Fox: “That`s ridiculous! Any fool knows that lazy lions with great claws cannot fix complicated watches”

Lion: “Sure they do, give it to me and it will be fixed”

The lion disappears into his cave, and after a while he comes back with the watch which is running perfectly. The fox is impressed, and the lion continues to lie lazily in the sun, looking very pleased with himself.

Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the lazy lion in the sun.

Wolf: “Can I come and watch TV tonight with you, because mine is broken”

Lion: “Oh, I can easily fix your TV for you”
Wolf: “You don`t expect me to believe such rubbish, do you? There is no way that a lazy lion with big claws can fix a complicated TV”

Lion: “No problem. Do you want to try it?”

The lion goes into his cave, and after a while comes back with a perfectly fixed TV. The wolf goes away happily and amazed.

Inside the lion`s cave. In one corner are half a dozen small and intelligent looking rabbits who are busily doing very complicated work with very detailed instruments. In the other corner lies a huge lion looking very pleased with himself.

Management Lesson

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY A MANAGER IS FAMOUS; LOOK AT THE WORK OF HIS SUBORDINATES.

Suits projects the man’s confidence and power in business as well as stylish masculinity during formal situations. Therefore, choosng the right suit for your wardrobe is important.

There is a choice of either having your suits tailored or getting it off-rack.

Tailored suits are individualized and customized specifically to fit at its best for each man’s different body frame. All these comes with a higher price attached. So it is important to know the basics in the making of a suit to make it look best on you.

Off-rack suits, on the other hand, are readily available and possibly designed with the latest trend in mind. However, it might not be able to fit you as perfectly since it is produced base on the frame of an average man.

Mass-produced off-rack suits usually cannot match in quality against individualized tailored suits. As such, off-rack suits are usually not priced as highly compared to a tailored suit.

There are a few types of suit jackets available:

Single-breasted suits
These are the basic style of most suits. The front buttons on the suits are in a single straight row. There is a choice of two or three buttons for single breasted mens suits.

Double-breasted suits
The suit jacket has one its front overlap the other with two sets of buttons. This is often seen as a more formal suit worn by older men.

Sport Jackets and Blazers
These jackets are more for a “dress casual” look. They can be worn with jeans or casual pants. Usually sport jackets are made of Herringbone or worsted Tweed fabrics which have more informal fabrics and patterns. Blazers are derived from sport jackets and have a more informal cut and design than suit jackets. Traditionally, most blazers are navy blue single-breasted jackets.

Having good knowledge on the basics in the makings of a suit will help you in making better choice of your purchase for both tailored and off-rack suits. For further information you can watch this video:

• Flip-flops or sneakers
• T-shirts-Polo Shirts
• Shorts.
• Jeans.
• Pants that are too low-rise or too tight.
• More on underwear and low-rise pants - make sure the top of your thong, if you wear one, doesn’t show above your pants.

• Suit (solid color - navy or dark grey)
• Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit)
• Belt
• Tie
• Dark socks, conservative leather shoes
• Little or no jewelry
• Neat, professional hairstyle
• Limit the aftershave
• Neatly trimmed nails
• Portfolio or briefcase

This blog was created to equip you with the latest tips and trends of the corporate sector. Well being a consultant for Small Businesses, I will also from time to time give you information on hot business ideas for those who want to take a shot a being their own boss.

Guys, today I have some sparkling information on one of my personal favorites…
The Gems and Jewelry Business.

Wait!! Wait!! Don’t stop reading yet! For those of you who (like me) thought that this is a very expensive venture and that we don’t have the required funding to start up something like this…Well boy do I have news for you! It was a revelation for me as well, which I want to share with you all, but for that you will have to read further…

Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are countries that have been blessed with vast deposits of minerals and precious gemstones. This area holds deposits of some of the finest quality gems in the world. Some of the more prominent in the mineral world are peridot, aquamarine, topaz (various colours: violet and pink, golden and champagne), ruby, emerald, rare-earth minerals bastnaesite and xenotime, sphene, tourmaline, and many varieties and types of quartz.

Pakistan has the potential of becoming the next alternative source for the colored gemstone trade ,on a scale comparable to that of Brazil, provided it takes a few essential, locally effective steps that can enhance the exploration of resources and growth of business.

In the year 2002, Pakistan exported gems & jewelry worth US$32 million. Although the volume of exports of gems & jewelry from Pakistan is of no great significance in the total global trade, but the growth potential of exports in the sector is huge. The government is also taking steps to provide trainings to those who want to take this up as a profession, as well as full support to those who wish to be involved in the mining and export of gemstones.

The best part is that one can start a Gem Export business with as little as Rs 50,000 (approx.700 USD). This amount can facilitate a pretty good start, contrary to what I had initially thought. But it is always better to get some hands on training and knowledge of this trade before delving into this trade, as gem identification is a bit tricky and needs an expert eye for it. For those of you who are just thinking about what career to choose, my advice would be to get a degree in Gemology. You will then have the option of starting your own export business. Even if you want to get a job, this industry pays very well. So it is a win-win situation! This website gives you a list of best and most prestigious places you can get a Gemology Degree from.

(By Syed Abbas Haider)

Unless, not fully sentient with the significant role of the HR; An organization can not attain evolution through its human capital.
………………………………………………………………………………..

Human Resources is just what it says: “Resources for humans” (in workplace).Its main objective is to meet the organizational needs of the company it represents and the needs of the people hired by that company.In short, it is the hub of the organization serving as a liaison between all concerned.

Depending on the size of the company, the HR Department might be called Personnel with a manageable workforce that can be handled by a personnel manager and few staff.For larger, more complex organizations with multiple numbers of departments and divisions, the task is much more demanding, taking on a life of its own.

Some companies have more than one HR Department - Corporate and Union.

For example, a food service industry might have a Corporate HR Department that oversees “white collared” employees and an HR Department that oversees the “blue collared” workforce; with an emphasis on labor relations.

With such diverse needs, the organization will institute these two HR Departments to manage the unique needs of both union and non-union employees. (TCN / All other employees categories, as in the case of ALMCO).

Some of the many core functions of the Human Resources function involve the, Organizational Development.In order to ensure its success, a company must establish a hierarchical reporting system.

Picture an organizational chart with boxes representing each position starting at the top with the first and single-most important being the highest-ranking role.Following the lines, more boxes are branched off to define each department head and their direct reports. As the company expands, so will this chart.

The funnel of responsibility is critical to the efficiency of a smoothly operating business entity in which there is a clearly defined understanding of who is responsible for what.
Following is a brief of what HR does for a company:

They provide consultation to a company’s management team to identify what the company’s core business and culture is about, and proceeds to plan and map the company’s organizational infrastructure to support those needs.

Human-Resource Management performs 5 key functions
1) Hiring
2) Compensation & Benefits
3) Evaluation and Management (Appraisals / Trainings / Work enhancement methodologies)
4) Promotions
5) Managing Relations (Employee vs. Employers vs. Departments vs. Divisions)
The human resource managers are responsible to conduct these activities in an effective, legal, fair, and consistent manner.

The main objective of Human Resources is to maximize the return on investment from the organization’s human capital.According to Schwind Das & Wagner, “Human resource management aims to improve the productive contribution of individuals while simultaneously attempting to attain other societal and individual employee objectives.”

Previous working experience is an asset for many specialized jobs in the human resources field.For more advanced positions, including those of managers as well as arbitrators and mediators, work experience is necessary requirement.Human resources administration and human resources development require the ability to work with individuals as well as a commitment to organizational goals.
This field also demands other skills that people may develop elsewhere,
Such as; using computers, selling, teaching, training, supervising, managing and volunteering, among others.

The human resources field requires a range of personal qualities and skills.Human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists must speak and write effectively.They must be able to cope with conflicting points of view, function under pressure, and demonstrate discretion, integrity, fair-mindedness, and a persuasive, congenial personality.

Coupled with all the above; an excellent HR is formed, which contributes in the growth, success and enhancements of the financial turnovers of any organization.

Unless, not fully sentient with the significant role of the HR;
An organization can not attain evolution through its human capital.

Conceived & Written by:
Syed Abbas Haider

(The writer is working as the HR Manager for “ALMCO GROUP” in IRAQ)

The bottom line of every business is to make a profit. In order to make this profit the owner of the business must make sure that all its assets are properly utilized and nothing is wasted. Now under the asset category also come the employee’s a.k.a. human resources. We must keep in mind that employee issues and their performance have a direct impact and effect on our profits, as we can see below:

Like all other assets the HR and all its derivatives must be checked periodically to see that all systems are in place and are working properly. For this purpose we have a system and method that serves this purpose and for it we have coined the term “Human Resources Management Audit”

This audit, like other audits measures the output of the human resources and its effectiveness under the given circumstances. The audit of human assets is analytical rather than prescriptive. It helps the mangers align the Human Resource function with the current business goals and objectives and encourages them to derive their own workable systems to serve the respective purposes.

Periodically conducting HR Audits can benefit companies by helping them to:
• Improve the entire communication system
• Identify policies and procedures that need to be updated
• Rectify any policy or procedure that is not in compliance with the law
• Find out about unwanted , illegal or negative unwritten practices
• Check whether procedures and practices are communicated and understood properly
• Identify policies and procedures that are not followed and find out why
• Point out urgent changes required to assure broader compliance
• Identify opportunities for new policies or procedures that will help minimize future risk
• Determine whether record-keeping practices are being followed
• Identify where additional training or communication would be helpful for compliance
• Obtain the desired working efficiency out of the available human resources

The audit process consists of a series of questions covering the eight primary components of the HR function:
• Roles, head count, and HR information systems
• Recruitment
• Documentation
• Training, development, and career management
• Compensation and benefits
• Performance measurement and evaluation
• Termination and transition
• Legal issues and personnel policies

The HR Audit report if complied properly will not only highlight the major issues involved in non-compliance, but will also give suggestions and recommendations for rectification. The HR Audit can be conducted internally, but the best results appear if done by an unbiased external third party, as in the case of regular audits. The audit works best when the focus is on analyzing and improving the HR function in the organization.Corporate Communications not only provides clients with the facility of conducting their HR Audit, it also frequently conducts trainings to equip the workforce with the knowledge to perform it themselves.

Small and medium sized businesses are a vital part of the economy, especially in developing countries. These businesses given the right amount of help and funding can play a commendable role in economic development of the country. Monetary aid agencies also lay emphasis on nurturing the SME ( Small and Medium Enterprises) sector. They provide heaving funding for the establishment and growth of the small businesses and provide maximum facilities to enrich this sector. But still, since this sector is not very well developed it faces many problems that impede the sectoral growth. One of the main problems is a lack of professional guidance and consultancy.

Now what if we could get the help of top industry professionals for free? Sounds interesting?

The term FREE is a very attractive and effective term. Marketing strategies using this word always catch the attention of the general public. In times of recession, it sounds like music to our ears. On the other hand we know that nothing in this world is free. Well my friends I have come across just the thing for small businesses and its FREE.

While surfing the net for latest information for my readers, I came across an international team of professional consultants that help small businesses and give them advice on the problems they face and all for free. What’s the catch?  That’s the beauty of it…NOTHING, No Catch!

Their service  can be used for additional advice or new ideas on a subject that matters for your business. You can flourish by getting advice from qualified specialists in economics, finance and management, which call all be found in their  WeSolve Team. Why do they do it? Well in the process of helping you and your business, they get the  benefit from honing their consulting skills in the real-life international situations you share with them!. If your a professional, you can even join them as a consultant on the team. But if you are in need of personalized care and one to one consulting then Corporate Communications is always at your service!